Thursday, August 2, 2012

FROM FACEBOOK NOTES TO BLOGGING...

SPIRIT OF A CHAMPION


by Oracles Vincent Libosso Chronicles on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 12:31pm ·

AMERICAN  HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING LEGEND JACK DEMPSEY ONCE SAID; "A CHAMPION IS SOMEONE WHO GETS UP WHEN HE CAN'T." TO THAT I BORROW A COINED ADDED POSTSCRIPT-'IF THEY WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AS A CHAMPION,THEY STAY DOWN WHEN THEY CAN TOO.'

THE AMERICANS HAVE SAID MANY SMART THINGS- AMONG THEM, "NEVER EAT AT A PLACE CALLED 'MOM'S', MESS WITH A DUDE CALLED "DOC" OR SLEEP WITH A WOMAN WHO DRINKS WORSE THAN YOU DO.THEY ALSO SAID THAT THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A FREE LUNCH.

LIONS NEVER GO AFTER THE WEAKEST OR SLOWEST PREY.THEY TARGET A JUICY MEMBER OF THE HERD- THEN CHASE IT DOWN, FOR BETTER OR DROUGHT.WHAT MORAL DO I SEE IN THIS DECIDEDLY UNROMANTIC TALE? DON'T GO FOR THE TAIL ENDS IN LIFE. SET THE BAR HIGH, FOCUS, HAVE DRIVE, AND IF YOU FLOP- THEN WHAT A GLORIOUS FAILURE ONE HAS BEEN! BEING MEDIOCRE IS SAFE AND EASY. BUT IT TAKES AS MUCH GUTS TO BE A BRILLIANT FAILURE, AS IT DOES TO BE A STAR.

FROM FACEBOOK NOTES TO BLOGGING

THE GUILT CONDEMNING PICTURE

by Oracles Vincent Libosso Chronicles on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 12:39pm ·
EVER HEARD OF KEVIN CARTER. PROBABLY NOT? HE ONCE CAPTURED AN ICONIC PICTURE OF THE VULTURE PREDATOR THAT HE PHOTOGRAPHED IN 1993 STALKING A STARVING SUDANESE CHILD. THE VULTURE WAS WAITING FOR THE CHILD TO DIE AND EAT IT.




THE PICTURE WON THE SOUTH ADRICAN PHOTOJOURNALIST THE PULITZER FOR FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY IN 1994. BUT CARTER WAS UNABLE TO LIVE WITH THE GUILT OF ABANDONING THE NEEDY CHILD, AND COMMITTED SUICIDE 3 MONTHS AFTER RECEIVING THE PULITZER.


Office cafeteria – Coffee, Conversations & more




FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007

Office cafeteria – Coffee, Conversations & more


“Show me your cafeteria and I will tell you all about your organization, its people and how the day’s been for them.”

The office cafeteria is an interesting place to be. It is a melting pot of employees from different departments, different teams & different groups. Between sips of refreshing hot coffee, the discussions and the camaraderie on display tells a lot about the organization, its people & how the day’s been for them.

One of the most visible aspects of the cafeteria is how people gather around & seat themselves. Things to note here are who sits with whom. Most times people from the same team sit together. If it’s a large team they break into smaller groups. It is likely that one group is all male & the other all female. In such a scenario, there is a high possibility of one of the guys to be two timing both the male table & the female table. Then there are these ‘couple only’ tables, where a guy & a girl sit across & talk not realizing probably that ‘they’ are being talked of in the other tables.

The other aspect of the cafeteria is what people do out there. Most talk, some sulk, a few of them come to check out the other crowd there. Those who sulk keep staring into their coffee cup probably trying to count the hole like depressions into the froth of their coffee. Those who come to check out the others, position themselves in strategic locations in the cafeteria from where they could get a glimpse of anyone sitting at any table. They generally hold their mobile phone in one hand & the coffee cup in the other & act like they are busy reading or sending a message it actually seems more like by-hearting the numbers & the spellings in the names. And then the it-moment comes when they lift the coffee cup to have a sip & simultaneously scan the scene around in the cafeteria. Some do this with such style & elegance that you think you are watching a Hollywood movie.

Of course the conversations in the cafeteria take the cake when compared to all the other aspects. Conversations could be about anything. Be it news from the newspapers, be it the discussion on the day’s work, or be it plain gossip they all bring the cafeteria alive. Even if someone isn’t the kind who would initiate a conversation, he surely will get drawn into it. Some of the interesting cafeteria conversations I have been involved in were nicknaming some of the senior people or on a serious side, a discussion on what our company should do to cut down attrition. Once we debated a topic like, “Recruiters don’t have to use their mind to do their work”. Somewhere in the middle of all these conversations some one liners that registered & I could recollect is “Management sucks” & “God should not make Guys fair (appearance wise)”.

Cafeteria = Coffee, Carefree, Casual, Comic, Come-when-you-want-go-when-you-want…well almost.
- SOURCE: came across this story on the net and loved it.



JPMorgan Office Cafeteria Disaster: Everyone Is Fired, The Entire Office Has Been Without Coffee, Food For Months
Courtney Comstock | Aug. 6, 2010, 2:03 PM | 3,617 | 9

The JPM waffle machine is now gone.
Great things are happening inside JPMorgan's headquarters right now as they update everything to make it "green."
Sadly, the positive changes have claimed a victim: The cafeteria.
The JPM office (headquarters) has been making environmentally friendly renovations for awhile now and the effects they're having on the people inside the office are significant, despite how flippantly JPM relayed information about the update to employees.
A little while back, everyone in the office got a memo about the renovations that said, (paraphrasing): the office is going green, the renovations will take about 8 months, and in order to make these changes, the office cafeteria will be closed for 8 months.
The bank closed the Starbucks and the entire cafeteria a little while ago. So right now, there is no coffee and no food (RIP new waffle maker) inside the JPMorgan office and there won't be for another ~6 months.
Someone at the bank tells us:
"The coffee part is annoying as f@#k."
Imagine an office filled with thousands of uncaffeinated, underslept, hungry bankers.  On the upside, now everyone has an excuse to get out of the office for lunch, a coffee, water, waffles, etc.
But someone at the bank also told us: "I think everyone was fired."
The Census firings rocked that one a lot harder than JPM's cafeteria could have, but it's was relevant and now you can go read something really important.
A JPMorgan spokeswoman didn't respond yet to our request for a comment.






Wednesday, August 1, 2012

FASHION FIESTA; CHIGNON STYLE…



FASHION FIESTA; CHIGNON STYLE…
Often dubbed as the “anytime any place hairstyle” and always lived up to its reputation, roping in Hollywood and Bollywood celebs, the “undone chignon” ( pronounced as sheg-non) is uber-trendy, simple to cluster and works effortlessly as a day look as well as an evening updo for that dinner date.
The French word “chignon” comes from the word “chignon du cou” which means nape of neck. The comfortable easy-to-do look is generally achieved by pinning the hair into a knot at the nape of the neck or at the back of the head, to the side of the nape but there are so many different variations of the style. One thing with style is that you have to customize and make your own that is comfortable with you.
Enough with the talking, here are ideas for you to steal…






THE HEALING POWER OF NUTS:






THE HEALING POWER OF NUTS:

“LIFESTYLE DISEASES THAT WERE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ‘HEALTH CONCERN’ LIST ARE NOW A CAUSE OF ALRM…”- Larissa Brown
-studies show a surge in both diabetes and high blood pressure, with a filling on half of the country’s (KENYA) HOSPITAL BEDS.
-In 2008, a random sample of 4,000 dwellers in Central Nairobi found 700 of them suffering from either high blood pressure or diabetes.
-scientific evidence shows that high blood pressure can be ended in just a few weeks, and the risk of heart diseases set aide by eating just a handful of nuts a day.
-it was in California in 1992 that researchers at Loma Linda University first discovered that people eating nuts daily had up to 60 per cent fewer heart attacks than those who didn’t. The study of 31,000 people, of all weights, ages and both genders, was based on a mix of peanuts, almonds, walnuts and other nuts.
- Prior nutritional advice has always tended towards advising minimal nut consumption on the grounds they are a “fatty” food.
SOURCE: Larissa Brown, Nakumatt Smart Life Magazine Kenya.

THE MASAI MARA- UP CLOSE AND CANDID WITH THE PILGRIM WILDEBEESTS (GNUS)…


 



"T
he seventh greatest wonder in the world". It is now officially known through out the world. Many have come back time and again. They have witnessed this mass movement of wild animals roaming free through unspoiled and savage wilderness. The air fills with the click- click of the cameras tirelessly. You have not seen something like this before.
Africa is changing at a quick pace and human encroachment into the wildlife reserves has continued to erase the traditional routes. In association with development and changes of the way of life, the image of wildlife roaming free is slowly getting erased. Fortunately, Masai Mara National reserve holds on to its charisma of an open, limitless land. It is one of the places in Africa that still prides in wildlife concentration.


Masai Mara is located in the South-western of Kenya, 290 kilometers from Nairobi. The abundance of wildlife and the remoteness of the reserve implants memories that no money can buy.
The Migration is a recent phenomenon (60's and 70's was the biggest boom) with about 250,000
individuals. Gradually, with time the number has risen to the current population of over 3,000,000
individuals. Add to it an estimated 1,500,000 Zebras and the result is one of the most magnificent scenes in the world. The massive display attracts hundreds of big cats as the populations provide abundant prey. The giant African crocodiles lie in wait, patiently, as the big herds come to cross the river or to drink.
It is the Masai community who are not so pleased with the whole phenomenon. The wildebeests compete with their huge herds of boran cattle for the grasslands. To them, it is a big calamity especially because the wildebeests transmit diseases to their herds and poison the waters with their fetal sacs.
This world famous migration is a circle of life which, in simple terms, means that there isn't a
start or an end. Only where the herds are located at a particular time. The big determinant is the
availability of pastures. The plains of Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Serengeti is a favored spot as grass abounds and the wildebeest find a safe place to graze. It is also here that over 500,000 new calves are born and many are taken by the nearby waiting Jackals or Hyenas.


New borns have little time to strengthen their legs. As soon after birth, the “pilgrim" continues. By April, the rains are over in southern Serengeti and the plains have dried up. The great herds then
gather and face the long march northwards and westwards. The natural lawn mowers abandon
the exhausted grasslands of southern Serengeti to head for the already tall grass of the Western
corridor, near the shores of Lake Victoria.
The pioneers of the migration movement are the majestic herds of zebras. They prefer the long
stems of the coarse grass. This way, they leave behind shorter grass which is favored by the wildebeests.
In late June to July the mass start pouring into the Kenya Masai Mara reserve where fresh, tender
and mineral-rich grass is already waiting. Here they meet the resident Mara populations which
add up to about 150,000. Also commonly referred to as the Loita plains herds, they spend most of the season northeast of the Mara. When it gets dry, they pour into the interior of the Mara in search of greener pastures.
The migrating herds spend roughly 3 to 31/2 months in the Mara crossing through Sand River, which is a tributary of the Mara along the boundary of Kenya and Tanzania. They trek westwards and cross the Mara River and sometimes the Talek River. Usually around this time heavy rains on the Mau Escarpment (origin of Mara River) fill the Mara River to the brim.
This is a good time to watch the trunk-looking Crocodiles, while they await the forthcoming feast.
Finally, the gnus (wildebeests) venture into the river. This gregarious coordinated behavior of the herds, usually teamed with zebras, creates an unimaginable scene. Just what the cameras
have been waiting for.

wildbeest madai mara migration kenya, masai, masaai mara migration, masai mar ariver migration, maasai mara wildbeest migration kenya


They wander along the river looking for a convenient crossing point. This is a moment
filled with tension for both the gnus (wildebeests) and the audience. They survey for a less steep and with no obvious danger. Finally, one takes courage and plunges into the river and magically the rest falls onto the footsteps and in one organized line cross the river.
In addition to the crocodiles, accidents also occur. The river’s current can be too strong for some especially the young ones. Or simply getting stuck between the rocks in the river and breaking limbs, a direct ticket to the jaws of the giant crocodiles. Finally, the crossing is done and the trek to their unknown (or known) destiny continues.
In the month of October, they are already heading to Serengeti where the rains have treated the southern grasslands to lush, green carpet of rich grass. Once again, they are heading to the southern plains, where a new generation will be born to start the cycle of life all over again.
SOURCE: the internet.

NB. If you missed the July migration from Tanzania into Kenya, well the wildebeests will be migrating again on October from Kenya to Tanzania.





 


FIBROIDS: AFRICA’S SILENT INVASION…PART 3












FIBROIDS: AFRICA’S SILENT INVASION…PART 3
TREATING FIBROIDS
ü      HYSTRECTOMY- the removal of the uterus.

ADVANTAGES- the fibroids never return. The best candidates are those who have already had children and do not want any more.
ü      MYOMECTOMY- the removal of fibroids, without removing the uterus. 25- 50 per cent of women have recurring fibroids and 10 per cent of these may need a second surgery.

ADVANTAGES- It preserves the uterus for child bearing and the surgery is less extensive, thus a faster recovery time.
ü      UTERINE ARTERY EMBOLIZATION: here, small beads of a compound called polyvinyl alcohol are injected into the arteries that feed the fibroid. The beads hinder blood supply to the fibroid, starving it of blood.

ADVANTAGES- General anesthesia is not required, there is no blood loss, all fibroids are treated at once, there is hardly recurrence and the healing is fast- you can return to normal activities in 10 days.

-          Other common treatment includes cryosurgery (freezing the fibroids) or using laser therapy. Pregnancy is known to shrink fibroids, while menopause (when the body stops producing oestrogen), usually causes fibroids to shrink.
-          There are a number of herbal treatments that have been linked to fibroids (including sage leaves, peppermint, stinging nettle and blackberry leaves); however, clinical nutrionists say that these should be avoided as they are not scientifically proven. Always see your doc if you believe you have fibroids.