MOST CELEBRATED FEAST WORLDWIDE

Christmas is the most celebrated feast in the world, celebrated mainly by  christians and then every other person regardless of their religious background.I wish you all Happy Christmas !Peace to the world!!!

WHY ANGER IS BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH

© Labrador - Fotolia.com

Christmas is the season to be jolly – but it’s also the time of year when tempers start to fray.

And while there’s nothing wrong with letting off a bit of steam now and again, it’s when your anger starts to get the better of you that you need to take a step back.

Mild irritation is par for the course while battling the throng of Christmas shoppers or preparing the turkey, but some people find they become angry frequently and inappropriately or are unable to control their actions once the rage starts to rise.

Not only can this sort of anger affect your relationships and work, lead to physical fights and cloud your better judgement, but it can have a serious impact on your health.

When you get angry, your body releases stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline – and when your body has to cope with large amounts of the stuff, it can increase blood pressure and lead to a whole host of problems.

Everything from headaches to back pain, higher levels of cholesterol, insomnia, skin conditions such as eczema, and even heart attack and stroke can be made more likely by uncontrolled anger. And pent-up fury can lead to psychological conditions such as depression, eating disorders, self-harm and drug or alcohol abuse.

Nor is anger a minority problem: a recent survey for the Mental Health Foundation found 28 per cent of adults said they worry about how angry they sometimes feel, while 32 per cent have a friend or relative who has problems dealing with anger.

So with the festive season around the corner and all the pressures that brings - financial issues, family problems, anxiety over creating the ‘perfect’ holiday or just plain old fury at the high price of goods and interminable queues – how can you stay on top of your rage and keep a cool Yule?

For National Anger Awareness Week (December 1-7) we bring you a handy help guide for how to stay peaceful this Crimbo. As clinical psychologist Isabel Clarke says: “Everyone has a physical reaction to anger. Be aware of what your body is telling you, and take steps to calm yourself down.”

Recognise your anger signs

As your anger builds you’ll feel your heart rate quicken and you’ll breathe faster; you might also notice tension in your shoulders or your fists clench. “If you notice these signs, get out of the situation if you’ve got a history of losing control,” cautions Ms Clarke.

Count to...

Ten or, even better, says the British Association of Anger Management (BAAM), count from 20 backwards. Alternatively, count to seven taking a deep breath in and then from seven to 11 breathing out slowly. This gives you time to cool down so you can avoid lashing out, verbally or otherwise.

Exercise

Sorry, it’s that old chestnut again – regular exercise really is a wonder worker. In the long term it can help keep stress levels low. Go for swimming, pilates, yoga or walking or jogging in the fresh air.

Don’t turn to drink

It may be tempting to reach for the goblet of Chablis when you’re fuming over a spat at work, but alcohol and drugs can make anger problems even worse. Instead, take time out for a long bath with some soothing music and have an early night.

Talk about it?

Discussing your feelings with a friend can give your emotions a safe airing and help you get a different perspective on the situation.

Diaphragmatic breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing focuses on the contraction and release of your diaphragm muscle, which separates your chest from your abdomen. When you breathe in, you fully inflate your lungs. This can help you to unwind. So...

• Sit or lie comfortably and loosen your clothing
• Put one hand on your chest and one on your stomach
• Breathe in through your nose and slowly count to three in your head
• As you breathe in, feel your stomach – not your chest - inflate with your hand
• Slowly breathe out through pursed lips and count to six
• Repeat two more times

Look at the way you think?

Let go of unhelpful ways of thinking. Thoughts such as ‘it’s not fair’ can only fuel your anger and keep you focused on what’s winding you up. Make an effort to let these thoughts go, and it will be easier to calm down.

Similarly, stop using phrases that perpetuate your anger and get the issues out of proportion, such as ‘you always do that’; ‘you never listen to me; ‘you should/shouldn’t do x’. They will only fuel your own sense of fury and create a stronger reaction in the person you are upset with – making the situation ten times worse. And remember: it’s OK for others to have a different opinion from you. Opinions aren’t facts.

Don’t resort to rudeness

If you find yourself stuck in a situation with someone who winds you up, don’t resort to being rude – it will only increase your sense of stress. Instead, defuse the situation and rise above it by staying polite and respectful.

Listen

Even if you disagree forcefully with what the other person is saying, learn to listen and show you understand their point of view even if you don’t agree with it. Speak at a normal volume: don’t shout, don’t argue - discuss.

Culled form  yahoo.com   Wed 30 Nov, 2011 03:00 pm GMT

WHY ABORTION IS BAD

In my own opinion, abortion should be done only when the mother is in danger but read the story below.Abortion is  never adviced.The mother of the unborn twins should have given birth to both babys and allow nature to take its course in terms of the baby with heart problem.This a big lesson to people who beleive in abortion.The law suit the family is planning will not bring back the dead children!God gave them freely two little lives but they were carried awy with technology!

Mother Loses Twin Boys In Abortion Mix Up

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia correspondent | Sky News – 7 hours ago

RELATED CONTENT

• Enlarge Photo
  Mother Loses Twin Boys In Abortion Mix Up

A healthy 32-week old foetus has been aborted by mistake in a tragic mix up at an Australian hospital.

A mother expecting twin boys was told by doctors one of the babies had a serious congenital heart defect and she decided to have him aborted.

However surgeons on Tuesday accidentally terminated the healthy twin.

The sick twin then also died, reportedly after an emergency caesarean section operation.

The Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne would not confirm details, but said in a statement: "The Royal Women's Hospital can confirm a distressing clinical accident occurred on Tuesday.

"This is a terrible tragedy and the hospital is deeply sorry for the loss suffered by the patient and her family. We are conducting a full investigation and continue to offer the family and affected staff every support."

The Herald Sun newspaper reported a close friend of the mother said: "She went to hospital with two babies and now she has none.

"And she had the heartache of giving birth to her sick baby. She's traumatised."

According to reports the woman's husband, a nurse, a doctor and the ultrasound clinician, who was apparently inconsolable because of the mistake, were in the operating room at the time of the procedure.

The family is said to be struggling to comprehend how the tragedy happened and is now considering legal action.

MUSLIM GIRLS WEARING SCARVES IN NIGERIA

It is sad that the issue of muslim girls wearing scarves to school is turning chaotic.

Schools shut down in Osun over hijab

Written by Adewale Ajayi, Osogbo
Thursday, November 17, 2011

THE struggle over the usage of hijab (veil for Muslim ladies) in public schools has led to the closure of public schools in Iwo Local Government Area of Osun State.

The quest to implement the usage of hijab created crisis in the town, as some Muslim groups insisted that all Muslim ladies should be allowed to use hijab, irrespective of the school they were attending.

The problem started last year, when a female student of Methodist Grammar School, Iwo, wore hijab to school.

The student was said to have been beaten by her teacher, while she, in turn, mobilised her brothers to waylay the teacher and beat her.

Muslim Fellowship Students were said to have championed the demand for female Muslim students to use hijab.

The agitation for the use of the hijab got to a climax on Monday, when a female student of Baptist High School, Iwo, was arrested by the police on the orders of the school authorities for wearing hijab to school.

The action of the school authorities was said to have angered Muslim organisations in the town, who waded into the matter and demanded the release of the student.

This is just as they mobilised students in the town, on Tuesday, to insist on allowing Muslim girls to use hijab, irrespective of the school they attended.

The protest was said to have received the support of the leader of Jamat Tahawum, known as Alfa Dawud, who led the students on a protest which took them from one school to the other, starting from Local Authority Grammar School to Saint Anthony Grammar School; Methodist Grammar School and Iwo Grammar School.

The protest forced the school authorities to close down the schools, while the students were sent home.

Reacting to the development, through a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Sunday Akere, the state government said it decided to close down all the public schools in the council to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

The statement said the state was noted for peace and the state government would not allow any religious bigot to turn it into a place of religious intolerance.

LOSING WEIGHT

10 Ways to Make Your Diet Easier

 By Hallie Levine    FITNESS Magazine | Healthy Living – Tue, Nov 1, 2011 

We're with you: Dieting is no picnic. But here's a little secret -- it's not nearly as hard as most of us think. "A lot of women believe they need to change everything, but in reality small tweaks to your diet can make a huge difference," says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. We've got tenabsolutely painless little fixes, culled from the latest research and the country's leading weight-loss experts, to make dropping those pounds as easy as 1, 2, 3, and beyond. 

Related: You Can Do It! The Get Your Best Body Ever Plan 

1. Say So Long to Soda
Every diet soft drink consumed each day could increase your risk of being overweight by 65 percent, according to a study presented at the American Dietetic Association. Other research suggests that artificial sweeteners may actually stimulate appetite, causing you to overeat. Instead, sip plain or sparkling water with lemon added for flavor. Related: The 8 Healthiest Drinks

2. Eat Like Clockwork
Women who eat erratically consume more calories and burn them less quickly than those who have six regular small meals each day, according to a British study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Don't go more than three or four hours without eating something. Related: 13 Ways to Kick Start Your Diet

3. Dust Off the Grapefruit Diet 
Eating three servings of grapefruit a day (either half of a whole one or a cup of juice) for 12 weeks could help you lose just over three pounds, according to a recent study. "It helped lower insulin levels, which can contribute to weight loss by reducing appetite and encouraging fat burning," explains study author Ken Fujioka, MD, director of nutrition and metabolic research at Scripps Clinic in Del Mar, California. Related: How to Add More Color to Your Diet

4. Shop from a List
"Never go to the grocery store without a master list, which provides insurance against impulse buys," suggests Donald Hensrud, MD, an obesity specialist at the Mayo Clinic. And never, ever shop when you're hungry. Related: Easy Ways to Shop and Eat Healthier

5. Shop Around, Literally
The center aisles of your local supermarket are loaded with highly processed, sugary, and fatty foods. "The first couple of outer aisles is where you'll find all the fresh produce, dairy, and seafood," explains Oz Garcia, PhD, a nutritionist in New York City. Related: The Healthiest Foods in the Grocery Store

6. Have a V8 While You Cook 
"I've had clients come in complaining that they can't lose weight, but then I find out that they're taking in hundreds of calories while preparing dinner," says Blatner. "Every little 'taste' counts!" Her tip? Sip a Low Sodium V8 juice. "It's only 50 calories per serving, but it will keep you feeling satisfied and stave off hunger pains so you're less inclined to snack," she explains. (The new Calcium Enriched V8 makes it easier to protect your bones, but that's another story!) Hate V8? Chew gum to keep your mouth occupied. Related: Easy Ways to Cut Mega Calories

7. Switch to Salsa
"I have clients spoon it on everything -- baked potatoes, veggies, even chicken or salmon," says Bethany Thayer, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "It's a serving of veggies that gives otherwise bland diet staples a little flavor and zest." The calorie savings are worth it: Two tablespoons of salsa instead of sour cream on a baked potato, for example, saves 42 calories and five fat grams. Related: Healthy Travel Diet: The Best Foods to Eat on the Road

8. Brush It Off
Brush your teeth or rinse your mouth right after you have a meal or a snack to quell the urge to keep nibbling. "It's both a physical and a psychological signal to your body that you're done eating," says Blatner. Related: We Tried It: The Best Ways to Whiten Your Teeth at Home

9. K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple, Sweetie!) 
People who eat a variety of foods, even low-fat ones, are more likely to have trouble keeping weight off than those who rely on a few diet staples, according to a National Weight Control Registry study published last May. "When people have a wide range of foods in front of them, they generally eat more," explains study author Holly Raynor, PhD, RD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School/the Miriam Hospital. The study showed that the most successful weight losers consistently consume just three to five staples from each food group, switching them around occasionally to prevent boredom. Related: Is Your Appetite Out of Control? Here's How to Find Out

10. Name That Craving
"One reason women overeat is that they don't hit their food craving right on the head -- they keep bingeing until they're finally satisfied," explains Blatner. Ask yourself what you really want: Salty? Sweet? Smooth? Crunchy? "Food cravings can be broken down into four categories," says Blatner. "If you are craving sweet and crunchy, try a mini bag of popcorn mixed with a little bit of artificial sweetener or even sugar. If you want sweet and creamy, opt for a light vanilla yogurt. If you're thinking about something salty and smooth, try a couple of pieces of low-fat string cheese; if you really want salty and crunchy, try a handful of dry-roasted nuts or soy nuts." Related: Supersize Your Self-Control for Good

Culled from yahoo.com

Simple Steps to Repair Damaged Hair

By Jill Percia, Women's Health
Mo, Nov 07, 2011

One of the many great things about summer is that its casual vibe allows you to wash and go, giving your hair a much-needed break from abusive heat styling. But when winter returns, most women bust out the hair dryer and flattening iron. "You're more likely to load up on treatments such as hair coloring and chemical straightening in the winter months—especially around the holidays," says Los Angeles–based hairstylist Michael Shaun Corby. Following are the two most common types of damage and simple steps to repair them.

Repair Chemical Damage

Too many chemical treatments, like highlights and hair straightening, sap strands of natural moisture, leaving them dull and brittle. "Chemicals penetrate into the hair and eat away at the protective lipid layer, which is what keeps your locks nourished and glossy," says Emily Overton, a principal scientist for Procter & Gamble.
How to heal:  Do a steam treatment once a week to help open the cuticles and let your conditioner really seep in to rehab your hair, says New York City colorist Rita Hazan. Here's how: After shampooing, apply a deep conditioner with protein and essential fatty acids to wet hair. Try Living Proof Restore Mask Treatment ($42, at Sephora). Microwave a big bowl of water for three minutes, then put on rubber cleaning gloves to prevent your hands from getting burned. Quickly dunk a medium-size towel into the bowl, wring out excess water, let it cool for a few seconds, and then wrap it turban-style around your hair. After five minutes, rinse.

Courtesy yahoo.com

CASSAVA LEAF SOUP(SIERRALEONEAN STYLE)

Ingridients:

Crab
Gizzard
Fish
Egg plant(Optional)
Paste nut/peanut butter(Optional)
Redpalm oil
Seasoning
Onion
Tola(Pronounce turla) from Sierraleonean shop/afro shop.
Cassava leaf

Method:

Boil gizzard and crab in meat stock in a sauce pan.Leave to cook for some time.Add red palm oil.Chop up eggplant add to saucepan.Grind seeded pepper with onion together then add to saucepan.Leave to boil.Add cassava leaves , already washed and well chopped or well prepared from Afro shop.Add salt to taste.Cook for another forty minutes.Stir well.Add small amount of tola to aid thickenening.Leave to simmer for few minutes.Serve with rice.

Note: Meat or chicken or combination of them can also be used.In place  of tola ,okra or ogbono ( dried bush  mango seed)could be used.The use of okra or ogbono is a tip from author as both are as slippery as tola.



Picture from http://www.quora.com/

HAIR GROWTH

Stimulating hair growth naturally

Stimulating hair growth naturally

© Thinkstock

If only hair would grow faster it’d be great, wouldn’t it? So how can you stimulate hair growth without spending a fortune on pills and potions of dubious origin and efficiency?
While there is no “miracle” that leads to spectacular hair growth, you can still obtain some good results following a few clever tips. Not surprising really – strong hair growth begins with good hair care, and the better you care for your hair, the faster it will grow!

Understanding how your hair grows

To manage your hair growth expectations, it’s important to understand the lifespan of a strand of hair.

• A hair starts growing from the root, developing under the scalp in a miniscule envelope called the hair follicle.
• The hair comes through the root from the papilla, situated at the bottom of the follicle and through which blood flows. This is the “raw material”, containing the blood that nourishes the hair to keep it growing.
• Subsequently, blood flows from the papilla to the hair’s matrix where the growing cells that make the hair are situated. These cells are the fastest reproducing cells in the body.
• The length of time a hair lasts (its lifespan) is genetically predetermined. For men, this is three years, on average, and for women it can be up to around four or five years.

What factors affect hair growth?

Hair growth depends on the blood supply to the root, and consequently on our diet as well. To encourage hair growth, we recommend the following:

• Iron-sulphur proteins that can be found in chicken, sole, tuna, cheese, egg yolks, beans, lentils, and also in almonds and pistachios.
• Oligo-elements zinc and magnesium that can be found in bananas, cocoa, oysters, prawns, egg yolks, soya, grain and wholemeal bread.
• Iron, found in mussels, egg yolks, oysters, soya flour, grain, almonds and hazelnuts.
• As well as vitamins A, B and C present in many types of food.

You also need to take into account how healthy the hair root is. Its development must not be reined in by impurities that stick to the base of the hair and can choke growth.
The rate at which hair grows also depends on the “genetic programming” in each individual and also on ethnicity. This means that for Caucasians the rate of hair growth will be around 1cm per month, while this would be 0.8cm per month for someone of African origin and 1.5cm per month for someone of Asian origin.
Hair growth also depends on the secretion of sex hormones carried by the blood, so if you’ve got plenty of them, your hair is likely to grow a bit faster!
Finally, seasonal changes have an influence on hair growth. In summer, the sun energises growth, unlike in winter and autumn when this mechanism is slower and growth is not so noticeable.

[See also: Help coloured hair survive winter]

Stimulating hair growth

Hair growth is linked to your lifestyle, so if you are getting good, regular sleep as well as a balanced, healthy diet, your hair will feel the effects. In fact, bad lifestyle shortens the lifespan of hair, which means it will then be shorter as it hasn’t had the time to grow.
Drinking lots of water and getting a balanced diet, which is rich in iron-sulphur proteins, iron, vitamins A, B and C as well as zinc and magnesium are both highly recommended.
Rather than going for commercial (and often expensive) hair-growth stimulators; you can try and stimulate growth through taking dietary supplements, which can be more effective. A cocktail of vitamin B, amino acids and zinc is a good place to start. You could also use beer yeast, which contains the nutritional elements necessary for hair’s strength (magnesium, and B vitamins). Zinc is also very important. Essential oils, which nourish the hair deeply, are equally recommended as long as they are used in appropriate doses.
Massaging your scalp regularly will stimulate the root and consequently, the hair, encouraging its growth. In fact, massage livens up blood circulation towards the roots and makes the collagen in tissue around the root more flexible, leaving more space for the hair’s activity. Avoid massage, however, if you have a greasy scalp.
Finally, don’t trust “miracle” shampoos that promise increased hair growth. In fact, to activate hair growth, a product needs to reach the root, situated 4mm underneath the scalp, and shampoo does not penetrate beneath the skin.
And in any case, these substances, which are absolutely necessary for hair growth (essential oils, vitamins and minerals), would be infinitely more powerful in more concentrated quantities than those found diluted into the cleansing ingredients in shampoos.

Dos and don’ts for fast-growing hair

• Don’t: tie back your hair too tightly, as hairs can break and even fall out due to the continuous pressure exerted on the roots. So be careful! Keeping your hair up all the time won’t slow down hair growth as long as it is not tied back too securely.

• Don’t: dry your hair at too high a temperature or too close to the scalp, and even avoid straightening your hair with hair tongs as these can damage the hair and can make it break, thus preventing the hair from growing in a uniform way.

• Do: use brushes and combs made out of natural fibres, like brushes made of wild boar hair for example, and wooden combs, so as to prevent hair breaking. It is strongly recommended that you avoid using synthetic brushes. Hélène Clauderer, founder of the Clauderer Centre and hair care specialist, is even against the use of all brushes. She states that, “It’s absurd to advise young girls to brush their hair constantly when vigorous brushing tears out hair.” “Furthermore, static electricity caused by brushing sensitises the keratin in hair. If you have knots, it is enough just to tease them out gently with a comb,” she explains.

• Do: get into the habit of applying natural hair masks with collagen protein bases mixed with vegetable oils in order to nourish and hydrate the hair. Be careful especially not to use a mask containing products based on silicon and other substances, which are harmful for the hair.

• Don’t: overdo chemical based hair products. You’ll have noticed that hair lacquer damages and dries out the hair, leaving it brittle. In the same way, repeated applications of hair colour and other chemical treatments attack the keratin in the hair and will thin it, causing it to break.

• Don’t: wash your hair in hard water. Lime scale is also bad for the hair, especially if the hair is already fragile, so you should wash it in soft water as a matter of preference. If you can't get soft water on tap, then indulge yourself with a bottle of good spring water - at least for the final rinse.

Thanks to Hélène Clauderer, plant/aromatherapy hair specialist, Clauderer Centre.

Culled from yahoo.com

CHILD LABOUR VS CHILD ABUSE/CHILD VULNERABILTY

This is the impact of exposing children to labour and danger .Thank God for the child that cried , the curious man who mobilised people, the female witness and the communal feeling.This is carrying out the biblical injucture of being our brother´s keeper.

Banana hawker rescued from ritualist’s deep freezer From JUDEX OKORO, Calabar
Thursday, November 3, 2011

A rice dealer at Marian market and Etim Edem market, Mr. Kenneth Ubah, has been nabbed by the police for allegedly locking up a 13-year old banana hawker in a disused deep freezer in Chief Obot Close State Housing Estate Calabar.

Daily Sun investigations revealed that luck ran out on the trader when the brother of girl, he lured into his premises allegedly for ritual purposes raised the alarm, which prompted intervention by passersby and the police.

On getting wind of the incident, the Zone 6 Command dispatched a team of detectives to Mr. Kenneth Ubah’s residence and the girl was rescued from the claws of death.

A source told Daily Sun that Kenneth, along with others was working on his storey building, when he invited the girl into the premises on the pretext that he wanted to buy banana. The source revealed, “When the girl entered the premises he quickly locked the gate and grabbed the girl and bundled her into a disused fridge.”

A lady, who claims to come from Edo State, and does not want her name in print said, “when the girl did not come out of the premises after a long period, the little boy with whom they were hawking banana began to cry and one man that was passing asked the little boy why he was crying and he told the man that his sister with whom they were hawking went inside (pointing at the building) to sell banana and has since not come out.”

The lady, insisting that she was present when the incident happened said, “the man went to the gate and knocked several times but Kenneth refused to open the gate raising the man’s suspicion as to what might have happened to the girl.”

The man reportedly mobilised others and they forced the gate open.

“When the gate was forced open Kenneth was standing beside the fridge barking like a dog while the girl’s banana tray was lying some yards away and when the people asked where the girl was, he said he did not know.

“When the people asked what was inside the fridge, the Enugu State-born trader said it was his dog. When they asked him to open the fridge, he threatened that if the dog escaped, he would hold them responsible. When the fridge was eventually opened, they saw the girl inside.”

Reacting, Mr. Jeremiah Adim of Zone Six Public Relation officer said the suspect is receiving treatment in an undisclosed police Clinic after receiving serious beating from angry mob

nigeriaworld.com

BIRTH AND WORLD POPULATION

Seven billionth person on earth born today

FamilyGP – Fri, Oct 28, 2011 15:00 BST

 

Today, the world's seven billionth person has been born. It is impossible to say exactly where the seven billionth person on the planet has been born or who they are.
So the United Nations have chosen several newborn babies across the world to symbolically represent the global population milestone, including two baby girls Nargis and Danica who were born in India and the Philippines, respectively.
However, the stark reality is that if a baby girl is born in the developing world, her future is set to be far from rosy.
According to a recent report from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) there is a widening gap between boys and girls in these regions of the world.
While they receive the same care and opportunities during early childhood, as they reach adolescence the anomalies in terms of health or education become marked.
“While there is little difference between boys and girls in early childhood with respect to nutrition, health, education and other basic indicators, differences by gender appear increasingly more pronounced during adolescence and young adulthood,” said UNICEF deputy executive director Geeta Rao Gupta.
If the seven billionth child born was a girl in the developed world, for instance in Europe, Japan or the United States, once she becomes a teenager she is likely to receive many of the same opportunities as her male peers.
Her education, health and career prospects may even exceed those of her male counterparts.
But if she is born in a region defined as ‘developing’ she is significantly more likely to be married as a child, less likely to be literate than young men in her country and, shockingly, should she be born in sub-Saharan Africa, is as many as four times more likely to contract HIV/AIDS than boys her age.
A World Bank working paper examined the real economic impact of excluding girls from learning or work opportunities.
For instance, just one teenage mother in India can lose $100,000 (£62,052) in potential income over her lifetime, while a single girl in Ethiopia who has dropped out of school can expect to lose the equivalent of two months’ average pay per year.
The financial impacts on the national economies is bigger still: the cost to India of the 3.8 million girls having children at the ages of 15 to 19 is $7.6 billion a year (£4.7 billion) – enough to fill every single car in the US with a full tank of petrol 100 times.
The denial of education to 4.5 million girls in Ethiopia costs the country $582 million (£361 million) a year.
So beyond the headlines about the seven billionth birth – which will come 12 years after the six billionth, a baby boy in Sarajevo – UNICEF chiefs are urging developing countries to improve the education prospects of their female citizens.
Increasing the availability of good and long-term schooling for girls will have a ‘ripple effect’ and help to break the cycle of poverty in those regions.
“Closing gender gaps in all stages of childhood and eliminating gender discrimination – whether against girls or boys – are fundamental to inclusive and sustained progress for countries around the world,” said Rao Gupta.
“In addition to the harmful and often tragic effects of gender inequalities on children themselves, the kinds of persistent inequalities that we continue to see… are major barriers to the efforts of many nations to move out of long-term poverty and achieve their development aspirations.”

MOTHERS AND TRANSPORT IN NIGERIA

Mother and baby on Okada, crushed to death by truck

By Staff K 8 hours 15 minutes ago 31.10.2011

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A woman and her child were on Saturday morning crushed to death by a DAF truck at Oje Area of Ibadan, Oyo State when they fell down from a commercial motorcycle popularly referred to as Okada.

According to eyewitnesses’account, the driver of a Volkswagen Jetta car had parked and suddenly opened the door of his car, oblivious of the oncoming motorcyle.

The okada man reportedly fell with the woman and her child who were his passengers when the car door hit them.

An oncoming DAF truck with registration number Lagos XQ 362 BDG was reported to have run over the hapless passengers, killing the woman immediately, with the child seriously injured, while the rider sustained minor injuries.

The child was rushed to a nearby private hospital but was said to have given up the ghost before those who rescued her got to the hospital.

The drivers of the car and the truck immediately fled the scene to avoid mob action, while the angry crowd set the Jetta car ablaze.

It was gathered that it took some time before the Divisional Police Officers of both Yemetu and Agugu Divisions, who went to the scene of the incident, could restore calm to the area.

Police sources however said that the owner of the Jetta car later reported at Yemetu Police station, saying that he had given the car to his mechanic to effect some repairs.

Meanwhile, two people suspected to have mobilised people to burn the Jetta car have been arrested by the police while the corpses of the victims had been taken away by family members.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State ASP Femi Okanlawon, confirmed the story, saying that the police were investigating the case.

Courtesy onlinenigeria.com

IMPACT OF DRESSING ON SALARY

On the Job, Beauty Is More Than Skin-Deep

by Sue ShellenbargerFriday, October 28, 2011

provided by

Most people assume being good-looking gives you a career boost. But just how much does it help?
A lot. Good-looking people charm interviewers, get hired faster, are more likely to make more sales and get more raises.
Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at the University of Texas in Austin, measures out the benefits in his book, "Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful."
[More from WSJ.com: Why Companies Aren't Getting the Employees They Need]
According to his research, attractive people are likely to earn an average of 3% to 4% more than a person with below-average looks. That adds up to $230,000 more over a lifetime for the typical good-looking person, Dr. Hamermesh estimates. Even an average-looking worker is likely to make $140,000 more over a lifetime than an ugly worker.
We asked Dr. Hamermesh to discuss his findings. Edited excerpts follow:

Mr. Hamermesh, author of "Beauty Pays," at Tokyo's Hitotsubashi University in 2010.

WSJ: You show that good looks are even more influential for men's earnings than for women's. Why do men's good looks pay off more?
Mr. Hamermesh: There are two reasons. First, not as many women work for pay as men. (The Bureau of Labor Statistics says just 59% of adult women hold paying jobs in the workforce, compared with 73% of men.) If you are unattractive and you know you are going to be penalized for that, and if you have an option to stay out of the job market, you as a woman may choose not to bear that pain. Also, women in general are paid less than men; part of it is that they channel themselves into different occupations, and part of it is pure discrimination.
WSJ: What about the argument that better-looking people tend to sell more products or attract more new customers?
Mr. Hamermesh: Yes, [research] shows that happens. Better-looking workers bring in more for the employers, just as a more intelligent worker will. Paying them more is still a form of discrimination, but their attractiveness also tends to raise their productivity. That's what makes it so difficult. I would argue that this is discrimination. But others would argue that it's simply an indulgence of people's tastes and preferences.
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WSJ: If you are unattractive, what can you do to improve your odds of getting paid well?
Mr. Hamermesh: Looks are only one of many things that affect how much we earn, including education, age, health, company size and so on. But to your question: First, don't go into an occupation where looks matter a lot. Don't be a TV broadcaster; be a radio broadcaster. Don't be a movie actor. Most important, go into fields that you enjoy, and that you have an advantage in doing. Accentuate your strengths, and try to avoid those things where you are relatively disadvantaged.
WSJ: Are there examples of occupations where you don't have to be beautiful?
Mr. Hamermesh: You would think you could find examples of occupations where being unattractive wouldn't hurt you at all. But in every one I have looked at, being better looking helps you. For example, you wouldn't think it would matter much if you are teaching in college. But based on my studies, better-looking [professors] are more appreciated by their students. The only counter-example I've seen is a study showing that if you [commit] armed robbery or theft, it pays to be uglier. The white-collar criminals are more successful if they are better-looking, but for crimes involving force, I'd rather be an ugly robber because I'd scare the guys and they'd give me their money faster.
WSJ: Isn't this unfair?
Mr. Hamermesh: Yes.
WSJ: Should something be done about it?
Mr. Hamermesh: It's a complicated issue. On one hand, I don't view this as very different from other forms of discrimination, whether it is based on race, gender or certainly disability; discrimination based on disability is analogous. Given that similarity, I find it very hard to oppose offering protections and trying to remove this kind of discrimination. On the other hand, we may not want the government to get involved, because if officials intervene on behalf of unattractive people, they will end up doing less for other groups which are regarded as more deserving.