June 2006 - KICTANet

FW: [swopnet] East Africa-Research Methodology & Proposal Writing Workshop - Closing Date: 11 June 2006
by Harry Harry 02 Jun '06

02 Jun '06

FYI -----Original Message----- From: Andrew C. Kajeguka [mailto:akajeguka@nimr.or.tz] Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 4:01 PM To: Sharing With Other People Network Subject: [swopnet] East Africa-Research Methodology & Proposal Writing Workshop - Closing Date: 11 June 2006 Dear colleagues, This is to inform you that National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) through the project called Malaria Research Coordination and Promotion through MIM (MALCOPROMIM) is organizing its 2nd scientific workshop on Research Methodology/Proposal writing to be held on 19-30 June 2006 in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. The workshop aims at bringing together young talented East African scientists working in HIV/AIDS or malaria fields to undergo intensive 12 days workshop. The workshop will use hands on methods to enable each selected participant to use Health Information Systems skills to develop fundable proposal on important Malaria or HIV/AIDS research topic. Full sponsorship will be provided to selected but limited number of participants. We recommend applications should be sent by Email to malcopromim(a)nimr.or.tz Please refer to NIMR website: www.nimr.or.tz for more details about the workshop and how to send the application. All applications must be received by June 11th 2006 Please circualte this email to East African young scientists working in Malaria or HIV/AIDS fields. For Secretariat, MALCOPROMIM Project, National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) P.O. Box 9653, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Tel: +255 22 2121400 Fax: +255 22 2121360 Email: malcopromim(a)nimr.or.tz -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.7.3/350 - Release Date: 5/28/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.7.3/350 - Release Date: 5/28/2006

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Possible Software Raid!!
by Bill Kagai 02 Jun '06

02 Jun '06

Reference is made to the notices placed in the local dailies on June1st 2006 by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) through Iseme, Kamau and Maema Advocates. The Business Software Alliance has taken the liberty to take an inventory (in all Kenyan Companies/Organisations) of all the software currently installed in the organisations. They further put a caveat indicating that failure to comply with the notice can lead to an investigation and possible legal action against companies using unlicensed or pirated software. Our company (Circuits & Packets Comunications Ltd) and possibly other local companies ARE NOT members of BSA though we have installed software in various companies and organisations in Kenya. We also make use of Open Source / Linux software that does not require licensing and neither is it pirated. We therefore wish to find out from the ICT fraternity whether: 1. This advertisement and the threat of failure to comply is legal. 2. If software belonging to the companies that are not members of BSA should be included in the inventory. 3. If BSA whose office contact is given as Iseme, Kamau and Maema Advocates has the legal and moral authority to raid companies with a lead time of two weeks before the notice expires. 4. If Kictanet and other organisations protecting consumer issues can directly intervene in this regard before it is too late. -- -- With Kind Regards, Bildad Kagai MD - Circuits & Packets Communications Ltd Content & Training Partner - JKUAT E-Government Academy Suite B2, Tetu Apartments, State House Avenue P. O. Box 20311 - 00200 Nairobi, Kenya Tel. 254 20 2728332 Fax. 254 20 2726965 Cell. 254 722 379409 URL. www.circuitspackets.co.ke URL. egov.jkuat.ac.ke

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About the Business Software Alliance (BSA)
by Bill Kagai 02 Jun '06

02 Jun '06

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Software_Alliance Overview Robert Holleyman is its current president and CEO, the BSA employs a team of over 100 lawyers and investigators, which it uses to prosecute "thousands of cases a year" in conjunction with local law enforcement. The majority of these cases are reported to BSA either through one of its 65 piracy telephone hotlines, or through online report forms. After receiving a tip, BSA then sends the companies a note with an implicit threat of a forthcoming software licensing audit. If the BSA finds cases of software piracy, it assesses heavy monetary penalties. Some companies have switched to free software after having to pay such large fines (see [1], paragraph 7). BSA has not been reported to support Free Software Foundation or other free software groups in their actions of copyright enforcement. They do support software patents. [edit] Critique BSA has been heavily criticised for its aggressive tactics in forcing small businesses to allow BSA members onto their premises for audits, and for its presumption of guilt until an audit proves one innocent. It is also worthy of note that BSA is an organization founded in the USA, and is currently without official status in most European countries. They're also well known for lobbying for ENISA, the European Network and Information Security Agency, a suggested network security establishment that would operate within EU. See [2] and [3]. According to a Mother Jones (magazine) article[4], the BSA discovered in 1995 that Antel, the Uruguayan national telephone company, had pirated $100,000 worth of Microsoft, Novell, and Symantec software. The BSA's lawyers in Uruguay quickly filed suit, but dropped the suit in 1997 when Antel signed a "special agreement" with Microsoft to replace all of its software with Microsoft products. This has led to accusations that the BSA is a front for Microsoft, with its other members being enlisted purely to disguise Microsoft's dominant role. -- -- With Kind Regards, Bildad Kagai MD - Circuits & Packets Communications Ltd Content & Training Partner - JKUAT E-Government Academy Suite B2, Tetu Apartments, State House Avenue P. O. Box 20311 - 00200 Nairobi, Kenya Tel. 254 20 2728332 Fax. 254 20 2726965 Cell. 254 722 379409 URL. www.circuitspackets.co.ke URL. egov.jkuat.ac.ke

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new subscription
by Andrew Limo 02 Jun '06

02 Jun '06

Kindly bring Judith Sembelle of IT department Agricultural Development Corporation on the discussion forum. sembelle(a)yahoo.co.uk --------------------------------- Be a chatter box. Enjoy free PC-to-PC calls with Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.

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