My Dear Daughter, You are not responsible for everything that happens to you in life, but you are responsible for the way you spin them. Because the spin you give to your experiences determines how they impact your life going forward. We may face traumatic, life-changing events in our life and, if we succumb to being gloomy, these events, they may ruin our life. However, if we are able to get the right mental spin on such life-shattering events, we can make the necessary, howbeit painful, adjustments to move on and be grateful and hopeful about the future. This is…
Author: Pride Team
Readings: Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 51; 2 Cor 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18. Today we begin the holy season of Lent with the Ash Wednesday liturgy. Unlike Christmas, many people do not like the season of Lent. No decorations, no shopping, no Hallelujah. I heard about a baby being recently baptised with the name Hallelujah, I wonder what he will be called this season, maybe “Amen” or “Glory and praise.” The words used as we impose ashes on ourselves are also not flattering words either. Remember that you are dust and unto dust, you shall return (Gen 3:19). Imagine reminding a nursing mother…
Anja Shortland, King’s College London A kidnapper’s phone call announcing that a family member or employee has been abducted is the stuff of nightmares – as is the eye-watering ransom demand that often accompanies this news. How should you respond? Most kidnappings take place in countries where governments are weak and territory is disputed. Without a police force able to help, you will need to negotiate to get your loved one back. So, what is the “right” price for their life? When I ask my students this question, their answers range from “I would never pay a criminal or terrorist”…
Iwa Salami, University of East London Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected as president of Nigeria in late February, winning 56% of the vote share in a poll shrouded in controversy. After polling day was delayed by a week on the eve of the election, the result was met with allegations of election irregularities. Turnout was low, and only 35% of those registered voted, compared to 44% when Buhari was elected in 2015. The competition was fierce. The race for the presidency was between the incumbent, Buhari, and a pro-market multimillionaire, Atiku Abubakar, the opposition leader. Before the poll, investors predicted victory…
Leila Demarest, Leiden University A close race was predicted between Muhammadu Buhari and his main rival Atiku Abubakar. In the end, the incumbent won the Nigerian presidential election with almost four million votes. After the results were declared, Atiku cried foul, pointing out numerous flaws and manipulations of the electoral process. He also threatened legal action although it remains to be seen if the Peoples Democratic Party candidate will file suit within 21 days of the vote as required. Meanwhile, international leaders have already congratulated Buhari and his All Progressives’ Congress. This is to be expected. External actors have often…
Martin Davies, University of Melbourne There has been a spate of articles and reports recently about the increasing importance of critical thinking skills for future employment. A 2015 report by the Foundation for Young Australians claims demand for critical thinking skills in new graduates has risen 158% in three years. This data was drawn from an analysis of 4.2 million online job postings from 6,000 different sources in the period 2012-2015. From The New Basics report by the Foundation for Young Australians. The report found employers can pay a premium for many enterprise skills. For example, evidence of problem solving…
Lisa Kramer, University of Toronto A high-stakes legal drama featuring cryptocurrencies has been unfolding in a Canadian court recently. The antics that led to the litigation almost defy credulity, and they highlight the need for new regulations to better suit a financial marketplace that includes virtual currencies. News broke in early February that Canadian cryptocurrency exchange QuadrigaCX was seeking creditor protection, leaving in financial limbo about 115,000 people who had entrusted the firm to maintain their deposits of cash, Bitcoins and other digital tokens worth an estimated C$250 million. The company’s need for bankruptcy protection arose when its founder and…
“Don’t worry, just vote me as the governor of the state – You will witness a political El Dorado You will never witness any problem in the state. You will enjoy voting me so much that you will want me to be an immortal ruler of this country. I will rebuild all dilapidated schools and colleges. I will build many bridges and recreational centres. I will not even take a penny from the state purse. Investors will rock the state during my tenure. Just vote for me!!!” The man cried like a kid whose lollypop had been snatched by a stringent…
As at this time last week, Nigeria and the global business community were expecting the verdict from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on the outcome of the keenly contested 2019 presidential elections. The curtain has been unveiled and we are all aware that the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, will preside over Africa’s largest economy for another four years. In line with our philosophy of knowledge-sharing and client leadership, we partnered with an elite group of consulting firms under the aegis of Perchstone & Graeys’ Crystal Ball™, a proprietary research tool that forecasts key socio-economic events that influence and shape the state of…
Camaren Peter, University of Cape Town In 1967 one gigabyte of hard drive storage space cost US$ 1m. Today it’s around two US cents. Computer processing power has also increased exponentially: it doubles every two years. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to technological progress in the 21st century. There have also been tremendous advances in communication technology; robotics; nanotechnology; genetics and artificial intelligence, among other things. This merging of digital, physical and biological worlds has come to be known as the “fourth industrial revolution”. So far, relatively little attention has been paid to the…