Glo, Author at 1Africa | Page 13 of 27

Kepler 452b: Potential New Home For Humanity?

Lifestyle

Glo

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July 24, 2015

Kepler 452b: Potential New Home For Humanity?

As you’re probably well aware, a few hours ago, NASA and SETI announced the discovery of Earth’s “older, bigger cousin”. Called Kepler 452b, it’s the first almost-Earth-sized planet that’s been found in the habitable zone of a star very similar to our Sun, and the Internet is kind of freaking out about it.

During the briefing, the scientists also announced the discovery of 11 other habitable planet candidates, so what’s so special about Kepler-452b? Well, we’re glad you asked, because there’s quite a lot. For starters, this is our best candidate so far for an ‘Earth 2.0’, and it could also be the ideal place to look for extraterrestrial life.

Here’s everything we know so far:

Kepler-452b is orbiting a star called Kepler-452, located 1,400 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation of the Milky Way.

The planet is 1.6 times bigger than Earth.

Earlier research shows that planets of this size “have a good chance” of being rocky, just like Earth.

Kepler-452b is orbiting a G2-type star, like our Sun.

The planet is in the habitable zone, which means that it’s far enough away from its sun that its water won’t evaporate, but close enough so that it won’t freeze.

A year on Kepler-452b lasts 385 days, so the planet is only 5 percent further from its star than Earth is from the Sun.

The planet is likely to have an atmosphere, lots of clouds, and possibly active volcanoes.

Its parent star Kepler-452 is 6 billion years old (1.5 billion years older than our Sun).

Kepler-452 has the same temperature, and is 20 percent brighter, and 10 percent larger in diameter than our Sun.

Because it’s orbiting a larger star, it’s likely to be slightly warmer than Earth.

All of this is pretty damn exciting when you consider the fact that NASA has spent decades searching for a potential new home for humanity, but some of these points are worth highlighting further.

“It’s awe-inspiring to consider that this planet has spent 6 billion years in the habitable zone of its star; longer than Earth,” Kepler’s lead data analyst, John Jenkins, said in a press release. “That’s substantial opportunity for life to arise, should all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet.”

We should step in here and make it clear that we still know very little about Kepler-452b, and have no way of saying for sure whether it’s habitable at this point. The planet was discovered the same way that pretty much all exoplanets are – by the Kepler spacecraft monitoring the slight ‘dip’ in the brightness of its star as it passed in front of it.

This has been followed up with ground-based observations from telescopes in the US, which is why we know so much about the brightness of the planet’s host star, and the potential nature of the planet. The results have been submitted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.

Source: sciencealert.com

#SomeoneTellCNN

Glo

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July 24, 2015

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Have you ever been described or referred to as something you’re not, simply because you are a member of a particular community, race or organisation? If yes, you would be familiar with that feeling of frustration that arises from being stereotyped. When someone forms an opinion of you and what you are made of based on a very shallow knowledge of who they are dealing with , and worse, takes to social platforms to communicate their opinion to the rest of the world, it’s totally natural to want to defend yourself and have that information rectified.

That’s exactly what Kenyans all over the world decided to do, when an American news network, CNN referred to their country as a “terror hotbed” on the eve of President Barack Obama’s visit to the region. The network said Al-Shabaab—a terror group based in one of Kenya’s neighboring countries, Somalia—poses worries for the president who is visiting Africa this week.

On Thursday 23 July, the hashtag #someonetellcnn appeared in more than 100,000 tweets in which Kenyans lashed out at CNN for describing their country inappropriately in one of their broadcasts. Here are few of those tweets:

When it comes to stereotyping a people, a continent or culture, Africa and its people have been a target for who knows how long. But this time around, Kenyans have shown us how things should be done. Thanks to technology, social networks, and the power of “hashtags” on Twitter, now CNN and hopefully other news networks will be aware that Kenya, in fact the entire African continent is not the hotbed of terror or anything negative that’s often portrayed in the media.

Ultimately, the reality is that, at a personal level, it’s rare to actually come across genuine people who have the ability to see other people as people without placing prejudicial filters on them. Shockingly, this kind of labeling happens even in places and institutions where the expectation would be that one would find ‘enlightened’ people. A man cannot just be a man. He has to be called a black man. A woman cannot just be appreciated as a woman. She has to be described as a poor woman. Do we deny blackness, whiteness, poverty or wealth? No. But there is much more to people than our narrow views of them. The specific case of CNN and Kenya highlighted in this post is just the tip of the iceberg.

Fortunately, there is good news. Do you feel judged or placed in a box? God doesn’t do that. He sees you for who you really are. In fact, better than that, he thinks more highly of you than you may think of yourself. Connect with Him because His love for you is immeasurable. If you’d like to know more, please click on the banner below.

8 African Countries Billed As Corruption Hot spots

Culture

Glo

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July 23, 2015

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8 African Countries Billed As Corruption Hot spots

Forensic investigators and law firm ENS Africa says South Africa is among eight other countries on the continent that have been identified as corruption hot spots in a recent survey.

The countries are South Africa, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda.

ENS Africa surveyed 88 of the biggest companies operating across Africa, many of which are multi-nationals to assess how they prevent, report and act on corruption.

It found that 24 percent of the companies have experienced incidents of bribery, while only 40 percent has dedicated anti-bribery training programmes for employees.

ENS forensics director Steven Powell said, “What we’ve seen in the survey is that corruption is flourishing in many of those countries. So customs and immigration are hot points for corruption. Those countries have all been named by our clients as countries in which they’ve experienced corruption situations.”

Source: ewn.co.za

Leave Your Past Mistakes In The Past

Faith

Glo

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July 23, 2015

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There is nothing as exhausting and painful as entertaining past mistakes in your mind, beating yourself up and thinking about how life would have been better if you had just made a different decision or choice than the one you made.

Truth about life is no one sails trouble-free, having figured out everything from the day they are born. If you’re a person who has not made any mistake in your life – not even a small one – you are someone we’d like to meet. In fact, please drop us a message in the comments section below. Your secret is something I and probably the rest of the world would give everything to know.

Jokes aside though, most of us know that there have been instances where we messed up, once or many times in life. I personally have made many blunders – whether it be in career choices, romantic relationships, in family, in finances etc. And when we look back on those mistakes we regret, we sometimes cry.

But the interesting thing about life is, as long as you have the breath of life in you, and your heart is still pumping, you have another chance at life, and at pursuing your dreams. This may be a bit of an oversimplification as certain mistakes, in business for instance, can cost you a lifetime of investment, sacrifice and handwork. It is imaginably painful, but there is still life to be lived. You could either beat yourself up for the rest of your life or make the best out of the life, time, energy and resources you still have left. What would your choice be?

Early this week, I engaged in a conversation with one of my sisters and we began talking about something that happened the past. The conversation slowly started bordering on sadness. I immediately said to myself, I will not allow myself to be miserable over something that is gone and no longer has any implication in my present nor future life. I acknowledge where I did wrong, where I failed and I will make sure I learn from it when faced with the same situation again. I know I will do better. But lamenting over a past mistake is something I made the decision to not do.

The most successful person you look up to today, made some mistakes too. But if they stopped at the point of regretting how they missed this or that opportunity, you wouldn’t be looking up to them today. So whatever it is that you are crying over that is gone, remember that you still have life. What are you doing with it? If your excuse is that you are now too old for another chance to succeed, read the following words:

Life doesn’t move in a straight line. Time should be irrelevant to fulfilling one’s dreams, and besides, you never know how many lives you could change by steadfastly fulfilling your purpose.

Get up, dust yourself off and go for the dream and the life you once desired to live. If you have questions, if you desire to speak to someone regarding the challenges you are facing, or need help on how to pick up the pieces of your life and reconstruct something meaningful, please click on the banner below or send us a message at [email protected]

Quote credits: africanwomanmagazine.net

Is Heaven A Real Place?

Faith

Glo

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July 21, 2015

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There are many popular myths about heaven and where it is that create misunderstanding. According to the Bible, the universe is not only infinite, but also filled with intelligent, friendly, benevolent beings. The most amazing and almost unbelievable fact is that the way to heaven is not complicated. Our title to heaven is given freely to those who accept the fact that God bore our wrongs against himself when Jesus died on the cross. When we ask Him for forgiveness and a new heart in order to keep His commandments, He will freely give us both.

The word “heaven” (Hebrew: shamyim, Greek: ouranos) can mean God’s dwelling place. The Bible says: “The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19).

Is heaven a real place?

After Jesus was raised from the dead he went to heaven. The Bible says: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) Prior to this Jesus told His disciples: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:2,3).

Popular myths picture heaven as a fanciful place where spirits sit on clouds playing harps or float around in nebulous space. However, such a thought is rather anti-climatic. Why would the infinite Son of God take up finite human condition to offer up His life to die on a cross, only for us to live such a meager existence that is not even half as fulfilling as life in this world, whether or not it is for eternity? The Bible says that Jesus is building mansions in heaven for those who accept salvation. Therefore it must be a tangible material place. Vineyards must exist in heaven. Before Jesus went to heaven he told his disciples: “But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29) The Bible even refers to heaven as a country (Hebrews 11:16). Before sin came into this world, the world was a physical paradise – a beautiful garden full of fruits, trees, and animals. Similarly, when sin is finally eradicated from this universe, we will finally get to live life as God originally intended for mankind when He first created the Garden of Eden – not as wispy spirits on clouds, but in a tangible, material Heaven.

Our belief in an eternal home in heaven is based on an explicit promise of Jesus. Heaven is most definitely a real place. Heaven truly does exist.

How do you get to Heaven?

Just as God has put in men’s hearts the knowledge that He exists (Romans 1:19-20), so are we “programmed” to desire heaven. It is the theme of countless books, songs, and works of art. When people deny the existence of heaven, they deny not only the written Word of God, but they also deny the innermost longings of their own hearts.

The entrance to heaven is not automatic for people who have simply tried to be good. The Bible says: “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27) God has provided for us the key to open the doors of heaven—Jesus Christ (John 14:6). All who believe in Him and seek forgiveness for sin will find the doors of heaven swung wide open for them.

If you have any questions on the reality of God or heaven, you can get in touch with us by leaving a comment in the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you.

Source: bibleinfo.com , gotquestions.org , allaboutgod.com

The 5 Love Languages

Culture

Glo

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July 21, 2015

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Gary D. Chapman’s #1 New York Times bestselling book The 5 Love Languages – The Secret to Love that Lasts has had five editions to date and sold over ten million copies; and having finally flipped the last page of this wonderful relationship guidance book, I can see why that is.

Gary gets his ideas across using very relatable and personable anecdotes spanning his relationship counselling career, and at the gist of all this is the fundamental fact that people are different. Most people readily acknowledge that we have different personalities and histories and make allowances for that in relationships. This is not so hard in the beginning when these differences seem like lovable quirks but once the euphoria of being in love wears off, the quirks you once found so adorable become a thorn in your side. That’s when the relationship goes belly up and irreconcilable differences get quoted as grounds for divorce. The author’s hypothesis here is that over half of these divorces wouldn’t happen if people also knew that we communicate love differently and in various forms that do not necessarily translate for our partners – an idea he termed as the 5 fundamental Love Languages: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.

We come to marriage with a different personality and history. We bring emotional baggage…different expectations…different ways of approaching things, and different opinions about what matters in life. In a healthy marriage that variety of perspectives must be processed. We need not agree on everything, but we must find a way to handle our differences that they do not become divisive.

Every relationship requires work. In marriage ,we have been led to believe that if we are really in love, it will last for ever. This is not the case; sooner or later you come down from that high and that is when you will see your partner clearly. By virtue of being human, your partner will be imperfect; as will you in their eyes. Yet to have a lasting relationship, we must choose to love them still and love them in the language they understand.

In this social media era of rushed weddings and equally rushed divorces, the 5 love languages book is highly recommend! As Architect Patricia Khayongo Rutiba says, “We spend decades in school preparing for our careers all with the intention of retiring someday; why then do we dedicate so little time to marriage preparations (not to be confused with wedding preparations) when we swear to be in it till death do us part?”

On this matter of love, we at 1Africa acknowledge that God’s undying love surpasses all other forms of love, and that through Him we can become better people, friends, partners, parents etc . If you’d like to experience God’s love, and grow in a relationship with Him, please click on the banner below.

Source: africanwomanmagazine.net [edited]

Beasts Of No Nation

Culture

Glo

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July 20, 2015

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Netflix , an American provider of on-demand Internet streaming media, recently announced the rollout of its film initiative, presenting a slate that includes the film Beasts of No Nation, which stars Idris Elba and is directed by Cary Fukunaga.

Set for a worldwide premiere October 16 on Netflix as well as a theatrical release that same day, “Beasts of No Nation” is based on the novel by Nigerian author Uzodinma Iweala.

The story follows the journey of a young boy, Agu, who, when civil war engulfs his West African country is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters. Not only must Agu face the death of his father and disappearance of his mother and sister, but must also join a life of violence and brutality. Agu befriends a mute boy named Strika and together they face the crimes and hardships of war.

Principal photography of the film began in the start of June 2014 in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Participant Media and Red Crown Productions are producing, while Netflix will be providing worldwide distribution. The film will be released on Netflix globally on October 16, 2015 and the same day, the film will be released in a limited release by Bleecker Street.

Source: wikipedia.org , deadline.com and thewrap.com

Is It Difficult To Respect Others?

Glo

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July 20, 2015

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One of the earliest and very important things I was taught growing up is the notion of giving respect. In Africa, learning to respect yourself and others is generally strongly encouraged in children, and for girls especially respect is often taken to a much higher level. In many African cultures, you are taught to slightly bend or even completely go to one knee when you greet or serve a senior person, as a sign of respect to them. This is how far people would go to show and emphasize how important respect is, and though things are not as they used to be, teenagers and young adults tend to be more rebellious and less revering of elders, deep down most of us still remember and try to abide by that good old teaching: respect is important!

A few weeks ago, I had a very ugly encounter with a close friend of mine. We’ve been through a lot, been together as we were growing up and saw each other go through certain stages of life. But when faced with a situation that got us both worked up, I saw how close we came to losing respect for one another, in the way we spoke and treated each other. A thought quickly came to mind: this is a friend, and it really doesn’t matter what the trouble is, she has earned a place in my life that simply doesn’t allow me to disrespect her. I’m not sure if the same thought crossed my friend’s mind, but at the end of the day, the words I heard were hurtful, coming from someone who is in fact more than a friend. I sat and asked myself “is it difficult to respect others?” If in friendship, a small matter takes us to the brink of disrespect, what does this speak of our character? How would our attitude be if we were placed in that same situation with a total stranger? Why has respect become a scarce value? Have we become so self-sufficient that the next person means nothing anymore?

I’m a firm believer that respect is first and foremost an attitude of the heart, and not something based on who the person you are giving (or not giving) respect to is to you or what they have. You can only give respect if you believe the person is worthy of it. They say respect must be earned. That is true, but before we even get deep into relationship, status, and all that, one must remember that every human being needs a certain level of respect, simply based on the fact that they are human, they have a soul and a dignity that needs to be respected. And when a relationship is formed, specifically that of friendship or family, issues of respect become even more sensitive, because what we say and do can destroy what took years to build. It doesn’t cost much give to give respect. Often, it’s our pride, hurt and disappointment that lead us to think we are better than others in some way. The human heart can be prideful, selfish and deceitful. We all have something we struggle with, for some it could be the tendency to not value others; for others, it’s the tendency to not see value in themselves. But, what gives us the courage to even address these matters in writing as we do here at 1Africa is the trust that we have in God and His ability to help us become better people, to ourselves and to others. If you’d like to know Him, please click on the banner below.

What Would You Do If You Were Not Afraid?

Lifestyle

Glo

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July 17, 2015

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What Would You Do If You Were Not Afraid?

So often so many lives are ruined by decisions, choices molded by fear. You cannot even imagine the immense effect living under the yoke of fear has on you until you have set yourself free. Reading Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, opened my eyes to the unacceptable things I had decided to grit my teeth and get on with because my fear convinced I had no choice. Turning the question ‘what would I do if I had no fear?’ into a mantra forced me to re-examine everything I believed, tolerated and thought about myself. Nothing was above scrutiny; faith, family, friendships and career all came crashing down. From that moment on, every choice I made, every step I took had to first pass the ultimate test; what would I do if I wasn’t afraid? It was a bit scary at first but in the end I felt a lot better because my life took on a clarity I had never experienced before, everything I did was for my own good. I wholeheartedly owned up to the results of my actions without that lingering anger and resentment against others.

Here’s a video by the company that produces famous energy drink Red Bull showing how far people can go, when they decide to let go of fear:

If you are living in less than perfect conditions, take just one minute and ask yourself, what would you do if you were not afraid?

Portion of content sourced from: africanwomanmagazine.net

What Is The Bible All About?

Faith

Glo

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July 17, 2015

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The fact that this question can be asked means you have come across or heard of a book called the “Bible” a good number of times, enough to make you wonder what the Bible is all about. If you have read some of our articles on 1Africa, you may have come across one in which we make reference to the Bible and ask yourself, “What is the Bible all about?”.

I grew up in a home where, from a tender age, I learned about the Bible and, with the kind of technology we have in this age, it’s easy to have access to the Bible, let alone know that there is a famous book that Christians like to read called the Bible. We may take for granted that there are places where getting hold of a Bible isn’t as easy as it is for us and that someone somewhere would appreciate a bit more insight on what this book is all about.

The word “Bible” comes from the Latin and Greek words meaning “book,” – a fitting name, since the Bible is the book for all people, for all time. It’s a book like no other, in a class by itself.

Simply put, the Bible is the word of God. It is, for Christians, a manual for living. Just as any new product/equipment you purchase comes with a “How To” manual that shows you how the equipment functions – what to do and not to do in order to get the equipment to function at its best and as it should – the Bible contains instructions for every situation one may find themselves in under the sun: warnings, words of wisdom and encouragement, as well as promises that God has made to His children. It is a book in which the One who gave us life, tells us what He expects from us and what we ought to do and avoid in order to enjoy life to its fullest. The Bible provides a solid foundation to Christian life.

The Bible was first written in the Hebrew language thousands of years ago. Today, it’s been translated into many different languages and versions, presented in form of a physical book and recently with the advancements of technology, in the form of “apps” that we can easily access on our mobile phones. These translations have led many to question the integrity of the Bible but we, at 1Africa, trust in the character of the One who inspired it – God – and believe that the Bible remains the ultimate true word of God upon which we base our lives . We can’t do without it!

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3: 16 – 17

If you’d like to know God, and understand the Bible better, or perhaps you need advice regarding which version of the Bible to read, we’d be delighted to chat with you further. Please click on the banner below.

Portion of content sourced from gotquestions.org

Glo

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