TEN CAUSES OF IMPOTENCE

There are physical causes and underlying conditions associated with erectile dysfunction:

1. Chronic smoking
Vascular disease which is hardening and narrowing of the arteries is caused by chain-smoking. It causes a reduction in the blood flow throughout the body which can lead to impotence. However, this is associated with age, and accounts for 50% to 60% of impotence in men.

2. Obesity
“Men who eat high cholesterol foods are more prone to secondary impotence because of their escalating weight compared to thin men,” says Dr. Kagwa. Their blood pressure is high which causes breathing difficulties. Overweight constricts the veins that transport blood to the penis, thus inability to erect.

3. Diabetes mellitus
Chronic high levels of blood sugar associated with diabetes mellitus often damage small blood vessels and nerves throughout the body. This can impair nerve impulses and blood flow necessary for erection. About 60% of men with diabetes experience secondary impotence.

4. Drugs
Most commonly prescribed drugs on the market are known to contribute to secondary impotence when their consumption is abused. This includes drugs for high blood pressure, heart medications, antidepressants, tranquilisers and sedatives.

5. Hormone imbalance
Dr. Kagwa says hormone disorders account for less than 5% of cases of secondary impotence. This is because testosterone deficiency which occurs rarely can result in loss of sexual desire — erection. Having excess levels of the hormone prolactin, reduces levels of testosterone.

6. Poor eating habits
Dr. David Ssali, a naturopathic doctor, says secondary impotence has a bearing on poor eating habits. He says most modern men today eat junk foods instead of natural foods, and drink a lot of alcohol. When this is absorbed by the body, it turns out to be toxic thus clogging all the major arteries and veins that are responsible for pumping blood into the penis for a full erection.

7. Neurological conditions
Spinal cord and brain injuries can cause impotence when they interrupt the transfer of nerve impulses from the brain to the penis. This disrupts its sensitivity which leads to inadequate or lack of erections.

8. Tumour, surgery, radiation therapy
A tumour in the pelvic region or spinal cord can damage veins and nerves needed for erection. Surgery of the colon, prostate gland, bladder, or rectum may damage the nerves and blood vessels involved in erection. Prostate gland cancer surgery often requires removing tissue and nerves surrounding a tumour, which increases the risk of impotence.

Radiotherapy for prostate or bladder cancer can permanently damage these nerves.
However, Dr. Kagwa says new nerve-sparing techniques aimed at lowering the incidence of secondary impotence are being developed and used in these surgeries.

9. Scarring of the tissue
Peyronie’s disease is a rare inflammatory condition that causes scarring of erectile tissue in the penis. However, this scarring effect produces curvature of the penis that can interfere with sexual function and cause painful erections or no erections.

10. Psychological conditions
Depression, guilt, worry, stress, and anxiety can contribute to loss of libido, thus erectile dysfunction.

Compiled by; M.Evelyn

A CAR BLACK BOX

When we hear the word black box, we always think of aircrafts. However, this is now changing with the introduction of tamper proof car black boxes.

The recent innovation involves a video drive recorder device installed in car windscreens to record video, audio and GPS data related to vehicle impact or accidents triggered by motion sensors.

Information from the device is then stored on a removable memory. The memory can be removed for analysis to know what happened to your vehicle before and after an accident.

Other features of the car black box include real-time recording, event recording and manual event recording.
The user can even manually switch it on while on the move to record what is
happening in front or behind their car.

For example, you can know how a person who borrowed your car used it by just referring to its memory via a computer. In Kampala, car black boxes can be bought in Katwe, off Entebbe Road.

Compiled by; M.Evelyn.

Five Most Important Leadership Traits.

1. Honesty
When you start a leadership position, you need to assume that people will think you are a little dishonest. In order to be seen as an honest individual, you will have to go out of your way to display honesty. People will not assume you are honest simply because you have never been caught lying.

One of the most frequent places where leaders miss an opportunity to display honesty is in handling mistakes. Much of a leader’s job is to try new things and refine the ideas that don’t work. However, many leaders want to avoid failure to the extent that they don’t admit when something did not work.

2. Forward-Looking
The whole point of leadership is figuring out where to go from where you are now. While you may know where you want to go, people won’t see that unless you actively communicate it with them. Remember, these traits aren’t just things you need to have, they are things you need to actively display to those around you.

When people do not consider their leader forward-looking, that leader is usually suffering from one of two possible problems:

a. The leader doesn’t have a forward-looking vision.
b. The leader is unwilling or scared to share the vision with others.

When a leader doesn’t have a vision for the future, it usually because they are spending so much time on today, that they haven’t really thought about tomorrow. On a very simplistic level this can be solved simply by setting aside some time for planning, strategizing and thinking about the future.

3. Competency
People want to follow someone who is competent. This doesn’t mean a leader needs to be the foremost expert on every area of the entire organization, but they need to be able to demonstrate competency.

For a leader to demonstrate that they are competent, it isn’t enough to just avoid displaying incompetency. Some people will assume you are competent because of your leadership position, but most will have to see demonstrations before deciding that you are competent.

When people under your leadership look at some action you have taken and think, “that just goes to show why he is the one in charge”, you are demonstrating competency. If these moments are infrequent, it is likely that some demonstrations of competency will help boost your leadership influence.

4. Inspiration
People want to be inspired. In fact, there is a whole class of people who will follow an inspiring leader–even when the leader has no other qualities. If you have developed the other traits in this article, being inspiring is usually just a matter of communicating clearly and with passion. Being inspiring means telling people how your organization is going to change the world.

A great example of inspiration is when Steve Jobs stole the CEO from Pepsi by asking him, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?” Being inspiring means showing people the big picture and helping them see beyond a narrow focus and understand how their part fits into the big picture.

One technique to develop your ability to inspire is telling stories. Stories can be examples from your customers, fictitious examples from your customers, or even historical fables and myths. Stories can help you vividly illustrate what you are trying to communicate. Stories that communicate on an emotional level help communicate deeper than words and leave an imprint much stronger than anything you can achieve through a simple stating of the facts.

5. Intelligence
Intelligence is something that can be difficult to develop. The road toward becoming more intelligent is difficult, long and can’t be completed without investing considerable time. Developing intelligence is a lifestyle choice. Your college graduation was the beginning of your education, not the end. In fact, much of what is taught in college functions merely as a foundational language for lifelong educational experiences.

To develop intelligence you need to commit to continual learning–both formally and informally. With modern advances in distance, education it is easy to take a class or two each year from well respected professors in the evening at your computer.

By: Sharon .M.

VANDALISM ROCKS SERVICE DELIVERY AT BWERA HOSPITAL

The multi million ultra modern Bwera Hospital constructed by Government of Uganda in 1997 and commissioned by HE Yoweri Museveni risks being termed a white elephant thanks to a wave of thefts that has been visited to it in the recent past. The most targeted are the solar lighting systems. Nearly all staff quarters have been stripped of solar panels and batteries. The same is happening to other buildings like the wards and administration block. However, amazingly no one has been arrested in connection with this wave of theft in spite the fact that the hospital has a full fledged security detail. According to the Medical Superintendent, Dr. Seith Tibenda, the theft has been extended to the curtains in the windows in the private wards and other critical medical equipment. He blamed this theft partly on the hospital staffs who have failed to deliver on their duty of looking after the patients and the facilities within the hospital. On his part, the Hospital Administrator, Mr. Buthalha Pedson, said the thefts in the hospital may be orchestrated by the staffs in connivance with unscrupulous characters in the community. He reported that he has designed measures to stem the theft which includes changing the attitude and morals of both the staff and the community.

These revelations were made to RWECO at a press conference organized at Bwera Hospital and attended by among others the Secretary for Social Services Kasese District Local Council, members of the Mpondwe – Lhubiriha Town Council and the Medical Superintendent Bwera Hospital who also stepped in for the District Health Officer.
The theft and vandalism at Bwera Hospital has adversely affected service delivery.
During the same press conference Dr. Tibenda castigated the mushrooming privately run health training centres which he described as illegal and called upon the district authorities to close them up immediately. He was responding to complaints by the community based monitors about the operations of the training schools which were churning out half baked nursing assistants who are running drug shops in the communities. These drug shops run by the quack nursing assistants pose a serious risk to the sick who seek medical attention there. The Medical Superintendent agreed to go to radio to sensitize the communities about these illegal medical training schools and their quack graduates.
by Timothy Balikenga

Change the reading culture

It has always been like a song that has been sang for decades that if you are to hide something from an African, you need to write it in a book. This trend has gone on to the extent that people don't want to read at all claiming that it is not their culture.
One of the approaches to changing this bad culture is to encourage people to read from the time they are young. This can be done by having children's libraries with very interesting books; that are easy to understand. The children can also be encouraged to formulate their own stories and read them aloud.
This has been done at Kabuubu Community Primary School, in Gayaza, Kampala.

Let us all join hands and change the reading culture

By Diana

The Value onions and garlic to your health

Garlic and onions also help fight infections and heal the human body. People far back in history were well aware that both of these foods were medicinal. They were consumed on a regular basis in order to protect themselves from getting sick and also as a way to help them heal quicker in the event that they did come down with an infection.

Scientific research studies support the fact that onions and garlic are worthy of being eaten every single day in order to provide optimum health benefits. Although pungent, these are not foods that should be easily dismissed. Never let the unpleasant aroma cause you to avoid them. Perhaps it would not be wise to eat onions or garlic before an important meeting or a date however.

These natural foods are full of chemicals that can help protect a person from a variety of infections, diseases and illnesses. Garlic and onions help to protect against a plethora of physical problems such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory concerns, diabetes, and a variety of cancers.

A number of tests have shown that a diet rich in garlic helps to lower the total cholesterol rate of an individual, including the bad cholesterol or LDL while at the same time it raises the good HDL cholesterol in the bloodstream. Garlic is responsible for producing cells in the blood that are deemed "natural killers" and these can help to fight off many different kinds of infections as well as deadly tumors. Garlic lowers blood pressure and it decreases the risk of developing blood clots. Blood clots are to blame for the incidence of many strokes and heart attacks.

Garlic fights bacteria and viruses and therefore helps to prevent infections and it decreases the risks of a number of different types of cancer, with an emphasis on cancers of the stomach. It is important to note that garlic is best eaten in its raw form and its medicinal properties are at their height when garlic is cut up, sliced up or chopped. Cooking garlic, especially for too long or at high temperatures is responsible for destroying some of the compound known as "allicin" in it as it is allicin that makes garlic as healing in nature as it is.

Onions have many health benefits as well. Much like garlic, onions help to increase the HDL cholesterol in the blood, especially when they are eaten in their raw state. Onions also help to decrease the bad cholesterol or LDL in the blood and they increase the ability of the blood to dissolve blood clots. Onions are excellent at decreasing the risk inherent in developing diabetes and help to fight off the bacteria that are responsible for causing many infections in the human body. Onions decrease the risk of many different types of cancers. A compound known as quercetin has been discovered in onions and this compound is extremely powerful when it comes to fighting cancer and is an excellent antioxidant.

While eating onions and garlic may not win you any fans, they will win you many years of good health.

By Diana

President halts NAADS funds over abuse, cautions Ugandans against electing bad leaders 6 - 7 - 2010

President Yoweri Museveni has halted the release of the NAADS funds for 2010/2011 financial year following widespread complaints over mismanagement of its implementation.He said the Shs 120 billion for this financial year will only be released after thorough scrutiny of the projects and current beneficiaries of the programme. The President was addressing a public rally at Boma grounds in Fort portal Municipality. He is in the western Rwenzori Sub-region district of Kabarole as part of his national tour to promote and popularize government’s Prosperity For All programme (PFA). The programme implemented under NAADS is aimed at fighting household poverty through modern agricultural production and commercialization of agriculture to improve incomes.
The President’s announcement follows widespread complaints of financial impropriety, corruption, lack of transparency in farmer selection and the poor implementation of the US$108 million project in various districts. In some of the districts affected by the civil strife, it was found that money was sent while the people were still in the camps and it disappeared and remained unaccounted for while in others, the cost of stocks including animals and poultry was inflated and prohibitive to the farmers. People also complained of lack of knowledge of the programme and lack of transparency in farmer selection. They accused NAADS and district officials of benefiting themselves instead. The President has directed independent audits of farmer projects and value for money.
NAADS programme initiated under the NRM government has a vision for 25 years with seven years for its first phase covering the financial period 2001/2002 through to 2007/2008 at a cost of US$108 million. In the second phase funding is set to increase from US$108 million to US$460 million for the next five years. The programme is funded by the government of Uganda, cooperating partners, participating local governments and participating farmers.
In October 2007, implementation of NAADS was suspended and only resumed in April 2008 after a cabinet review. The suspension was as a result of problems arising from poor procurement processes, lack of accountability, inadequate local government capacities and lack of political support at local government level.
The President said the measure to stop this year’s release will enable them review how the funds have been used and rectify the problems. He however said government will increase funding to the programme to ensure that more farmers benefit from the skills and training to help them engage in modern and commercial agriculture production. The President urged the people to exploit the benefits from modern agricultural practices saying it’s the best way to tackle poverty especially in the rural areas.
He said infrastructure such as roads, electricity, water, health centres, education etc are the responsibility of government, adding that the basic requirement in for individuals to tackle household poverty.
“I don’t have a tarmac road in in Rwakitura or Kisozi nor do I have piped water but am not doing badly. Me and my neighbours are doing better than some people who have these things. Wealth is not in the roads or power but in your hands. For example I don’t go for holidays in Europe when I get some time, I just go to my farms in Rwakitura and Kisozi to look after my cows because that is where the wealth is. The cows have never refused to get on a truck to be transported to Kampala market because the roads are murrum,” he said.
The President also urged the people to guard against reckless behavior that may lead them to contract HIV/AIDS saying their lives are precious and need to be protected. He also called upon them to jealously guard the peace and security currently prevailing in the country and to educate their children, adding that government is working towards providing better infrastructure to facilitate their work.
The President appealed to Ugandans to take elections seriously saying electing bad leaders can take the country back into chaos.
“UPC allied with Kabaka Yeka to take power in 1962 but after only 4 years, there was bloodshed. All this bloodshed did not stop until NRM came to power in 1986. Politics is not a joke or game. If you elect bad leaders, you pay a heavy price,” he said.
The president said the current high cost of power was as a result of the bad leaders in the 6th parliament including John Kazoora, Salaam Musumba, Jack Sabiti etc who opposed the construction of Bujagali dam forcing the government to resort to the use of diesel which is eight times more expensive.
“Fortunately, people voted them out, and now we are working on the dams,” he said.
Earlier the President visited Mr. Nyakojo a model farmer of Kirabi village in Fort Portal who is involved in poultry, piggery and banana growing and gets over 50 million shillings a year. He encouraged other farmers to learn from him and transform their projects.
The president also honoured his pledge of Shs 38million to Kabarole Veterans Association. He also donated 20 improved cows to women’s association in the municipality.
Kabarole leaders commended the president for his wise leadership and fulfilling his pledges including the upgrading of Buhinga hospital into a referral facility, reconstruction of Mpanga market, construction of a fertilizer plant, reconstruction of Mpanga Secondary school and rehabilitation of the roads in the municipality.

Ref: http://www.statehouse.go.ug/news.php?catId=1&item=805 [22nd July,2010]


Compiled by

Bwambale Edwin

ICT Officer, RIC-NET

What is new at RIC-NET?

There is alot happening at RIC-NET. I may not exhaust all but i will let you know some of the many important programs RIC-NET has been running currently.

The STAR Programme:
RIC-NET recently ended a full week training conducted by the delegates from TNO of Neherlands and i-Lab based Kenya. The Programme that was referred to as the STAR Programme, trying to look at how RIC-NET is running its activities; looking at the strong and week points in the organization. The main objective of this programme was to help RIC-NET to develop its new Communication and Marketing Strategy.

Its was declared successful by all the participants. Alot was acquired by the RIC-NET staff. The week was crown by th fomulation of the Communication and Marketing strategy and a Dinner at the Mountains of the Moon Hotel in FortPortal which was all colorful.

Its now RIC-NET's role to implement this strategy for the benefit of the community and the organization at large.

Reported by

Bwambale Edwin

ICT Officer, RIC-NET

E-Society ICT resource Centres takes new look

This is a piece of thanks to Kasese District Local Government for embracing the E-Society ICT resource Centre at Kasese District head quarters in Rukoki. I was impressed when I entred the place. I was welcomed by a cool and soft mat on the floor with a cool atmosphere provided by the air conditioning system installed.

We are all looking forward to the success of this initiative. Your efforts, my efforts will help people get information for their own development and the development of the nation through the use of ICT.

The ICT resource Centre is open five days a week (Monday to Friay) to every one. Take some time and visit the newly acquired facilities.


Reported by

Bwambale Edwin

ICT Officer, RIC-NET