Yemen Tops 10 Unhappiest Countries in the World

When I wrote Yemen is burning! published on my Nigerian Times Blog on Saturday, June 4, 2011, my warning was ignored by the United Nations and the Arab League. But the street protests have degenerated into civil war with more than 16, 000 people killed so far.  The Saudi government intervened, but worsened the crisis by bombing hospitals and schools!

Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East, because of corrupt and incompetent government that is too weak to confront religious intolerance and terrorism.

The following are the Top 10 unhappiest countries in the world according to the 2017 annual World Happiness Report  released on Monday.

Top 10 Unhappiest Countries

1. Yemen
2. South Sudan
3. Liberia
4. Guinea
5. Togo
6. Rwanda
7. Syria
8. Tanzania
9. Burundi
10. Central African Republic.

World Water Day: Don't Waste Water!

World Water Day: Don't Waste Water!



WORLD WATER DAY

World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.

Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. In 2015, World Water Day has the theme "Water and Sustainable Development".
In 2016, the theme is "Water and Jobs," in 2017 "Wastewater" and in 2018 "Nature-based Solutions for Water".

http://www.unwater.org/campaigns/world-water-day/en/

Clouds Over Sidra: A Virtual Reality Documentary on the Syrian Refugee Crisis

Clouds Over Sidra is a 2015 virtual reality film about the Syrian refugee crisis. The movie was created by Gabo Arora and Chris Milk in partnership with the United Nations and Samsung.

The film features a twelve year old in the Za'atari camp in Jordan, home to 84,000 Syrian refugees.It follows her throughout the day from her family's tent, to school, to a bakery, to a computer lab and the camp football pitch. It is the first film shot in virtual reality for the United Nations.

The film was directed by Gabo Arora and Barry Pousman and co-Produced by Samantha Storr, Socrates Kakoulides, Christopher Fabian and Katherine Keating.[4]

It was first shown at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in January 2015.

References

Consumption of White Yam is Why Yorubas Have More Fraternal Twins

Consumption of White Yam is Why Yorubas Have More Fraternal Twins 

Your consumption of yams and other dietary choices increase the chances of conceiving fraternal twins (True)
It is thought that the white yam contains fertility-inducing properties that trick the female body into releasing hormones that promote ovulation--this may partly explain the high fraternal twinning rate among the Yorùbá of western Nigeria.

Photo Credit: Full Circle.

Trevo Benefits.

Read more from "Elsevier Book Sheds New Light on the Origins and Development of Identical and Fraternal Twins".

Click here to read the full report.

Who Killed Nigerian Blogger Abdulhakeem Bauchin Bauchi?

Who killed popular Nigerian blogger and writer Abdulhakeem Bauchin Bauchi?

The horrifying gruesome murder of a Nigerian blogger and writer was reported by  several blogs and news websites yesterday. But none has told us who killed him or why he was kidnapped and murdered.

A Nigerian Blogger/Writer residing in Bauchi State by origin, Abdulhakeem Bauchin Bauchi has been found dead after he was declared missing. According to people who know him, his wedding ceremony was scheduled in few weeks before meeting his untimely end. His body was found slaughtered and dumped in a bush..
National Helm.

What could have caused his kidnap and murder?
He was not a popular human rights activist or whistle blower.
Was he murdered for personal reasons or political reasons?
The Nigerian police have to investigate the circumstances surrounding his kidnap and murder.

Relaxation Time at the 2017 iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival in Lagos

Relaxation Time at the 2017 iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival in Lagos

Relaxation time at the on going 7th annual iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival at the Freedom Park on Lagos Island, Lagos state. Friday, March 17, 2017.

Photo Documentary: Stephanie Linus Helps 35 Women with VVF in Kebbi State

First Lady of Kebbi State Dr. Zainab Bagudu with Stephanie Linus and one of the beneficiaries.

 NNPC/SNEPCo Sponsors Stephanie Linus’ Extended Hands Foundation To Repair 35 Women With VVF In Kebbi State
NNPC/SNEPCo Sponsored the Goodwill Ambassador of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Stephanie Linus’ Extended Hands Foundation to repair 35 women with VVF in Kebbi State where she was received by the Governor and the First Lady of Kebbi State.

The Extended Hands Foundation, a non-governmental organization with sponsorship from NNPC/SNEPCo has completed the successful repair of 35 Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) patients in Kebbi State. The pool effort took place at the Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Development VVF Center in Gesse, Birin-Kebbi and received the co-operation of the Kebbi State Government.
Led by the founder Stephanie Linus, the Extended Hands Foundation team was received by the Governor of the state Dr Abubakar Bagudu and the First Lady Dr Zainab Bagudu. They both paid visits to the women at the VVF Center, showing their support for the cause.

Governor of Kebbi State Abubakar Bagudu and Stephanie Linus.

All the repairs have been completed successfully and the women are recovering well.

Commissioner for Women Affairs in Kebbi State and Stephanie Linus presenting an economic empowerment item to a VVF Patient after her successful surgery.

Items donated to the VVF Patients by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Kebbi State.

A VVF Patient giving Stephanie Linus hand-made beads designed by her with First Lady of Kebbi State Dr Zainab Bagudu.

Stephanie Linus with some Doctors and Nurses at the VVF Center.

A VVF surgery being performed by Dr Sa’ad Idris.

Governor of Kebbi State Abubakar Bagudu addressing some of the recipients of the free VVF surgeries.

Governor of Kebbi State Abubakar Bagudu on a visit to the VVF Center.

A VVF Patient getting ready for her surgery.

Dr Abubakar Bawa chatting with some of the VVF Patients.

Stephanie Linus, who spent some time with the women at the VVF Center during the course of the exercise, expressed her appreciation to the sponsors of the pool effort – NNPC/SNEPCo for investing in this cause. She also added that this was the second time the foundation was carrying out such an exercise in Kebbi state.

The team of medical staff was led by Dr Sa’ad Idris, a seasoned VVF Surgeon and former Commissioner for Health in Zamfara State with over 20 years experience in the field. He was assisted by Dr Abubakar Bawa, and other doctors and nurses at the VVF Center.

Against the backdrop of her Child Bride and Fistula advocacy movie, "DRY", Stephanie Linus has been taking the message of restoration and hope to real women suffering from VVF. This pool effort goes a long way to show that DRY is more than just a movie, but a tool for touching the lives of women actually living with this condition.

Nigeria's Chioma Ukonu Among Finalists of $1M Global Social Enterprise Competition

Chioma Ukonu, the Co-Founder & COO of RecyclePoints is among the 30 finalists shortlisted for the $1M Global Social Enterprise Competition of Chivas Regal® to reward the most promising Social Entrepreneurs around the globe.

RecyclePoints is enabling individuals, particularly from low-income households, to create value from their everyday waste. We operate an incentive-based model which collects recyclable waste materials from registered households, and in turn rewards them with points, which they can accumulate and redeem for cash or other useful items offered through our iRecycle Store. We employ young ‘Wastebusters’ to ride our electric tricycles and collect door-to-door recyclable waste such as plastic bottles, aluminum cans, newspapers, or cartons. These items are then processed at our Collection & Sorting Hub by unemployed women within the community, and sold on to recycling plants to use as raw materials for new products.

See more in the following press release.

NEW YORK, March 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, at the Skoll Centre at the world-renowned University of Oxford, 30 of the brightest startups from across the globe were unveiled as finalists of Chivas Regal's The Venture – a global search to discover and reward the world's most promising social entrepreneurs. Each finalist, including DayOne Response from San Francisco, CA, will travel to Los Angeles, CA, in July to compete for a share of $1 million to make their dream of creating a better future for the world a reality.

Click here to read the full report and vote for the finalists.

The African Image in the Information Age of the Internet

The African Image in the Information Age of the Internet

On the 28th anniversary of the invention of the World Wide Web (www) on Monday, March 13, 2017, Tim Berners-Lee., the Inventor  mentioned his biggest fears for the future:
1. Losing control of our personal data.
2. The spread of fake news and
3. The lack of regulation around political advertising.
Of course, he never had these fears when he invented it on March 12, 1989.

Many people still mistake the World Wide Web for the Internet, but it is a portion of the Internet and one of the ways that information can be disseminated over the Internet.

Pastor Adeboye Celebrates His 75Th Birthday with 75 Hours of Praise Marathon

Adeboye@75: silence on a loud day

~ by Bisi Daniels

It was Pastor E.A. Adeboye’s birthday and the 31st anniversary of the monthly Holy Ghost Service of the Redeemed Christian Church of God on March 2. The service is always heavily attended, a part reason for a 3-kilometre-by-3-kilometre auditorium called The Arena. But people who had taken a cue from the 75-hour non-stop praise of the Lord to expect fanfare and cake-cutting during the week arrived the Arena to the usual service, the birthday having been celebrated privately. Pastor Adeboye is not known to put himself in God’s way or share in God’s glory or time. In fact, preachers at the service on March 2, were youths from four zones of the church.