By Clementine Osodo.
Residents in Kenya's Coastal Dakatcha Woodlands are now opposing the creation of a large biofuel plantation in the area. The plantation is about an hour's drive inland from Malindi town.
The residents now vow that they are not going to let their land go even if it means shedding blood. They say they get their livelihood from the land since they farm on it and consequently they bury their dead kinsmen on the land hence affirming that it is very important to them. The land in question is an arid area and home to some 20,000 people. It is a community land being held in trust by the local council.
The Opposition came about as a result of an Italian company Kenya Jatropha Energy Ltd, asking the authorities for permission to lease 50,000 hectares at the Dakatcha woodlands to grow jatropha, a plant whose seeds are rich in oil which is turned into bio-diesel.
The plant which originated from South America is poisonous to animals and has long been planted in Africa as a hedge fence to keep the animals especially goats away.
Residents of Dakatcha woodlands say they have been told to move because jatropha is to be planted on the land. They however cry foul that there had been no offer of compensation for leaving their homes.
Kenya Jatropha Energy Ltd on the other hand says that the negotiations are over and the government has given a green light for a pilot project which is to start with ten thousand hectares adding that all they are waiting for is the final documentation. The company says thousands of job opportunities will be created denying anyone will be displaced by the project.
On the other hand the Kenyan government's environment watchdog says the deal is not yet sealed. The initial 50,000-hectare request was turned down citing concerns over the impact of the plantation on the environment and the sustainability of the project. Benjamin Malwa Langwen, of the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) said that they were recommending one thousand hectares and have instructed Kenya Jatropha Energy Ltd to justify if the number has to change citing that as the reason to why they have not approved the project.
There are fresh calls for the Dakatcha project to be done away with since new research is on crossroads whether jatropha is really a greener alternative to oil or not.
The anti-poverty campaign group ActionAid and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) commissioned a report for investigatigations to be done and find out just how green the jatropha project in the Kenya's Dakatcha woodlands would be. The, a consultancy firm found out that jatropha emits between two and a half and six times more greenhouse gases compared to fossil fuels. This is partly as a result of large amounts of carbon being stored in the woodlands' vegetation and soil. The plantation would hence mean clearing the land of this vegetation.
It has also been noted that the proposed biofuel plantation will devastate the woodlands, driving the globally threatened Clarke's Weaver bird to extinction and depriving thousands of local people of their livelihoods
Kenya Jatropha Energy Ltd which is fully owned by the Milan-based Nuove Iniziative Industriali SRL has leased almost a million hectares in Africa with other subordinate companies having leased land for the same purpose in Senegal, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Ghana. Jatropha oil from a plantation in Senegal is already in supply to the Swedish furniture retailer known as Ikea.
Clear concerns are being raised on the ground that once the lease is finally signed then the twenty thousand residents of Dakatcha will be at the mercy of Kenya Jatropha Energy Ltd.
IKEA however asserts that it will not source jatropha oil from Kenya until it is sure that the project will not contribute to the conversion of natural habitats. IKEA added in its statement that the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy must never be at the expense of people or the environment.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
PROLONGED PENILE ERECTION - A SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITION.
PROLONGED PENILE ERECTION - A SERIOUS MEDICAL CONDITION.
By Clementine Osodo
Beats the logic how some communities in Africa have ignorantly associated Prolonged penile erection with witchcraft resulting to severe repercussions to the ailing patients.
Not long ago we witnessed the same in the Kenyan County of Kisii when a man suffered from this condition for over a week and instead of seeking proper medical help he was taken to herbalists and traditional healers with claims that he had been bewitched.
Prolonged penile erection unrelated to physical or mental stimulation for more than four hours is a medical condition known as Priapism. The name was derived from the Greek and Roman god Priapus, a minor fertility deity most renowned for his enormous, continuously erect penis.
This condition can affect males at any age and is classified into Ischemic Priapism and Non Ischemic Priapism.
Ischemic Priapism which is also known as “low flow” or “veno-occlusive” priapism is the situation where there is no blood flow into the erectile tissue of the penis. In this case there is obstruction in the outflow of blood from corpora cavernosa which is the paired erectile bodies located on the topside of the penis. Because blood is trapped within the corpora cavernosa, Pressure builds up to a point at which no fresh arterial blood can enter the erectile tissues making the corpora cavernosa a dead space with no blood flow.
The shaft of the penis is very hard during ischemic priapism, although the head scientifically known as glans may not be swollen. This occurs because corpus spongiosum the erectile tissue in the head of the penis located on the underside of the penis and contains the water channel scientifically known as urethra is separate from the erectile tissue of the corpora cavernosa.
Ischemic priapism is a medical emergency and can occur for a variety of reasons though the end result is that fresh blood carrying oxygen is not able to enter the corpora cavernosa and waste products from cell activity cannot be cleared from the penis. It may also occur because of either obstruction of blood flow out of the penis through penile veins or because of failure of the smooth muscle within the spongy erectile tissue of the penis to contract normally.
The penis is able to tolerate short periods of diminished blood flow during normal penile erection but after several hours of continuous erection, cells within the penis are unable to carry on their vital functions due to lack of fresh blood supply.
Cells that cannot carry on vital functions will be damaged and may even die. As this damage accumulates, a man with ischemic priapism will have increasing pain and will run the risk of severe and permanent injury to his penis. In some cases, this injury is significant enough to lead to erectile dysfunction a condition in which a man has difficulty attaining or maintaining an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual intercourse.
Non-ischemic Priapism on the other hand is also known as “high flow” priapism because blood continually flows into the penis. It is a rarer condition in which there is excessive flow of blood into the corpora cavernosa due to rupture of a small artery inside the erectile tissues. This rupture is most commonly the result of blunt injury to the groin, pelvis, or crotch. In non-ischemic priapism, the penis is enlarged and firm compared to its baseline flaccid state, but it is usually not as rigid as it would be with normal sexual arousal. Although tissue damage may be present from the original injury, pain is typically not present. Unlike Ischemic priapism, non-ischemic priapism is typically not an emergency but prompt diagnosis and treatment would be beneficial
Erections that last four hours or longer are a serious matter. Ischemic priapism being an emergency, demands prompt medical evaluation to minimize the risk of long term loss of erectile function. Non-ischemic priapism on the other hand may be managed conservatively although treatment options are available for men who desire resolution of the problem
Though embarrassment keeps some men from seeking prompt medical consultation, a man who has an erection that has lasted more than four hours should seek immediate medical attention even if he is not yet experiencing pain. Even if four hours have not passed a man should consider seeking medical attention if he has an erection that is painful and persistent despite lack of sexual arousal.
Save men from foreseen erectile dysfunction.
By Clementine Osodo
Beats the logic how some communities in Africa have ignorantly associated Prolonged penile erection with witchcraft resulting to severe repercussions to the ailing patients.
Not long ago we witnessed the same in the Kenyan County of Kisii when a man suffered from this condition for over a week and instead of seeking proper medical help he was taken to herbalists and traditional healers with claims that he had been bewitched.
Prolonged penile erection unrelated to physical or mental stimulation for more than four hours is a medical condition known as Priapism. The name was derived from the Greek and Roman god Priapus, a minor fertility deity most renowned for his enormous, continuously erect penis.
This condition can affect males at any age and is classified into Ischemic Priapism and Non Ischemic Priapism.
Ischemic Priapism which is also known as “low flow” or “veno-occlusive” priapism is the situation where there is no blood flow into the erectile tissue of the penis. In this case there is obstruction in the outflow of blood from corpora cavernosa which is the paired erectile bodies located on the topside of the penis. Because blood is trapped within the corpora cavernosa, Pressure builds up to a point at which no fresh arterial blood can enter the erectile tissues making the corpora cavernosa a dead space with no blood flow.
The shaft of the penis is very hard during ischemic priapism, although the head scientifically known as glans may not be swollen. This occurs because corpus spongiosum the erectile tissue in the head of the penis located on the underside of the penis and contains the water channel scientifically known as urethra is separate from the erectile tissue of the corpora cavernosa.
Ischemic priapism is a medical emergency and can occur for a variety of reasons though the end result is that fresh blood carrying oxygen is not able to enter the corpora cavernosa and waste products from cell activity cannot be cleared from the penis. It may also occur because of either obstruction of blood flow out of the penis through penile veins or because of failure of the smooth muscle within the spongy erectile tissue of the penis to contract normally.
The penis is able to tolerate short periods of diminished blood flow during normal penile erection but after several hours of continuous erection, cells within the penis are unable to carry on their vital functions due to lack of fresh blood supply.
Cells that cannot carry on vital functions will be damaged and may even die. As this damage accumulates, a man with ischemic priapism will have increasing pain and will run the risk of severe and permanent injury to his penis. In some cases, this injury is significant enough to lead to erectile dysfunction a condition in which a man has difficulty attaining or maintaining an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual intercourse.
Non-ischemic Priapism on the other hand is also known as “high flow” priapism because blood continually flows into the penis. It is a rarer condition in which there is excessive flow of blood into the corpora cavernosa due to rupture of a small artery inside the erectile tissues. This rupture is most commonly the result of blunt injury to the groin, pelvis, or crotch. In non-ischemic priapism, the penis is enlarged and firm compared to its baseline flaccid state, but it is usually not as rigid as it would be with normal sexual arousal. Although tissue damage may be present from the original injury, pain is typically not present. Unlike Ischemic priapism, non-ischemic priapism is typically not an emergency but prompt diagnosis and treatment would be beneficial
Erections that last four hours or longer are a serious matter. Ischemic priapism being an emergency, demands prompt medical evaluation to minimize the risk of long term loss of erectile function. Non-ischemic priapism on the other hand may be managed conservatively although treatment options are available for men who desire resolution of the problem
Though embarrassment keeps some men from seeking prompt medical consultation, a man who has an erection that has lasted more than four hours should seek immediate medical attention even if he is not yet experiencing pain. Even if four hours have not passed a man should consider seeking medical attention if he has an erection that is painful and persistent despite lack of sexual arousal.
Save men from foreseen erectile dysfunction.
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