Eman Ahmed, from Egypt, is believed to be the world’s heaviest woman. According to her family, she weighs 1,102 pounds (500 kg).
“Eman didn’t live life as everyone does,” Shaimaa Ahmed, Eman’s younger sister and carer, says. “She didn’t enjoy her childhood or youth. She’s been battling with her illness for 36 years.”
According to her family, Eman has barely left her bedroom in over two decades. Unable to move or communicate, she spends her days trapped inside her family home, staring at the ceiling.
A stroke two years ago impaired her speech and mobility, so the last couple of years have been particularly difficult, Eman’s sister says.
However, thanks to a social media campaign initiated by Shaimaa, the family’s situation is now looking a little more hopeful.
Publicity surrounding Eman’s plight caught the attention of eminent Mumbai-based surgeon, Dr. Muffazal Lakdawala, who set up a fundraising initiative in order to fly Eman to India.
He plans to set in motion a series of operational procedures that will reduce her weight to below 220 pounds (100kg.)
“She is battling with her life every single day,” Dr. Lakdawala told CNN. He says that as things stand, how long she lives is anybody’s guess.
“Right now she is like a living bombshell, which could blow up on her any moment.”
Considering that Usher Raymond IV released his first album at age 15, accepted his first platinum plaque from the RIAA at 19, and notched nine No. 1 singles before turning 37, it might seem counterintuitive to say that patience has been the key to his career longevity.
And yet the singer, who is set to receive a star Sept. 7 on the Walk of Fame, reflects on the importance of timing and long-game experimentation as he readies the release of his long-delayed eighth studio album, and prepares for general audiences to get a glimpse of him in his most high-profile film role yet, in Jonathan Jakubowicz’s Cannes entry “Hands of Stone.”
The film, in which Usher plays champion fighter “Sugar” Ray Leonard opposite Edgar Ramirez’s Roberto Duran, offers an intriguing step forward for Usher’s wildly varied acting resume, which ranges from such highs as playing Billy Flynn in “Chicago” on Broadway, to starring in the long-forgotten “Texas Rangers” and “In the Mix.”
“My idea of artistry has always been: try everything until you find out what works,” Usher says. “So with film, I did everything to find out who and what I represented. I acted in sitcoms, in soap operas, in teen horror. I did this one thing for ‘Twilight Zone.’ I was just trying to figure out what was out there for me.”
Viewing his ventures into film as part of a continuum, Usher notes, “People tend to focus too much on anything that might not necessarily live up to being something great. But I’m not gonna say anything I’ve been in was a failure, because it’s all a part of getting acculturated to who you are. Imagine if Laurence Fishburne stopped acting at ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse.’ Or look at Samuel L. Jackson — he’s done everything, every type of role. You do it all until you find your place.”
For “Hands of Stone,” it was actually Usher’s skills as a dancer, rather than his filmography or resemblance to a professional fighter, that helped get him the part.
“I was auditioning lots of actors, and I wasn’t really finding anybody I was excited about,” recalls director Jakubowicz. “Then I was invited to [boxing coach] Freddie Roach’s gym in Los Angeles to watch Manny Pacquiao train. I asked Freddie if he thought there was a fighter who could play Sugar Ray Leonard. He said, ‘Listen, for Sugar Ray, you should find a dancer. He was so slick, and he had so much showmanship, that it would be easier for you teach a dancer to box than to teach a fighter to box like Sugar Ray.’ So I went home and started thinking, who’s the best dancer in the world?”
CREDIT: HAROLD DANIELS
As soon as he read the script, Usher impressed the director with his seriousness — “he started doing the Ali shuffle at our first meeting,” Jakubowicz remembers — and immediately started training with amateur boxers, and working with Leonard himself for nearly a year. That training shows through in the film: Usher’s celebrity is effectively tamped down, his stadium-ready dance moves honed into lightning flurries of attack and misdirection. Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman called Usher’s presence “a nifty piece of casting, because the actor, with a touch of prosthetics, doesn’t just look like Leonard, he embodies his exuberant nimble-kill spirit.”
According to Jakubowicz, Leonard was sold on Usher once he decided he “had the right smile,” and the singer’s lack of pugilistic experience ended up being a benefit.
“A lot of the things that might get Usher criticized by his peers were the same things that Sugar Ray Leonard was criticized for,” Jakubowicz says. “Basically, that he was a pretty boy.”
“I do think that this is the beginning of a new journey as an actor,” Usher says. “The things I had done before are a part of it, but this definitely was a major step for me.”
TIP SHEET
WHAT: USHER RECEIVES A STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME. WHEN: 11:30 A.M. SEPT. 7 WHERE: 6201 HOLLYWOOD BLVD. WEB: WALKOFFAME.COM
Usher may not need a reintroduction into the world of music, but he hopes his upcoming album “Hard II Love” — initially slated for a 2015 release — can nonetheless serve as similar pivot point. And perhaps it needs to: It’s been four years since Usher released a full-length, which he acknowledges can seem like an eternity given the rapidly accelerating pace of the music business. But once again, the singer stresses patience.
“[With the album] I have the opportunity to pull from the best of what I’ve created. You know, it’s not like you spend three years just working on 12 songs. You work on 200 or 300 songs. Sometimes they’ll just be sketches, sometimes they’ll be full records. … But this album, I feel, is sort of like a finale to the other seven. And I’ve been thinking about that even when considering the album cover; I looked at all the other albums in order to make this sort of coming-of-age experience. You look at the progressions [from album-to-album], what I chose to talk about, where I was, what my mental state was at each point. Now I just feel relaxed. I feel confident about what I’m saying.”
That doesn’t mean he’s not eager to get the music out into the world. “I create from a place of passion,” he says, laughing as he draws up an odd biological metaphor. “It’s like a pregnancy, where you create from a place of passion, and then it grows, and then before you know it, you want to push that baby out. So after three years, it’s like a full-grown baby, and now I’m like, ‘get this grown person out of me.’”
Pop radio has changed quite a bit since Usher released “Looking 4 Myself” in 2012, but several points on that record seemed to point toward an interesting path forward. Though sales were goosed by the Max Martin-minted Top 10 single “Scream,” the album’s centerpiece, “Climax,” saw Usher embracing an entirely new register. Seemingly equally inspired by the atmospheric, heart-on-a-sleeve emoting of Frank Ocean and the EDM world in which Usher had notched several earlier crossover successes, the song was a radio oddity: Continually rising and falling on a minimal techno beat from Diplo, while Usher pushes his voice deep into his previously unexplored falsetto range.
King Sugar: Usher spent substantial time with legendary boxer “Sugar” Ray Leonard in order to learn his role in “Hands of Stone.” COURTES OF THE WEINSTEIN CO.
When asked to name a favorite song from his catalog, Usher singles out “Climax” immediately, and agrees it marked a milestone for him “both musical and vocally, because I’d never used my falsetto in that way. That was a gear that I hadn’t used that much, because it’s so difficult to perform. But it was a newfound idea about who I am. Every time you come out with an album or a song, you want to feel like you’re growing a bit in what you are, and giving people something that they can feel.”
Then again, Usher has been unusually canny about anticipating and adopting new styles and registers throughout his career, as well as finding collaborators with whom to break new ground. The first of these was Bad Boy Records major domo Sean “Puffy” Combs, whom Usher’s LaFace Records boss L.A. Reid had enlisted to serve as the young singer’s executive producer and mentor. Usher’s self-titled 1994 debut produced a few minor hits, with the pubescent Usher singing unusually explicit lyrics. He acknowledges it wasn’t a perfect fit.
“When I was 14 years old, I was talking about much more mature things, because of the writers that I had at the time,” he says. “My first album was tied into what the culture was at that moment, which was Jodeci, Al B. Sure, Puff, The Hitmen. I reaped the benefits of being part of Bad Boy’s movement. That was my introduction. But it didn’t change what I was passionate about. I just wasn’t able to use it yet. It wasn’t until I got together with Jermaine Dupri [on second album, ‘My Way’] that I started telling a story that was a little closer to what my real life was.”
By the time Dupri took control of Usher’s fortunes, those minor hits turned major. “My Way” produced his first No. 1 single, “Nice and Slow,” and the album has since been certified six-times Platinum. Now a major star, Usher’s followup, “8701,” was designed to prove he was more than just a teen idol.
“Every time you come out with an album or a song, you want to feel like you’re growing a bit in what you are, and giving people something that they can feel.”
USHER
“Kawan Prather was the executive producer [of the album],” Usher says. “He pushed me to be more musical. He said, ‘OK, your last album was cool, and cool is good, but we want people to know that you can sing. We want to hear your vocal ability really bring out the song.’ So that’s how you get ‘U Don’t Have to Call,’ ‘U Got It Bad,’ ‘U Remind Me.’ It was a little bit of a Philly vibe, a little bit of B-More.
“But the idea, no matter who I’m working with, it’s always about collaboration. The mantra I take away from everything is: Don’t be afraid to collaborate. You don’t know everything, and you shouldn’t. The idea of being great is a collaborative effort. It’s never one man being an island, even if that one man chooses not to give other people some credit.”
Appropriately, Usher’s biggest splash saw the singer split credit three ways. “Yeah!,” a collaboration with Ludacris and producer Lil Jon, shot Usher’s sales into the stratosphere. The single was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 straight weeks, and only ceded that position to another Usher single, “Burn.” Both songs were found on the 2004 album “Confessions,” which produced four No. 1 singles, and has sold 20 million copies worldwide.
“My music has always been about fusion,” Usher says. “Even ‘Yeah!’ if you listen to the textures. It became a celebratory record, but it was about creating a fusion so that everybody around the world could enjoy it. That’s what seems to work, whenever I go out to bat with a specific idea or a concept, fusion is always the concept.”
Peak Performance: “My Boo,” Usher’s duet with Alicia Keys, was the last of the four No. 1 singles drawn from his 2004 album, “Confessions.” AP PHOTO/MARK J. TERRILL
It’s certainly an attitude he put into practice when dance music began making inroads into R&B radio. Though some purists might have scoffed, Usher embraced thumping four-on-the-floor beats for a spate of singles, including a collaboration with Swedish House Mafia and a pair of monster 2010 hits: “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” (No. 4) and “OMG” (No. 1).
As for what floats his boat these days, Usher has spent time in Cuba as part of a presidentially appointed arts and humanities delegation after the embargo was lifted, and he describes the country as “musical heaven.” He toyed with recording his entire new album in the country, and says he’s still considering doing so on a future project.
“The more I travel, the more I pick up different ideas, different genres, different textures,” he says. “It makes me more honest. And being a father too makes you more honest, and your perspective changes. You become a little more emotional. The things that you go through and the audiences you speak to, you begin to become more mindful of how far your reach is.
“When you’ve been doing something for 20 years,” he continues, “you can either look at yourself as old, or you can look at yourself as just getting warmed up. I choose to look at it as just getting warmed up.”
Legal practitioner, Mr. Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, has filed a notice at the Federal High Court in Abuja to discontinue the suit he instituted seeking the disqualification of President Muhammadu Buhari for lack of certificate.
Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe had alleged that Buhari was not qualified to aspire for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because he did not sit for the Cambridge West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961 as he claimed.
The notice of discontinuance dated June 27 and obtained reads: “Take note that the plaintiff in this originating summons, Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe, hereby discontinues this action.”
Checks revealed that following the withdrawal of the suit from court, the trial judge, Justice Ademola Adeniyi will today sit and accordingly strike out the case.
Though Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe did not give any reason for withdrawing the case from court, It was gathered that it might not be unconnected with alleged threats to his life and members of his family.
In an interview last month, Nwokocha-Ahaaiwe had alleged that there were some subtle threats on him to withdraw the case from court.
He had said: Of course, I am concerned and my family and friends are too; I am not naïve and some subtle threats have already been made. For now it is small comfort that if anything happens to me, even if disguised as an accident or anything, Nigerians will know exactly who is responsible.
“In any case, it was Professor Wole Soyinka, I think, who once said in one of his books that ‘The Man Dies in Him Who Keeps Quiet in The Face of Tyranny’ or something of the sort. Speaking of which, I am amazed at the conspiracy of silence by Nigerians. It is astounding is it not, that in the light of this very apparent rape of our constitution, laws, indeed the very essence of our democracy, all of our civil society advocates and activists have gone deaf and dumb in the face of tyranny.
“All those voluble persons (and I don’t want to name them; they know themselves and Nigerians know them too), who pretend they are activists or keepers of the moral conscience of the nation astonishingly can’t see or appreciate what is happening. This country really misses Chief Gani Fawehinmi; he was the only fearless, credible, true and genuine conscience of the nation, not the pretenders we have today; all the others only make noise when it suits them and their interests but look the other way once they are compromised. None of us today, can tie Gani’s shoe-laces.”
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Wednesday paid a condolence visit to the family of late elder statesman and legal luminary, Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, saying that his contributions to the emancipation of the masses and constitutional development in Nigeria would remain indelible.
Governor Ambode, who visited the family House of the late sage in Victoria Island area of the state in company with some members of the State Executive Council including the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Samuel Olukunle Ojo, and others, said Dr. Braithwaite consistently fought for the masses throughout his life time, and so deserved to be celebrated for a life well spent.
The Governor, while commiserating with Braithwaite’s widow, Grace and the children, said their father paid his dues, assuring that the State Government will continue to celebrate the ideals he stood for during his lifetime.
“No matter the side he was on, the political divide, his message was consistent, constant and he was always thoroughbred and that is why I have come here not only to console the family but to say that everything that I’m also doing is on the side of the masses and is on the side of the majority which he also believed in, which he confessed, which he stood for notwithstanding whatever trepidations or challenges on his way,” Governor Ambode said.
Responding on behalf of the family, the first daughter of the late politician, Dr. Omowunmi Braithwaite thanked Governor Ambode for finding time to commiserate with them in this trying moment despite his busy schedule.
An Arizona man was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday in the killing of his 6-year-old nephew after the child witnessed his father’s shooting death.
Authorities say 24-year-old Christopher Rey Licon fatally shot his half brother, Angel Jaquez, in a 2010 drug dispute and killed his nephew, Xavier Jaquez, out of fear that he would snitch because the child heard or saw his father die.
Licon was convicted of murder in both killings. A jury had previously spared him the death penalty and instead sentenced him to life in prison, though it was up to a judge to later decide whether he would become eligible for release after serving 35 years.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens balked against the more lenient option and ordered Licon to spend the rest of his life in prison. She also sentenced him to an additional 36 years in prison in his brother’s killing, the kidnapping of his nephew and for other convictions in the case.
Investigators say Licon killed his brother at their Phoenix town house, kidnapped the child and shot him 20 miles away in an alley. The boy was still wearing his school uniform and a Burger King kid’s meal was nearby when his body was found by sanitation workers.
Licon mounted an unsuccessful insanity defense that would have spared him a prison sentence and sent him to the state mental hospital for the rest of his life.
A new report compiling testimonies from French jihadists about their life with the Islamic State has revealed what salary ISIS pays its fighters, what a combatant’s daily life looks like and why some chose to return to Europe.
The document, named Recruitment, Itinerary and Activities of French Fighters was sent to every magistrate investigating terrorism in the country at the beginning of October.
In it, officers of the Direction des Affaires Criminelles et des Grâces (the department of criminal matters and pardons, DACG), have compiled testimonies of French fighters being investigated after their return from the Iraqi-Syrian region, according to Le Monde.
Jihadists described how routes into Syria have widely diversified since the conflict began. In order to “cover their tracks” some French jihad candidates now fly to Istanbul from neighboring countries such as Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Spain.
Others travel by road to Antakya (also known as the former town of Antioch), a city in south-east Turkey, just 12 miles from the Syrian border.
On arrival at the Turco-Syrian border, the future jihadists explained how they were taken care of by either other jihadists – some French – or most commonly by smugglers, who they pay between €100 (£74, $114) and €200 to take them either by foot or in a van into Syria.
According to the testimonies, the border crossings “do not seem to pose any difficulties other than climbing barbed wires.”
The National and State House of Assembly Election Tribunal for Plateau State has nullified the election of a member of the state House of Assembly representing Langtang South, Mr Vincent Bulus.
The tribunal also banned the lawmaker from contesting for any election for life.
Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the April 11 House of Assembly Election. Mr. Jackson Danladi, had filed a petition before the Tribunal challenging the victory of Bulus in the election, alleging that the lawmaker was an ex-convict.
Delivering judgment, Chairman of the tribunal, Justice O O Akeredolu, said the respondent was not qualified to contest the election having been convicted of an offence in line with Section 107(1)(d) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Justice Akeredolu said: “The respondent, having been convicted of an offence involving fraud and dishonesty by a court of law, was not qualified to contest the election into the Plateau State House of Assembly to represent Langtang South constituency.
“That the election and return of the first respondent as member of Plateau State House of Assembly to represent Langtang South is a nullify.”
The idea behind this well known song of the 1960s was if you don’t want a wife who is high maintenance or cheats, marry a woman who is ugly, and so grateful to have a husband – that she’ll take good care of you and never be disloyal.
To many this was a very funny song; to others it was sexist and rude because it insinuates that a pretty woman will be demanding, difficult and unfaithful to her husband. Obviously, the songwriter thinks that an ugly woman is more likely to appreciate her husband and work harder to make him happy because “no one else will.”
So the question for many is: Will you be happier if you marry someone (female or male) who is unattractive?
Of course, those who are experienced and enlightened know that beauty is only skin deep. What matters most are the special qualities that make up the inside of a person. A wholesome woman (or man) of character is prettier (or more handsome) than someone who looks appealing on the outside but is shallow and undeveloped on the inside.
For those of us who watch TV and pay attention to the social media, it’s clear that both men and women are over-focused on beauty. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be physically attracted to the other person. But, when one is obsessed with finding someone beautiful or handsome, it is easy to loose sight of the more durable and profoundly important qualities that should be valued – such as love, affection, chemistry, communication, commitment, generosity, friendliness, humor, patience, wisdom, intellect, and loyalty that remain long after beauty fades.
Nevertheless, our culture promotes myths about how physical attraction (or lack of it) can lead to finding a happy relationship. When asked, “Are you better off marrying an ugly woman,” people have strong reactions to the question:
“Men who only want pretty girls for their looks will get what they deserve because often those women are so shallow.”
“The more attractive she is, the higher the maintenance a woman becomes. When was the last time you saw a supermodel cook, clean and service her man like a king?”
“If what a man values most is a woman’s looks, he’s probably pretty insecure with lots of self-esteem problems.”
Many men do seek out trophy wives versus ugly or plain wives because, sadly, it increases their own, low self-esteem. Some (insecure) males like the idea of having a wife who is more of a “plain-Jane” because they think that will lessen the likelihood that she’ll cheat on them (i.e. “ugly women have fewer opportunities to cheat”). Others are heard to say, “If your wife is hot and she’s out somewhere socializing, you’ll always worry and be suspicious of what might happen.”
The contest for the Ooni stool has taken a dangerous dimension as a prominent figure of the Giesi ruling house, Prince Adekanye Aderibigbe, yesterday alleged threat to his life over his insistence that only a credible and a true prince from the ruling house would be presented to the kingmakers for confirmation.
Prince Aderibigbe, who spoke at the meeting of the ruling house held at Agbedegbede Lane, More, Ife, also assured that Giesi will present a credible candidate that would be acceptable to all to the kingmakers.
The former university don, who was flanked by members of the committee and sub-committee saddled with the responsibility of verifying names submitted as contestants from Giesi, said he had been repeatedly threatened because he insisted that those who are not from the ruling house but now parading themselves as one, would be disappointed because they would not even be considered.
Emmanuel Ogebe, a U.S.-based Nigerian human rights lawyer collaborated with a couple in Nigeria to help bring some Chibok schoolgirls who had escaped from Boko Haram to the United States.
Boko Haram kidnapped Lily and 275 other schoolgirls one night in April 2014. In a remote town in northeastern Nigeria, the radical fighters grabbed Lily and the others as they slept inside the local high school’s dormitory. They stuffed them into trucks and drove off into the night with a convoy of squealing, terrified high school students.
Lily said her heart was pounding, and she closed her eyes and prayed. Hours after her capture, she found the courage to jump out of the moving truck; a friend followed her. She ran through the bushes in the middle of the night, and made her way back home. After that, she resolved never to return to school.
Lily was made fun of after her escape; leaving Nigeria offered her a chance to change the course of her life. Lily and nine other girls arrived in the U.S. last year, between July and December.
“I know I said I would never go to school again but things have changed,” Lily said with a smile. “I am in America!”
The girls recently went back to class after a summer break that included trips to the White House, museum and a national tour with a church choir. Host families housed the girls during the summer vacation.
Murna, 19,discovered she has motion sickness and cannot sit in a car for long. Lily has not acquired a taste for American food.
Sometimes, Lily’s mind wanders to Nigeria, to Chibok, to Boko Haram, to her best friend Dorcas, who was abducted with her and is presumably still in the clutches of Boko Haram members. Dorcas and Lily grew up together as neighbors.
“She is still inside Sambisa,” Lily says. “I miss her so much. She is a very good person.”
The smartest thing any of us can do is to help other people succeed — because that way, we also succeed.
And that’s why you should never:
1. Thoughtlessly waste other peoples’ time.
Every time you’re late to an appointment or meeting, it says your time is more important.
Every time you wait until the grocery clerk finishes ringing you up to search for your debit card says you couldn’t care less if others have to wait unnecessarily.
Every time you take three minutes to fill your oversize water bottle while a line stacks up behind you says you’re in your own little world — and your world is the only world that matters.
Small, irritating things, but basically no big deal? Wrong. People who don’t notice the small ways they inconvenience others tend to be oblivious when they do it in a major way.
How you treat people when it doesn’t really matter — especially when you’re a leader — says everything about you. Act like the people around you have more urgent needs than yours and you will never go wrong — and you will definitely be liked.
2. Ignore people “beneath” your level.
There’s an older guy at the gym that easily weighs 350 pounds and understandably struggles on the aerobic and weight equipment. Hats off; he’s in there trying.
Yet nobody talks to him. Or even seems to notice him. It’s like he’s invisible. Why? He doesn’t fit in.
We all do it. When we visit a company, we talk to the people we’re supposed to talk to. When we attend a civic event, we talk to the people we’re supposed to talk to. We breeze right by the technicians and talk to the guy who booked us to speak, even though the techs are the ones who make us look and sound good onstage.
Here’s an easy rule of thumb: Nod whenever you make eye contact. Or smile. Or (gasp!) even say hi. Just act like people exist.
We’ll automatically like you for it — and remember you as someone who engages even when there’s nothing in it for you.
3. Ask for too much (especially too soon).
A guy you don’t know asks you for a favor, a big, time-consuming favor. You politely decline. He asks again. You decline again. Then he whips out the Need card. “But it’s really important to me. You have to. I really need [it].”
Maybe he does, in fact, really need whatever it is. But a person’s needs are his or her problem. The world doesn’t owe someone anything. No one is entitled to advice or mentoring or success. The only thing a person is entitled to is what he or she earns.
People tend to help people who first help themselves. People tend to help people who first help them. And people definitely befriend people who look out for other people first, because we all want more of those people in our lives.
4. Ignore people in genuine need.
At the same time, some people aren’t in a position to help themselves. They need a hand: a few dollars, some decent food, a warm coat.
Though I don’t necessarily believe in karma, I do believe good things always come back to you, in the form of feeling good about yourself.
And that’s reason enough to help people who find themselves on the downside of advantage.
5. Ask a question so you can talk.
You ask a guy at lunch, “Hey, do you think social media marketing is effective?”
“Well,” he answers, “I think under the right circumstances …”
“Wrong,” you interrupt. “I’ve never seen an ROI. I’ve never seen a bump in direct sales. Plus, ‘awareness’ is not a measurable or even an important goal…,” and you drone on while he desperately tries to escape.
Don’t shoehorn in your opinions under false pretenses. Only ask a question if you genuinely want to know the answer. And when you do speak again, ask a follow-up question that helps you better understand the other person’s point of view.
People like people who are genuinely interested in them — not in themselves.
6. Pull the “Do you know who I am?”
OK, so maybe they don’t take it to the Reese Witherspoon level, but many people whip out some form of the I’m Too Important for This card.
Maybe the line is too long. Or the service isn’t sufficiently “personal.” Or they aren’t shown their “deserved” level of respect.
Say you really are somebody. People always like you better when you don’t act like you know you’re somebody — or that you think it entitles you to different treatment.
7. Forget to dial it back.
An unusual personality is a lot of fun … until it isn’t. Yet when the going gets tough or a situation gets stressful, some people just can’t stop “expressing their individuality.”
Look. We know you’re funny. We know you’re quirky. We know you march to the beat of your own drum. Still, there’s a time to play and a time to be serious, a time to be irreverent and a time to conform, a time to challenge and a time to back off.
Knowing when the situation requires you to stop justifying your words or actions with an unspoken “Hey, that’s just me being me” can often be the difference between being likable and being an ass.
8. Mistake self-deprecation for permission.
You know how it’s OK when you make fun of certain things about yourself, but not for other people to make fun of you for those same things? Like a receding hairline. Weight. A struggling business or career. Your spouse and kids.
It’s OK when you poke a little gentle fun at yourself, but the last thing you want to hear are bald or money or “Do you want fries with that?” jokes. (Bottom line: I can say I’m fat. You can’t.)
Sometimes self-deprecation is genuine, but it’s often a mask for insecurity. Never assume people who make fun of themselves give you permission to poke the same fun at them.
Only tease when you know it will be taken in the right spirit. Otherwise, if you feel the need to be funny, make fun of yourself.
9. Humblebrag.
Humblebragging is a form of bragging that tries to cover the brag with a veneer of humility so you can brag without appearing to brag. (Key word is appearing, because it’s still easy to tell humblebraggers are quite tickled with themselves.)
For example, here’s a tweeted humblebrag from actor Stephen Fry: “Oh dear. Don’t know what to do at the airport. Huge crowd, but I’ll miss my plane if I stop and do photos … oh dear don’t want to disappoint.”
Your employees don’t want to hear how stressed you are about your upcoming TED Talk. They don’t want to hear how hard it is to maintain two homes. Before you brag — humbly or not, business or personal — think about your audience. A gal who is a size 14 doesn’t want to hear you complain that normally you’re a size 2, but you’re a size 4 in Prada because its sizes run small.
Or better yet, don’t brag. Just be proud of what you’ve accomplished. Let others brag for you; if you’ve done cool things, don’t worry–they will.
10. Push your opinions.
You know things. Cool things. Great things.
Awesome. But only share them in the right settings. If you’re a mentor, share away. If you’re a coach or a leader, share away. If you’re the guy who just started a paleo diet, don’t tell us all what to order.
Unless we ask. What’s right for you may not be right for others; shoot, it might not even turn out to be right for you.
Like most things in life, offering helpful advice is all about picking your spots — just like winning friends and influencing people.
This is your typical “life of the party” friend. It does not necessarily mean that this friend is always at the club but it simply means that this person is the one that will always be sure to lighten your mood when you are having a hard time and always ensure that you are able to relax and enjoy life. They have a positive outlook on life and will always be able to pick up your mood when you’re going through a tough time.
2. The Wise One
This friend is the keeper of all of your secrets and all of your troubles, insecurities, and mistakes. They are non-judgmental and are able to provide you with sound advice and also give you reassurance when you are uncertain and are in the middle of making hard decisions.
3. The Cheerleader
This one is the friend that will help you dream and will never make you feel like you are living on another planet, no matter what your goals are in life! You are going through medical school? She will be the one to stop by and check on you in the library or stop by your home and bring you a warm meal. And even if your dream is to make it into professional sports, he will willingly spend countless hours with you on the court or in the gym to help you sharpen your skills and will continue to be your loudest cheerleader through the ups and downs.
4. The Driven One
While that friend may intimidate those who are not used to them, to you, they are a life saver on many occasions! They are the one who will help you get better grades by voluntarily staying in the library to help you study for the final. When you seem to want to settle, they are the one who will continually push you to be and do better. They will not use their intelligence to belittle you, but rather to help you and always will reach out a hand to pull you up right alongside them.
5. The Reliable One
This friend is there through it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Whether it has been a couple of days since you’ve last spoken or a few months since you’ve last seen each other: this friend will drop everything to be by your side in your time of need. They are your first call in an emergency and you know that no matter how impossible the task, they will be there and if they are unable to be there, they will find you the necessary help.
Sometimes you may have one friend who luckily has a combination of those traits, and that is equivalent to winning the lottery especially since true friendships are becoming a thing of the past. However, if you are fortunate enough to even have one of these types of friends, hold on to them dearly and be sure to be as great of a friend to them as they have been to you. Friendships come and go, but when you have found the right ones, they simply make going through life much easier.
The late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, who died last week, had a premonition of his death.
He told a Christian minister recently that God had told him the date of his death and that he would not be physically present when one of his children would be getting married this month of August, urging the man of God to ensure he was present at the marriage ceremony to give spiritual guidance to his children.
Few months ago, Oba Sijuade also visited the Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry, at Ojedeji Two, Moniya near Ibadan, to surrender his life to Jesus Christ and became a born again Christian.
These claims were revealed by the General Overseer of the Church, Prophet Muhideen Kasali, while ministering during the August monthly Night service, held at Ori-Oke Alaseyori, Moniya, at the weekend.
Kasali, who is blind, had earlier sang glowingly for over two hours in honour of the late Oba, recalling how Oba Sijuwade stormed the Church mountain and said he had come for the salvation of his soul, asking that the prophet pray for him.
Said Prophet Kasali: “His royal father the late Oba, with all his wealth and majesty, came to this mountain of Mercy to surrender his life to Jesus Christ for the salvation of his life.” Oba Sijuwade said he was doing so because God had revealed to him that he (Muhideen Kasali) is a true prophet of God. Prophet Kasali said afterwards that he prayed for the Ooni and God received him and handed a certificate to heaven to him and the angels were happy for his redemption.
Prophet Kasali who was addressing over ten thousand faithful on that night, explained that few weeks ago, late Oba Sijuwade called him into his palace at Ile-Ife, Osun State, and said God had revealed to him the date of his death.
Therefore, he (Prophet Kasali), should ‘spiritually search’ his palace and residence to discover whether there was anything unholy or ungodly there. “After I was conducted round, I told him everywhere was in order spiritually.
“Late Ooni told me that he was embarking on a journey very soon and I should take care of his family. At this point, I asked him about the marriage of his son coming up this month of August. He answered that he won’t be around to witness the marriage ceremony.
“On the day the late Ooni died, his spirit came to my residence at the Mount of Mercy, Moniya, at exactly 5:00 am and knocked my door. I woke my assistant, Bidemi, up after opening the door to ask if there was anybody asking for me. He said it was 5.00 am and nobody was looking for me. I asked spiritually and discovered it was the late Ooni that knocked the door to say goodbye.”
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, on Sunday said he had been a product of grace and never had to struggle for anything in his life so far.
Dogara said this when he attended a Thanksgiving Service at the Winners Chapel in Durumi, Abuja. The speaker said that ever since he encountered God before his university days, he never lacked any good thing.
He added that “ever since I met God through this commission at a tender age, I have not had to struggle for anything in life. “I never had any reason to struggle nor lack any good thing in my life.”
While acknowledging God as his source, the speaker urged Nigerians to keep praying for leaders, saying that without prayers, nothing could be achieved. He said conventional problems do not need conventional wisdom but divine wisdom, stressing that “Nigeria needs God’s blessings at all times. “The nation needs ?steadfast leaders who will do the will of God, not theirs. We need your prayers, we can’t do it alone.”
Pastor John Adelekan, the Senior Pastor of the Church, urged the congregation to keep praying for leaders in the country, adding that this was the right thing to do. He said “service to God pays, as it is the easiest way to experience unending blessings from Him.”
The pastor said service to God also opened the doors of favour when a man’s way pleased God, as He would make ones enemies to be at peace with him. The speaker was in company of his wife and nine other representatives.
An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, to life in prison over spying.
Two members of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, Khairat El-Shater and Mohammed El-Beltagy, and 14 others were also sentenced by the court in Cairo on Tuesday to death by hanging over charges of delivering secret documents abroad between 2005 and 2013.
Back in May, a court in Egypt sentenced Morsi along with 105 others to death for a mass prison break in 2011 during the country’s revolution against long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak.
The death sentences were to be referred to the Grand Mufti, Egypt’s highest religious authority, for consultative review and confirmation. The Grand Mufti’s verdict is non-binding on the court.
The final verdict on the death sentence is expected to be announced shortly.
Morsi had also been given a 20-year prison term in a separate trial in April on charges of protester deaths in 2012. The case stemmed from the deaths and torture of demonstrators outside his presidential palace in December 2012.
Morsi, the country’s first democratically-elected president, was ousted in July 2013 in a military coup led by the former head of the armed forces and the current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Power, is such a broad word it is hard to define without stating its connotative and denotative essence. In its denotative essence, it would mean the ability to do something or act in a particular way. Beyond this denotation, it comes with other inferences. Electric power for instance. The Power as we were taught in elementary physics, the rate at which work is done also comes to mind. Work/Time = Power as we were thought then. The Power I am writing about now is the power invested in leadership. What is the essence of this power and why do so many people want so much of it? I will be sharing my thoughts on this and many more in the coming days.
