Tuesday 22 November 2011

IDENTITY

You have the DNA of the Almighty God. You come from a long bloodline of champions with creative intelligence, resounding victory, great faith, courage, supernatural strength, determination, persistence, sacrifice, heroism. You have the seed of greatness. You got the winner's blood!

Brands of Firsts - Cars


·       Jeep was the first in four-wheel-drive off-the-road vehicles;
·       Ford was the first mass-produced car;
·       Honda’s Acura was the first in luxury Japanese cars; Lexus was second; Infiniti was third.
·       Nash Rambler was America’s first small car;
·       Duryea introduced the first automobiles;

·       Hertz was the first rent-a-car service; Avis was second; National was third.




LOVE & THE CHRISTIAN


LOVE is the nature of God recreated in the human spirit who has been saved. It’s the fruit of the Spirit, and one quality that sets the Christian apart from the unbeliever. Love is the fulfilment of the Mosaic Law or any other law for that matter. God is Love personified! We have been born of God’s love, and as such we can easily express this love to our world because it has been shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Ghost. Love, as used in this sense, is from the Greek word ‘Agape’ – the God kind of love. God is a loving God. Christians are the beloved children of the loving Father.

Love is the bond of perfection. It is the guarantor and preserver of life. It is the source of joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, humility, faith, and self-control. Love makes faith work.  It’s an obligation for Christians to love their fellow human beings. Love is expressed by actions. We can demonstrate love by eschewing evil, supporting the gospel of the Kingdom, supporting the needy and less-privileged, praying and interceding for the nation and others, and being good and exemplary ambassadors wherever we are.

The Truth about Penny-Pinching



In business, every kobo counts! Someone calls it penny-pinching. Penny-pinching is the opposite of being wasteful. Most wealthy people are penny-pinchers; they calculate before they spend. They are in control of their money. At any point in time irrespective of the situation, one should make sure he or she is not being overcharged for any product or service. Penny-pinching is not being miserly or hoarding money unnecessarily. It’s being accountable. Always feel comfortable bargaining for what you intend to purchase. You deserve a discount for paying cash or paying a.s.a.p. You will be surprised at the discounts you get when you simply ask. You should be prepared to walk away but then after you’ve walked away a few miles, the price will reduce. It’s simply being penny or money-wise.
Some people make the mistake of buying brand names because of the belief that the higher the price, the better the product. The law of demand that states that the lower the price the higher the demand still holds true for the rich and poor alike. Ask the rich. Most brands have added features that you don’t necessarily need. All that glitters in advertising is not gold. Buy brand names when you can justify the quality and the benefits. Small, seemingly trivial numbers add up overtime especially when it comes to finances and can have gargantuan implications. For instance, a peanut of N10 can add up to exactly N18 000 in 1800 days without interest. When invested at compound interest over more days, the returns can be colossal. Also, always cross-check your bills to ensure you’re not being overcharge.

STRIKING A BALANCE BETWEEN MONEY AND MARRIAGE



Some say money is the root of all evil. Others concede that it is the root of all actions. But money, certainly, is at the root of major quarrels in many families. That you have money does not exempt you from trouble. Both the rich and the poor have money problems. It has been found that money is not necessarily the cause of disputes among couples, but the attitude towards it. If your love for money goes beyond the love for your partner, or the love for marriage as an institution, problems will inevitably arise, whether there is money or not.
Many families have been ruined because they do not know how to manage their finances. They have allowed Parkinson’s Law to dictate their lives. Their expenses are way above their incomes, year in, year out. Talking about money in a relationship is important. Care for your finances is synonymous with care for your health. Some people hate discussing money as if it is a swear word or taboo. Business can be tough, and so are relationships.

To deal with money issues, some people like billionaire real estate investor, Donald Trump, recommend a prenuptial agreement. This is a written agreement prior to marriage that helps to resolve certain critical issues that might arise. Others see a prenup as a lack of trust in the marriage. Ideally, couples should adopt a practical view. It is advisable to try to control the influence of money in your marriage. Proper budgeting, zero-based thinking, non-impulsive spending, and prudence can go a long way in balancing your money and your marriage.

Saturday 19 November 2011

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A HABIT OF READING



The adage that readers are leaders cannot be overemphasized. Many leaders are made through cultivating the habit of reading overtime. Behind virtually every renowned leader is a library of books. Reading helps a lot in your personal development. You get to pick the brains of many people, and you get to understand life around you; it expands your views about life. Reading helps to improve your communication skills. Also, it makes you to see a whole lot of happenings in the world, especially the new world economic order. Reading helps to provide solutions to problems. Reading makes you aware; it confers knowledge. Reading helps to develop the citizens who develop the country. Developed economies are propelled by readers. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States of America, was reputed to have attended formal schooling for less than 365 days. Thomas Edison, a great inventor, is known to have had only 90 days schooling. Steel magnate, Andrew Carnegie attributed a large degree of his success to books and that was why he donated immensely to the building of public libraries.

Get wisdom, says King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, get understanding. Learn what you need to know to move ahead. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword. Cicero said, “A room without books is a body without a soul.” Mark Twain added, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” Margaret Fuller quips, “A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” There’s abundance of things already done, of things that can be done, and of things that are being done in books. The secret of the wise is hidden in books. Reading is not at end in itself, but a means to an end. You can be free through knowledge! 

TRUTH AND FACT. Are they the same?



Truth and fact are sometimes used interchangeably but they are not the same!

Truth is evidenced-reality, and fact is evidence. Truth is timeless; it cannot change irrespective of time. Fact is subject to time, and therefore subject to change. Truth, unlike fact, can always be proved. All truths are based on God’s Word because the Word of God is Revealed Truth. Not all facts are based on God’s Word. Most facts are scientifically-based; others are simply religious. For instance, that the earth is a circle or spherical in shape is a revealed truth. Formerly, it was once a fact that the earth was a square until Galileo, one of the same breed, came on the scene and said nope. Also, it is a celebrated fact today that the human immune deficiency virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome has no cure because a formal announcement of a cure (in form of a capsule, tablet, or syrup) has not been made and accepted. The present-hour reality or truth is that HIV has got a cure! The Word of God! (See Proverbs 4: 20-22; Mark 16: 18; 1 Peter 1: 23; 1 Peter 2: 24; Isaiah 33: 24; Hebrews 4: 12). In short, the Christian is the medic.

PLANTAIN



Almost everybody eats plantain. Some people eat it boiled. Some like it roasted. There are others who eat it with palm oil or groundnuts. Whichever way you eat it, it is nutritious. It is medicinal. It can be very profitable.
Experts say its fruits provide one of the major commodities in international trade; but that it is far more important as a starchy staple in local food economies. It contains carbohydrates, phosphorus, calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamins A and C. Over 75 million people in West and Central Africa are estimated to derive more than one –quarter of their food energy requirement from plantain, thus making it one of the most important sources of food energy, third only to cassava and yam. It is a staple diet for diabetic patients.
Plantain does not require much maintenance; also, it requires little investment. Plantain cultivation only requires land, suckers, and a few other things like planting (i.e. labour & clearing). One sucker alone can generate at least eight other suckers. You will need fertilizer at the beginning stage to make the suckers grow.
The market for plantain is stable because demand is high. One hectare of plantain can take up to 2000 suckers, which translates to a minimum of 23 000 bunches. Ample space is needed to yield optimum results. You also need the right species. There are a lot of species. Some species of plantain can grow wild for two years without producing anything. The dwarf variety is ideal. As will be expected, it doesn’t grow too tall, and its canopy is not that wide. Within a season, you can harvest 2-3 times of the dwarf variety.
Though a seasonal plant, plantain are usually available during off seasons.

Brand of Firsts - ICT


          IBM was the first in mainframe computers or the first in computers;
       Tandem was the first in fault-tolerant computers;
        Strauss was the first in fault-tolerant minicomputers;
       Cray Research introduced the first supercomputer;
   Convex was the first mini-supercomputer;
   Amiga (by Commodore) was the first multimedia computer;
·       MITS Altair 8800 was the world’s first personal computer;
·       Dell was the first to sell computers by phone;
·       Toshiba was the first laptop computer; 
·       Wang was first in word processors;
·       Lotus was the first software company to develop a successful groupware product;
·       Sun Microsystems was the first in workstations;
·       Microsoft was the first in operating systems; 
·       Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) was the first in minicomputers;
 ·       Du Mont invented the first commercial TV set.