Glo, Author at 1Africa | Page 17 of 27

The Beautiful Portable Charger Puku

Culture

Glo

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June 24, 2015

If you are into African wildlife, Puku means a type of antelope found in Zambia and Tanzania; but if you are a tech enthusiast, then you know it as the trendy, stylish and efficient USB charger for mobile devices created by three Africans Ani Onuorah, Meck Khalfan and Abraham Merisham.

The idea to create a long lasting and highly effective charger came to the three when, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy that left many areas of New York without power, Meck Khalfan found himself carrying his two months old baby up and down a flight of stairs to charge his phone and tablet. When a neighbor gave him a portable charger, it dawned on him that there was a real need for portable power. He approached Ani and Abraham with this idea and the three founded Puku.

In order to create a product different from and more effective than their competitors, the Puku team went all out: only the highest quality batteries were used, and as such, Puku can operate at seventy to eighty percent efficiency even after five hundred cycles. This means that, depending on the frequency of use, the beautiful portable charger Puku can continue to work well for one to two years before deteriorating in performance.

In this aesthetic obsessed world, perhaps one of the smartest decisions Puku made was to package their product in a beautiful and eye catching exterior- the charger has an interesting curved shape, feels soft to the touch and has the most vibrant colours.

With a product that pretty, it is no wonder that Puku struck a chord with fashion enthusiasts during its launch at NewYork, Paris, Milan and Moscow fashion weeks in late 2013. Since then, Puku’s popularity has continued to grow thanks to partnerships with big established brands like Victoria’s Secrets, the NBA and NBC’s The View.

Puku is constantly developing new products and hopes to continue producing more beautiful and quality chargers to meet increased demand for portable power sources not only in the USA, but Africa and the rest of the world.

Source: africanwomanmagazine.net [Edited]

How Successful People Think

Glo

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June 24, 2015

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I’m yet to meet a person in this life who is not interested in being successful. It’s a human thing to want to live well and at ease. Though not everyone is prepared to do the hard work that produces a wonderful life, fact remains that every human has an inborn desire to conquer, to achieve and to progress. We all want to be successful. I cannot recount the number of times I have heard that success is more an issue of a mindset than it is of anything else because some of the great names of our generation, people who made it big in life, Chris Gardner, Mike Adenuga, Oprah Winfrey – to name a few, did not come from privileged backgrounds. This has led many to believe that to be successful, you don’t have to have come from a specific educational, geographical or racial background; but you have to think as a successful person.

In the video below, American author and public speaker Brendon Burchard shares how successful people think and how their thinking sets them apart:

The gist of his video is that successful people don’t allow their limitations to stop them. They take their current limitations, things they don’t know, don’t have and put it on their agenda as a job to do, a skill to learn, a competency to develop. They don’t wait for things to happen to them for their dreams to be fulfilled but rather, they take ownership of their lives.

Success has stopped being a mystery. We live in an information age where information on pretty much everything you need to know to make those first steps towards achieving your dreams are a click away. If you are not sure what you want of your life, if you don’t know what your purpose is or what your dreams are but would like to know, we invite you to click on the banner below. We believe that finding meaning and true purpose in life begin with a relationship with God.

How To Keep Your Brain Young

Culture

Glo

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June 23, 2015

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As we get older, we tend to get wiser in many ways. Thanks to experience, we may be better at making decisions, have bigger vocabularies and be more expert in certain areas than we were when we were younger. As our brains get older, however, it may be a bit harder for us to learn certain information or remember things. The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to keep your brain sharp and working well throughout your life. Researchers call this “cognitive vitality.”

Here are some tips on how to keep your brain young:

1. See your health care professional regularly: Many health problems—such as high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, or not eating right—can make it hard to keep your mind sharp. It’s important to get regular check-ups to make sure you’re in good health and that any health problems you may have are under control. Follow your doctor’s or nurse’s advice.

2. Exercise Regular exercise :At least 30 minutes, 3 times a week—can help you stay sharp. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which helps keep the brain healthy and working well. Exercise may even help new brain cells grow. Walking is probably the easiest thing to do. Wear comfortable shoes and try walking around your block with a friend. Other great exercise choices include dancing, cycling, swimming and gardening.

3. Get enough sleep: Older adults don’t need less sleep than younger adults. Getting less than 7 or 8 hours of sleep at night can make it harder to concentrate and remember.

4. Get rid of stress: Over time, stress can make it hard to get a good night’s rest. Stress can also make it harder to concentrate, learn and remember. Exercise, prayer and meditation are good stress relievers.

5. Think, think, think: The more you use your brain, the better it’ll work. Read. Do that crossword puzzle. Play bridge. Join a discussion group at a senior center or church. Take a class at your local community college. Learn to play the piano or speak Spanish.

6. Socialize: Spending time with other people also seems to give your brain a boost. Find ways to meet and get to know others. Join a club. Volunteer. Try a part-time job.

7. Eat right A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and B vitamins is good for your brain. Your diet should also include a couple of servings of fish, especially salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel, each week. These fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are good fats that your brain needs. Ask your doctor or nurse if you should also take multiple vitamin daily.

Source: healthinaging.org [Edited]

How To Beat Procrastination

Glo

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June 23, 2015

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Some of the skills that make successful people successful are their ability to plan and give themselves the discipline to stick to a routine that will ensure that they get their work done. Discipline is not easy. From a tender age already, children tend to rebel against rules and parents often have quite a hard time teaching a child to be self-disciplined, it’s always a matter of years before a child learns how important discipline is. But even with all the advising, scolding and whooping at times, few adults are themselves disciplined in their personal, student or professional lives. Procrastination is often the easy way out of those complicated and demanding tasks we ought to do and seeing that in most parts of Africa it’s currently the winter season, I know how hard getting out of bed in the morning has become and it’s in times like these that tips on how to beat procrastination become handy.

The video below provides 3 simple techniques used by most successful people, in order to beat procrastination. These techniques have worked for many, we hope they will work for you too.

If you were unable to access the video, here is a brief summary of those techniques shared.

1. 10 minute rule

Tasks that seem huge and demanding are often hard to start. To succeed, take 10 minutes to “warm up”. This can be done by breaking a complex task into small manageable tasks, this will allow you to deal with one portion of the work at a time

2. 3 magical questions

If you find that you are distracted, asking yourself the following 3 questions can help you re-position your focus to what you are supposed to be doing.

1. Where are you?
2. What do you want to do?
3. How would you feel after doing it?

3. Ultimate goal vs immediate desire

Often we tend to let immediate desire dictate our actions. Whenever you feel you are giving into the immediate desire that comes from doing something that is of comfort to you, remind yourself of what your ultimate goal is and give it priority.

More often than not, we have the desire to get our acts together and focus on what matters but for one reason or another, we fall short. If you are struggling with procrastination or any other habit that is preventing you from making progress in your life, we’d like to chat with you and share more on how you can gain great courage, strength and determination to pursue your dreams because you were created for a fulfilled and blooming life. Please click on the banner below.

7 Body Language Mistakes To Avoid

Culture

Glo

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June 22, 2015

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You’ve probably heard how important body language is. It can literally make or break a sale. In the business world, dollars are attached to the outcome, so it is important to make sure you take body language—as in everything you are saying non-verbally—into account.

Body language includes all the things that are being said by everything from your posture to the way you play with your hair in the midst of a conversation. Believe it or not, all these things express what you may not be saying verbally, and the person on the other side of the table is picking up on every non-verbal word!

Here are some of the most common mistakes that people make:

1. Looking at your Computer/ Portable Phone

If you are looking at your computer or phone when someone is talking to you, it’s a clear signal that you are not interested in what they are saying. It’s also a sign of pure arrogance. Turn the device off and put it out of site.

One tip here—if you need to take notes, avoid taking them on your cellular phone because it will look like you are texting. Instead, opt for using the old pen and paper. Ironically, even if you are doodling out of site on paper, you will be looked at more favorably than if you are typing notes into your PDA.

2. Clasping and rubbing hands together

If you are doing this it says you are nervous or uncomfortable. Rubbing your hands together may also be an indicator that you believe you have sealed the deal and money is headed your way. This could be seen as arrogant. Let your hands naturally rest at your sides or on your lap, depending on if you are sitting or standing. Also, avoid doing things like cracking your knuckles, which is believed to be a macho attention seeking behavior.

3. Dressing messy

There is cool, stylish and there is, well, just plain sloppy. If you look sloppy, it will come across that you are unprofessional and just don’t care. It may also be an indicator of the way you do business. But if you are stylish and well put together, on the other hand, it shows that you are current and caring.

4. Clock watching

Whether it is looking at your watch or checking the time on the wall, it says to the other person that you have something more important than what they are saying. It will make the other person feel rushed as well. Forget the time and focus on the meeting at hand.

5. Arm crossing

Keep tabs on what you do with your arms. If you have them crossed, it makes you look defensive and closed off, or that you are disregarding what they are saying. Open your arms so that you appear to be inviting.

6. Eye rolling

You have to know that every word coming out of your mouth, no matter how sincere it may sound, will be instantly defeated with even a half a second rolling of the eyes. Save the eye rolling for when you are back in your car or office and out of sight.

7. No eye contact

When you are looking everywhere but at the person in the eye, it makes them think you can’t be trusted and that you are holding something back. Make good eye contact to build trust and show you are engaged and interested.

In the business world you have just a minute or two to pull someone in. But one of these business body language blunders can take just seconds. Don’t lose a deal or customer simply because you weren’t on your body language game. Keep these tips in mind so that your body works for you, rather than against you!

Source: americanexpress.com

How Can I Stop Feeling Guilty?

Glo

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June 22, 2015

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Have you ever tried to picture in your mind, geographically speaking, how far distant East is from West? It’s a mystery isn’t it? A distance immeasurable! You’re asking why would someone even think of this when talking about guilt? We’ll get there.

I’d like to believe we’ve all had those silly moments where we let emotions rule us, and we let good reasoning escape us as we do or say something we later regret. Whether it be one of those we call ‘guilty pleasures’, like taking in too much chocolate after dinner or something as serious as having swindled your way into ownership of a degree, guilt is something we get to deal with at some point. And it’s a feeling that has great potential to cause one to lose sleep.

If you’ve been tormented by feelings of guilt, I’m sure you have landed on this article hoping to find some solution to this issue. As it is culture nowadays, the internet is filled with ‘quick fix’ solutions, often presented to us in a number of steps that we are asked to follow for us to receive just the results we desire. They have their benefits, but when it comes to dealing with guilt, here’s a different perspective we’d like to share today and hope that this will help you gain total freedom from feeling guilty.

Rather than seeking within yourself, asking questions, or doing some positive actions, hoping that these will lift your guilt away, we’d like you to look to a God who was prepared, and still is, to do it all to ensure that no one, not me, not you, have to endure the torture of living with feelings of guilt or shame. This is not something you can resolve by your own reasoning and good works. The world has done well judging us and pointing fingers at us for whatever wrong we have done but God doesn’t look at us the way the world does, neither in the way we sometimes view ourselves.

If there are any steps, they will be:

Acknowledge that you did something you shouldn’t have.
If there are people you need to make right with, don’t hesitate to do so.
Resolve to not repeat that same mistake.

If these are done with sincerity in the heart, you can be assured that it’s possible to have peace and not have to go through life carrying burdens of guilt. These are not some sort of ‘quick fix’, trusting that you can have peace is not an attempt to try to suggest that the past will be erased. Things may have happened, but you don’t have to live the rest of your life bound by the destabilizing feeling of guilt. Coming back to the East and West scenario I painted earlier, this is a promise that God gives to everyone who is willing to let go of the ways they are not proud of and turn to Him for a life with meaning and purpose. “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12.

If God is willing to love you regardless of whatever crime you committed, why let yourself carry loads which you can do away with? If the question “how can I stop feeling guilty?” is one that you’ve been asking yourself, we trust that this article has set you on the path to finding peace again. If you’d like to know more about God and how He can help you with things you are grappling with in your life, click on the banner below.

6 Habits That Damage Your Hair

Culture

Glo

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June 19, 2015

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Why do some women always sport effortlessly beautiful locks for days on end and yet some don’t? Why does some girls’ hair look like roadkill and others’ as though they are headed to the Oscars? Here are six things you are doing wrong with your hair;

1.Shody wash jobs

With whatever you are using to clean your hair, your usual shampoo or DIY wash, it’s just as important to clean your hair as it is to remove all the build-up on the scalp thoroughly. The build up suffocates the hair follicles leading to dry frizzy, brittle hair!

2.Towel drying your hair

This seems so appropriate, but many of us handle it so poorly we should stay away from it, when hair especially treated hair is wet, its at most vulnerable, it prone to breakage with the slightest roughness, we pull it back and forth many times when its very entangled when drying it, the hair breaks quit easily in addition to being over dried. Dry cotton t-shirts are much effective because unlike towels, they leave no lint in your hair.

3.Not Moisturizing the Ends of Hair

This can’t be stressed enough. Not moisturizing the ends of your hair is a major cause of breakage. Its reason why you think your hair isn’t growing. Moisturizing the ends of your hair is just as important as moisturizing your scalp, and for some people, even more important so your hair doesn’t consistently look, feel and be dry and ultimately break.

4.Over working your hair.

In trying to keep appearances, you stock shelves of styling of product like mousse and gel, heavy pomades, you wash your hair, heat dry and curl it every morning, and its okay, but you see all this overwhelms and disrupts the hair’s natural mechanism of protecting itself. Each strand of hair has a natural oil barrier, which protects it and keeps the natural sheen. This goes away with constant washing, over styling, gels, over combing or back combing because, with this dryness and friction, hair ends unravel and slip. Girl give your hair a break!

5.Bad ponytails and buns habits

Sure a nice ponytail can make you cute, even shade a few years of you. But you’ve got to be extra careful with them. Extra tight and frequently adjusted buns don’t stop at extending your hairline but also break the hair at the edges, stay away from using rubber bands plastic and metal clasps to hold the pony especially on wet hair.

6.Not covering your hair when going to bed

Wearing a nice hair net before your sleep not only can help you keep you hair style longer, but protects your hair from that dry cotton pillow case that dries and tangles your hair, that it just becomes cumbersome when you try to style in the morning. Alternatively, wrap your hair around your head and tie a silk or soft satin scarf over it.

Source: africanwomanmagazine.net

Why Should I Forgive?

Glo

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June 19, 2015

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Last year in December I got into a massive argument with a friend and the tension between us went on for days. When you have a good and tight relationship with someone and you get into contention, it can be extreme. Fast forward to months later, I came up with this conclusion: If I had known what I know now about forgiveness and letting heavy feelings go, I would not have given myself the “luxury” or the fleeting comfort that comes with entertaining feelings of anger or an unbending viewpoint over days.

Notice my use of words “fleeting comfort”, because that’s exactly what anger, vengeance or hate provides. We hear of vengeance being referred to as ‘sweet’ at times but this could not be further from the truth of what vengeance truly is.

Those who have had to deal with issues of forgiveness and letting hard feelings go all agree that forgiveness is more for the person who is forgiving than the one being forgiven.

In my attempts to help my rational mind understand issues of forgiveness better, I have come to learn that holding grudges against someone, because they betrayed , insulted, or even worse, took the life of someone dear to you is simply giving them power over your emotions and over your life. While you keep resenting them, they keep occupying a space in your heart that they absolutely don’t deserve. The worst is already done, so why prolong the effects of their wickedness by keeping grudges?

As I began thinking about writing this article, the very first thoughts that came to mind were of movies or TV series I’ve watched in which, after a tragic event, a dispute or a murder, you see the person who’s been offended, in fury, screaming at the offender: “I hate you” or “I will never forgive you”. Isn’t this the natural human thing to do in such moments of anger?

But I’ve also seen people in similar situations, clearly grieved, but who chose to demonstrate a different reaction which is being calm and willing to forgive.

Forgiveness is a choice. If you’re asking why should I forgive?, please know that it’s for your own benefit. Until you let go of the hurt or the anger you have for the person that has hurt you, you can’t claim to be truly free. Someone or something still holds power to get your temperature to rise and your nerves tensed.

When we’re in the heat of it all, it’s common to us all to not see how we’ll go past the hurt. But rather than being quick to express unforgiveness, let your heart always be inclined to forgive no matter what. If it can’t happen right away, the disposition of your heart – which is willing to forgive, will slowly bring about forgiveness. Absolutely no hurt or disappointment is worth your health.

If you are having difficulties with regards to forgiving, or living in peace after a tragedy, we would like to chat to you more and assure you that there is a way out. God promises to give us peace that is beyond all understanding. Click on the banner below as we take this conversation further.

South Carolina Church Shooting: Why So Much Hate?

Glo

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June 18, 2015

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South Carolina Church Shooting: Why So Much Hate?

As many will now be aware, needless and evil tragedy has yet again hit our world! For those of us in Africa, we’ve just woken up to the heart-breaking news of a deadly shooting, which took place a few hours ago in Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America, which authorities describe as a ‘hate crime’. The story is still unravelling at the time of writing this article. A white male, believed to be in his early 20s, walked into Emanuel AME Church, known to be an historic African-American church formed in 1816, during an evening prayer meeting and opened fire, leaving 9 people dead and few others injured.

CNN’s Don Lemon brings the latest on the South Carolina church shooting in the video below:

“The only reason that someone could walk into a church and shoot people praying is out of hate.”

These are the words of the Mayor of the City of Charleston, Joseph Riley, and we at 1Africa see this tragic occurrence to be no different. Hate has led a person to go into an environment as peaceful as the church, and end the lives of people who were praying; a bit too much to comprehend but it is the sad reality of our world.

As sad as this leaves us, it’s also in a way a “hard knock” reminding us how much our world is in desperate need of love and hope. We at times take for granted the ability to simply love the next person, regardless of the colour of their skin, and just respect the fact that they too are a human being. And today it is our earnest desire that humanity reaches that place of love. In saying this, we also know that love in its purest form, which has no jealousy or anger can only be made possible in our hearts by the author of love and that is God. Many have the desire to look past differences of skin, background, and education and love truly, but often our human limitations and errors fail us. If you are that person looking to make a firm decision to be ruled by love and be free of hate, please click on the banner below and allow us to share with you more about the unconditional love of God.

Why Omar al-Bashir Left South Africa

Glo

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June 17, 2015

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A provisional court order was issued on Sunday to prevent Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir from leaving South Africa where he had been attending the African Union (AU) summit. This provision catapulted South Africa into the heat of the international news media’s spotlight.

Regardless of the effectiveness of this court order, the situation entwines South Africa, the AU, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in a legal squabble, and a political and diplomatic controversy. Most crucially, as the Sudanese president was not arrested and handed over to The Hague, once again the ICC has come out looking like a toothless entity embroiled in political wrangling. It has further diminished its international image as an independent global body fighting the good fight.

Impaled upon the horns of a dilemma, South Africa had to choose between two diametrically opposed duties: Its obligation as an AU member state to support its fellow member state Sudan; or its role as a state party to the ICC with a duty to arrest and hand over Bashir. It appeared to have opted for the former when reports emerged on Monday afternoon that Bashir’s plane had left South Africa.

ICC in Africa

Respecting its responsibilities to the ICC by arresting Bashir would have meant a total violation of the AU’s repeated decisions of non-cooperation with the ICC on any cases related to Kenyan and Sudanese leaders.

In October 2013, an extraordinary AU summit was called to deliberate the role of the ICC within Africa. The member states agreed to fight the ICC, and its global influence, through diplomatic channels by appealing to the United Nations Security Council. They chose to limit the ICC’s mandate to take cases on any sitting heads of state and senior officials of governments across Africa.

To do this, they expanded the powers of a unified African court and called on countries to individually withdraw from the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. By honouring this AU decision, South Africa directly disregards its duties to the ICC, to the global community, and to its own judiciary’s decision that issued the court order, which restricts Bashir’s travel.

In doing so, South Africa faces a double-edged sword. As a country with democratic constitutionalism that respects the separation of state powers, including the independence of the judiciary, South Africa is expected to execute and enforce any decisions handed down by its courts.

Having failed to do so, the South African government will probably find itself entrenched in a domestic political dispute that may have far reaching consequences for the independence of its judiciary, and the overall stability of the country.

This post, by international human rights and humanitarian law specialist Mehari Taddele Maru, appears as an opinion piece published in Al Jazeera. To check out the full article, click here.

Glo

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