You might think about me the way you so desire. It doesn’t matter, since your thinking doesn’t, and can never change anything about who I am. All I care is that you may be absolutely wrong!
"It's not the critic who counts, not the one who points out how the strong man stumbled or how the doer of deeds might have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred with the sweat and dust and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause and who, at best knows the triumph of high achievement and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." (Theodore Roosevelt, 23 April 1923.)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Success
The greatest success in life is self-discovery! To discover yourself. To know what you can do best. Self- discovery is the most integral part of the human race. With it comes complete freedom from worry. With it comes strength and progress.
It is only after self discovery that one is obliged to do what would have hitherto been described as impossible.
We may safely assume that although history is a great teacher, she cannot teach those who do not want to learn. And apparently, those who dread self-discovery do not.
But so badly are many degraded, and even injured by self deceit that they are capable of deceiving themselves completely and, if conditions favor it, to keep up the deception for a lifetime.
“Let me be” does not change nor add to your “quality”. Mediocrity is mediocrity, no matter how we dress it. Essentially, “let me be”, more often than not is mediocrity masquerading in humility.
While life and memory endure, discover who you really are.
As true as this is to an individual, so it is to nations and continents.
It is only after self discovery that one is obliged to do what would have hitherto been described as impossible.
We may safely assume that although history is a great teacher, she cannot teach those who do not want to learn. And apparently, those who dread self-discovery do not.
But so badly are many degraded, and even injured by self deceit that they are capable of deceiving themselves completely and, if conditions favor it, to keep up the deception for a lifetime.
“Let me be” does not change nor add to your “quality”. Mediocrity is mediocrity, no matter how we dress it. Essentially, “let me be”, more often than not is mediocrity masquerading in humility.
While life and memory endure, discover who you really are.
As true as this is to an individual, so it is to nations and continents.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Don't...But...
"Do not walk behind me, I may not lead.
Do not walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Just walk beside me and be my friend."
- Attributed to Albert Camus
"IF"
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)
Rudyard Kipling's (1865-1936) inspirational poem 'If' first appeared in his collection 'Rewards and Fairies' in 1909. The poem 'If' is inspirational, motivational, and a set of rules for 'grown-up' living. Kipling's 'If' contains mottos and maxims for life, and the poem is also a blueprint for personal integrity, behaviour and self-development. 'If' is perhaps even more relevant today than when Kipling wrote it, as an ethos and a personal philosophy. Lines from Kipling's 'If' appear over the player's entrance to Wimbledon's Centre Court - a poignant reflection of the poem's timeless and inspiring quality.
The beauty and elegance of 'If' contrasts starkly with Rudyard Kipling's largely tragic and unhappy life. He was starved of love and attention and sent away by his parents; beaten and abused by his foster mother; and a failure at a public school which sought to develop qualities that were completely alien to Kipling. In later life the deaths of two of his children also affected Kipling deeply.
Rudyard Kipling achieved fame quickly, based initially on his first stories and poems written in India (he returned there after College), and his great popularity with the British public continued despite subsequent critical reaction to some of his more conservative work, and critical opinion in later years that his poetry was superficial and lacking in depth of meaning.Significantly, Kipling turned down many honours offered to him including a knighthood, Poet Laureate and the Order of Merit, but in 1907 he accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature. Kipling's wide popular appeal survives through other works, notably The Jungle Book (1894) the novel, Kim (1901), and Just So Stories (1902).
Friday, March 9, 2007
Cold War in Nigeria
Dariye
From a friend's blog: J. Here.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
From a friend's blog: J. Here.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
How the hell is he back as governor????
See BBC News
My opinion: he should be tried for crimes against humanity.My people, why are we so easily bought over.Na condition?How we go make condition betta?Only in Nigeria!
My Response to The Emerging Cold War Pandemic in Nigeria
In diplomatic/international relations’… terms, there are three types of war.
Hot War: this is actual warfare. All talks and compromises have failed and the armies are fighting.
Warm War: this is where talks are still going on and there would always be a chance of a peaceful outcome but armies, navies etc. are being fully mobilized and war plans are being put into operation ready for the command to fight….war still a possibility anyway.
Cold War: this term is used to describe the relationship that existed (and probably still exists, with the recent economic and military come – back of Russia) between America and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1980. Do note that USSR in 1945 was Russia post-1917 and included all the various countries that now exist individually (Ukraine, Georgia etc) but after the war they were part of this huge country up until the collapse of the Soviet Union (the other name for the USSR). Although the Cold War is the name given to the relationship that developed primarily between the USA and the USSR after World War Two, this jingoism is still been used to depict the existence of any relation of this kind, whether the relationship in question is between nations or individuals.
The Cold War was to dominate international affairs for decades and many major crises occurred - the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Hungary and the Berlin Wall being just some
Although neither side ever fought the other – for the consequences would be too appalling - but they did ‘fight’ for their beliefs using client states who fought for their beliefs on their behalf e.g. South Vietnam was anti – Communist and was supplied by America during the war while North Vietnam was pro – Communist and fought the south (and the Americans) using weapons from Communist Russia or Communist China. In Afghanistan, the Americans supplied the rebel Afghans after the Soviet Union invaded in 1979 while they never physically involved themselves; thus, avoiding a direct clash with the Soviet Union (the one time this process nearly broke down was the Cuban Missile Crisis).
So why were these two super powers (America and Russia) so distrustful of the other?
When you are thinking about the causes of the Cold War, the most important thing is to separate in your mind the long term underlying factors from the series of clashes and misunderstandings which actually triggered the breakdown in relations. It is impossible to identify a time when the Cold War ‘broke out’. After 1945, a series of clashes and misunderstandings meant that the ideological differences widened more and more into open hostility.
For more than 40 years (1945-1989) the USSR was in conflict with the West. But that conflict never came to open warfare (‘hot war’), because the existence of nuclear weapons made hot war MAD (‘Mutually Assured Destruction’). Although, both sides tried to undermine and destroy each other, they dared not let it go to actual fighting – that would have destroyed them.
Logic would dictate that as the USA and the USSR fought as allies during World War Two, their relationship after the war would be firm and friendly. This never happened and any appearance that these two powers were friendly during the war is illusory.
Before the war, America had depicted the Soviet Union as almost the devil-incarnate. The Soviet Union had depicted America likewise so their ‘friendship’ during the war was simply the result of having a mutual enemy - Nazi Germany.
There is no doubt; the USSR and the USA were separated by a huge ideological gulf. So the only thing that held the allies together was the need to destroy Hitler’s Nazis. Given their underlying differences – when Hitler was finally defeated in 1945 – a Cold War was perhaps inevitable.The USA was a capitalist democracy; the USSR was a communist dictatorship. Both sides believed that they held the key to the future happiness of the human race. Neither was conflict new to the two sides. Stalin could not forgive Britain and America for helping the Whites against the Bolsheviks in the Civil Wars (1918-1921), and he believed that they had delayed D-Day in the hope that the Nazis would destroy Russia. In the meantime, Britain and America blamed the Nazi-Soviet Pact of 1939 for starting the Second World War. Also, the two sides’ aims for Germany were different – Stalin wanted Germany to be ruined by reparations, and he wanted a buffer of friendly states round Russia to prevent a repeat of the Nazi invasion of 1941. Britain and America wanted a democratic and capitalist Germany as a world trading partner, strong enough to stop the spread of Communism westwards.
While defensive and counter – defensive alliances (NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization) against Russia; (the German Democratic Republic – East Germany) against America were formed. After the Berlin Blockade, the pattern of foreign relations as a ‘Cold War’ was set: the USA and the USSR acted as rivals in a competition for world domination.
That war has never ended
The Cold War in Nigeria: The Case of Plateau StateWhile there has been a varying degree of cold war between political gladiators in Nigeria since 1999, the cases of Plateau and Anambra states stands out
It is worth noting that Dariye as the governor of plateau state has had problem with Obasanjo, the current president. When he was accused of looting money – the ecological fund – he pointed at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a party through which Obasanjo came in to power, both in the 1999 and 2003 general elections. Part of the ecological funds was used to sponsor PDP’s campaign for the 2003 general electionThere is no gainsaying that Joshua Chibi Dariye has committed some heinous crime against humanity. He is also corrupt – stealing about US$ 9 million, from a state like plateau is no small crime. Given that the condition in Jos, the state capital is so terrible, only equal in comparison to Yola, my state capital (I have been to Yola only once in my life, and that was June 2006), the predicaments of the local governments is better imagined than told.
Observing from a close range, (myself, having spent some great deal of my lifetime in Jos: I left Jos, August 2006) one can assume to have some acceptable picture and command of analysis of the whole scenario.
It is a truism that all the crime committed in plateau were committed right under Draiye’s nose.
The case of plateau is however an attempt to canvass for dominance, an attempt to change the status quo. How? The state is viewed as the only non – Muslim dominated northern Nigerian state. Empirical evidence has confirmed to the rumored circulation of letters from eminent Nigerian Muslims, urging fellow faithfuls to buy, no matter the cost, houses, landed properties etc. in plateau, especially, within the state capital. Why? To increase the numerical figure of one religion at the expense of the other.
Moreover, appointment to political offices, the question of looting, non execution of any economic project etc has been the avoidable consequences of the corrupt leadership of Dariyes’ administration.
………crises has however emerged, with different reasons been ascribed to them.Dariye, while trying to curb the anomaly – a result of external forces to create tension within the state (actually senator Ibrahim Mantu is at the fore – front of this move, including many others that were to benefit from Dariye’s fall) – seized the opportunity to intensify his looting skills…..
…the result was his indictment (in Nigeria and abroad) by the court of law and his subsequent removal from the seat of power.
Whatever has happened before his order for reinstatement by Jos high court, is another big plus for the Nigerian Judiaciary. It signifies that the court can no longer be muzzled to do the bidding of the presidency. But it can never be a justification for his coming back as the governor of that raped state.At the end, the link between Nigeria's internal cold war and that of the USA vs Russia are:
They (the perceived/real enemies) initially seemed to be friends;
They wanted each other for selfish reasons;
Each party concerned believed he was wiser;
Each also believes he was right;
Both parties are unforgiving;
Both pretends to use the ideally constitutional means to resolve the crises;
They used different means to destroy each;
Sometime, the innocents became the victim;
At the end, someone must surely be ousted out.I must confess that, I am in concord with my friends’ point of view: Dariye doesn’t have the moral stand/fiber to govern any state in Nigeria, not again.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Pandemic
Cholera in the nineteenth century and HIV/AIDS in the late twentieth century. In recent decades, all of these, along with numerous more local epidemics, have attracted the attention of historians, and our understanding of them - and of epidemics in general - has increased many times over...
For much of the last two centuries professional historians have been extremely sceptical about the importance of epidemics in history. Overlooking cataclysmic natural disasters, they have focused, rather, on political, economic and intellectual processes to explain change over time. Until fairly recently they have been reluctant to attribute lasting significance to such disasters or to depict them as of great moment historically, however large they may have loomed to contemporaries. For instance, writing in 1936, E. P. Cheyney concluded that the effects of the Black Death, ‘like other catastrophic occurrences in history … were less important than the workings of more silent and persistent forces’. 1 Such a stance, believed William McNeill, stemmed from a basic tenet of positivist, scientific historiography:
We all want human experience to make sense and historians cater to this universal demand by emphasizing elements in the past that are calculable, definable, and, often, controllable as well. Epidemic disease, when it did become decisive in peace or in war, ran counter to the effort to make the past intelligible. Historians consequently played such episodes down. 2
In the last quarter-century, however, that assessment has waned to a degree, with the influence of greater emphasis on social, cultural and environmental historical writing. Perhaps, too, the emergence of AIDS has provided an immediate example of the power of a pandemic to alarm and transform societies.
(David Killingray, Howard Phillips; Routledge, 2003)
Ten (10) of the Best Books and Articles on: Flu Epidemicsas selected by Questia librarians
The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19: New Perspectives » Read Now
by Howard Phillips, David Killingray. 362 pgs.
...The Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918-19 was the worst pandemic of modern times, claiming over 30 million lives in less than six months. In the hardest hit societies...
Viruses, Plagues and History (Chap. 14 "Influenza Virus, the Plague That May Return") » Read Now
by Michael B. A. Oldstone. 227 pgs.
Pneumococcal Immunizations at Flu Clinics: The Impact of Community-Wide Outreach, in Journal of Community Health » Read Now
by Douglas Shenson, John Quinley, Donna DiMartino, Patricia Stumpf, Michael Caldwell, Tikuang Lee. 10 pgs.
Flu Vaccine Production Gets a Shot in the Arm, in Environmental Health Perspectives » Read Now
by Ernie Hood. 3 pgs.
Influenza Pandemic Preparedness: Legal and Ethical Dimensions, in The Hastings Center Report » Read Now
by Lawrence O. Gostin. 2 pgs.
Clean Living Movements: American Cycles of Health Reform (Chap. 11 "Tuberculosis, Public Health, and Influenza") » Read Now
by Ruth Clifford Engs. 316 pgs.
...Over the past 200 years, a health reform movement has emerged about every 80 years. These "clean living" cycles surged with, or were tangential to, a religious awakening...
Your Health: How the Flu Makes Its Way From Wild Ducks, to Livestock, to You, in National Wildlife » Read Now
by Peter Jaret. 2 pgs.
...including humans, can suffer deadly epidemics. Though we may think of the flu as the cause of a week or two of...United States, and the Hong Kong flu of 1968 killed 34,000...
The Swine Flu Vaccine and Guillain-Barre Syndrome: A Case Study in Relative Risk and Specific Causation, in Law and Contemporary Problems » Read Now
by David A. Freedman, Philip B. Stark. 29 pgs.
...The swine flu vaccine and Guillain-Barre syndrome: a case...epidemiologic evidence suggesting that the swine flu vaccine caused Guillain-Barre syndrome ("GBS...weeks or...
Primary Care of the Older Adult: A Multidisciplinary Approach ("Influenza" begins on p. 182) » Read Now
by Mary M. Burke, Joy A. Laramie. 684 pgs.
Nature, the Most Deadly Bio-Terrorist of All: It May Not Be in the Next 12 Months, but Very Soon, a New and Virulent Strain of Flu Is Likely to Sweep the World. Globalisation Has Made the Spread of Disease All Too Easy, in New Statesman » Read Now
by Robin McKie. 3 pgs.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Truth: A Burden...
There is not a truth existing which I fear or would wish unknown to the whole world –Thomas Jefferson.
Moreover, “When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, goodmen must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.
Where evil men would seek to perpetuate an unjust status quo, good men must seek to bring into being a real order of justice" – Martin Luther King Jr
Monday, March 5, 2007
Lunar Eclipse: Visible in Europe
If you are in Europe, you are lucky. The full Lunar eclipse that happened on 3rd March 2007 (it’s not that uncommon because the Earth planet is big and near the Moon, so it hides the Sun quite often) should form part of life's history.
The peak of the eclipse...:
Paris: 4th March, 00:20
London: 3rd March, 23:20
Prague: 4th March, 00:20
Moscow: 4th March, 02:20
Many people observed the full lunar eclipse with good, probable the best binoculars they could possibly lay their hands on (Binoculars x50 or less was said to be the best to see the full moon, more to check details of the Earth shadow on the Moon surface).
The Moon was never blackened since Earth atmosphere tends to deflect part of the Sun light and the Moon was redden. The show started around 2 hours before the peak and lasted around 4 hours.
Phases of Lunar Eclipses
An eclipse of the Moon (or lunar eclipse) can only occur at Full Moon, and only if the Moon passes through some portion of the Earth's shadow.
The eclipse above begins in the upper left corner and ends on the lower right side. The center picture which shows the moon during totality was enlarged for only for artistic reasons.
Information on:
Apr 08, 2005: Hybrid Solar Eclipse
Eclipses During 2005Lunar Eclipe Dates for 2001 through 2008
Photos of:
Calendar Dates for:
54 Years Ago
It is fifty four (54) years today, when the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin dies at age 73. He died on the 5th of March 1953.
The Political Thought of Joseph Stalin: A Study in Twentieth-Century Revolutionary Patriotism » Read Now
by Erik Van Ree. 374 pgs.
...This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the political thought of Joseph Stalin. Making full use of the documentation that has recently become available, including...
by Erik Van Ree. 374 pgs.
...This book presents a comprehensive analysis of the political thought of Joseph Stalin. Making full use of the documentation that has recently become available, including...
Stalin and the Soviet Union » Read Now
by Stephen J. Lee. 130 pgs.
...Stalin and the Soviet Union offers new interpretations of recently uncovered archives examining the Soviet leader's domestic and foreign policy. It covers core topics such...
Stalin and Stalinism » Read Now
by Alan Wood. 105 pgs.
...The second edition of a best-selling pamphlet, Stalin and Stalinism has been fully updated to take in new debates and controversies which have emerged since the collapse...
Between Churchill and Stalin: The Soviet Union, Great Britain, and the Origins of the Grand Alliance » Read Now
by Steven Merritt Miner. 319 pgs.
...of Poland prior to the conclusion of an Anglo-Soviet agreement was a rash act. Had the British better understood Joseph Stalin, they might have waited until they had...
Stalin's Drive to the West, 1938-1945: The Origins of the Cold War » Read Now
by R. C. Raack. 265 pgs.
...ministry, in mid-February of that year reported one of Joseph Stalins rare public statements linking foreign and domestic...could not get without a war. Less by far is...
by R. C. Raack. 265 pgs.
...ministry, in mid-February of that year reported one of Joseph Stalins rare public statements linking foreign and domestic...could not get without a war. Less by far is...
Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt Divide Europe » Read Now
by Remi Nadeau. 259 pgs.
...The division of Europe between East and West, born during World War II, not only denied independence to more than 100 million East Europeans, but upset the balance of...
Stalin's Holy War: Religion, Nationalism, and Alliance Politics, 1941-1945 » Read Now
by Steven Merritt Miner. 407 pgs.
...Histories of the USSR during World War II generally portray the Kremlin's restoration of the Russian Orthodox Church as an attempt by an ideologically bankrupt regime to
...
The Sorcerer as Apprentice: Stalin as Commissar of Nationalities, 1917-1924 » Read Now
by Stephen Blank. 300 pgs.
...The current struggles over nationality policy in Russia and in neighboring states are rooted in the history of the Narkomnats and in policies that Stalin established as...
The Anti-Stalin Campaign and International Communism: A Selection of Documents » Read Now
by Russian Institute. 338 pgs.
Cold Peace: Stalin and the Soviet Ruling Circle, 1945-1953 » Read Now
by Yoram Gorlizki, Oleg Khlevniuk. 248 pgs.
...Following his country's victory over Nazi Germany, Joseph Stalin was widely hailed as a great wartime leader and international statesman. Unchallenged on the domestic...
Stalin's Kampf: Joseph Stalin's Credo » Read Now
by Joseph Stalin, M. R. Werner. 358 pgs.
The Mystery of Stalin: Paul Wingrove Examines the Starkly Different Interpretations that Seek to Explain the Career of Joseph Stalin, in History Today » Read Now
by Paul Wingrove. 3 pgs.
Joseph Stalin - Related Topics
Cold War
World War II
Winston Churchill
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Yalta Conference
Russian History
Visitors researching Joseph Stalin also searched on:
joseph stalin
josef stalin history
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stalin history
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stalin yalta
Quiz
This man racked up impressive failures in the military, business and politics before he was elected President of the United States at age 52. Who is this person?
A. John Quincy Adams
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
D. William Jefferson Clinton
Labeled one of history's most successful failures, the man who became America's 16th president entered the Blackhawk War as a captain – then was demoted to private, failed in business twice, and lost numerous political races. Today, Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of the country's greatest leaders.
A. John Quincy Adams
B. Abraham Lincoln
C. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
D. William Jefferson Clinton
Labeled one of history's most successful failures, the man who became America's 16th president entered the Blackhawk War as a captain – then was demoted to private, failed in business twice, and lost numerous political races. Today, Abraham Lincoln is regarded as one of the country's greatest leaders.
Navigating From Failure to Success
WHAT?
A broken relationship, a poor grade on a project or exam, a lost job or collapsed business venture, an athletic trouncing – there are a million ways to fail. If you happen to find yourself on the losing end of a situation, there is just one thing to say: Congratulations! Whether you're responsible for a small defeat or a major flop, you're in the right place and in a good company and above all, you can recover.
Beethoven, Einstein, Edison, General Douglas MacArthur, Michael Jordan, Colonel Sanders, and Clint Eastwood are just a few of many successful failures who overcame early disappointment and scorn to accomplish great things.
You can bounce back if you don't let yourself sink into frustration or despair, says Lybi Ma in the Psychology Today article "Down But Not Out", and if you remember that "A lot of good can come out of a big disappointment." Ma quotes Terri Needles (PhD), who recommends accepting the setback and the fact that you may never completely know all the reasons for it, facing your fears, and patiently thinking about your next steps.
Writing for Ebony, Walter Leavey talks about Facing Your Fear of Failure. "There's nothing wrong with a bit of failure," he says, "as long as you're not overwhelmed…or paralyzed by it." And Lee Anna Jackson's advice for rebounding from career mistakes, her Black Enterprise article “Looking at It Another Way" sets the stage for success in many areas.
Don't waste time regretting the past, she advises. Instead, make a list of things that tripped you up and challenge them.
The principle of every scrap.
If you're searching online for one particular factoid...like a critical date, book title or song lyric or even the most "funniest" of all things...you'll likely find it fast. But when you're working on an academic project or theses, you'll look at lots of information from many different resources. But because you never know which useful bit will pull your research together, you must follow "The Principle of Every Scrap (Search expert Tara Calishain)." Click here to learn this useful technique.
A good outline steers you to writing success!
No matter what kind of writing you're required to do...whether it's a research paper, a business memo or document, or even a personal letter...the process will go more smoothly and the end result will be more successful if you have a map to guide you through your main points. Discover the easy steps for creating an outline you can use to navigate your way to an effective document.
Ask Nancy:-
Dear Nancy,
My instructor has drilled into us the importance of crediting the authors of all the books and journals we use as reference for our research papers. But I'm short on time, and my paper is due soon. Do you know any shortcuts?
Crunched in Crotone, Italy
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