Tuesday 13 December 2016

Does Africa underestimate the wealth of her own wisdom?

“That Asia is the source whence all philosophy sprang is a universally accepted belief; and that Europe is the custodian and preserver of the knowledge originated in the elder continent will likewise be generally maintained. Few ever considered that Africa also was one of the home of a learning as profound as any Asia can show; and few, if any, will believe that such learning remains alive to-day among the inhabitants of the Dark Continent. Yet that such is the truth” – Patrick Bowen.
I will rightly concur with Patrick Bowen’s assertion of Africa. I think Africa underestimates the worth of her own wisdom, and it is best she face the facts of her shortcomings as it is said that “if you wish to move mountains tomorrow, you must start by lifting stones today”.
Africa it’s said “is the cradle of mankind, the origin of the world’s religion and civilization”. I wonder, where did we lost our way?
History will assert to the fact that Africa has been and is a focal point of the world’s history as there would be a blank space, worthy of notes of the achievements if Africa is relegated in the world history as is being practiced by the colonialists.
A civilization is any complex society characterized by urban development, social stratification, symbolic communication forms (typically writing system), and a perceive separation from and domination over the natural environment by cultural elite. Historically the earliest emergence of civilization is generally associated with the final stages of Neolithic Revolution from around 10,000BC with civilizations developing 6,500 years ago, this area has been identified as having “inspired some of the most important developments in human history including the invention of the wheel, the development of cursive script, mathematics, astronomy, and agriculture”. How can we ignore all these facts and embrace at every whim the auspices of the west as if we doubt our own powers of developing better solutions to ours and the world’s problems?
Eminent and evident pre-colonial states and societies in Africa include the kingdom of Nri, Nok Culture, Mali Empire, Songhai Empire, Benin Empire, Ashanti Empire, Ghana Empire, Mossi Kingdom, Mutapa Empire, Kingdom of Mapungubwe, Kingdom of Sine, Kingdom of Sennar, Kingdom of Saloum, Kingdom of Baol, Kingdom of Zimbabwe, Kingdom of Kongo, Empire of Kaaby, Ancient Carthage, Numidia, Muretania, the Aksumite Empire, the Ajuran sultanate and the adal sultanate, there amidst there were some of the notable states of Africa each striving with its own political, religious structure and surviving and sustaining her people until the invasion of the colonialist who forced their belief on the children of Alkebu-lan. They never cared to learn our own wisdom and teachings before destroying and building upon our legacy. Where we so weak as to allow all these external influences?
Religiously, I can categorically say an African child knows these; that man has a body; that within that body is a soul; and within the soul is that which the common man will call the universal spirit. We knew and taught that after death the human soul moves on, we know that there is one God and other gods are mostly claimed to miseries, lesser gods or his manifestations. We know that the soul becomes one with that from where it comes, so instead of being himself, apart, he is truly one with all and all is one with him. That is what Africa taught us.
A special feature by Charles Finch, M.D chairman, Dept. of international Medicine, The Morehouse school of Medicine. “It has become increasingly clear that traditional African cultures and civilization knew and accomplished more than has been traditionally assumed. Even after we’ve ‘restored’ ancient Egypt - a civilization that was the fountain head of science - to its true and natural place on African soil as an African creation, there is yet a profound reluctance to admit that Africa contributed anything of substance to the world science”.
Charles Finch, in his article hoped to show that traditional African physicians evolved effectively even sophisticated, diagnostic and therapeutic modalities in medicine which belie the notion that Africa was without a medical science. As will be shown in this article that has been a wrong notion or perception of Africa. In the odyssey, Homer says, “in medical knowledge, Egypt leaves the rest of the world blind.” Suffice it to say that much of the training and instructions of the healing priests must have been orally transmitted, as it has in the rest of Africa, this which history is showing us is rather unfortunate for us because this means hasn’t proved a successful way of preserving this legacies. The Edwin Smith Papers describes maneuvers for reviewing dislocated jaws and shoulders. 
                      
                              Trephination 
                        
Trephination, the fore runner of neurosurgery, was practiced in Africa, which involved boring a hole through the skull to the outer covering of the brain. This is done to treat epilepsy, or to relieve chronic headaches. This all goes to show how Africa was advancing and setting precedence in making the world a better place, until the invaders thwarted and undermine her handiwork, calling themselves “conquerors in a conquest”. Africa was not left out in having conquerors of its own. Amenhotep IV, better known as “Akhenaton” is in some respects the most remarkable of the pharaohs and of all leaders in the world ever.
Akhenaton is considered the founder of the first monotheistic religion. He ruled from approximate 1352- 1356 B.C coming into power after his father, Amenhotep 111, died. Akhenaton’s reign left a profound effect on Egypt and the entire world of his day. Thirteen hundred years before Christ, he preached and lived the gospel of perfect love, brotherhood and truth. Two thousand years before Muhammad, he taught the doctrine of the “one God”. Three thousand years before Darwin, he sensed the unity that run through all living things. The account of Akhenaton is not complete without the strength of his beautiful wife Nefertiti. What is known is that the relationship between Akhenaton and Nefertiti was one of history’s first well known love stories. At the prompting of Akhenaton and Nefertiti sculptors and artists began to recreate life in its natural state, instead of the rigid and lifeless forms of early art.
Another notable leader perhaps not popular to our generation but was a great leader in his days is Taharqa, who is probably one of the most famous rulers of Napatan Kush, reigning from 690 to 664 B.C. At 16, this great Nubian king led his armies against the invading Assyrians in defense of his ally, Israel. This action earned him a place in the Bible (Isaiah 37:9, 2 kings 19:9).
                                                      Makeda
In his book, “world’s great men of color,” J.A. Rogers, gives this description: “out of the mists of 3,000 years, emerges this beautiful story of an African queen who, attracted by the fame of a Judean monarch, made a long journey to see him.” Makeda and King Solomon were equally impressed with each other. The Queen of Sheba is said to have undertaken a long and difficult journey to Jerusalem to learn from the wisdom of the great king Solomon. Now I wonder, if the African Queen was not powerful, not a lover of wisdom and wise too, would King Solomon be impressed by her? Enough to grant her such accord as was written in the bible and in the books of history?
In the history of world conquerors, the name of King Hannibal stands out as one of the greatest  military leader and strategist of all time. He used and mastered African war elephants and conquered major portions of Spain and France, and all of Italy, except for Rome. 
                        
                                  King Musa
King Mansa Musa 1 (Emperor Musa) ruled Mali Empire and was estimated to have been worth $400 billion in today’s currency, which makes him one of the richest man, leader to ever walk this earth. The emperor was a master business man and economist, and gained his worth through Mali’s supply of gold, salt and ivory, the main commodities for most part of the world during this time. Musa maintained a huge army that kept peace and policed the trade routes for his businesses.
Africa has the world’s oldest record of human technological achievement: the oldest stone tools in the world have been found in eastern Africa, and later evidence for tool production by our hominine ancestors has been found across sub- Sahara Africa. The history of science and technology in Africa since then has, however, received relatively little attention compared to other regions of the world, despite notable African developments in mathematics, metallurgy, architecture and other fields.
The oldest abstract art in the world is a shell necklace dated to 82,000 years ago from the cave of pigeons in Taforatt, eastern Morocco. The second oldest abstract art and oldest rock art is found at Blombos cave in South Africa, dated to 77,000 years ago.
I think that there should be a call for a historical rethinking about the significance, prevalence, and application of technological novelty in Africa. I have always believed that the so called ordinary people have something up their sleeves, because every man have the capacity to modify his environment for his betterment. During this course of ransacking Alkebu-lan and the scramble of Africa, transcends and long-lived workspaces were tempered, destroyed with no thoughts for piety or respect, under imperialism, her living was criminalized. Traditions and Cultures, morals and customs, norms of an age old people were criminalized, and when you criminalize that practice, you destabilize the place where the knowledge exist.
· The Ancient Wisdom in Africa
Theosophy, vol. 82, No. 8, June 1994.
· The Destination
www.des-tinz.blogspot.com
· The Overlooked History of African Technology -Peter Dezikes




Monday 28 November 2016

Life Purpose by Folaranmi Adio

            
Do you know what is purpose? 
Have you taken time to think of your purpose of living?
Read with me and you will find out!
    Purpose is "an objective to be reached; a target; an aim; a goal."
I believe you know you are alive for a reason, but have you given it a thought that one day you will have to face your Lord and explain how you spent your life on earth! What would you tell Him if all you’ve done is to rubbish your time on earth on worldly items, vanity?
In life everyone has his purpose in life, only your creation itself is a purpose.
"Acts 26:16 :- But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you"

"Did you then think that We created you in vain, and that you would not be returned to us?
The Holy Quran 23:115"

             We all have purposes. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.
    So when people say, “What should I do with my life?” or “What is my life purpose?” what they’re actually asking is: “What can I do with my time that is important?”
     In order to know your life purpose, you have to try your hands on new things and what happens if you do that? It helps you find interest in what you have tried both spiritually and bodily.
      A quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson where he says;
    "The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."
      Your purpose doesn’t have to be something BIG, either. The value of your impact on others and on earth has nothing to do with its weight, there are people meant for everything.
      If I could ask you of what makes you angry, joyful, excited or passionate, what would you say? You should take note of when your emotions are moved; these times can be a sign of your God-given purpose. You will need find your passion. Many of you have already done it, many of you will later.
Many of you may take long, many may get old, but don't give up on finding it for that will be that one-step of getting into the right part of your life. Find your passion and follow it.
      Pray. Ask God to show you the things that move you and make a pre-list And always remember, He wants you to discover His purpose for you more than you do for yourself.
       Lastly, consider that your life purpose is not just about you; it’s about what God wants to do to others through you.
And if there is anything that I have learned in life, you will not find that passion in vanity. And you will not find passion in money, never. Because the more vanities and the more money you have, the more you will just look around and use that as a shield not look for your passion, and you will discover that there will always be someone with more money than you do.
And if you are able to find your passion, all the money you have will be used to make sure all your passions come true and then you will have peace in your heart. Most people discover they have no peace in their lives which is because they have nothing they have passion in, all they need is patience and prayers, that passion will come to seek them.
Therefore, if you ignore or neglect what gives you no satisfaction, what others say about you, your gifts and your passions, you are not only betraying yourself, but you are betraying the world at large and God too; because He has called you to a purpose and wants you to walk in it for others and for your own happiness and success.
       Also consider that since God has called you, He is completely able to reveal your purpose to you.
"Hebrew 11:6 :-but without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to him, for whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out]"
"If they had kept their Faith and guarded themselves from evil, far better had been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew! (Surah Al-Baqara, 103)"

Sunday 20 November 2016

Contentment; a state of mind?


Written by John Pam
"let the fool persist in his folly so he may become wise
what is the price of Experience? do men buy it for a song?
Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No, it is bought with the price
Of all that a man hath, his house, his wife, his children.
Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy,
And in the wither'd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain."
                                                                                                                                    ~William Blake
Quite often have I heard it been said that contentment is a state of indolence or on the other extreme a state of accepting that which one is capable of changing. It is job hard to see why humans adopt these two views which are on opposite ends of the spectrum between greed and laziness. However, it seems its not so much that people are merely greedy or lazy but that rather they have no scale by which to judge the value of that which they choose to pursue or forgo.
For a minute lend me your imagination, and visualise the perfect scenario you can come up with on this earthly plane . Going to the other extreme imagine the most miserable form of existence you would not want to experience...all done? Now stop imagining and think for a minute...in those two situations, starting with the pleasant one, was your idea of what would give you pleasure not based  on the memory that you had enjoyed so and so before? And hence more of same would be pleasant? And I would assume the unpleasant nature of the opposite state was also a result of memory of past experience.
And here comes the point which is that we choose most of the time to live in comparison to a past pleasure or a future pleasure and hence we creating our own misery as the present can never measure up to the past or future as it is neither,hence our whole lives become a series of transitions rather than the organic growth it is supposed to be. It's why we can't even enjoy the future we have been chasing when we finally arrive as at that point of triumph, for we create another future state and are unable to savor the present. The future becomes an excuse not to enjoy the present moment and the past a reason to disdain our condition. Because its assumed success is a destination rather than a journey...
And the same goes more or less for the lazy person as for the greedy one above. The lazy person fails to appreciate that the serenity sought must be paid for with the price of labor or else one is just putting off the inevitable debt to be repaid. A lazy person is so consumed in enjoying the present moment, they fail to consider how the past led to this present moment, or how the future will be influenced by present decisions.
So in both cases, people become lazy or over ambitious by refusing to look at the big picture which  can be simplified as follows : what price are you willing to pay, from what experience has taught you, to have the future you desire, while not losing sight of the fact that its only moment to moment that the future can be experienced. The is the true measure of contentment.
On a final note let me leave with this analogy to simplify everything, the major difference between the rich man who becomes poor, and the poor man who becomes rich is mostly a change of mental state.
The poor man while poor will be happy to soak garri and groundnut to appease his hunger while the rich man's memories of past luxuries will torment him as he soaks the same garri to appease the same hunger. In the instance where the poor man becomes rich ,the pleasures he enjoyed before due to financial constraints fail to placate him anymore and he must seek new ways to amuse himself.
In the end all value we place is only valid when we realise that most of our misery is caused by our mindset, for if we can change our situation to one more favourable ,then it would be laziness not to do so and still complain of misery,however if we can't change a situation, then why torment yourself craving for what doesn't exist and make misery your companion with fantasies far from reality, resulting in greed, envy and low self esteem. In either case contentment boils down to accepting reality as it is and not comparing it to some fantasy past, present or future. For in the end the value of life does not lie in an abundance of possessions or experiences but rather in the quality of such in regard to our values as individuals.

Sunday 13 November 2016

How to Open/Operate a Domiciliary Account

 What is a domiciliary account?
There are times that you or your business would like to make and receive payments in a foreign currency. A Domiciliary Account allows you to have accounts in currencies besides the Naira. You’ll also be able to pay into these accounts through cash deposits/inflows, traveler’s cheques or foreign currency cheque deposits.
Also, domiciliary Account also allows customers to maintain accounts in a foreign currency and can withdraw cash or make transfers or payments to suppliers offshore.
Domiciliary account, how it works
To open a domiciliary account in Nigeria, you will need to provide the bank the documents below. Keep in mind that for limited Companies and partnerships, you will have to identify at least two principals to the account. The popular domiciliary account in Nigeria is the GT bank domiciliary account, which you can open with the bank, even if you don’t have an account with GT bank or sign up with GTB internet banking.
1. Proof of identity
The bank needs to see ONE of the following documents: You can provide photocopies of these documents.
Valid international passport
Driver’s license – Nigeria or International
National identity card
Also Read: Turning Data Insights Into Action With Google Analytic
2. Proof of Nigerian address
Also, you need to provide proof of one of the following:
Power company bill (such as electricity, phone bill, waste bill, water) from the last couple of months- Most banks accept three months old electric bills or current month bill
3. Personal details of signatory/directors
Name, contact address and the contact phone number
4. General Business details
Business names, Nigerian address and contact numbers, principal trading activity and date your business started.
For Limited Companies and limited liability partnerships, the bank would have to see proof of business registration, such as:
Memo and Article of Association
Copy of Certification of Incorporation
Copy of form C07
Printed copy of Tax Identification Number (TIN)
Company seal
One passport photography of each signatory to the account
Board of director purpose (signed by 2 directors/1 directors and Company Secretary)
So, how can you withdraw from a domiciliary account in Nigeria?
Opening a domiciliary account is a brilliant thing to do because it lets you receive foreign currency in your account and exchange them when you need to in a black market.
Also Read: How Does Nigeria Central Bank Influence Currency Rates?
If you’ve been saving or transferring funds into your domiciliary account in Nigeria, you might at one time need to make a withdrawal. And how can you make that withdrawal?
There are many ways one can make a withdrawal from a domiciliary account in Nigeria, although this also depends on the types of domiciliary account you have: Savings or current
How to withdraw
1. Submitting a detailed written application for withdrawal:
– Just write an application for a withdrawal addresses in your bank branch’s manager and you’d get the money, within 24 hours.
2. Using a withdrawal slip:
This works like a normal withdrawal slip used in many banks in Nigeria. You can find one across the counter, fill and wait to be paid from your foreign currency teller.
3. Writing a cheque (For currency domiciliary accounts):
Writing a cheque to withdraw out of your account is quite simple. Just indicate the total amount that you need along with your usual signature. You should be able to cash the cheque in front of the bank counter or pay into another domiciliary account. Of course, you will be paid in the foreign currency – Dollar, Euro, Pounds etc.
Also Read: Undeniable Proof That You Can Now Link Your First Bank Account Online
4. Wire transfer:
You can easily perform a wire transfer from bank to bank with either local or international and the fund can be transferred within a week.
5. Using an ATM card:
In case your domiciliary account is linked with ATM cards like MasterCard or visa, it is possible to withdraw from the globally connected ATM in Nigeria in Naira or abroad in the country’s currency. Keep in mind; this kind of withdrawal normally comes with a fee.

PayPal Accounts


PayPal is an online payment service that allows individuals and businesses to transfer funds electronically.
Here are some of the things you might use PayPal for:
a. Send or receive payments for online auctions at eBay and other Web sites
b. Purchase or sell goods and services
c. Make or receive donations
d. Exchange cash with someone
You can send funds to anyone with an e-mail address , whether or not they have a PayPal account. To receive the funds, though, the recipient must have a PayPal account associated with that e-mail address. Basic PayPal accounts are free, and many financial transactions are free as well, including all purchases from merchants that accept payments using PayPal [source: PayPal ].
If you have a PayPal account, you can add and withdraw funds in many different ways. You can associate your account with bank accounts or credit cards for more direct transactions, including adding and withdrawing money. Other withdrawal options include using a PayPal debit card to make purchases or get cash from an ATM, or requesting a check in the mail.
Signing up for PayPal is quick, and doesn't even require you to enter any bank account information. However, if you want to use many of PayPal's features, you'll need to add and verify a checking account or credit card. To get started, just click the "sign up" link at the top of the site's home page.
At the next page, you'll choose whether you want a personal, business or premier account. If you just plan to use PayPal for the occasional eBay auction or online purchase, a personal account is the right choice. If you intend to use PayPal to accept payments for a business, then a business or premier account would be more suitable. If you select a personal account, you can upgrade in the future.
A PayPal account is verified if you've associated that account with a current bank account or credit card. This is more than just entering account information. PayPal will ask you to follow certain steps to complete the verification process. For a checking account, for example, PayPal will make two micropayments to that account, usually about five cents each. Then, you'll need to enter the amounts of those micropayments as verification.
A PayPal account is confirmed if you've completed one of three options to signal to PayPal that the address on your account is valid. The fastest of these is to verify a bank account or credit card matching the address you've entered as the PayPal account's address. As an alternative, you can request a confirmation code by mail after you've had the account for 90 or more days, or you can apply for a PayPal Extras MasterCard which confirms your address by running a credit check.

Internet Business; Blogging


How to make and use money online.
1.blogging
2. PayPal account and how to operate
3.sell articles online
4.Domiciliary account
5.make money through facebook
1.blogging: "Blog " is an abbreviated version of "weblog," which is a term used to describe websites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information.
Here's how to make money from a blog.
1. Start a Blog. ...
2. Start Creating Useful Content. ...
3. Get off your blog and start finding readers. ...
4. Build engagement with the readers that come. ...
5. Start making money from the readership you have through one or more of a variety of income streams.
Monetize with CPC or CPM Ads
One of the most common ways bloggers make money is through placing ads
on their site. There are two popular types of ads:
1. CPC/PPC Ads: Cost per click (also called pay per click)
2. CPM Ads: CPM Ads, or “cost per 1,000 impressions,” are ads that pay you
a fixed amount of money based on how many people view your ad.
Perhaps the most popular network for placing these types of ads is Google
AdSense. With this program, you do not need to be in direct contact with
advertisers; There are countless similar programs available if you find that AdSense doesn’t work for you, such as Chitika, Infolinks, and Media.net.
3. Sell Private Ads
Selling private ads can come in the form of banners, buttons, or links. You
can even make money writing sponsored posts where you write about or
give a review of an advertiser’s product or service. Another option is to
write an underwritten post or series, which is where you can write about
any topic, but the advertiser pays for a “Brought to you by” mention in the content.
4. Include Affiliate Links in Your Content: You include an affiliate link on your site. You can do this directly in
the content or through banner ads. If a reader clicks on your unique link
and buys the product you have recommended, you earn a percentage of
what she purchased.
5. Sell Digital Products
If you would rather not advertise other people’s products on your site, or if
you are looking for another stream of income, consider selling digital
products. This can include items like:
eBooks
Online courses/workshops
Images, video, or music people can use in their own content
Apps, plugins, or themes
Just remember that if you are going to choose one of these avenues that you
make it relevant and useful to your readers. A lot of bloggers make the
mistake of assuming they are developing a product their readers need; listen
to your readers first, and then create a digital  product that will meet their
needs.
6. see it as a Content Marketing Tool for Your business .
7. Use it to Build Your Credibility
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that making money through blogging is not
possible by putting your site up and letting it sit there. The “if you build it,
they will come” mentality doesn’t work here, so be sure you are willing to
put in the time. Most bloggers do not see a spike of income for several
months (sometimes years) after starting their blog. Before you dive too deep
into blogging, remember these little bits of advice:
1. Create Quality Content
2. Don’t Spend Your Time Exclusively on Your Blog
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment.

Selling of Articles Online


Business, Career, and Finance
1. B. Michelle Pippin pays $50-$150 for business related articles.
2. Back to College pays $55+ for articles that address the needs of adults going
back to school.
3. Brazen (formerly Brazen Careerist) will pay if you pre-arrange it with their editor. They’re looking for posts about higher education, 
administration, marketing, networking, and recruiting and HR.
4. DailyWorth pays $150 for articles about women and money. They list a blackhole
editorial@ email address, but I recently tweeted them about how to submit a
pitch, and they suggested hitting up the managing editor, Koa Beck .
5. Doctor of Credit pays $50 for personal finance articles that focus specifically
on credit.
6. eCommerce Insiders pays $60-$150 for articles about online retailing.
7. IncomeDiary pays $50-$200 for articles about making money online, including
SEO, affiliate sales, and traffic generation.
8. Mirasee (formerly Firepole Marketing) pays $200 for 1,000-2,000-word posts on
marketing, business productivity, and growth topics.
9. Modern Farmer reportedly pays around $150 for articles.
10. The Work Online blog pays $50 per post.
Essays
11. Cosmopolitan.com pays $100 for essays about college. They’re also using this
essay submission as a way to find writers to give assignments to.
12. Essig Magazine offers $100 for essays about a personal experience.
13. The Establishment pays $125 and up for reported stories and essays.
14. Eureka Street is an Australian site that pays $200 for analysis or commentary
on politics, religion, popular culture or current events in Australia and the world.
They also pay $50 for poetry, which seems to be a rarity these days.
15. Everyday Feminism pays $75 per post, but they are not always in the market
for contributors. Sign up for their newsletter or check back often to see when
they need a writer.
16. Guideposts pays $250 for faith-based essays.
17. LightHouse pays $100 for uplifting essays by blind or visually impaired writers.
18. Narratively pays $100+ for essays on specific topics. Check their guidelines for
a list of current needs.
19. The New York Times Modern Love column reportedly pays as much as $300 for
essays on any topic that could be classified as modern love.
20. The Washington Post’s PostEverything section reportedly pays $250 for essays
on politics or culture.
21. The Toast pays for essays. Negotiate your rate as part of the pitching process.
22. xoJane pays $50 for essays about crazy things that happened to you, beauty or
fashion trends you’ve tried, and other women-focused topics.
Family and Parenting
23. A Fine Parent solicits articles on a rotating topic. Check out the topic, then
pitch your idea on the theme. Each accepted article earns $100.
24. Adoptive Families covers the adoption process from every perspective. You’ll
need to negotiate your pay rate.
25. Babble pays $100-$150 for posts on parenting, entertainment, pregnancy,
beauty, style, food, and travel.
26. Lies about Parenting is a site that tells the truth about raising kids. They pay
$50 per post.
27. The Motherlode (the New York Times’ parenting blog) pays $100. Pitch the
editor.
28. Scary Mommy pays $100 for original parenting posts.
Lifestyle and General Interest
29. The Atlantic’s online health section reportedly pays $200.
30. BBC Britain doesn’t publish their pay rate, but I’ve seen reports of $350-
$1,000 for various BBC sites. Pitch stories with a British slant for an
international audience. Download their guidelines as a Word document.
31. Bitch Magazine’s website pays for pop culture features. Pay is variable, so
negotiate to get your desired rate.
32. BlogHer pays $50 per post on a variety of lifestyle and Internet topics. This
site is part of the SheKnows family of sites, which also includes StyleCaster,
DrinksMixer, and DailyMakeover.
33. Cultures and Cuisines pays $200 per article.
34. The Daily Beast reportedly pays $250 and up. Their submission guidelines have a
black-hole editorial@ email address, so you’ll want to do a little digging to find
the right person to pitch.
35. Dame reportedly pays $200 for essays. They do accept reported features and
other article types, and pay rates may vary for those.
36. Dorkly pays $75 for long features on Batman, Marvel, Pokemon, and other
potentially dorky topics.
37. END/PAIN is a new site launching in 2016, and they are paying $250. END/PAIN
is no longer paying this rate.
38. Expatics serves U.S. expatriates. This is another site where you’ll need to
negotiate pay before you write your article.
39. Fund Your Life Overseas pays $75 for articles about business ideas that provide
enough income for U.S. ex-pats.
40. Gawker Media reportedly pays $250 for reported features and essays on its
family of sites, which includes Deadspin, Jezebel, and more. They prefer to see
fully written stories. They shuttered a number of their sites yesterday and plan
to focus on politics now, so take care with pitching to ensure you hit a paying
site.
41. getAbstract reportedly pays $300 for longer (2,000-4,000 word) book
summaries.
42. Gothamist pays $50-$150 for reported pieces about New York.
43. HowlRound pays $50 for blog posts about the theater — management and
marketing, play production and writing, and so on. Note: This market asked to
be removed because they were receiving pitches that were not well targeted.
Target your pitches so we can keep providing these lists.
44. The International Wine Accessories blog pays $50 and up for articles.
45. Pay at The Daily Dot’s online magazine The Kernel varies, so be prepared to
negotiate. I saw a report of $350 for a 1,000-2,000 word option piece.
46. Knitty pays $75-$100 for articles about knitting.
47. Listverse pays $100 for long (1,500 word) lists on various topics.
48. The Mix, a network of contributors to Hearst online publications (including
Country Living, Bazaar, Esquire, Popular Mechanics , and more) pays $50-$100
for articles.
49. New York Observer pays $100 on posts about politics and culture for
“sophisticated readership of metropolitan professionals.”
50. OZY does pay freelancers, but rates vary.
51. Paste pays $50+ for submissions in many different areas.
52. Penny Hoarder shares money-saving ideas. You’ll need to negotiate pay with the
editors during the pitching process.
53. Playboy.com pays up to $350, depending on the topic.
54. Pretty Designs covers fashion and beauty. You’ll need to negotiate per-post
pay.
55. PsychCentral covers mental health. They don’t list a pay rate on their site, and
they didn’t respond to my query about pay, but a reader on last year’s list
reported they are a paying market.
56. Refinery29 reportedly pays $75 and up for slideshows, articles, and essays on
various topics. They also post their needs for specific columns on their guidelines
page.
57. Salon pays $100-$200 for essays and reported features, even very long ones.
58. Saveur starts at $150 for “amazing stories about food and travel.”
59. The Salt (NPR’s food blog) reportedly pays $200+.
60. Smithsonian Magazine Online reportedly pays established freelancers up to $600
for reported articles.
61. The Tablet pays for articles on Jewish news, ideas, and culture. Pay varies, so be
prepared to negotiate. I saw a report of $1,000 for a heavily reported 2,000+
word feature.
62. TwoPlusTwo Magazine pays $200 for original posts about poker. They post articles
for six months, after which time the rights revert to the writer, so you can sell
reprint rights or post it on your own blog.
63. Upworthy pays $150-$200 for 500-word posts.
64. Vice ‘s pay rate varies, so you will need to negotiate if you’d like to write about
food, technology, music, fashion, and other lifestyle topics.
Tech
65. A List Apart covers web design. They pay $200 per article.
66. Compose pays $200 and $200 in Compose database credits for articles about
databases.
67. The Graphic Design School blog pays $100-$200 for articles and tutorials about
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and open source design tools.
68. Indeni pays $50-$200 for posts that cover Check Point firewalls, F5 load
balancers or Palo Alto Networks firewalls.
69. Linode pays $250 for articles about Linux, Socket.io, NoSQL databases, game
servers, Open Change, and Web RTC.
70. SlickWP pays $100 for posts about WordPress and the Genesis Theme framework.
71. Treehouse pays $100-$200 for posts about web design and development.
72. Tuts+ pays $100 and up for tutorials on various technologies, including Web
design and Flash. Tuts once ran a network of 16 different blogs, including
Freelance Switch, but it’s all together on a single site now that encompasses
design, gaming, photography, writing, and more.
73. WordCandy pays 6 cents a word for ghostwritten pieces about WordPress —
these will appear on some of the larger WordPress blogs, such as wpmudev.
74. WPHub pays $100-$200 for posts on web design trends, coding best practices,
and other WordPress-related topics.
Writing
75. Funds for Writers pays $50 for original articles for the newsletter that cover
ways to make money writing. (If you don’t subscribe to their newsletter, it’s
worth signing up while you’re there reading the guidelines.)
76. Make a Living Writing . That’s right, this-here blog pays — and as of this post,
we’re raising our rates to $75 a post. We’re also paying $100 for longer
assigned posts on specific topics (see that guidelines link for a list).
77. Read. Learn. Write. Pays $50 for original essays about reading and writing.
They are no longer paying, though they are still accepting the same types of
essays.
78. WOW! Women on Writing pays $50-$150.
79. The Write Life pays for some posts — you’ll need to negotiate your rate.
80. Writer’s Weekly pays $60 for writing-related features

How To Make Money With Facebook Social Platform


 Method One of Five:
a. Make great posts:
1- Search for a niche 
2- Consider opening up another Facebook account and keeping it separate
from your personal account. 
3- Give it time.
b.  Make a commitment to earn.
Method Two of Five:
Making Money Through Affiliate Advertising and Other Link-Type Advertising
a-Find an affiliate program or other link-type advertising program. Affiliate
programs provide you with a unique ID and marketing materials, and then
pays you a commission based on how much business you generate
b- Sign up. Once you've decided to market a company as an affiliate, search the company's site and fill out the required forms. This should always be
free, and usually only takes a few minutes.
Don't ever pay to become an affiliate.
c- Add accounts. Make a Facebook account for each affiliate program or
group of programs you sign up for. This allows people to follow your pages based on the things they're interested in, rather than having to sign up for
one page full of all different kinds of ads.
d- Promote your programs. Make posts for each of them daily, and maintain
your accounts fastidiously. With luck, and a good central account with a lot
of followers, your affiliate accounts will begin to get followers as well.
Whenever anyone clicks your posts and buys something from one of your
affiliates, you earn money.
Method Three of Five: 
Become an author of Facebook Posts Market or Facebook Fanpages Market
and earns on Selling Posts or Fanpages. Installation guide is included in
both scripts (step by step). If you don't know PHP / HTML, is possible to
install it for you. Administration doesn't required coding skills so everybody
can manage and provide powerful Facebook Markets.
Facebook Posts Market
Facebook Fanpages Market

Nigerian YOUTHS by John Pam


A tale is told
How God in the Beginning sent three sons
Into the World—Earth, Water and the Forest—
With one and twenty gifts for Earth and men
That are the sons of Earth; and all save one
The Forest and the Rivers stole; and how
God promised to his first-born, Earth, that men
Should win the twenty gifts again by virtue
Of that last one, Good Humour. And this is true:
For in those years when Ógun and the Gods
Made known their handicrafts men learned to seek
Thatch, food and wine in Forest and in River
Strife
between
Odúwa and
Orísha
Patiently. So Man prevailed; but in those days
Came strife and turmoil to the Gods—for still
For jealousy and pride Odúwa held
The bag Arámfè gave to Great Orísha.
Often Orísha made entreaty; oft
A suppliant came before his brother—in vain;
Till once when Odudúwa sat with Ógun
p. 28 In that same palace where the Órní reigns,
The sound of drums was heard and Great Orísha
Approached with skilled Obálufon, and said:
"The time has come to teach Arámfè's arts
"To men. Give back the bag (for it is mine!)
That I may do our Father's bidding. Else,
Have a care, is it not told how caution slept
In the still woods when the proud leopard fell,
Lured on by silence, 'neath the monster's foot?" 1
Then was Odúwa angered exceedingly:
"Am I not king? Did not Arámfè make
Me lord of Gods and men? Begone! Who speaks
Unseemly words before the king has packed
His load."
Excerpt from Myths of Ife by John Wyndham
or so long the youth of this country have abdicated responsibility for the state of the country, like the story above, when Orisha sought his rightful heritage from Oduduwa;we have crept around the issue and usually broached the issue in a manner which might raise the ire of our predecessors. However,  with a little introspection it's possible to disagree without being disagreeable.

  The first step in any endeavour of such magnitude is to realise that just as Orisha being the younger was given the bag of wisdom, so also in the present stage of civilisation in which we find ourselves, it is necessary for the younger generation to take back the bag of wisdom and shine the light for the older. Lest there be any misunderstanding , a little clarification will suffice, in the present stage of civilisation the elders have earned their positions of leadership which is as it should be but they ought to comprehend that there is a necessity that they do not neglect the input of the youth who have come of age in this period of time and are more equipped to navigate the pitfalls of this present era.

Charles Darwin it was who indicated that for any species to survive it needs to both cooperate and adapt to the changing environmental factors in a timely manner and how else is this adaptation consolidated if not by the subsequent generation.

The elder statesmen need not vacate their positions but rather as is logical, deduce that there  is a need for their work to be carried on both in principle and in the form of a physical embodiment.

Yet the youth are also to blame for how else does one excuse the pursuit of anothers culture without any attempt to blend it ito ours. we want to emulate western culture in all aspects basically becoming our own neocolonial masters.
The present state of the nation  is clearly evident as a fraction caused by the loss of harmony between older and younger generations. Look from the niger delta down to the north,from militancy to terrorism it points to one common problem, there is no one on the side of team nigeria.
But how can one be on a team if there is no coherent social agenda that establishes the core principles of this entity.  Yes we have a national anthem and even a constitution but even before the whiteman brought these abstractions to our shores we had something more important which was... community. Yet this communal feelings were based on certain understandings that the interest of the individual were not seperate from that of the community,hence why if you go from the deepest forests of the south, to the village squares of the west,towards the market squares of the east, the drinking houses of the middle belt and the grazing plains of the north one theme is consistent despite all our individual distinctions,which is the age group system in one form or the other which we have lost sight of in our haste to imitate western politics. 
Truth be told we cant return to those times but there is something important to be picked from that custom,which is that everyone must contribute to make soceity a haven both for themselves and others.
For so long the youth of this country have abdicated responsibility for the state of the country, like the story above, when Orisha sought his rightful heritage from Oduduwa;we have crept around the issue and usually broached the issue in a manner which might raise the ire of our predecessors. However,  with a little introspection it's possible to disagree without being disagreeable.

  The first step in any endeavour of such magnitude is to realise that just as Orisha being the younger was given the bag of wisdom, so also in the present stage of civilisation in which we find ourselves, it is necessary for the younger generation to take back the bag of wisdom and shine the light for the older. Lest there be any misunderstanding , a little clarification will suffice, in the present stage of civilisation the elders have earned their positions of leadership which is as it should be but they ought to comprehend that there is a necessity that they do not neglect the input of the youth who have come of age in this period of time and are more equipped to navigate the pitfalls of this present era.

Charles Darwin it was who indicated that for any species to survive it needs to both cooperate and adapt to the changing environmental factors in a timely manner and how else is this adaptation consolidated if not by the subsequent generation.

The elder statesmen need not vacate their positions but rather as is logical, deduce that there  is a need for their work to be carried on both in principle and in the form of a physical embodiment.

Yet the youth are also to blame for how else does one excuse the pursuit of anothers culture without any attempt to blend it ito ours. we want to emulate western culture in all aspects basically becoming our own neocolonial masters.
The present state of the nation  is clearly evident as a fraction caused by the loss of harmony between older and younger generations. Look from the niger delta down to the north,from militancy to terrorism it points to one common problem, there is no one on the side of team nigeria.
But how can one be on a team if there is no coherent social agenda that establishes the core principles of this entity.  Yes we have a national anthem and even a constitution but even before the whiteman brought these abstractions to our shores  had something more important which was... community. Yet this communal feelings were based on certain understandings that the interest of the individual were not seperate from that of the community,hence why if you go from the deepest forests of the south, to the village squares of the west,towards the market squares of the east, the drinking houses of the middle belt and the grazing plains of the north one theme is consistent despite all our individual distinctions,which is the age group system in one form or the other which we have lost sight of in our haste to imitate western politics. 
Truth be told we cant return to those times but there is something important to be picked from that custom,which is that everyone must contribute to make soceity a haven both for themselves and others.   

This mental laziness which is predominant amongst us the youth where we think our contributions are too miniscule is merely an excuse to do nothing,for if the water drops had the same attitude there would be no ocean.  However,  its clear that its not so easy to contribute meaningfully, hence why dont we start at the very beginning and ask ourselves what sort of soceity we desire to reside in and if by our actions or inactions we are creating a hell or heaven.
  The people running from our country to foreign shores forget that it was not people who ran from their countries that created the society which they are so eager to run to ,but those who embraced their community with all its flaws and strove to make a better place.
Hence, let the shifting of blame be temporarily halted and instead engage in self reflection for even if there is much to fix there is also much to gain...
For while other countries are conspiring on how to exploit our lack of unity,we give them more fodder for their cannons by attacking eachother. At the very least if we can't be like the bees in the hive who make pleasing honey,let us at least emulate the  clown fish and sea anemone who despite divergent goals are aware of the necessity of cooperation. We gain nothing by destroying eachother and we gain more by symbiosis..yet we fail to see why our stolen funds are taken to foreign shores while we complain of hunger at home....it is said the dog the gods have chosen to kill does not hear the hunters whistle , hoping that is not the case....

Friday 11 November 2016

SELF-ESTEEM AND THE THIN LINE BETWEEN PRIDE AND HUMILITY by Tommy Paul


Self-esteem as defined by the oxford English dictionary as "confidence in one’s worth". Less frequently, self-esteem can be replaced with self-respect which is also the knowledge of one’s own worth, or valuing of oneself. Ones self-esteem could be either low or high, good or bad; that is to say one with a high self-esteem is one that has total confidence in himself/herself, and the reverse is the case for someone with low self-esteem.
Often, a high self-esteem could be confused for pride as someone who is confident and knows/evaluates perfectly his/her worth is seen as proud and vice versa for one with low self-esteem as such a person is erroneously termed as humble. Pride; is a quality or state of been proud; inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one’s superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, rank, status, education, achievement etc., which manifest itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve and often contempt of others. Also, pride can be disdainful behavior or treatment; insolence or arrogance of demeanor, haughty bearing and conduct. Simply put, pride is a display of arrogant good self-esteem which is haughty and disdainful and makes others look/feel less important, any self-esteem that negatively impart others leads to pride. However, we are living in a perilous time/age were people are intolerable and excessively selfish, hence, misinterpretation and misunderstanding of simple gestures often lead to complications and issues.
These misinterpretations lead to complications which deals a fatal blow to even the noblest gesture. Humility on the other hand is the act of been humble, not lofty, proud, high or pretentious is unpretending, unassuming, humility is modest or thinking lowly of oneself.
Humility is not high and hence a humble person can be misinterpreted for one with low self-esteem, humility does not show off hence a humble person is not easily noticed and may not be considered for a first time opportunity, thus such opportunity is lost even without a trial.
Humility can be interpreted/misunderstood for shyness, weirdness or shrewdness. Having raised these flash points, there is always a need to maintain balance,as the world never identifies a perfect being/character. A need to maintain balance which satisfies our being or conscience, as ideally, the court of conscience should always supersede even the court of justice.
No human being is born without a conscience and so therefore this should be our first line of judgement as to the character we put on/display or develop as the case may be. There’s always a need for check and balance. A good self-esteem is most suitable in any case, this is to say that a high self-esteem would always imply pride and a low self-esteem would imply shrewd and may not achieve its full potential. Hence, it is very important to always maintain balance as a lot of people will lose opportunity(ies) because they are not noticeable and others will also lose opportunity for been too haughty.
There is a little/constant judge the creator implanted on all humans, this judge is our conscience, when we become haughty, noticeable and proud our little judge pricks at us mildly, also when we become shrewd or too weird, we also get pricked by our little judge. Hence, this little judge is what we must satisfy always and at all times.

Tuesday 8 November 2016

SERVANT LEADERS; is it but a wish in Africa?

                         
The difference between knowledge and wisdom is as sunlight and moonlight, one is only a pale reflection of the other,on its own merit it dwells in darkest ignorance. For in the sun lit day we see every thing as it really is and even the dreaded phantoms of our imagination hold no sway over us,but in the moonlight we see only dimly and at times our imagination has to compensate for clarity of vision to either good or evil outcome.
Now it would be easy to be misunderstood taking such a stance but what other alternative can there possibly be when those who have read or memorised other peoples understanding of certain phenomenon decide unequivocally that it gives them a right to dictate to others what is acceptable or otherwise in response to their situation.
I see a lot of this notion that if someone who is considered successful says something then it should be accepted without scrutiny, and that's why we can have someone who plays pretend for a living(an actor) arrogantly think because they are known it makes their perspectives rational.
The first basis of any society is self interest and you can only coerce someone with words when the gains outweigh the loss. Our leaders complain that the youth are unambitious,lazy and disrespectful yet they see no irony in the fact that each of these traits can in one way or the other be attributed to their inability to lay the foundation for our future.
I have often heard people speak about how a leader should be a servant leader but think of our culture and you see this is a ridiculous expectation. In our culture per example in a bank an elderly person is given prerogative to bye pass the line others have been standing on for hours simply because he is older which would be commendable if it wasn't deemed as rude to object when you yourself did not feel the desire to be altruistic. The notion in our culture is that the superior is at liberty to disregard the needs or even rights of one who is considered inferior and we wonder why our politicians trample on the citizens who elected them? They are only reflecting the society that produced them.
As a society we complain about our large number of miscreants like militants, Boko harametc and yet we do nothing to fix the underlying cause of these phenomenon. The root of democracy is the notion that a community's interests are best served being part of a larger entity than otherwise but the goal of the government is to interfere as minimally as possible in the activities of these communities except as a final arbitrator of dispute or benefactor. The best any gany government can do is make the best of the situation it faces. Until we can create a communal structure that integrates all diverse societies in the nigerian geographic space, the recurrent problem of rebellion against the governments authority will remain insoluble.
Until our leaders show by example they are willing to create a society they can be part of, then will they convince others to get on board.
Another issue is the prevalent grovelling for western approval by our so called elite .I get that they have moral codes that put us to shame but that is no reason to embrace their decadence as our society is too fragile to survive such. Recently I hear that the U.S president has demanded that primary schools create provision for children who do not identify their gender with their sexual organ but with whatever fantasy suits them presently.
It has always been uncomfortable coming to terms with ones sexuality in the presence of peers but this muddles the issue more. I think enough has been said on this matter or do we emulate them here too?
Finally, we seem to all want our society to be magically transformed into a paradise but not one person is willing to lift a finger rather they assume some nebulous "others" will take on the task. Its one thing to be in denial of reality however its quite another to wish upon a genie like an aladin, until we see that there is no one coming from the skies or anywhere else to save us we will continue to delude ourselves that Nigeria will get better on its own but the unvarnished truth is only we can save ourselves. Yet I see we are hellbent on proving reality wrong...