₦airaland Forum

For the first time, The Youth Well-Being Index (PDF) — a joint effort by the International Youth Foundation, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Hilton Worldwide — tries to assess how teens are doing in 30 countries. The Global Youth Wellbeing Index offers a framework to help everybody understand and compare where youths stand.

Note that these are not the top 30 countries in the world; these are just the countries that the researchers looked at. They include 7o% of the world’s youth. Nigeria, for example, came in last, not 30th in the world.

To create the index, the researchers looked at 40 indicators to assess “citizen participation, economic opportunity, education, health, information and communications technology (ICT), and safety and security” among the world’s youth (defined as people 12 to 24).

The well-being of this age group should matter to everyone. “Youth-inclusive societies are more likely to grow and prosper,” the report said, “while the risks of exclusion include stunted growth, crime, and unrest.”

There are a few surprises in the data. Vietnam is the only country in the top 15 classified as lower-middle income. The World Bank classifies countries as high income, upper-middle income, lower-middle income, and low income. Nigeria was classified as Lower-middle income.

Russia is the only high-income country that’s not in the top 10. In fact, one through nine are dominated by the nine-richest countries on the list — with the exception of Russia.

Additionally, even though high-income countries in general had lower rates of youth mortality, they had higher rates of youth stress and self-harm. High levels of stress, self-harm, and smoking dragged down the ranking of the U.S., for example.

The researchers evaluated seven countries in Africa namely; South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Nigeria. Ghana had the best rating in Africa, taking the 21 out of 30 spot on the list.

The index encompasses of a set of 40 indicators that address the overall national environment, youth-specific outcomes and youths’ outlook and satisfaction levels across six interconnected aspects of their lives (domains): citizen participation, economic opportunity, education, health, information and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Of the countries analyzed, Australian youths enjoy the highest level of wellbeing, while the quality of life for Nigerian youth has the most scope to improve.

Yet as the result for Russia and South Africa demonstrate (high income and upper-middle income by World Bank standards, respectively), young people are not necessarily equally served nor befitting from strong economic growth. At the same time, the overall results illustrate how policies and institutions can serve youth development needs even where resources may be more constrained – as in Vietnam, for example, which performs above its lower-middle-income peers.

According to the report, around the world, nearly half the youths are unemployed, more than 120 million youth are still illiterate and 40 percent of new HIV/AIDS infections occur among youths.

Roughly 85% of young people live in low and lower-middle-income countries and comprise a third of the population among the 30 countries that are home to the “bottom bottom” of the world’s poorest, according to Oxford Multidimensional index.

The report shows that Nigerian Youths performed better in terms of Economic opportunity as compared to Youths in Jordan, Egypt and South Africa.

Nigerian Youths also had better access to health facilities than youths in Uganda. ICT for Nigerian youths was better than youths in Ghana, India, Kenya and Uganda.

Visit the full report here

http://www.youthindex.org/reports/globalyouthwellbeingindex.pdf

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/24/quality-of-life-for-nigerian-youths-worst-in-the-world/

The last time we checked, inheriting a billion dollars was the easiest way to find your way to the list of the world’s wealthiest, and it still it. Fortunately for everybody whose isnt born into a family of billionaires, almost two-thirds of the world’s billionaires made their fortune from scratch, relying on determination and good luck, and not in “good genes”.

These people should remind you that through determination, grit and a bit of luck, anyone can overcome circumstances and achieve extraordinary success.


1. Oprah Winfrey

Net worth: $2.9 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Born into poverty, Oprah Winfrey became the first African American TV correspondent in Nashville.

Oprah Winfrey, made their fortunes against far greater odds. She spent her early years living in poverty on her grandmother’s farm. Wanting a way out, she moved to be with her mother, but was sexually molested by her male relatives.

At age 14, she reportedly gave birth to a premature baby who died. Only after moving to Nashville to be with her father did her luck finally start to turn.

At age 19, she won a scholarship to the University and became the first African American TV correspondent in the state.


2. Ralph Lauren

Net worth: $7.7 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Ralph Lauren (a college dropout) was once a clerk at Brooks Brothers dreaming of men’s ties.

He was born and raised in the Bronx where he shared a bedroom with two of his brothers. By age 12, worked after school to help pay for his fancy taste in clothes.

Lauren graduated high school but later dropped out of college to join the Army. It was while working as a clerk at Brooks Brothers that Lauren questioned whether men were ready for wider and brighter designs in ties.

While working at Brook Brothers he decided to design a wider, brighter necktie style for men. His idea was rejected, and he began his own tiny company in the Empire State Building, turning remnants into ties. With a $50,000 loan, Lauren launched Polo

Lauren now owns a pretty fancy line of bling cars including a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO and a Bugatti Veyron, to name a few.



3. Jim Koum (CEO of WhatssApp)

Net worth: $7.7 billion (according to Forbes)

Jan Koum, the CEO and cofounder of WhatsApp, once lived on food stamps before Facebook made him a billionaire.

Koum, 37, came to the US from Ukraine when he was 16 years old. His family, struggling to make ends meet, lived on food stamps that they picked up a couple blocks away from Koum’s future WhatsApp offices in Mountain View, California.

In 2009, he and cofounder Brian Acton launched the real-time messaging app with an aim to connect people around the world.

WhatsApp, which now has over 600 million global users, agreed to a $19 billion buyout from Facebook earlier this year.

The deal made Koum a multibillionaire.



4. J.K Rowling (Author of Harry Porter)

Net Worth: $ 1 Billion

The world’s wealthiest novelist, J.K. Rowling, was on welfare raising her little girl when her agent called to tell her that Bloomsbury would publish her book about an adolescent wizard named Harry Potter.



5. Roman Abramovich (Owner Chealsea FC)

Net worth: $9.5 billion

Roman Abramovich was orphaned as a child, dropped out of college to take part in controversial Russian oil-export deals.

Now the Russian tycoon owns the Chelsea football club.

Abramovich was born in 1966 in Saratov, Russia. His mother died when he was 18 months old. His father died when he was four.

Orphaned, he was taken in by his uncle in Moscow and his grandparents in the northern province of Komi.

He went to Russia’s Industrial Institute for college and then started trading oil products in western Siberia.

The Guardian reports that his “big break” came in 1992 when he caught the favor of Boris Berezovsky, one of Russia’s premier tycoons as the country moved into capitalism.

Today, Abramovich is one of Russia’s richest people, and he has toys like the world’s largest yacht, a Boeing 767, and the Chelsea Football Club.

Abrahovich has many other toys, including jets, yachts and a home that reportedly cost $100 million.



6. Jack Ma (Founder Alibaba.com)

Net worth: $20.2 billion

Jack Ma taught English before founding Alibaba in 1999.

Born in China, Ma grew up in poverty. He couldn’t get a job at the local KFC. He failed the national college entrance exams — twice — before finally graduating and starting his career as an English teacher.

Then, in 1995, he had his first visit to the US. He saw the internet for the first time.

Recognizing that there was little in the way of Chinese content online, he started China Pages, a directory that was arguably the very first Chinese web startup. It promptly failed.

In 1999, he founded Alibaba. Today, the online retailer handles double the merchandise of Amazon. With September’s IPO, Ma became China’s richest person. .



7. Shahid Khann

Net worth: $3.8 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

At one time, businessman Shahid Khan washed dishes for N192 an hour.

He’s now one of the richest people in the world, but when Khan came to the U.S. from Pakistan, he worked as a dishwasher while attending the University of Illinois. Khan now owns Premier League Soccer club Fulham, Flex-N-Gate, one of the largest private companies in the U.S., and the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.




8. Kenny Troutt

Net worth: $1.7 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Kenny Troutt is the founder of Excel Communications, Troutt paid his way through college by selling life insurance.

Troutt grew up with a bartender dad who told him he would never make it. This made Kenny determined to prove his dad wrong

Kenny paid for his own university tuition by selling life insurance. He made most of his money from phone company Excel Communications, which he founded at the age of 40, and took public in 1996. Two years later, Troutt merged his company with Teleglobe in a $3.5 billion deal.

He is now retired, living in a mansion in Dallas with his wife and three kids.




9. Howard Schultz

Net worth: $2 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Starbucks’ Howard Schultz grew up in a housing complex for the poor.

In an interview with British tabloid Mirror, Schultz says: “Growing up I always felt like I was living on the other side of the tracks. I knew the people on the other side had more resources, more money, happier families. And for some reason, I don’t know why or how, I wanted to climb over that fence and achieve something beyond what people were saying was possible. I may have a suit and tie on now but I know where I’m from and I know what it’s like.”

Schultz ended up winning a football scholarship to the University.

Some years after graduation, he took over a coffee shop called Starbucks, which at the time had only 60 shops.

Schultz became the company’s CEO in 1987 and grew the coffee chain to more than 16,000 outlets worldwide.




10.Ken Langone

Net worth: $2.1 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Investor Ken Langone’s parents worked as a plumber and cafeteria worker.

His father was a plumber, his mother a cafeteria worker, and they had to mortgage their home. When he studied at the University, Langone worked low-wage jobs including as a golf caddy, ditch digger, and assistant to a butcher.

In 1968, Langone worked with Ross Perot to take Electronic Data Systems (HP) public, which they took public.

Langone has donated more than $150 million to charities.




11.Kirk Kerkorian

Net worth: $3.9 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Mega-resort owner Kirk Kerkorian dropped out of school in the eighth grhade to become a boxer.

To financially help his Armenian-immigrant family. Kerkorian’s family struggled so much that he dropped out of school in eighth grade to become a professional boxer. Nicknamed “Right Rifle Kerkorian,” he won the Pacific amateur welterweight championship

During World War II, Kerkorian worked for Britain’s Royal Air Force.

He bought Trans International Airlines, a small charter plane service that shuttled gamblers from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and sold the company for $104 million. In the 1960s, Caesars Palace hotel was built on land on the Vegas strip that Kerkorian rented out.

In 1969 he opened the MGM Grand, and has had major investments in other prominent resorts and casinos on the strip.




12.John Paul DeJoria

Net worth: $4 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

John Paul DeJoria, the man behind a hair-care empire and Patron Tequila, once lived in a foster home and his car.

Before the age of 10, DeJoria, a first generation American, sold Christmas cards and newspapers to help support his family. He was eventually sent to live in a foster home and even spent some time in a gang before joining the military.

With a $700 dollar loan, DeJoria created John Paul Mitchell Systems and sold the shampoo door-to-door while living in his car. He later started Patron Tequila, and now invests in other industries




13.Do Won Chang

Net worth: $5 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Forever 21 founder Do Won Chang worked as a janitor, gas station attendant, and in a coffee shop (all at once) when he first moved to America.

The husband-and-wife team — Do Won Chang and Jin Sook —didn’t always have it so easy. After moving to America from Korea in 1981, Do Won had to work three jobs at the same time to make ends meet. They opened their first clothing store in 1984.

His company, Forever 21 is now an international, 480-store empire that rakes in around $3 billion in sales a year.

His wife is the head buyer, his daughter Esther is in charge of the visual display team, and daughter Linda is head of marketing. Chang has been sued more than 50 times for copyright infringement.




14.Francois Pinault

Net worth: $15 billion (as of March 2013)

Luxury goods mogul Francois Pinault quit high school in 1974 after being bullied for being poor.

Francois Pinault had to quit high school because he was teased so harshly for being poor. As a businessman, Pinault is known for his “predator” tactic, which includes buying smaller firms for a fraction of the cost when the market crashed.

He eventually started PPR, which owns high-end fashion houses including Gucci, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, and Yves Saint Laurent.

He’s also the husband of actor Salma Hayek…not too shabby afterall!




15.Leonardo Del Vecchio

Net worth: $15.3 billion (as of March 2013)

Leonardo Del Vecchio grew up in an orphanage and later worked in a factory where he lost part of his finger.

Del Vecchio was one of five children who was eventually sent to an orphanage because his widow mother couldn’t care for him. He would later work in a factory making molds of auto parts and eyeglass frames.

At the age of 23, Del Vecchio opened his own molding shop, which expanded to become the world’s largest maker of sunglasses and prescription eyeware with brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley.




16.George Soros

Net worth: $20 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Legendary trader George Soros survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary and arrived in London as an impoverished college student.

In his early teens, Soros posed as the godson of an employee of the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture in order to stay safe from the Nazi occupation of Hungary. In 1947, Soros escaped the country to live with his relatives in London.

He put himself through the London School of Economics working as a waiter and railway porter.

After graduating, Soros worked at a souvenir shop before getting a job as a banker in New York City.

In 1992, his famous bet against the British pound made him a billion dollars.




17.Li Ka-shing

Net worth: $31 billion (as of March 2013)

After his father died, business magnate Li Ka-shing had to quit school to help support his family.

Ka-shing (Asia’s richest man) lost his father died when he was 15, leaving Ka-shing responsible for supporting his family. In 1950, he started his own company, Cheung Kong Industries, which manufactured plastics at first but would later expand into real estate.

Old Hong Kong joke said that for every dollar spent in Hong Kong, five cents went to Li. Dubbed ”Superman,” knighted by Queen Elizabeth. Despite enormous wealth, his secret wish is reportedly to be able to walk in the park without being recognized.




18.Larry Ellison

Net worth: $41 billion (as of Sept. 2013)

Oracle’s Larry Ellison dropped out of college after his adoptive mother died and held odd jobs for eight years.

Born to a single mother, Ellison was raised by his aunt and uncle in Chicago. After his aunt died, Ellison dropped out of college and moved to California to work odd jobs for the next eight years.

He founded software development company Oracle in 1977, which is now one of the largest technology companies in the world.

Now he’s stepped away from his CEO responsibility — but continues to lead a fabulous life.




19.Elizabeth Holmes

Net worth: $4.5 billion

Elizabeth Holmes started her blood diagnostics company when she was 19. Now at 30, she’s a billionaire.

When Holmes was a 19-year-old sophomore at Stanford University back in 2003, she started Theranos, a blood diagnostics company that makes blood testing cheap.

The Palo Alto startup has 500 employees, areported $400 million in funding, and a $9 billion evaluation.



20.Ingvar Kamprad

Net worth: $3.9 billion

Ingvar Kamprad was raised on a farm in Sweden before founding IKEA.

When Kamprad was a 7-year-old boy growing up in rural 1920s Sweden, he sold matches to his neighbors.

He soon moved up to pencils, greeting cards, and Christmas ornaments. At 17, he founded a company called IKEA, short for Ingvar Kamprad from Elmtaryd, Agunnaryd, named for his hometown. At 21, he started selling furniture — and the IKEA empire had begun.

Today, the manufacturer has over 340 stores in 42 countries, $36 billion in annual sales, and the New Yorker has called the company the “invisible designer of domestic life.”

Yet Kamprad remains frugal — the 88 year old refuses to fly anything other than economy class.



21.Richard Desmond

Net worth: $1.3 billion

After parents divorced, went to live in a garage apartment with his mother. Quit school at age 14 to become a drummer and help pay the bills .

At age 16, he borrowed his older brother’s suit to get a sales job.

He’s been selling ever since, peddling music, and celebrity titles including OK! magazine.




22.Sheldon Adelson

Net worth: $21.8 billion

The son of a Boston cabdriver borrowed $200 at age 12 to start selling newspapers; he later held stints as a mortgage broker, investment advisor and financial consultant.

The high school dropout and Broadway enthusiast studied voice in his teens, but it was another kind of stage that called him–trade shows, where he made his first fortune.

Adelson later gambled on casinos in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore, and took his Las Vegas Sands public in December 2004. Says Adelson, ”I loved being the outsider.”



23.Lakshmi Mittal

Net worth: $28.7 billion

Lakshmi Mittal was born in India, and lived with more than 20 family members in very meager conditions.

His family’s home was made of bare concrete floors, each person slept on rope beds, and cooking was done over an open fire in a brick yard.

Today, he is CEO and founder of ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading integrated steel and mining company.

He is the richest man of Indian descent, and is continuously named one of Forbes’ most powerful people in the world.




24.David Murdock

Net worth: $3.3 billion

David Murdock didn’t finish high school after dropping out in ninth grade.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 during World War II.

After the war, he moved to Detroit and was homeless for a while until he received a $1,200 loan from a good Samaritan. He used it to buy and flip a diner, making a profit of $700 in 10 months.

From there, it’s been all good for Mrdock and he is one of the richest men in the world.




25.Thomas Peterffy

Net worth: $1.4 billion

Peterffy moved as a refugee to New York in 1965 to escape Communist Hungary.

Born in Budapest, he survived a Russian bombing raid and arrived speaking no English.

He taught himself computer programming and stirred up the room at the American Stock Exchange when he brought an early handheld computer there in 1977 after buying a seat.

Thomas would write computer code in his head during the day and head back to the office at night to apply computer models to trading.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below

10 . Haiti

Haiti has changed its president but it hasn’t affected corruption in government

Haiti ranks 165 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 19 out of 100.

The 2011 Human Rights Report by the U.S. State Department found that corruption“remained widespread in all branches and at all levels of government” even after Haiti elected a new president in 2011.

“In this country everything is money,” Chairman of the Port-au-Prince Bar Association Stanley Gaston said. “There isn’t value in any other thing.

Two government anti-corruption bodies, the Unit in the Fight Against Corruption (ULCC) and the Central Unit of Financial Intelligence (UCREF), have even refused to pursue allegations of embezzlement and corruption.



9. Venezuela

Venezuela has been one of the most corrupt countries since the first CPI in 1995

Venezuela ranks 165 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 19 out of 100.
The discovery of mass amounts of oil in Venezuela hastened its slide into corruption and by the 1970s the petroleum sucked from the ground was called “the Devil’s excrement” by Venezuelans.

Hugo Chavez’s election to president in 1999 did nothing to slow the corruption.

“There’s so much corruption that has washed ashore from Venezuela,” Joel Hirst, an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, told Bloomberg in 2010. “More and more criminal activity is having its source in Venezuela.”



8. Iraq

Iraq is doing more to combat corruption within its ranks but its an uphill battle

Iraq ranks 169 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 18 out of 100.

“Millions of dollars are being stolen, and some of this money is going to terrorist groups,” a former political exile told the BBCin 2009. “The government cannot win the war against the insurgency if it does not fight corruption first. And the war against corruption is much harder to win.”

The government seems to have made serious efforts since then, but in October a $4.2 billion weapons deal with Russia was canceled – after being was signed by Prime Minister Noori al-Maliki – amid corruption concerns on both sides.

Iraq-Business New keeps track of corruption in the country.



7. Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan’s lack of viable law in allows corruption to reign

Turkmenistan ranks 170 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 17 out of 100.
The poorly developed Turkemi legal system makes the country highly vulnerable to public sector corruption that “further undermines the already fragile rule of law,” according tot The Heritage Foundation.

Judges are poorly trained and open to bribery while all land is owned by the government and other ownership rights are limited.

Turkmenistan’s president can spend revenues from hydrocarbons sales – the country’s primary source of income – at his discretion while no national budget published in full.



6. Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan’s closed society leads to an economy that funds the elite

Uzbekistan ranks 170 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 17 out of 100.

Like Turkmenistan, the system in Uzbekistan is more corrupt than not.

“Our people have gotten used to giving bribes to whomever – be it a teacher or a doctor,” Nasreddin Talybov of the Interior Ministry’s anti-corruption unit said. “We need to propagandize the people that this is wrong.”

But a lack of transparency and an intractable elite make that almost impossible.

“The governing elites have practically no accountability,” Miklos Marschall, deputy managing director of Transparency International, said. “There is no political opposition. There is no civil society. There is no free press.”



5. Burma

Burma’s resources are still controlled by generals despite a transition out of military rule

An elderly woman rests on teak logs marked for export in a government-run lumberyard
Burma ranks 172 out of 182 countries and earned a score of 15 out of 100.

After emerging from five decades of military rule in March 2011, Burma drafted an anti-corruption law, state officials were told to repay embezzled funds and citizens were told to report bribery and corruption.

But the country’s rich natural resources such as oil, timber and gems are still controlled by former military-regime insiders whonegotiate deals on the golf course.

“We have to look at all the culture, all the history; Those organizations want something back,” a man who sells satellite imagery to Burma’s government told Bloomberg. “How can you eradicate a culture overnight?”



4. Southern Sudan

Southern Sudan became a nation in 2011 but officials steal oil money just like before

Sudan ranks 173 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 13 out of 100.

South Sudan produces half a million barrels per day, and the $10 billion in oil revenues collected since 2005 has funded nearly 98 percent of the government’s budget.

But Africa’s youngest nation has lost more than $4 billion due to public sector corruption since gaining self-rule in ’05.

And not one official has been prosecuted for corruption, despite there being a commission assigned specifically to the task.



3. Afghanistan

Afghanistan dropped to the bottom after its biggest bank was exposed as a fraud

Afghanistan ranks 174 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 8 out of 10.

Afghanistan fell to the bottom of the rankings after a confidential forensic audit found that Kabul Bank—the country’s largest financial institution—functioned as a “well-concealed Ponzi scheme” from its very beginning.

While the Kabul Bank funneled money to the country’s elite, weak oversight of U.S. contracts in the country has fueled fraud all the way down the political chain.

In one instance intelligence officials traced $3.3 million from an Afghan National Police commander’s account to insurgents in the form of weapons, explosives and cash.



2. North Korea

North Korea’s closed economy leads to rampant public sector bribery

The North Korean border with South Korea. Tourists and American soldiers can be seen in the background.
North Korea ranks 174 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 8 out of 100.

There is little foreign investment in North Korea, and the country is plagued by structural corruption in its political and bureaucratic system since the early 1990s when the Stalinist North Korea collapsed

Entering or leaving The Hermit Kingdom requires large bribes. When professor Dr. Andrei Lankov asks North Koreans whether it is conceivable that a police officer or bureaucrat would refuse a bribe, they look confused. One market vendor said: “Are they crazy? How else would they stay alive?”



1. Somalia

Somalia is a mess of clans, warlords, pirates and government militias

Somalia ranks 174 out of 174 countries and earned a score of 8 out of 100.

Over the years foreign countries – primarily the U.S. and USSR – used Somalia as a battleground for political ideologies and fueled corruption by backing particular clans or groups.

U.S. funding really helped the Siad Barre regime, which really took government corruption to the next level. After the regime fled in 1991, the country is essentially lawless and ruled by clans, warlords and militia groups.

A 2012 World Bank report alleged that about $130 million received by the coalition government in 2009 and 2010 was unaccounted for.



Do you agree with this rating? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below

http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/22/10-most-corrupt-countries-in-the-world-2014-rating/

In a turning of tables on Ebola monitoring, the East African nation of Rwanda is screening all visitors from the United States and Spain for the deadly virus.

The U.S. Embassy in Rwanda posted the following notice on its website today.

"On October 19, the Rwandan Ministry of Health introduced new Ebola Virus Disease screening requirements. Visitors who have been in the United States or Spain during the last 22 days are now required to report their medical condition -- regardless of whether they are experiencing symptoms of Ebola -- by telephone by dialing 114 between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. for the duration of their visit to Rwanda (if less than 21 days), or for the first 21 days of their visit to Rwanda. Rwandan authorities continue to deny entry to visitors who traveled to Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, or Sierra Leone within the past 22 days."

The incubation period of Ebola is generally accepted by health officials as 21 days.

The notice appears to be in response to recent cases in both countries. In addition to the three people diagnosed with the deadly virus in Dallas, an additional five patients transported from West Africa have received treatment for Ebola on American soil. Spain has seen three cases, according to health officials.

"Rwanda is wasting incredible resources screening for something that doesn't exist, an American traveler with Ebola," said Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical editor for ABC News.

Meanwhile, a rally cry to close American borders to travelers from Ebola-stricken countries appears to have hit home. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced travel restrictions today in the form of additional screening and protective measures.

Beginning Wednesday, all travelers to the Unites States whose travel originates in Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea -- the countries hardest hit by the ongoing Ebola outbreak -- will be required to fly into one of the five U.S. airports that have the enhanced screening and additional resources in place: New York’s JFK, Newark, Dulles, Atlanta and Chicago, Homeland Security officials said.

Besser said the DHS move makes sense if you are going to do entry screening.

"Given we are doing it, this increases to 100% the travelers coming here who will get screened," Besser said.

"However, remember, entry screening would not have picked up the one traveler who has ever introduced Ebola anywhere. His symptoms did not develop until he had been here for four days," Besser said, referring to Thomas Eric Duncan.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/rwanda-introduces-ebola-screening-travelers-us-spain/story?id=26346937

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below

Janyves:
right from the late 60's Egypt has maintained its military prowess and skill. This is majorly because they are a producing nation unlike naija wey be say almost everything na imported

Not necessarily.

The U.S. has provided Egypt with about $19 billion in military aid, making Egypt the second largest non-NATO recipient of U.S. military aid after Israel.

Also, Egypt received about $30 billion in economic aid within the same time frame. In 2009, the U.S. provided a military assistance of US$ 1.3 billion (inflation adjusted US$ 1.43 billion in 2014), and an economic assistance of US$ 250 million (inflation adjusted US$ 274.8 million in 2014).

In 1989 both Egypt and Israel became a Major non-NATO ally of the United States.

Military cooperation between the U.S. and Egypt is probably the strongest aspect of their strategic partnership.

Egypt was also described during the Clinton Administration as the most prominent player in the Arab world and a key U.S. ally in the Middle East.

U.S. military assistance to Egypt was considered part of the administration's strategy to maintaining continued availability of Persian Gulf energy resources and to secure the Suez Canal, which serves both as an important international oil route and as critical route for U.S. warships transiting between the Mediterranean and either the Indian Ocean or the Persian Gulf.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt%E2%80%93United_States_relations

Idrismusty97:
Wow! See Ethiopia defense budget, just over $340million yet they are ranked higher than Nigeria with defense budget of over $2billion dollars And their active military personnel is way higher than South Africa and Nigeria. I checked all the defense budgets of the countries, Ethiopia have the cheapest! Their army must be malnourished.... Well money isn't important here, the will and determination is! The same way India spent only $73million to send a satellite to Mars while the US spent a whooping $671million!

I am also surprise Libya is ranked the lowest. Libya were once more powerful than Nigeria and the rest of the Africa countries, they were once ranked among the top four...too bad

Having Libya on the list is actually impressive. The Libyan Revolution was a huge blow to their Libyan Military and yet they are ranked amongst the top 10.

For centuries, the African continent has been beset with fighting, political upheaval and oppression.

In a world rife with global conflicts, the ability to project power and wield that power decisively is an important national security and diplomatic asset.

The folks at Global Firepower have figured out a way to rank who has the most powerful military.

They measure 40 different stats about a country, including number of aircraft carriers, available manpower, and labor force, to produce a “Power Index,” in which lower numbers equal more firepower.

Who has the most powerful military in Africa?

Let’s find out . . .


10. Libya

Despite the revolution of 2011, Libya maintains a sizeable military force.

Rank in Africa: 10

Rank in World: 78

Power Index: 2.3353

Defense Budget:$3, 000, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 35, 000

Labour Force: 1, 353, 000

Total Tanks: 400

Total Aircraft: 46

Total Naval Strength: 5

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Libya

9. Angola

Angola fields an army, navy and air force with personnel numbering over 100,000.

Rank in Africa: 9

Rank in World: 73

Power Index: 2.2599

Defence Budget:$4, 150, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 87, 000

Labour Force: 8, 745, 000

Total Tanks: 140

Total Aircraft: 270

Total Naval Strength: 56

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Angola

8. Tunisia

Tunisia played a role in the Arab Spring, its government eventually overthrown.

Rank in Africa: 8

Rank in World: 66

Power Index: 1.8635

Defense Budget:$550, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 40, 500

Labour Force: 3, 914, 000

Total Tanks: 350

Total Aircraft: 139

Total Naval Strength: 50

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Tunisia

7. Morocco

The West African nation relies on foreign equipment and can field a military of nearly 350,000.

Rank in Africa: 7

Rank in World: 65

Power Index: 1.8499

Defence Budget:$3, 400, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 195, 800

Labour Force: 11, 530, 000

Total Tanks: 1, 348

Total Aircraft: 323

Total Naval Strength: 121

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Morocco

6. Kenya

The Kenyan military is a regular participant of worldwide peace-keeping initiatives.

Rank in Africa: 6

Rank in World: 63

Power Index: 1.7689

Defence Budget:$595, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 24, 120

Labour Force: 19, 110, 000

Total Tanks: 186

Total Aircraft: 134

Total Naval Strength: 19

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Kenya

5. Nigeria

Several hundred thousand personnel make up the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Rank in Africa: 5

Rank in World: 47

Power Index: 1.5261

Defence Budget:2, 330, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 88, 565

Labour Force: 130, 000

Total Tanks: 363

Total Aircraft: 96

Total Naval Strength: 75

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Nigeria

4. South Africa

One of the more technologically advanced militaries in all of Africa belongs to South Africa

Rank in Africa: 4

Rank in World: 41

Power Index: 1.3467

Defence Budget:4, 610, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 88, 565

Labour Force: 18, 060, 000

Total Tanks: 191

Total Aircraft: 213

Total Naval Strength: 30

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=South-Africa

3. Ethiopia

The Ethiopian military is spread across a land and air component numbering several hundred thousand.

Rank in Africa: 3

Rank in World: 40

Power Index: 1.3229

Defence Budget:$340M

Active Military Personnel: 182, 500

Labour Force: 44, 020, 000

Total Tanks: 560

Total Aircraft: 81

Total Naval Strength: Nil

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Ethiopia

2. Algeria

Founded in 1954, the modern Algerian military is a relatively modern force showcasing land, sea and air forces.

Rank in Africa: 2

Rank in World: 31

Power Index: 1.1698

Defence Budget:$10, 570, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 512, 000

Labour Force: 11, 050, 000

Total Tanks: 1, 050

Total Aircraft: 404

Total Naval Strength: 35

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Algeria

1. Egypt

Despite its recent internal struggles, Egypt still fields one of the largest fighting forces in the world.

Rank in Africa: 1

Rank in World: 13

Power Index: 0.6122

Defence Budget:$4, 400, 000, 000

Active Military Personnel: 468, 500

Labour Force: 27, 000, 000

Total Tanks: 4, 767

Total Aircraft: 1, 100

Total Naval Strength: 237

Source: http://globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?country_id=Egypt

Do you agree with this ranking?

What are your thoughts?

Let us know what you think in the comment section below



- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/21/10-most-powerful-militaries-in-africa/#sthash.IZLLLopT.dpuf

15.Abiola Declared Himself President


In 1994 Moshood Abiola declared himself the lawful president of Nigeria in the Epetedo area of Lagos island.

After declaring himself president he was declared wanted and was accused of treason and arrested on the orders of military President General Sani Abacha, who sent 200 police vehicles to bring him into custody.

MKO Abiola has been referred to as Nigeria’s greatest statesman

16.Bluetooth Technology

Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances.

We say a big thank you to Bluetooth for delivering us from the shackles of infrared media transfer.

17.Queen Elizabeth falls from her horse

Queen Elizabeth falls off her horse and breaks her left wrist. She is seen wearing a plaster cast after breaking her left wrist when her horse tripped during a ride on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

The injury was not diagnosed for almost 24 hours later after she had remounted and ridden back to Sandringham unaware of the damage.

She was taken to a hospital in Kings’ Lynn where her wrist was X-rayed and set in plaster.

18.Harry Styles

Even if you know very little about the One Direction, one thing for certain is if you are asked to name a member of the band, the name you’ll most likely to come up with is Harry Styles

Harry is often rumoured to be dating any celeb he is spotted within 10 feet of, though at the moment he is single after ending his relationship with Kardashian little sister Kendall Jenner.

19.The White House Web Page (Whitehouse.gov)

Whitehouse.gov is the official website of the White House(The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States) and is owned by the United States government.

The website is the responsibility of the incumbent administration. As a result the site is completely redesigned for each new president.

20.First Interracial National Election in South Africa

South Africa held its first interracial national election in 1994 and of course Nelson Mandela was eventually elected President.

R.I.P Mandela.

Now you know how much times flies.

Have anything to add to the list?

Let us know in the comment section below


- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/17/20-things-you-wont-believe-are-turning-20-in-2014/#sthash.63GVhrvF.dpuf

7. The Mask

Smokey, somebody stop me.

8. Street Fighter

When Van Damme still had the moves

9. Magic School Bus

If you do not remember this movie, your childhood was not awesome.

10.Approval of the first Genetically-engineered food product

The FDA approves the Flavr Savr tomato, the first genetically-engineered food product

11.Rwanda Genocide

The Rwandan Genocide was a genocidal mass slaughter of Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority.

During the approximate 100-day period, an estimated 500,000–1,000,000 Rwandans were killed, constituting as much as 20% of the country’s total population and 70% of the Tutsi then living in Rwanda.

12.Netscape Navigator

Right now you might be crazy about Google Chrome or Mozilla’s Firefox, but back in the days, Netscape’s Navigator was the craze.

The first version of Netscape Navigator (an obviously extinct web browser) in 1994, which quickly became the world’s most popular browser, accounting for 90% of all web use at its peak

13.Population of Nigeria exceeds 100 million

The population of Nigeria exceeds 100 million making the republic the first African nation to have a population above 100 million.

14.Justin Bieber

It seemed like yesterday when he was so cute and lovely

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/17/20-things-you-wont-believe-are-turning-20-in-2014/#sthash.63GVhrvF.dpuf

It’s 2014 and you would be surprised how time flies when you take a look at the things that are going to be (or are already) 20 Years old in 2014

1. World’s First Satellite Digital Television Service

The first satellite digital television service in the US was launched by DirecTV on the 17th of June, 1994.

2. The Lion King

Remember Simba? The Lion King?

We lack the words to express just how great this movie actually was.

Well, the records the movie holds speak for themselves. They include;

-The highest grossing release of that year
-The highest-grossing hand-drawn film in history
-The 20th highest grossing feature film of all time
-Second highest grossing film of Walt Disney (behind frozen)

Do we really need to say more?

3. Sony Play station console (Play Station One)



The very first PlayStation (Commonly called PS1) of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices was first released on 3rd December 1994.

4. Amazon.com


The domain for the world’s largest internet company (no it’s not Google) was incorporated in 1994 but the site went online in 1995

5. Nigeria’s First Appearance In The World Cup


During April 1994, the Super Eagles ranked 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, the highest ranking achieved by an African football team.

Nigeria topped their group which included Argentina, Bulgaria, and Greece. Nigeria reached the second round after a 2–0 victory over Greece.

Nigeria was within two minutes of qualifying for the Quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup in the game against Italy but Roberto Baggio scored to take the game to extra time. He also scored the eventual winning goal. The game ended 2–1 in favour of the Italians.

Damn Roberto!!!

6. China First Internet Access Connection

While the written record of the events that led to China’s first Internet connection is incomplete and the memories of those involved have faded with time, an internal document written in early 1994 records the establishment of the first full Internet connection on May 17, 1994.

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/17/20-things-you-wont-believe-are-turning-20-in-2014/#sthash.63GVhrvF.dpuf

In our 24/7 culture, sleep loss is a major problem. Back in 1942, we averaged almost 8 hours of sleep a night — now that’s down to 6.8. (Seven to 9 hours per night are what’s generally recommended.)

Everyone knows that it’s important to get enough sleep — but you may not realize just how many things can go wrong when you don’t.

Here are 25 unfortunate risks of partial and total sleep deprivation, some more common than others.

1. Irritability

“Complaints of irritability and [emotional] volatility following sleepless nights” are common, a team of Israeli researchers observed. They put those complaints to the test by following a group of underslept medical residents. The study found that the negative emotional effect of disruptive events — things like being interrupted while in the middle of doing something — were amplified by sleep loss.


2. Headaches

Scientists don’t yet know exactly why sleep deprivation leads to headaches — but it’s a connection doctors have noticed for more than a century. Migraines can be triggered by sleepless nights, and 36 to 58% of people with sleep apnea wake up with “nondescript morning headaches.”


3. Inability to learn

Sleepiness has long been an issue among adolescents. One study of middle school students found that “delaying school start times by one hour, from roughly 7:30 to 8:30, increases standardized test scores by at least 2 percentile points in math and 1 percentile point in reading.”

But it’s not just kids. Short-term memory is a crucial component of learning, and sleep deprivation significantly impaired the ability of adult volunteers to remember words they’d been shown the day before. In another study, researchers found that while people tend to improve on a task when they do it more than once, this isn’t true if they are kept awake after they try it the first time — even if they sleep again before doing it again.

4. Weight gain

People who are underslept seem to have hormone imbalances that are tied to increased appetite, more cravings for high-calorie foods, a greater response to indulgent treats, and a dampened ability to control their impulses — a very dangerous combination. It’s true that you burn more calories when awake, but not nearly enough to cancel out the many excess calories you consume when exhausted.

5. Poor vision

Sleep deprivation is associated with tunnel vision, double vision, and dimness. The longer you are awake, the more visual errors you’ll encounter, and the more likely you are to experience outright hallucinations.

6. Heart disease

When researchers kept people awake for 88 hours, their blood pressure went up — no big surprise there. But even subjects who were allowed to sleep for 4 hours a night had an elevated heart rate when compared to those getting 8 hours. Concentrations of C-reactive protein, a marker of heart disease risk, increased in those fully and partially deprived of sleep.

7. Slowness

Your reaction time is severely impeded when you don’t get enough sleep. When researchers gave West Point cadets two tests that require quick decision-making, some were allowed to sleep between the tests, while others were not. Those who had slept did better the second time — those who had not did worse, and their reactions slowed down. A study in college athletes found similar results.

8. Infection

You know that great thing your immune system does, where when you get an open wound of some kind it doesn’t always get infected immediately? Prolonged sleep deprivation and even one night of sleeplessness can impede your body’s natural defenses against microorganisms.

9. Economic risk-taking

Planning to make some changes to your portfolio? You might want to make sure you’re well-rested. “A single night of sleep deprivation evoked a strategy shift during risky decision making such that healthy human volunteers moved from defending against losses to seeking increased gains,” researchers concluded.

10. Overproduction of urine

When people sleep, the body slows down its normal urine production. This is why most people don’t have to pee in the night as much as they do during the day. But when someone is sleep deprived, this normal slowdown doesn’t happen, leading to what researchers call “excess nocturnal urine production.” This condition may be linked to bed wetting in children and, in adults, it’s tied to what’s called nocturia — the need to use the bathroom many times during the night.

11. Distractedness

Having trouble paying attention to what you’re reading or listening to? Struggling with anything that requires you to truly focus? “Attention tasks appear to be particularly sensitive to sleep loss,” researchers have noted. If you want to stay alert and attentive, sleep is a requirement. Otherwise, you enter “an unstable state that fluctuates within seconds and that cannot be characterized as either fully awake or asleep,” and your ability to pay attention is variable at best.


12. Less effective vaccines

Vaccines work by spurring your body to create antibodies against a specific virus. But when you don’t sleep, your immune system is compromised, and this doesn’t work quite as well. In one small study, 19 people were vaccinated against Hepatitis A. Ten of them got 8 hours of sleep the following night, while the rest pulled an all-nighter. Four weeks later, those who had slept normally had levels of Hepatitis A antibodies almost twice as high as those who’d been kept awake.

Another study found that a sleepless night did not have a long-term effect on immunity after a flu vaccine, it concludes that the effect might be specific to certain diseases. “Sleep should be considered an essential factor contributing to the success of vaccination,” the Hep A researchers wrote.

13. Impaired speech

Severe sleep deprivation might make you sound like a bumbling idiot — much like having way too much to drink. “Volunteers kept awake for 36 hours showed a tendency to use word repetitions and clichés; they spoke monotonously, slowly, [and] indistinctly,” one study noted. “They were not able to properly express and verbalize their thoughts.”

14. Colds

If you’re wondering why you’re sick all the time and seem to pick up every bug that travels around the office, it’s probably because you’re not getting enough sleep. When a group of 153 people were exposed to a common cold, those who had gotten less than 7 hours of sleep in the two weeks prior were almost 3 times more likely to get sick than those who’d had 8 or more hours of sleep. How well you sleep is also a factor – those who had spent 92% of their time in bed actually asleep were 5.5 times more likely to catch a cold than those who had been peacefully slumbering 98-100% of the time they were in bed.

15. Gastrointestinal problems

One in 250 Americans suffer from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and sleep deficiencies make its symptoms much worse. Regular sleep loss also makes you more likely to develop both IBD and inflammatory bowel syndrome, which affects an estimated 10-15% of people in the U.S. And patients with Crohn’s disease were twice as likely to experience a relapse when they weren’t getting enough sleep.

16. Car accidents

Drowsy driving is often compared to drunk driving: You really shouldn’t do either. ”Motor vehicle accidents related to fatigue, drowsy driving, and falling asleep at the wheel are particularly common, but often underestimated,” one review concluded. Pilots, truck drivers, medical residents, and others required to stay awake for long periods of time “show an increased risk of crashes or near misses due to sleep deprivation.”

17. Depleted sex drive

Testosterone is an important component of sexual drive and desire in both women and men. Sleeping increases testosterone levels, while being awake decreases them. Sleep deprivation and disturbed sleep, consequently, are associated with reduced libido and sexual dysfunction, and people suffering from sleep apnea are at particular risk.

18. Pain

People in pain — especially those suffering from chronic pain — tend not to get enough sleep. This makes sense: Pain can wake you up in the night and make it hard to fall asleep in the first place. But recently, researchers have begun to suspect that sleep deprivation may actually cause pain or at least increase people’s sensitivity to pain. One study found that after research subjects were kept awake all night, their pain threshold — the amount of painful stimulus they were able to endure — was lower.

19. Diabetes

Being awake when your body wants you to be asleep messes with your metabolism, which in turn increases your risk for insulin resistance (often called “pre-diabetes”) and type 2 diabetes. “Interventions to extend sleep duration may reduce diabetes risk,” one study in adolescents concluded. And four large studies in adults found a strong association — though not a cause-effect relationship — between regular sleep loss and the risk of developing diabetes, even after controlling for other habits that might be relevant.

20. Sloppiness

Most people notice that when they’re sleepy, they’re not at the top of their game. One study found that one sleepless night contributed to a 20-32% increase in the number of errors made by surgeons. People playing sports that require precision — shooting, sailing, cycling, etc. — also make more mistakes when they’ve been awake for extended periods of time.

21. Cancer

Scientists are just beginning to investigate the relationship between sleep and cancer, and different kinds of cancer behave differently. But since disrupted circadian rhythm and reduced immunity are direct results of sleep deprivation, it’s no surprise that preliminary research seems to indicate that people who don’t get enough sleep are at increased risk for developing certain kinds of cancer, most notably colon and breast cancers.

22. Memory problems

Sleep disruptions in the elderly can lead to structural changes in the brain that are associated with impaired long-term memory — and sleep-related memory deficits have been observed in the general adult population as well. As early as 1924, researchers noticed that people who slept more forgot less. Poor sleep and not enough of it have also been linked to higher levels of β-Amyloid, a biomarker for Alzheimer’s.

23. Genetic disruption

A 2013 study shed some light on why sleep is tied to so many different aspects of our health and wellness. Poor sleep actually disrupts normal genetic activity. After one week of sleeping less than 6 hours per night, researchers found that more than 700 genes were not behaving normally, including some that help govern immune and stress responses.

Some genes that typically cycle according to a daily (circadian) pattern stopped doing so, while others that don’t normally follow a daily pattern began doing so. What does this mean? Just one week of less-than-ideal sleep is enough to make some of your genetic activity go haywire.

24. Unhappiness and depression

In a classic study led by Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, a group of 909 working women kept detailed logs of their moods and day-to-day activities. While differences in income up to $60,000 had little effect on happiness, a poor night’s sleep was one of two factors that could ruin the following day’s mood. (The other was tight deadlines at work.)

Another study reported higher marital happiness among women with more peaceful sleep, although it’s hard to say whether happy people sleep better, better sleep makes people happier, or — most likely — some combination of the two. Insomniacs are also twice as likely to develop depression, and preliminary research suggests that treating sleep problems may successfully treat depressive symptoms.

25. And finally ... Death

Many health problems are associated with sleep deprivation and poor sleep, but here’s the big one: People who consistently do not get 7-8 hours of sleep are more likely to die during a given time period. Put more simply: We all die eventually, but sleeping too little — or even too much — is associated with a higher risk of dying sooner than you otherwise might.

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/16/25-unfortunate-things-that-happens-if-you-do-not-get-enough-sleep/#sthash.C6DGsPOB.dpuf

As a student you probably would not believe us if we tell you that are absolutely naive and no, you are not on top of the world.

You will soon graduate from the university, service year is going to be awesome (at least according to the stories you’ve heard).

After service, you are going to get a job, have a family, build a home, become a millionaire and live happily ever after.

There is just one problem with your plan. The only problem with your plan is the real world.

This article is to lets students know things to look out for before they graduate so they don’t get railroaded.

1. A Degree Does Not Entitle You To A Job

We all know getting a degree means a lot of hard work and commitment but because you have a degree does not mean somebody is going to grant you an automatic job offer.

Gone are the days when all you needed to get a good job was a university degree.

We were all told the same lies in secondary school, get a university degree and a mouth watering job would fall on your lap.

The smart people are the ones who figured out this lie early in school and made sure the time they spent in school would separate from other students who were busy enjoying school life to the fullest.

It’s time to get your head out of the sand.

2. Start The Job Search Before You Graduate

Job hunting is a complicated thing and there is no almighty formula for you to acquire a job. Job seeking is not something you can “cram” for and pour out everything during an exam. There are no cheat notes for post-graduation experience.

The job hunting business is an on-the-training experience and the best way to get ahead of your colleagues is to start your career exploration during your service year or better yet during your university days.

You can research branches of your field, do internships (industrial trainings), find out what size of company is for you, and practice job searching techniques.

Put these tips in play and by the time you’re done with service, you’ll be prepared for the next phase of your life and it will be quite tricky for reality to hit you with tons of bricks.

3. Facebook Is Forever

Not just facebook, but twitter, instagram, and every other social network that you decide to be a part of.

What does this mean to an average student? Well it means that every obscure joke you post on Facebook, every explicit picture you share, every inappropriate comment will be visible to the world when you become famous or when you go job hunting.

At the very least, know how to manipulate your social media privacy settings and restrain yourself from littering your social media accounts with unfitting content.

Being appropriate on the web is just as important for a political career as it is for finding employment. Your binge drinking photos might be funny now but they won’t be so hilarious in five years time.

4. Life Is Expensive

You are probably surviving on the allowance you receive from your parents right now and you’ve realized that life can be expensive, EXPENSIVE.

Just wait until you have to live on your own, probably during service year or when you get your first job.

By the time you pay for house rents, transportation fare, recharge cards, light bills, water bills, food, utilities, and every miscellaneous expense. It won’t take long before you realize that life is expensive.

Everything would suddenly become so expensive that you would sometimes feel like crying.

This is one of the most painful things to learn. EVERYTHING costs money.

Anytime from now, you should learn how to create a budget for yourself. Otherwise your rent will be due, your kitchen will be empty and you will be busy dodging from the people you owe money.

5. Never Be Scared To Take Chances

This is probably the most important lesson you have to learn before you graduate, never be scared to take chances. You’ll never get anywhere you want if you don’t take calculated risks every now and then.

No one is telling you to jump out of a plane or go swimming with crocodiles (which would be awesome if you survive), but nothing in life comes easy. Yes, it is cliché, but it the hard truth. After all, nothing can deputise experience.

When you become a graduate, the best option is not becoming a boring office robot whose life revolves around work.

Your twenties and thirties are the some of the best years of your life, we kid you not.

Do not be afraid to face the real world with open arms, explore opportunities, and take chances. You’ll be surprised at what fate has in stock for you.

6. Learn How To Interact With People

Learning how to interact is a very valuable skill you need to have in your belt. It is a “street smart” skill. You could read a million books on how to interact with people but the only way to develop your interaction skill is to put it into practice constantly until it becomes a part of you.

This skill will surely be tested each time you go for a job interview. Heck! You even need this job more if you are an entrepreneur.

Learn to greet people with a smile. Say “thank you, please and I appreciate” whenever the situation deems necessary. These small gestures go a long way to make a huge difference. Don’t be so quick to dismiss the power of appreciation and courtesy.

Make small talk, get to know anyone you have to spend more than thirty minutes with, help them if you can. Who knows? You might meet your own saviour.

Don’t know what to talk about? You could talk about the TV shows you watch, the cool blogs you visit on the net (don’t forget to mention giftedgreen.com), the weather – hint hint : ).

Learn to be always positive, make sure people smile after talking to you.

7. A Skill Will Get You Farther Than A Certificate

What we recommend is that you pick up as many skills as possible, as long as you have a passion for it. Do not say “I am studying English Language, why do I need to learn HTML?” If you are computer major, take a couple of management trainings. It will help you in the long run.

The skills you acquire do not necessarily have to be educational; you could learn tailoring, baking, programming, carpentry . . . anything. You never know when your minor skill will become your added advantage, or your primary source of income.

Not only that, you will be able to converse with a larger variety of different people, plus it shows your employer that you are a fast and versatile learner.

8. Save Something – Anything

Start saving now and you’ll be setting the foundation of your financial future.

There is always a need to save, even if it is the tiniest bit each month. Like we said earlier, life is expensive and the best way to be prepared is for you start saving right now.

Whether it’s for a big purchase, an emergency or for your future it’s important to have a little money for fall back to during rainy days. Trust us, those days will come.

9. You Are Going To Need Lots Of Hardwork

You are now a graduate, you no longer need to read through the night, attend boring lectures and write difficult examinations. Your life should be an easy pie from here. Right? Wrong.

In fact, this is the time that you need to work harder than you imagined, if you want to be successful.

Although you could relax; get a federal government appointment, and retire on your pension. This is perfect, if you want to be mediocre.

We are you are among those that want to be successful. In order to do that, you are going to need a lot of brain work, stay up late at nights and lots of reading if you are going to be among the 1%.

Even if your father is a billionaire, it’s a lot of hard work maintaining all that money.

10.Success Takes Time

After applying all these, do not expect to become a millionaire overnight, or in a week or in a month. Success takes time.

No matter the amount of hard work, Success takes time.

If you are in a hurry to be successful, you will either fall prey to money swindlers or get yourself entangled in something highly illegal. Neither of them sounds good.

That’s all for now!

You don’t have to wait until you graduate to gain these little nuggets of wisdom. Put them to use! Then start collecting some of your own

Already have something to add? Leave them in the comment section below.

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/15/10-life-lessons-ever-nigerian-student-should-know-before-graduating-from-the-university/#sthash.WKALv3ww.dpuf

When most of us look at our tongue it’s usually when we are brushing our teeth and just making sure there are no debris left on our tongue.

But when doctors look the tongue, they can see a lot more. The amount of information the tongue can reveal about the human health is quite bewildering.

The same way as the face, the tongue changes colours/shades, shape and surface texture providing a current health state update.

Many conditions cause symptoms throughout the body – some show up in the skin, others in the mouth and some even in fingernails – but the tongue is a part of the body that reveals a high percentage of health issues.

No wonder the doctor always want to take a peek at it. A close look at your tongue (and everything else inside your mouth) can reveal much about the overall state of your health.

Here are some abnormalities that show up on the tongue – and sometimes mean that something more serious is at stake.

1. White Tongue

A white tongue might be an indicator of illness, other issues or you just need to brush your teeth.

What other issues? A white tongue could be a sign of excessive smoking, in which case the white colour can actually indicate leukoplakia, caused by irritation from tobacco – sometimes an early sign of cancer.

Oh, we saved the best for the last. A white tongue might also be (brace yourself, this is quite gross) oral thrush, also known as a yeast infection that develops inside the mouth. This is common with people who have just finished taking a round of antibiotics. If the white doesn’t disappear with your cold, it’s definitely best to get it checked out by your dentist to figure out how to proceed.

2. A Smooth Tongue

A smooth tongue may be a sign of nutritional deficiency. A pale, smooth tongue is usually a sign of iron-deficiency anaemia or a lack of Vitamin B, which are important to the body’s use of food for energy.

This usually happens because the body does not have the oxygen necessary to maintain healthy red blood cells which can be caused by the iron-deficiency or anaemia.

3. A Sore or Lump On One Side of The Tongue

Small ulcers in the mouth that appear on the tongue as a bump with a pink color and often feel sore are known as canker sores. Certain foods are known to trigger canker sores, such food such as citrus fruits, tomatoes and the notorious pineapple.

Apart from food there are other causes of canker sores. On a good day, could be a warning of bacterial or viral infection or that you mistakenly bit your tongue.

On a bad day, this may be a sign of cancer and should be looked at by a doctor. Untreated syphilis can develop into a cancer on top of the tongue.

4. A Red Tongue

A red tongue more often signals underlying problems in children’s health. A strawberry or raspberry tongue can be one of the symptoms of scarlet fever or Kawasaki disease. Adults less often manifest these signs.

If your mouth hurts and your tongue looks smooth and red, your diet may be deficient in niacin, an important B vitamin. Time to see a doctor.

5. Map Like Patches On The Tongue

A tongue with patchy lesions bordered in white that seems to change location from day to day could be geographic tongue, or benign migratory glossitis. It’s usually harmless, caused by losing some of the little bumps that blanket the tongue.

The cause of geographic tongue is unknown but thought to be genetic. If the patches last for more than two weeks, consult a doctor who can prescribe medication to alleviate any discomfort.

6. A Brown Spot On The Tongue

A spot on the tongue that has turned brown or otherwise darkly coloured could possibly be a form of skin cancer called melanoma

7. Yellow Tongue

This is usually an indication of bacterial overgrowth and a sure sign that there is a need for better oral hygiene. Without in rare instances, yellow discolouration can indicate liver or gallbladder problems.

8. Black/Hairy Tongue

A black hairy tongue? Don’t be alarmed.

Black hairy tongue is a harmless, temporary, but unsightly overgrown “hair” that traps bacteria an d other mouth debris. Along with the colour change, you might notice a metallic taste in your mouth and generally bad breath.

A black tongue would totally be a sign of disgust but this rather alarming symptom signals poor oral hygiene, overuse of antibiotics or other everyday items like mouthwashes, coffee and tobacco.

Back hairy tongue resolves on its own, but check with a doctor if symptoms last beyond ten days.

9. Dry And Pasty Tongue

This simply means that you aren’t drinking enough body or you slept with your mouth open and the body is dehydrated. Drinking a glass of water in the morning before will help alleviate a dry mouth.

10.Swollen Tongue

A swollen tongue is due to an allergic reaction, but it can also be a sign of hypothyroidism, especially if your tongue is also pale.

If your tongue is swollen and beefy red, it’s a signal of vitamin B-12 deficiency.

Conclusion

When a tongue is moist, healthy-light red or pink in color with a white coating- all is well.

Anytime you notice pain, burning, swelling, changes in your ability to taste, abnormal movements or difficulty in moving the tongue, do not hesitate to see a doctor.

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/14/10-things-your-tongue-can-tell-you-about-your-health/#sthash.0yr1Xdd0.dpuf

On one hand he is investing, and on the other hand, oh sorry, the other hand is busy.

okay

In your search for prince charming, you are definitely going to kiss a couple of frogs (and it will be gross). The truth is that with the right guide, you do not have to kiss a single frog.

An important aspect of dating is knowing when to just walk away from a relationship no matter what a guy has to offer. These men are the undateable men. Yes, a breed of undateable men exists – guys that women wouldn’t even want their enemies to date. These breed of men are created to remain single – at least until they decide to repent of their ways.

Since we gave you a list of Women You Should Never Date, we are in the spirit of fairness going to give you a list of Men You Should Never Date.

1. Peter Pan

This guy has vowed to never grow up. He is childish and immature by default and wants things to remain that way.

We are not saying that there should to an age restriction when it comes to dating; we are saying that a guys age should match his emotional maturity.

This kind of guy is good for having, a lot of fun; in the streets and in the sheets. And that is as far as it gets; just fun.

In no time, he is going to promote you from the post of his lover to his mother and before you know it, you are stuck with an emotionally stunted man-child who wants to re-live his childhood forever.

If you’re the kind of girl that is ready to tie his shoelace, select clothes for that everyday outing of his, cook for him and feed him, among doing his other chores, we say, congratulations and good luck with life.

2. The Slave Master

He does not see you as an equal in a relationship. He sees you as a maid and he is ready to abuse you verbally, emotionally, and physically. Our best advice is that you should get out while you can.

He scoffs at your opinions and advices. His sole purpose is to bend/manipulate you to his will. He feels because you are his lover you are obliged to do his laundry, cook for him, and clean up his dishes, while he watches TV.

As a rule, if a guy hits you once, we lay emphasis on the number ONE. If a guy hits you once then you should be out of his life. Do not be deceived by his apologies, do not be deceived by his tears, if a guy hits you once, he is going to do hit you over and over again. If hits you when you are dating, what makes you think he is going to change when you get married?

Remember, you are his partner, not his maid and if you continue in this relationship, you will know what it is like to be a slave for the rest of your life.

3. Mr. Constant

Everybody has rules, principles, beliefs or anything they hold dear to them. Once you are in a relationship you are going to let go of some of these things. Sacrifice is an important aspect of every relationship. Once you are in a relationship you are going to make a lot of sacrifices, a lot.

You should be ready to give up some of your principles, beliefs or rules for your lover and he should be able to do the same for you. There should be a balance.

At the same time, you should be careful not lose who you are totally, just because you are in a relationship.

If you are with a guy who insists that he will not change anything because of you then he is not a dateable type. This guy will only become more rigid over time. Dating someone who refuses to do anything new makes for a long-term relationship that is both boring and one-sided.

Assuming that he will eventually change, open up to you and make some changes because of you is misguided. This will likely never ever happen.

4. The Unemployed

This is not about supposed to make relationships about money and this is a snobbish attitude towards the poor, but nothing could be further from the truth.

A guy could be unemployed for a while, yes, agreed. But there are those who do not have a job and the feel that the most important thing in their life is to hook up with a girl. That is the category of unemployed that this refers to.

You can barely take care of yourself and you want to take care of another person? A Nigerian proverb says, “Person wey them carry for back, no day carry another person.” This is kinda difficult to translate to English, but our Nigerian folks know what this means.

There are plenty of guys who make a career out of living off their girlfriends and we all know where such relationships go and how they end.

5. Jon Snow

In as much as you do not want a master and slave relationship, you do not need a guy who does not know what he wants out of life.

He has not figured out what he wants to do with his life, he does not know where your relationship is going; he does not have a plan. In short, he is Jon Snow, he knows nothing.

You should never go out with a guy that cannot make a simple decision about anything. Ask him, “Where are we going today?” he replies, “Anywhere you want”.” What are we having for lunch” he replies “Anything you want”.

If your man cannot make simple decisions for you, or give his opinion on simple issues how do you expect him to man up when life threatening situations occur?

Duh?

6. Hot and cold

Of all the men you should never date, he is the most frustrating of all. He treats you like a princess when you are about to leave him and treats you like dirt when he knows you are back. He says he loves you but his actions say the opposite.

He is the king of guy who will disappear for months without a single word of explanation and then comes back, expecting you to continue the relationship form where he left it.

You should give this type of guy a chance if he works with the Nigerian Army and he went on a peace keeping mission on the moon and we all know no Nigerian is going to the moon anytime soon.

7. Downhill guy

Many men hit the romantic break early on in the dating process, by the fifth or sixth date; the laziness starts to creep in. Things do not have to be all gooey from the beginning of a relationship to the end, but because you agree to become his girlfriend he decides that he should stop calling you the way he used to.

After a few months, he no longer takes care of himself, he is no longer romantic. He is the type of guy that feels that a fisherman has no need to give worm to the fish is in his basket

Another way to recognize this kind of guy is to watch his behavior towards you after you go to bed with him. If he truly cares about you, his good behaviors will grow stronger. This type becomes a monster after taking you to bed, proving to you that he was after only one thing in the first place.

This type of guy thinks the battle has been won, you are now his lover and he is sleeping with you and so there is no reason to be romantic, what he doesn’t know is that relationships grow and that you are strong enough going to dump him even after going to bed with him.

What other type of guy do you think should be on the list of men you should never date? Let us know in the comment section below

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/13/7-men-you-should-never-date/#sthash.yQ0qyUPU.dpuf

yuncka:
KiLL? Dats d problem with Nigeria, we can mess-up our lifeline at any slightest opportunity. I tink wat we should be thinking of is capturing and trying Shekau.

I know what U r thinking, impossible right? Dats anoda psychological way dose in power(sponsors) use as a guise to murder captured suspects so that d truth won't be revealed. they tag it dat d fugitive tried to escape and dey had no option dan to kill him.

Since the genesis of bokoharam till now, the military/police have captured key commanders of the sect and executed them without trial. The most recent being the capture and execution of the said impersonator.

We fail to understand that protecting and questioning this guys can reveal other members and sponsors.

Shekau is a monster that has killed more than 5, 000 Nigerians and displaced more than 650, 000 more.

What trial does he deserve?

What if he is found innocent?

What if he makes a deal with the government?

He goes free?

I think not

Besides, capturing and keeping is an expensive game for the Nigerian government.

Worst of all.

What if he escapes?

Because lets face it there are numerous cases of boko haram freeing their members from prison and police custody

The only good thing about capturing and trying shakau is that there would be no more impostors, and it would prove that he is not above the system.

while an appealing option. not really the best of options.

On the 14th of September 2014 the Nigerian Army said that they had killed the leader of the dreaded terrorist group Boko Haram and in less than 21 days a video was made available to AFP news agency that showed Shekau alive, in which he mocked the Nigerian Military’s allegation that he had been killed.

Anybody who is familiar with Boko Haram should be aware that this is not the first time Abubakar Shekau has been reportedly killed only for a video to surface showing him claiming to be alive. Heck! Even the Cameroonian military has also claimed to have killed Shekau.

While some people think that the real Shekau is already dead and “someone” is busy cloning a new Shekau each time the Nigerian Military kills the present one, others believe Skekau is not a person but more like a title or a post and it could be occupied by anybody. Another group believes the Nigerian Military is just lying to the public severally. Whether the real Skekau is dead or alive is topic for another day.

But why are we so bent on killing Shekau?

The Nigerian Military is bent on decollating Shekau on the assumption that removing him from planet earth is going to kill the morale of the group as a whole, thus making it less violent and eventually collapse altogether.

In fact, when reports of his recent death were initially released, many Boko Haram fighters surrendered to the Nigerian Military.

Will killing Shekau bring the end of Boko Haram?

We will never know because this is a question that even experts find difficult to answer. Looking at the history of terrorist and other violent groups whose leaders have been killed or captured leaves reason for doubt.

Sometimes, killing or capturing a high-profile member of a militant group leads to the eventual descend of the organisation.

For example the Kurdistan Workers party reduced its number of attacks significantly after its leader Abdullah Ocalan was captured.

This is not the only case; specialists believe that Japans Aum Shinrinkyo and Peru’s Shining Path were caused by decapitating the leaders of the various organisations.

On the other hand, Israel has targeting Hamas leader for years, and the Palestinian group does not appear to bulge a bit.

Removal of Mexican drug cartels has shown that removal of a group’s leader can increase a group’s violence.

By now you surely do not know what would happen when Shekau is eventually killed or captured.

In 2009, Jenna Jordan examined 298 cases of terrorist leaders being targeting between 1945 and 2004. According to her report, organisation that experienced a loss in leadership in many cases remained active longer than other organisation that collapsed for other reasons. “Organisations that have not had their leaders removed are more likely to fall apart than those that have undergone a loss of leadership,” she concluded.

Patrick Johnston studies 90 insurgent campaigns from 1975 to 2003 and found evidence in 2012 that removing an insurgents group’s leadership increased a government’s chances of victory in counterinsurgency campaigns and decreased the violence of the conflict.

Another paper from Max Adams reports that leadership decapitation may increase civilian causalities. Militants groups in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region became “significantly less discriminate in their targeting choices” – that is to say, they are more likely to target civilians – after any high-ranking militants were killed in drone strikes.

Max Adams believes that decapitating a leader can have a restraining effect on the lower-level members of a militant group because killing the leader would indirectly lead to crumbling of a terrorist group as they would lose popular support when they inflict high civilian casualties.

The grim truth is that killing the leader of a terrorist group may benefit civilians in the long term, but in the short term it only puts their life in unspeakable danger.

Killing the leader of a terrorist group is based on the assumption that removing their leader degrades the entire organisation.

Whether or not a terrorist group will strive after its leader is killed depends in part on the nature of the group targeted. In her 2008 book “How Terrorism Ends,” Audrey Kurth Cronin identified leadership decapitation as one of the several factors that have been historically involved, sometimes in combination, in the demise of terrorist organisations – with negotiations, loss of popular support, and repression among others. “Those that have ended through decapitation,” she has written, “have tended to be hierarchically structured, young, characterized by a cult of personality, and lacking a viable successor.” In her own study, Jordan found that religious organizations “are highly resistant to leadership decapitation.”

So what kind of organization will Boko Haram become when shekau is killed or captured?

Shekau is clearly the driver of Boko Haram and removing him would lead to the eventual downfall of the group except Boko Haram has become more decentralized – which shouldn’t be surprising considering the fact that there are numerous splinter groups like Ansaru and other Boko Haram wannabe groups. If such splinter groups are operating independently, then Shekau’s death may not change the organization much at the local level.

Boko Haram had experienced decapitation and managed to recover only to become more violent and brutal. It was during Shekau’s reign that Boko Haram conducted most of its high-profile attacks, both within and outside Nigeria.

Boko Haram does not fit the profile of a group that is likely to vanish by decapitating its leader. It does not have a ‘cult personality’. It’s more like a decentralized group with competing factions and not to forget that there have been cases of in-fighting.

Targeting Shekau and other top-ranking terrorist may be a fast way to end Boko Haram but we need more than that to get rid of Boko Haram as a whole.

What do you think will be the fate of Boko Haram when we eventually kill Abubakar Shekau?

Let us know in the comment section below


- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/10/what-would-happen-to-boko-haram-after-we-kill-abubakar-shekau/#sthash.jdcka2gr.dpuf

fabraham:
why was it asked?

The question was asked to test how creative you can be.

According to their hardness and blackness, there are 20 types of pencils.

9H, 8H,7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B and 9B

H is for hardness and B is for blackness. F is for finepoint.

2B could be uses as an eye pencil
2H could be used as a marking tool
Pencils could be used for drawing (drawing is not writing)
Pencils could be used for shading (shading is not writing)
It could be used as a weapon (not very appropriate though)

use your imagination

fabraham:
Mine is;List ten uses of a pencil apart from writing?that question really distabilized me that day like mad.Up till date,I am still wondering how the question relates to an auditing role.

Now you know why the question was asked

Every prospective job seeker in Nigeria must have heard tales of employers ask job seekers questions that seem meaningless and unrelated to the job that they applied for. The questions are usually from nowhere, with no direction whatsoever.

These questions can range from “Did you watch the Championship Match last weekend?”, “What do you think about the just concluded election in Adamawa State?”, “How many children do you intend to have, and why?”

What is the point of these questions you might ask? After researching this company for days, is this what you get?

For crying out loud, you graduated with a first class degree and you have more than enough years of experience.

If there was going to be a non-technical question, you were expecting the likes of “Tell me your greatest weakness”.

You might be tempted to think that these interviewers are just bored and in dire need of company or that they already have their candidate and they are just putting up a show.

The truth is that no matter how mundane a question is, most employer want to gain a better understanding of who you are outside your corny rehearsed answers.

They want to know how you’ll fit in with the team culture, the “soft” skills you have up your sleeves and most importantly whether or not they could see themselves getting along with you, especially if you are going to be spending a lot of time together.

Believe it or not, you will probably meet such an employer during your next job interview.

So how do you answer such questions?

There are just three simple rules to follow.

1. Do Not Be In A Hurry To Answer The Chit Chat Questions

During such interviews, you will find your employer asking you questions that range from hobbies to the latest Game of Thrones Series. In some cases you might not be asked a single question that is pointed towards the office or the position for which you are applying for.

Why are your interviewers asking you such questions? What do they want to know? Is this a spy agency? Are they bored? Or just plain wicked?

The truth is that your employer wants to know if you can connect with the team. They want to know if you are interesting. They need to know if you are personable.

Is it possible for them to invite to lunch? Will you embarrass them in front of their client, or would you serve as a friendly, likable representation of the company?

Your employer knows that they might get a better glimpse of your character and personality through some of these questions as opposed to the standard ones.

So don’t skip the small talk or necessarily try to move as quickly as possible back to the job at hand.

Remember, a more casual conversation is a chance to get to know the person beyond the practiced answers.

2. Try your best to keep all answers professional

While trying the interviewer’s question, it would be very easy to flunk your interview at this stage. You could easily flunk the test by being boring or inappropriate. Like we’ve said before, you should be prepared for every question possible on planet earth.

Simple questions like “What do you do for fun outside of work?”Or “Do you have personal interests or passions?” are some of the questions to expect.

No matter the question asked, you should weigh your answer before opening your mouth. Do not in the spirit of being spontaneous give a boring, very controversial or inappropriate answer.

For instance, when asked “What is the name of the last movies you watched?”, telling your interviewer “Big Booobies Getting Pounded” is really not the best answer. Give something classic, fun and most importantly the truth. You do not want to fail the questions that might follow up.

Keep in mind that while your answers should be the truth, there is enough room for you to filter your answers and still be professional. Choose the answers that represent the best of you in the interview.

3. Network, network, network

Some companies go as far as taking prospective employees on an outing as part of the interview, ranging from lunch on a cruise ship to dinner on a private jet. This is basically a chance for everyone else to get to know you and see how you’d fit in on the team.

Make sure you’re not only trying to impress the other employees, but that you’re also engaging with them. Get to know them, ask them questions about themselves. See what you have in common and share what makes you interesting both inside and outside of the workplace.

By letting your guard down a bit and really talking to people. You never know — it just may set you apart from other candidates.

Even if you don’t get the job, you might make a good friend.

Conclusion

Yes, you have the necessary credentials and the highest number of working experience. But remember, everyone want to like who they work with.

So it’s important you let your employer know that you are someone the team will enjoy having around.

Be prepared to talk about personal and professional experiences, no matter where you are in the interview, and hopefully you will pass with flying colors.

What is the most weird question you have ever been asked during a job interview? Let us know in the comment section below

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/08/how-to-answer-seemingly-useless-and-unimportant-questions-during-job-interviews/#sthash.QpQwQ8vS.dpuf

Every prospective job seeker in Nigeria must have heard tales of employers ask job seekers questions that seem meaningless and unrelated to the job that they applied for. The questions are usually from nowhere, with no direction whatsoever.

These questions can range from “Did you watch the Championship Match last weekend?”, “What do you think about the just concluded election in Adamawa State?”, “How many children do you intend to have, and why?”

What is the point of these questions you might ask? After researching this company for days, is this what you get?

For crying out loud, you graduated with a first class degree and you have more than enough years of experience.

If there was going to be a non-technical question, you were expecting the likes of “Tell me your greatest weakness”.

You might be tempted to think that these interviewers are just bored and in dire need of company or that they already have their candidate and they are just putting up a show.

The truth is that no matter how mundane a question is, most employer want to gain a better understanding of who you are outside your corny rehearsed answers.

They want to know how you’ll fit in with the team culture, the “soft” skills you have up your sleeves and most importantly whether or not they could see themselves getting along with you, especially if you are going to be spending a lot of time together.

Believe it or not, you will probably meet such an employer during your next job interview.

So how do you answer such questions?

There are just three simple rules to follow.

1. Do Not Be In A Hurry To Answer The Chit Chat Questions

During such interviews, you will find your employer asking you questions that range from hobbies to the latest Game of Thrones Series. In some cases you might not be asked a single question that is pointed towards the office or the position for which you are applying for.

Why are your interviewers asking you such questions? What do they want to know? Is this a spy agency? Are they bored? Or just plain wicked?

The truth is that your employer wants to know if you can connect with the team. They want to know if you are interesting. They need to know if you are personable.

Is it possible for them to invite to lunch? Will you embarrass them in front of their client, or would you serve as a friendly, likable representation of the company?

Your employer knows that they might get a better glimpse of your character and personality through some of these questions as opposed to the standard ones.

So don’t skip the small talk or necessarily try to move as quickly as possible back to the job at hand.

Remember, a more casual conversation is a chance to get to know the person beyond the practiced answers.

2. Try your best to keep all answers professional

While trying the interviewer’s question, it would be very easy to flunk your interview at this stage. You could easily flunk the test by being boring or inappropriate. Like we’ve said before, you should be prepared for every question possible on planet earth.

Simple questions like “What do you do for fun outside of work?”Or “Do you have personal interests or passions?” are some of the questions to expect.

No matter the question asked, you should weigh your answer before opening your mouth. Do not in the spirit of being spontaneous give a boring, very controversial or inappropriate answer.

For instance, when asked “What is the name of the last movies you watched?”, telling your interviewer “Big Booobies Getting Pounded” is really not the best answer. Give something classic, fun and most importantly the truth. You do not want to fail the questions that might follow up.

Keep in mind that while your answers should be the truth, there is enough room for you to filter your answers and still be professional. Choose the answers that represent the best of you in the interview.

3. Network, network, network

Some companies go as far as taking prospective employees on an outing as part of the interview, ranging from lunch on a cruise ship to dinner on a private jet. This is basically a chance for everyone else to get to know you and see how you’d fit in on the team.

Make sure you’re not only trying to impress the other employees, but that you’re also engaging with them. Get to know them, ask them questions about themselves. See what you have in common and share what makes you interesting both inside and outside of the workplace.

By letting your guard down a bit and really talking to people. You never know — it just may set you apart from other candidates.

Even if you don’t get the job, you might make a good friend.

Conclusion

Yes, you have the necessary credentials and the highest number of working experience. But remember, everyone want to like who they work with.

So it’s important you let your employer know that you are someone the team will enjoy having around.

Be prepared to talk about personal and professional experiences, no matter where you are in the interview, and hopefully you will pass with flying colors.

What is the most weird question you have ever been asked during a job interview? Let us know in the comment section below

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/08/how-to-answer-seemingly-useless-and-unimportant-questions-during-job-interviews/#sthash.QpQwQ8vS.dpuf

On Wednesday, Oct. 8, you will get the chance to see one of the rarest types of lunar eclipse, called a selenelion or horizontal eclipse.

While you wait for the eclipse here are 20 interesting myths about lunar eclipse from around the world.

1. The Sun and The Moon Fight During An Eclipse

According to the Batammaliba people in Togo and Benin in Africa, the sun and the moon are fighting during an eclipse, and the people encourage them to stop.

They see it as a time of coming together and resolving old feuds and anger, it’s a myth that has held to this day.

2. A Jaguar Attacks The Moon During An Eclipse

Among the collected myths is a story about a jaguar that attacked and ate the moon. The big cat’s assault explained the rusty or blood-red color that the moon often turned during a total lunar eclipse

The Inca feared that after it attacked the moon, the jaguar would crash to Earth to eat people. To prevent that, they would try to drive the predator away by shaking spears at the moon and making a lot of noise, including beating their dogs to make them howl and bark.

3. The Moon Is Attacked By Own Pets

The Hupa believed the moon had 20 wives and a lot of pets. Most of those pets were mountain lions and snakes, and when the moon didn’t bring them enough food to eat, they attacked and made him bleed.

The eclipse would end when the moon’s wives would come in to protect him, collecting his blood and restoring him to health.

4. A Lunar Eclipse Means The Moon Is Sick

To the Luiseño tribe of southern California, an eclipse signaled that the moon was ill, says Krupp. It was tribe members’ job to sing chants or prayers to bring it back to health.

5. Look Out For The Golden Toad During An Eclipse

The Jin Chan (literally: “Golden Toad”, “wealth-beckoning toad”), is most commonly translated as “Money Toad” or “Money Frog”.

This mythical creature is said to appear during the full moon, near houses or businesses that will soon receive good news (most of the time, the nature of this good news is understood to be wealth-related) or a three legged toad in China.

6. Take Your Bath to Receive Salvation

Some Hindus believe in the importance of bathing in the Ganges River following an eclipse because it will help you achieve salvation.

7. Lunar Eclipse Signifies God’s Anger Towards A Sinful Nation

In Nigeria, an eclipse is seen as God’s anger toward a sinful nation. In 2001, this superstition got completely out of hand as Muslim citizens attacked Christian targets during a lunar eclipse.

So strong are these beliefs that authorities and government officials launched a campaign in 2006, an eclipse year, to educate people in Nigeria about the scientific reasons for eclipses.

8. Throw Away Every Left Over Food

In India it is believed that all leftover food during an eclipse should be thrown away or given away because it is no longer safe to eat.

9. Two Wolves Chase The Sun And Moon During Any Eclipse

Ancient superstitions regarding eclipses include the Vikings believing that two large wolves were chasing after the Sun and Moon and, at the moment an eclipse took place, the wolves caught up with these celestial bodies.

10.No Sex During An Eclipse

Medieval folk believed that sex during an eclipse would result in ugly demon-filled children

Europeans in the Middle Ages thought that you should never get it on during a lunar eclipse, because any “moon children” would be born with ugly demons inside them.

11. Lunar Eclipse Causes Birthmark

A modern superstition also has it that a pregnant woman shouldn’t touch her belly during a lunar eclipse. Doing so will cause the baby to be born with a birthmark - the size of which depends on the force of the touch.

12. Eskimos Turn Their Utensils Upside Down During An Eclipse

Eskimos turn their utensils upside-down during an eclipse

Disease is meant to strike the Eskimo people whenever the women forget to place their utensils upside-down during an eclipse.

The Eskimos turn their spoons, forks and knives upside-down. They believe this is a sure way to stop the sick sun and moon from poisoning you by shining their rays onto your cutlery.

13. Don’t sleep with wet hair

In India, some people think that you shouldn’t sleep with wet hair, or it might turn you into a lunatic (a word which has the same Latin stem as lunar – still more proof that the so-called lunar effect has been around for a long time).

14. A Dragon Devours The Moon During A Lunar Eclipse

The ancient Chinese believed that solar eclipses occur when a legendary celestial dragon devours the Sun. They also believed that this dragon attacks the Moon during lunar eclipses.

In the Chinese language, the term for eclipse was “chih” which also means “to eat”. One ancient Chinese solar eclipse record describes a solar eclipse as “the Sun has been eaten”.

It was a tradition in ancient China to bang drums and pots and make loud noise during eclipses to frighten that dragon away. Even more recently, in the nineteenth century, the Chinese navy fired its cannons during a lunar eclipse to scare the dragon that was eating the Moon.

15. Take your bath before and after each eclipse

Still in India, some people think that you should take a bath before and after the eclipse, to wash away any evil spirits. And – get this – that you should wash your eyes out with urine, to stop your eyes from ever hurting again.

16. Lunar eclipse and birth defects

Talking of birth, the Indians seem to take the cake on this one: one newspaper recently told pregnant women not to go out during the eclipse, to stop them giving birth to a blind baby or one with a cleft lip. One woman laments:

“I did not take any precautions when I was pregnant during a lunar eclipse. I cut an apple even though I had been warned not to touch any sharp objects; My son was born with a missing finger.”

17. Your Actions Are Amplified During A Lunar Eclipse

Tibetan Buddhists say that during a lunar eclipse, our actions, whether good or bad, are multiplied one thousand fold.

18. The Ojibawas Try to Rekindle The Sun

According to the Ojibawas sect of the Red Indians the solar eclipse signifies the extinguishing of the moon or the sun for a while.

Consequently they hurl burning arrows in the direction of the sun so as to rekindle its original brightness.

19. Lunar Eclipse Occurs When The Moon Serpent Swallows The Moon Rabbit

The Todas from the Nilgiris believe there is a rabbit on the moon. According to them when a serpent swallows the moon the lunar eclipse begins.

In order to drive the serpents they shout and make loud noises; they also fast during the eclipse hours.

20. The Moon Was Unable To Repay A Loan

The imagination of the Munda tribes hailing from Bihar and Bastar region in Madhya Pradesh actually takes the cake.

They believe that the sun and the moon take loans from a demon called ‘Dhanko’. Their failure to repay within the scheduled period invites imprisonment by their creditors and therefore the sun and the moon are not seen in the sky at their usual positions.

Hence they bring their utensils, rice, and weapon to their courtyard in the belief that sun and moon will accept these to repay their debts to the demon thereby liberating the Mundas from the ghastly spectacle.

Do you know any myth that was not mentioned here? Let us know in the comment section below

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/07/20-interesting-myths-about-lunar-eclipse-from-around-the-world/#sthash.hzXxr3au.dpuf

When a deadly virus is just lurking just around the corner, how gullible do you think people can be? Apparently, the fear of Ebola makes even the most educated become very gullible. People would literally believe anything and everything.

While research teams all across the world are offering their experimental treatments and vaccines for use, some people are busy showcasing their most valuable talent to the world; development and spreading of utterly fake and baseless rumours.

We give you some popular false Ebola cures and remedy.

1. Homeopathy

A popular blogger outlined a number of what he described as homeopathic “remedies” that were “highly effective in epidemics”, telling readers “you will find the means to help you survive an Ebola virus infection”

According to homeopathic theory, this works because through the process of dilution, the memory of the substance is retained, but not its harmful physical presence. According to physics, this doesn’t work because water is not a taped over videocassette.

Another website even recommended obtaining a sample of Ebola (spit or blood) and filtering it repeatedly through two water bottles before drinking it up as a preventative antidote.

So pervasive, if fringe, is the idea that homeopathy can treat Ebola, that the World Health Organization (WHO) took toTwitter to expressly denounce the idea.

2. Bitter Kola/Kola Nut

Nigeria’s The Sun newspaper reported that “a plant has been found to halt the deadly Ebola virus in its tracks in laboratory tests”.

They were referring to kola nuts. But the story was simply a recycled BBC report from 1998 which reported on research at that time suggesting that extracts from kola nuts might offer a solution.

Medical groups and Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Health later refuted the claims.

3. Three large onions

One solution for avoiding the Ebola infection that is circulating is to eat three large onions, said Daniel Epstein, a WHO spokesperson.

It makes you wonder, are you fighting Ebola or vampires? Why three onions? Why not another number? How large is large?

4. Coffee

Another is to drink a mixture of coffee and cocoa powder “and something else” to prevent being infected.

This is a classical case of coffee sellers also cashing in on the Ebola hysteria.

5. Salt And Warm Water

This is undisputedly the most tragic and popular false Ebola cure in West Africa.

A rumour was spread online and via a BBM message that bathing in warm, salty water was an effective treatment.

This made everybody to abandon their common sense and education for this old wives tale.

The Nigerian press reported that two people had died, and 20 been hospitalised, after drinking excessive amounts of salt water in an attempt to ward off Ebola.

Ironically, at that moment, Ebola had killed one person and the salt solution was able to kill two.

6. Bola Buckets

A student volunteer from New Jersey, who was evacuated from Monrovia following the Ebola outbreak, described “bola buckets” with a solution of drinking water and chlorine that were being sold as locals believed it would cure Ebola.

You would ask yourself, what is so special about the so called “Bola buckets”?

Talking about grasping at straws.

7. Condensed Milk And Holy Water

While international aid organizations and local governments continue to try remedy these gross misconceptions surrounding Ebola, more lives are being lost every day to ignorance.

Another supposed “cures” for the disease includes condensed milk and holy water.

In order words, if you are lactose intolerant you are on a long thing.

8. Nano Silver

Just because a device has an impressive sounding name does not mean it will cure one of the most feared virus on planet earth.

The Nigerian government received a donation and considered administering the substance to patients.

After reviewing nano-silver the Nigerian government withheld approval because the substance did not meet basic research requirements to show efficiency

Good thing the Nigerian Government did not allow desperation take over laid down procedures.

9. Ewedu

Drinking a mixture made from a plant popularly known as ewedu, or kren-kren, can protect people against the Ebola virus, Nigeria’s leading Guardian and Nation newspapers have reported.

The source of the claims was a professor in ophthalmology at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital named Adebukola Adefule-Ositelu.

It is irresponsible in the extreme for respected newspapers such as The Guardian and The Nation to report unquestioningly on claims such as those touted by Professor Adefule-Ositelu which, unless or until substantiated, only serve to distract people from the real ways to fight Ebola.

Meanwhile, the director general, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC), Boss-Paul-O hi yesterday said he will arrest and prosecute her.

10.Regular Se.x

After an image of the indian daily mail starts circulating online, with the headline "Regular Se.x Prevents Ebola Virus - Dr Katunki of India" you would think anybody with half a brain would simply Google “Dr Katunki”.

If you bothered to Google “Dr Katunki”, they would easily realise that there is no “Dr Katunki” and the said picture is a hoax or a joke at best.

This did not stop some Nigerian bloggers from publishing that regular se.x helps to prevent Ebola. To every blogger that published this as news, the witches in your village are drinking pap from your head.

Conclusion

As we have explained before, there is no known cure for the virus and the cures being touted online and in newspapers are little more than cruel and unethical hoaxes.

What other false Ebola cure did you hear about? Let us know in the comment section below

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/02/10-ridiculously-false-ebola-cures-and-remedies/#sthash.Z7mYT8lT.dpuf

George Weah

Julie Andrews

Jimmy Carter

Hae Kae Kazeem

Haruna Babangida

While Nigeria Celebrates her independence, these celebrities are add another year to their numerous years.

Here, five celebrities whose birthday falls on 1st October

1. Jimmy carter

Born – 1st October 1924

Jimmy Carter is the 39th President Of the United States of America and the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize Winner.

President Jimmy Carter was the First US President to Visit Nigeria.

2. Haruna Babangida

Born – 1 October 1982

Haruna Babangida is a Nigerian footballer who last played for Austrian First League side Kapfenberger SV.

He is the second youngest ever player to feature for Barcelona.

He made his debut for Nigeria on 20 August 2003, in a friendly match which Nigeria lost 0–3 to Japan in Tokyo.

Babangida is a hard working, quick right wing who can also play on the left side.

He is the younger brother of Tijani Babangida and Ibrahim Babangida. Babangida is the eighth of ten brothers.

3. George Weah

Born – 1st October 1966

George Weah is a Liberian Humanitarian, Politician and ex-footballer.

Regarded as one of the greatest African players of all time, in 1995 he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d’Or. Three times he won African Footballer of the Year. In 2004 he was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world’s greatest living players.

An idol in Africa, Weah has been heavily involved in politics in his homeland Liberia. He ran unsuccessfully for president in the 2005 election, losing toEllen Johnson Sirleaf in the second round of voting.

Weah was named by Pelé as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers in March 2004. He has also been named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a role which he has suspended while he pursues a political career.

4. Hakeem Kae-Kazim

born 1 October 1962

He is sometimes credited as “Hakim Kae Kazim”, Kazim is a British Nigerian actor who is best known for his portrayal of Georges Rutaganda in the 2004 motion picture Hotel Rwanda.

He is also featured in the following movies; coming to America, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End; X-Men Origins, Inale, Last Flight to Abuja, Half of a Yellow Sun, Lost, 24, Strike Back; Project Dawn, Criminal minds, you get the idea;. . . he is a big shot



5. Dame Julie Elizabeth Andrews

Born 1 October 1935

She is an English film and stage actress, singer, author, theatre director, and dancer. In 2000, she was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II for services to the performing arts.

Not so popular among the indomie generation, but the older folks can testify the worth of Julie Andrews.

Andrews made her feature film debut in Mary Poppins (1964), for which she won theAcademy Award for Best Actress. She received her second Academy Award nomination for The Sound of Music (1965), and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Adjusted for inflation, the latter film is the third-highest grossing film of all time.

In 2002, she was placed at number 59 in the BBC’s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.

Her recent movies includes; Despicable Me, Shrek Forever, Tooth Fairy, Enchanted, Shrek the Third, and Shrek 2

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/01/5-celebrities-whose-birthday-falls-on-1st-october/#sthash.Lxrx5n8Y.dpuf

Which celebrity did we miss? let us know in the comment section below

rawpadgin: the Ethiopian runner that couldn't find his size of shoe must be as tall as Goliath

Not really,

Adidas, the shoe sponsor at the 1960 Summer Olympics, had few shoes left when Bikila went to try out shoes and he ended up with a pair that didn’t fit comfortably, so he couldn't use them.

Bikila was added to the Ethiopian Olympic team only at the last moment, as the plane to Rome was about to leave, as a replacement for Wami Biratu, who seriously ill

You can say he was destined to win the race

Today marks 54 years since Nigeria gained independence from its British colonial masters, and like every other patriotic Nigerian we want to desist from the pessimistic habit of asking what Nigeria has achieved since independence and embrace a cheerful mood instead, celebrate Nigeria’s Independence and wish her many more prosperous years ahead.

Nigeria is not the only country that gained independence in the year 1960, in fact 17 other countries gained independence in the year 1960, sixteen in Africa and Cyprus in Europe.

How these countries got their names can be quite interesting or boring, why don’t you read on to find out.

1.Nigeria

Flora Shaw invented the name Nigeria. Who is Flora Shaw? She was a British journalist who later became the wife of Lord Fredrick Lugard. Remember Lord Lugard? The guy who amalgamated northern and southern protectorate? The first Governor-General of Nigeria? Yes, that Lord Lugard, and yes he married Flora Shaw. Flora Shaw suggested the name “Nigeria” in a letter to the Times of London, in January 8th 1897. She referred to the area as Nigeria, after the Niger River. Interestingly, the word Niger is Latin for black, so it is left for you to decide if she was referring to River Niger or a nation of Black people.

2.Cameroon

Cameroon got its name from the Portuguese who, upon arriving on the coast in the 1400s found seafood in such abundance that they decided to call the main estuary Rio dos Camaroes, or River of prawns.

Unfortunately, today, the people of Cameroon import most of the seafood they consume, while local fishermen are going out of business, and you taught Nigeria has a serious problem with mismanagement of resources.

3.Senegal

The country takes its name from River Senegal. And how did River Senegal get its name? The most popular etymology from Wolof people state that the name derives from the local term “sunu gal” to mean “our canoe” or more precisely “our pirogue” because when the colonist came that’s what they people kept saying… The colonist thought they were learning the name of the country.

The story goes that when a Portuguese captain came across some Wolof fishermen and asked them what the name of the river was, they believed he was asking who their fishing boat belonged to and they simply replied “it is our boat” (sunu gaal)

4.Republic Of Togo

Modern day Togo and its surrounding region were formally called “The Slave Coast”, this is because, and as you can guess the region used to be a major trading center for Europeans searching for slaves.

It was called “the Slave Coast” for about 200 years until a treaty was signed at Togoville with Germany and this area became the Germany colony of Togoland.

Togo’s name comes from Togodo, which means ‘behind the lake’ in ewe – a reference to Lake Togo.

Since 1884, Togoland and later Togo became synonymous for the entire region under colonial control. The term Togolese first appeared after World War I, and population increasingly identified with this term, culminating in 1960 with the choice of Republic of Togo as the Official name.

5.Burkina Faso

Burkina was called Upper Volta (land of the Upper Volta River) whose main tributaries originate in the coutry. The Volta itself is a Portuguese word for twist or turn.

The country got its name using a word from each of the country’s two major native languages, Moore and Dioula. Figuratively, “Burkina” from Moore may be translated to “men of integrity” while “Faso” means “fatherland” in Dioula. Burkina Faso is thus meant to be understood as “Land of the upright people” or “Land of honest People”

The capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou. Written as “Wogodogo” in the Moore dialext, it literally means “You are welcome here at home with

6.Central African Republic

Central African Republic is a self descriptive name from its French name “Republique centrafricaine”

Central African Republic was a French colony known as Ubangi-Shari, because the land is split between the basins of Ubangi and Shari Rivers.

When colonialism started collapsing, Barthelemy Boganda, a nationalist leader of the present day Central African Republic announced his plan to unite much of the continent under the name “the United States of Latin Africa”. That didn’t work out, but, under the advice of the outgoing French colonial official, Boganda did rename the newly independent Ubagi-Shari as “Central African Republic” with the intent of convincing his neighbor to join this republic. But the plan never worked out and Bogander died of a mysterious plane accident eight years before he was to take over as president.

Conspiracy theorists please gather around and find someone to blame for his death

7.Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo

Both countries gets its name from the river, the river gets its name from the ancient Kingdom of Kongo which inhabited the lands at the mouth of the river around the time of its discovery by the Portuguese and whose name derives from its people, the Bakongo, an endonym said to mean “hunters” (Kongo: Mukongo, nkongo)

8.Somalia

The overwhelming majority of Somalis trace their genealogical origin to the mythical founding father, Samaale or Samaal. Their name derives from Samaal, their eponymous ancestor.

9.The Republic of Madagascar

It was Marco Polo who gave the island its name. Madagascar got its name from Marco Polo in his memoirs where he described an African island of untold wealth called “Madeigascar” although it was accidental since he intended to say Mogadishu. Hence early reference to the Island as Madeigascar or Mogalasio, this eventually became Madagascar about the 16th century.

10.Cote d’Ivoire

Elephant, with their ivory tusk were once numerous in the region formerly known as Ivory Coast. It was named Ivory Coast when people began trading ivory there. The French called it Cote d’Ivoire while the Portuguese called costa do marfin, all literally meaning Ivory Coast. The name Ivory Coast reflected the major trade that occurred on that particular stretch of the coast: export of ivory. There was a Grain Coast, Gold Coast and Slave Coast, if you ask us these seem like very obvious ways to name places.

The country retained the name – Ivory Coast – through the colonial rule and independence, but in 1986 the government of the country declared Cote d’Ivoire (or, more fully, Republiqeu de cote d’Ivoire) to be the formal name of the country for the purpose of diplomatic protocol and officials refuse to recognize or accept any translation from French to any other language in its international dealings

11.Chad

Chad got its name from Lake Chad with Chad being a local word for “a large expanse of water”. Chad is name derives from the Kanuri word “Tsade” (lake)

12.Cyprus

There are no specific sites citing how Cyprus got its name, but there are implications that it was named after the Mediterranean cypress tree

Another folk etymology is that Cyprus derives its name from “copper” since the island’s supply gave Greek and Latin gave words for metal.

13.Gabon

The Nations present name originated from “Gabao”, Portuguese for “cloak” which is roughly the shape of the estuary of the Komo River

14.Mali

Mali is named for pre-colonial empire that didn’t have the same border as its modern namesake

The name “Mali” is derived from “Malinke”, the name of the people who established the Mali Empire in 1230. Malinke is the name their neighbor’s gave them. It’s a corruption of their name for themselves – Madinka (which means “People of Manden”, their homeland in the Niger region)

15.Niger

The name Niger is derived from the phrase gher n-gheren which means “river among rivers” in Tamashek language.

16.Mauritius

The name of Mauritius was named to honor Prince Maurice de Nassau by Dutch Explorers. The French claimed it in 1715 and renamed it “Ile de France”. In 1810, Mauritius was captured by British and renamed back to Mauritius

17.Benin Republic

Benin republic derives its name from bright of Benin, a water body located in the southern region of the country.

During the colonial period Benin used to be known as Dahomey (On the belly of Dan) an ancient kingdom located in the south of what is modern-day Benin Republic

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/01/a-complete-guide-to-every-country-that-gained-independence-in-1960-and-how-they-got-their-names/#sthash.wX0XEVmD.dpuf

Fela Anikulapo Kuti

President Yar'Adua

Also Check out - 10 Things From 1960 That Are Worth Celebrating In 2014 (Apart From Nigeria’s Independence)

https://www.nairaland.com/1927921/10-more-things-1960-worth

and - A Complete Guide To Every Country That Gained Independence In 1960 And How They Got Their Names

https://www.nairaland.com/1927931/guide-every-country-gained-independence

1960 is a year Nigerians will never forget in a hurry. We received Independence from Britain.

1960 is not just a great year for Nigerians alone, it is a great year for Africa in general. The year is also known as the “Year of Africa” because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism.

We give you 10 more things from 1960 that are worth celebrating in 2014, apart from Nigeria’s Independence.

1. The First Black African Olympic Gold Medal

In the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Ethiopian runner Abebe Bikila won the marathon and became the first Black African to receive an Olympic Gold Medal.

Abebe could not find his size of shoe so he decided to run barefoot.

After the race, when Bikila was asked why he had run barefoot, he replied, “I wanted the whole world to know that my country, Ethiopia, has always won with determination and heroism.”

2. The Greensboro Sit-in Against Segregation

On February 1st 1960, four African American students staged the first sit-in at a segregated lunch counter.

The four students sat at the segregated lunch counter to protest the policy of excluding African Americans from being served there.

The four students purchased small items in other parts of the store and kept their receipts, then sat down at the lunch counter and asked to be served. After being denied service, they produced their receipts and asked why their money was good everywhere else at the store, but not at the lunch counter

Although they are refused service, they are allowed to stay at the counter.

The protesters had been encouraged to dress professionally, to sit quietly, and to occupy every other stool so that potential white sympathizers could join in.

The event triggers many similar non violent protest throughout the United States , and six months later the original 4 protesters are served lunch in the same counter.

3. The First Weather Satellite

The United States launches the first weather satellite TIROS-1. TIROS, for Television Infrared Observation Satellite sent the first TV images from space.

It functioned for just 78 days, but it sent back thousands of pictures of cloud patterns forming and moving across the face of the planet.

4. The Invention Of Laser

When lasers were invented in 1960, they were called “a solution looking for a problem”. This is because it had to potential to solve thousands of problems in almost every aspect of living.

The first use of lasers in daily lives of the general population was the supermarket barcode scanner.

Lasers have many important applications. They are used in common consumer devices as DVD players, laser printers, bloodless surgery, laser healing, kidney stone treatment, eye treatment, dentistry, various skin treatments.

If we had a week, we would be unable to list out every use of laser available to humans.

Even the non-contact thermometer paraded as “Ebola tester” makes use of laser technology

5. Implantable Heart Pace Maker

The actual pacemaker was invented in 1950 but it was an external device. The first successful implant of pacemaker took place in 1960.

The 77-year-old patient lived for 18 months after the device was implanted.

6. World’s First Elected Female Head Of State

Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka was elected Prime minister of Sri Lanka in 1960.

Bandaranaike became the World’s First Woman Head of Government, after her husband was assassinate in 1959.

She took over her husband’s position of leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, and led them to win the country’s government election in 1960.

7. Invention of Magnetic Stripe card

Magnetic stripe technology remains an effective form of information storage. While other technologies have come onto the market, magnetic stripe cards are still a cheap, easily implemented system that is seen and used by millions of people every day.

We use cards with magnetic stripes cards everyday without even thinking about it. The most visible use is your bank (credit, debit, and ATM) cards; magnetic stripe technology is also used on Identity Cards, Airline Tickets and Boarding Pass and Keycards.

8. Elevation of 1st African Cardinal

Africa had its first Cardinal in the year 1960.

Laurean Rugambwa was the first Native African Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and he was elevated to cardinalate in 1960.

He was the youngest of Africa’s bishop.

Rugambwa was one of the cardinal electors in the 1963 papal conclave that selected Pope Paul VI. He also participated in the conclaves, which selected Popes John Paul I and John Paul II.

9. Segregation is Declared Illegal in the United States

On December 5, 1960, the Supreme Court declared that segregation in public transportation is illegal in the United States.

Technically, this means that if Nnamdi Azikwe had gone to the United States on Independence Day, he would be segregated from a “white man” in public transport.

10. The Flintstones

The Flintstones debuted in 1960 and it was the most financially successful network animated franchise for three decades until The Simpsons debuted.

This year, TV Guide ranked The Flintstones the second Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time.

If you do not think the Flintstones deserve to be on this list then your childhood is not anywhere close to awesome. Really.

- See more at: http://giftedgreen.com/2014/blog/2014/10/01/10-things-from-1960-that-are-worth-celebrating-in-2014-apart-from-nigerias-independence/#sthash.QkwQifNe.dpuf