ASUU STRIKE UPDATE: Pro-chancellors Orders Universities Open Nationwide

The Committee of Pro-chancellors of Nigerian
Federal Universities, on Tuesday, unanimously
ordered immediate re-opening of universities
across the country. The communiqué signed
by the Chairman of the Committee, Professor
Kimse Okoko, was made available to newsmen
late Tuesday in Abuja.



The communiqué was issued at the end of the
committee meeting to discuss the protracted
strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) and other issues affecting the Nigerian
university system.
The communiqué stated that the decision to
re-open the universities was unanimously
agreed by all pro-chancellors in the overall
interest of all concerned.
The pro-chancellors, in the communique,
directed all vice chancellors to comply with
the committee decision.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the decision
of the pro-chancellors was predicated on the
earlier referendum held by various chapters
of ASUU that voted 60-40 in favour of
suspension of the over four months old
strike.
They expressed dismay that all efforts to
resolve the crisis, including the intervention
of President Goodluck Jonathan, has failed.
The communiqué recognised “all effort by
Federal Government to address the major
issues involved in the strike action including
the bold and the supportive intervention by
Mr President.”
It also stated that the committee noted “with
satisfaction the outcome of the referendum
conducted in all branches of ASUU nationwide
which voted 60-40 in favour of the
suspension of the ongoing strike by ASUU.”
The pro-chancellors called for the
understanding of ASUU and indeed all staff of
the various universities in Nigeria.
This order is coming on the heels of
polarisation that has already crept into the
ASUU, following the meeting they had with
President Goodluck Jonathan penultimate
week.
Nigerians were amazed that the emergency
National Executive Council meeting, held in
Kaduna last weekend, came out with fresh
conditions for suspension of strike after it
was rumoured that a deal was struck with
President Jonathan.
ASUU has been on strike since July 1 and the
NEC meeting was to deliberate on the
resolutions of various chapters of ASUU on
whether the strike should be suspended or
not based on the offers by the government.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the pro-
chancellors were aggrieved that even when
majority of the members of ASUU want the
strike called off, few elements in the union
have refused to yield to the popular desire of
the members.
Meanwhile, the crisis rocking the University
of Lagos (UNILAG) chapter of ASUU, over its
continued participation in the ongoing strike
action by the union’s national body,
worsened on Tuesday as the two factions in
the crisis openly traded insults.
The congress, called on Monday, saw a sharp
division in the chapter with a faction
favouring a pull-out from the strike action,
giving a week ultimatum to open the
institution.
The faction also promised undisclosed further
actions if the ultimatum was not met, after it
held a separate congress following the
disruption of the earlier one.

Jackie Chan's only son will not inherit any of his father's money

Being the only son of international movie
star Jackie Chan clearly comes with many
privileges and advantages. Jackie Chan’s
only child, a 30 year old son named Jaycee,
lived a life filled with opulent mansions,
luxurious vacations, expensive cars, the
best education and much more.
Jaycee was even been able to launch his
very own singing and acting career thanks
to his famous father.
But there is one important thing that Jaycee
will not receive from his father. Jackie Chan
recently announced that upon his death, he
will donate 100% of his $130 million
fortune to charity and that his son Jaycee
will be left out entirely…
While accepting an award in Beijing, Jackie
was asked if Jaycee will inherit his massive
fortune some day. Jackie stated that he was
originally intending to donate half of his
wealth to charity and leaving his family the
other half but recently changed his will to
leave 100% for charitable causes
throughout the world.
The elder Chan explained: “If he is capable,
he can make his own money. If he is not,
then he will just be wasting my money.”
Jackie also expressed regret for not sending
Jaycee to the army where his son would
have received “life experience and
character.”
If Jaycee wants to continue living an
extravagant lifestyle, his career is going to
need a boost. Since 2004 Jaycee has
appeared in around 20 films, most of which
have been major flops.
Jaycee’s 2012 movie “Double Trouble”
became one of the biggest box office
failures in history grossing just $9000 at
the box office, despite heavy marketing and
promotion. He also starred alongside his
father in 2010′s “1911″ which became
Jackie’s worst performing movie ever.
Jackie is not the only celebrity who plans
on giving their fortune to charity instead of
their children.
Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Ebay founder
Pierre Omidyar are some of the more
notable billionaires who have pledged their
entire fortunes to charity.
Buffett is an especially staunch opponent of
what he calls “dynastic wealth” (wealth that
is so vast it creates generational dynasties).
Buffett refers to anyone who grew up
wealthy as a “member of the lucky sperm
club” and, like Jackie Chan, firmly believes
that if his children work hard enough they
can achieve great success the same way he
did.

Amazing World of Creativity:Artist Transforms Abandoned House Into A Giant Reminder To Live Life

A beautiful thing happened to Candy
Chang one day in New Orleans two years
ago. After losing a loved one, the artist
came up with an unconventional way of
dealing with the grief she was
experiencing. She decided to paint the
wall of an abandoned building in her
neighborhood, turning the exterior
surface into a giant chalkboard
emblazoned with the words "Before I die
I want to _."
Within 24 hours, that empty wall was
transformed into a giant homepage for
personal testimonials, as passersby
finished Chang's sentence with their own
reflections on life. The final result was a
collage of bucket list promises crafted by
anonymous individuals confessing their
aspirations to see a daughter graduate,
sing for millions or simply be themselves
completely.


"It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-
day and forget what really matters to
you," states a description on the "Before I
Die" website. "[Chang] wanted a daily
reminder and she wanted to know what
was important to the people around her."
Chang wasn't expecting the
overwhelming amount of responses she
received, and she quickly realized that
the phenomenon she had started in New
Orleans wouldn't stop in Louisiana. The
project had already spread across the
web, as people shared the image of the
"Before I Die" wall on social media. So,
upon demand, the artist created a "tool
kit" with downloadable stencils, allowing
admirers around the world to build their
own version of Chang's living sculpture.


Since 2011, more than 400 of these walls
have been built, spreading the simple
phrase to over 60 countries, in 25
different languages. Kazakhstan,
Denmark, Iraq, and South Africa all
have their own "Before I Die" wall, each
serving as a unique reminder to
contemplate not only death but the value
and meaning of life right now.
"Our public spaces are our shared spaces
and at their greatest, they can help us
make sense of the beauty and tragedy of
life with the people around us," the
"Before I Die" site declares.

This month, Chang's project will move
from the streets of international cities to
the pages of a book, published by St.
Martin's Press. Check out a preview of
the images included here, and let us
know how you'd answer Chang's big
question in the comments.

Photos from private party peter okoye hosted for his girl Anita Isama

Paul Okoye’s babymama and fiancee, Anita
Isama clocked plus one yesterday – Friday –
and her husband-to-be threw her a private
birthday bash on the Lagos Island.
Some of the notable faces in attendance
include Kate Henshaw, Karen Igho, Toke
Makinwa, Peter Okoye and Lola Omotayo.
See photos below:

Do you know If you visited a new beach in Australia every day, it would take you around 27 years to visit them all!

Australia is home to more than 10,000 beaches which is why the beautiful island is so closely associated with surfing and marine wildlife.
The beaches range from ones that are crowded by thousands of people, to beaches so small and remote that you can sit by your lonesome on the sand without a care in the world.
The geography in Australia is truly unique because many beaches have backdrops of bush and forest!
This diverse environment can bring a variety of wildlife as your sitting on the beach, soaking in some Vitamin D! You may see eucalypts, koalas, and other species native to Australia while you relax in the sand!
(Source)

Eminem's Childhood Home In Detroit Burns After Woman Tried To Purchase It

The Detroit home where Eminem spent
part of his childhood burned in a blaze
Thursday, just days after a woman
reportedly offered to purchase it and
turn it into a museum dedicated to the
rapper.
Firefighters responded to battle the fire at
the small, two-story bungalow just south
of 8 Mile Road at 6:20 p.m., the Detroit
Free Press reports. The boarded-up home
was on a street with numerous other
vacant homes and overgrown yards.
According to the Associated Press, an
immediate cause wasn't known for the
fire that damaged the top floor of the
house. A Detroit Free Press video shows
some of the aftermath:



Here's 19946 Dresden St. in September:



The house will look familiar to fans of
the Detroit MC. It appears on the cover of
Eminem's 2000 release "The Marshall
Mathers LP," and makes a comeback on
the cover of "The Marshall Mathers LP
2," released this week.
The vacant house has been up for auction
through the Michigan Land Bank for
months with an apparent minimum bid
of $1. But just Monday, MLive reported a
Tennessee woman was in the process of
bidding on the home, though her offer
had not yet been accepted by the
Michigan Land Bank. The news site
describes 28-year-old Shelly Hazlett as
an "avid Eminem fan" who wanted to
turn it into a museum dedicated to the
rapper.
Before falling into disrepair, the home
belonged to Eminem's mother for several
years, according to records obtained by
the Detroit Free Press. In her book My
Son Marshall, My Son Eminem , Deborah
Mathers spoke fondly of the house at
19946 Dresden St.
"Marshall loved it so much that he had a
model of it made to take on tour with
him," she wrote. "Even though we'd
moved a lot, he always said the house on
Dresden was his childhood home."
You can see Eminem walking on a dark
street past the boarded-up house at the
end of his video for "Survival," starting
at minute 4:06. It's hard to read the
stone-faced rapper's expression, but some
might say he almost looks wistful.

And These are the 7 crucial skills we need to survive in this life

None of us like to hear negative feedback
in any area of our lives. But in reality,
constructive criticism is really good for
drawing attention to areas that need
improvement in your life. Don’t be afraid
to ask your friends, boss or spouse about
their honest opinions.


1. DON’T COME OFF AS SELF-ABSORBED
I will tread with caution on this subject so
as not to offend. Because of the age we live
in and the explosion of social media
connections, many of us have become boxed
in to only a perception of reality, a.k.a. a
false front for our own lives. One of the
most crucial life skills is not to come across
as self-absorbed. I can’t tell you how much
it bothers me when women post beautiful
“selfies” constantly on social media sites. It
seems apparent that they are seeking
attention and fishing for compliments. For
me, it almost ruins my perception of that
person because I see them as self-absorbed,
or worse yet, insecure of themselves. A
couple of shots here and there are great,
especially if you’re feeling particularity
beautiful and confident that day- but don’t
overdue it because it’s just tacky.
2. RECEIVE COMPLIMENTS WELL
When genuine compliments are thrown
your way, it can be difficult to know how
to respond in an appropriate manner. I
think there’s a fear of agreeing with the
compliment, like you’ll come off as
narcissistic or arrogant. Or perhaps you just
don’t believe the compliment and simply
reject it outright. The best way to respond
when someone gives you a sweet remark, is
by genuinely thanking them with a smile on
your face! Don’t respond with another
compliment because that could seem
insincere. Just thank the person, actually
believe what they said and move on to
another subject.
3. ASK FOR HONEST OPINIONS
None of us like to hear negative feedback in
any area of our lives. But in reality,
constructive criticism is really good for
drawing attention to areas that need
improvement in your life. Don’t be afraid to
ask your friends, boss or spouse about their
honest opinions. It can be difficult at first
but so rewarding. Isn’t it better to know
where you’re weakest so as to become
stronger?
4. DON’T BE EASILY OFFENDED
The mark of a mature person is their ability
to let the little stuff (or possibly big stuff)
go and not hold bitterness or grudges
towards others. I’ve been hurt by lots of
people in the past; people I trusted dearly
who betrayed my trust and I’m sure most of
you can relate. I can say that it’s much
better for your well-being to just let things
roll off your back instead of being offended
and hurt. What helps for me is looking at a
person’s intentions. Most of the time, people
aren’t out to get you and don’t mean to
cause any offense. Look at it from that
perspective and you won’t be as easily
offended!
5. REMEMBER PEOPLE’S NAMES
I have the worst time remembering the
names of people I just met! Literally, within
a couple of minutes I forget names which is
terrible. The reason this is a crucial life
skill is because when you don’t remember a
person’s name, it sends the message that
you don’t care about them even if that’s not
true. What works for me is that when I
meet a new person and they introduce
themselves to me, I repeat their name back
to them after they say it! It logs it into my
mind along with their face so I won’t forget
it for our next encounter.
6. KEEP CONVERSATIONS ALIVE
Don’t you just hate those awkward silences
with people during conversations? There
aren’t many more awkward social settings
than that! Really what stems from awkward
silences is a lack of interest in one or both
parties. Try finding something interesting in
the conversation and take it in another
direction. This will keep the conversation
alive and definitely more intriguing!
7. BE OK WITH BEING ALONE
For extroverts, the concept of being alone is
unsettling and frightening. We’ve lost the
ability to just be alone, quieten our minds,
put away our cell phones, computers and
TV’s and just be. To be alone is a form of
meditation and being OK with it means
you’re not afraid of life and you’re secure
within yourself.

9 Ways To Become The Master Of Your Own Mind

Many of us spend an exorbitant amount
of time and energy not to mention
money -- taking care of our bodies, and
trying to keep ourselves looking and
feeling our best. But when it comes to the
mind, less attention (literally) is paid.
Taking care of the mind can come as an
afterthought, and often we think of the
mind as something outside of our own
control.
"Our life is the creation of our mind,"
according to Buddhist scripture. Buddhist
philosophy developed an entire science of
training the unruly mind to help anyone
overcome its constant fluctuations to
achieve stillness, and eventually,
enlightenment.
But even if it's not enlightenment you're
after, developing a good relationship
with your mind is critical to building a
life that is successful on your own terms.
Here are eight habits of mind to start
cultivating right now for less stress,
more creativity, less distraction and
more enjoyment in life.
Make time for stillness.



Meditation has been around for
thousands of years, and it's perhaps the
single most powerful tool out there for
gaining mastery over your mind. The
mental health benefits of meditation are
virtually endless, from addiction
recovery to reduced anxiety and
depression to enhanced creativity and
improved cognitive function. Meditation
can actually increase neuroplasticity,
making it possible to literally rewire the
brain.
"Meditation research, particularly in the
last 10 years or so, has shown to be very
promising because it points to an ability
of the brain to change and optimize in a
way we didn't know previously was
possible," neuroscience researcher Zoran
Josipovic, who has conducted brain-
imaging studies on Buddhist monks, told
the BBC in 2011.
Pursue meaning over pleasure.




Not all happiness is created equal, and in
your own pursuit of joy and bliss, keep
in mind that the type of happiness you're
after can make all the difference. A
recent UCLA study found that eudaimonic
happiness -- that which was linked to
having a larger purpose or sense of
meaning in life -- was linked with
healthy gene activity, whereas hedonic ,
or pleasure-seeking, happiness was not.
Those who were happy because they had
a sense of purpose in life had lower
inflammatory gene expression and higher
antiviral and antibody gene expression
than others.
"Eudaimonic happiness is something you
build up over a lifetime," Shimon
Edelman, cognitive psychologist and
author of "The Happiness Of Pursuit,"
told The Huffington Post. "In a sense, it's
a great consolation for older people it's
nice to know that on that component,
people can get more and more happy as
they age if they led good lives."
Read, read, read.


Consider reading your mind's daily
greens. Simply reading a book can lower
stress levels, help you sleep better, keep
your brain sharp, and also stave off
Alzheimer's.
But before you turn to your Kindle, take
note: Reading on screens may drain more
mental resources and make it harder to
remember what we've read after we're
done, as compared to reading on paper,
according to Scientific American.
"Whether they realize it or not, people
often approach computers and tablets
with a state of mind less conducive to
learning than the one they bring to
paper," according to the article.
Let it be.


Sweating the small stuff is one of the
most toxic things you can do to your
mind -- not only can it take over your
thoughts, but dwelling on what's beyond
your control has been shown to be a
contributing factor in the development of
depression.
You know that unfinished project that's
been nagging at you? Try just letting it
go. According to Arianna Huffington, a
great way to complete a project is by
dropping it. Huffington recently
explained at a Women in Business event
in Toronto:
"One of my favorite sayings is
'100 per cent is a breeze, 99 per
cent is a bitch'... That doesn’t
mean ignoring my other needs,
but it means when I’m in it, I’m
really in it. And that means often
saying no to good things, to
things that you might want to do,
but get in the way of sleep, or get
in the way of being with your
children, or whatever it is that’s
also very important to you. Just
have a conversation with
yourself and say these projects
are done, over, and then you
have energy for the things you’re
really going to commit yourself
to."
Flex your memory muscle.


Thanks to technology, we're taking in
more information than ever before, but
we're also losing our ability to retain
that information. A recent poll found
that millennials are even more forgetful
than seniors, due, at least in part, to
their reliance on technology.
Keeping your memory sharp requires
some time and attention but your
brain will thank you for it. Certain
cognitive tricks and exercises can
significantly boost your powers of
memory, and make sure that you hold on
to those things you never want to forget.
Unplug and recharge.


Constant digital distractions can take a
toll on the mind over-reliance on
technology has been linked with
increased stress levels, reduced focus and
productivity, stunted creativity and poor
sleep quality. And Internet addiction is
increasingly being recognized as a very
real psychological problem.
Many of us never take a break from our
devices, even when we're supposed to be
relaxing (nearly 60 percent of Americans
stay plugged in to work while they're on
vacation). But allotting yourself some
tech-free time could make you more
focused, less stressed, and happier.
“[A digital detox] is almost like a reboot
for your brain and your soul,” Cisco
executive Padmasree Warrior told the
New York Times. “It makes me so much
calmer when I’m responding to e-mails
later.”
Let your mind wander.


In addition to boosting creativity (and
being a generally enjoyable activity),
daydreaming can actually make you
smarter.
According to NYU psychologist Scott
Kaufman's theory of personal
intelligence, mind-wandering is an
adaptive trait that helps us to achieve
personally meaningful goals, and it helps
us to access spontaneous forms of
cognition like insight, intuition and the
triggering of memories and stored
information.
Kaufman recently wrote in Scientific
American that mind-wandering can offer
significant personal rewards:
These rewards include self-
awareness, creative incubation,
improvisation and evaluation,
memory consolidation,
autobiographical planning, goal
driven thought, future planning,
retrieval of deeply personal
memories, reflective
consideration of the meaning of
events and experiences,
simulating the perspective of
another person, evaluating the
implications of self and others’
emotional reactions, moral
reasoning, and reflective
compassion... From this personal
perspective, it is much easier to
understand why people are
drawn to mind wandering and
"willing to invest nearly 50
percent of their waking hours
engaged in it.
Linger on the positive.


Want to wire your brain for happiness?
You can start by savoring those tiny
moments of joy in your day, whether it's
the smell of fresh coffee or a smile from
a loved one. Lingering on these positive
moments can help to overcome the
brain's "negativity bias," which causes us
to store negative memories in our brains
more easily (and strongly) than positive
memories.
“[Lingering on the positive] improves the
encoding of passing mental states into
lasting neural traits," "Hardwiring
Happiness" author Rick Hanson recently
told the Huffington Post. "That’s the key
here: we’re trying to get the good stuff
into us. And that means turning our
passing positive experiences into lasting
emotional memories."
Build daily rituals.




Habit is one of the most effective ways to
make any positive change in your life. By
developing habits, good behaviors that
may have once required a feat of
willpower to put into action become
automatic which is why they can also
be so difficult to break.
"For the things that you decide matter…
the only way to ensure that things that
aren’t urgent but are important happen is
to build rituals," The Energy Project CEO
Tony Schwartz told the Huffington Post.
"Build highly specific behaviors that you
do at precise times over and over again
until you don’t have to use energy to get
yourself to do it anymore until it
becomes as automatic as brushing your
teeth at night."

Asuu wants to bring down this current Administration -Governor Suswan

Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, has
alleged that the strike embarked upon by the
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)
was aimed at bringing down the government
of President Goodluck Jonathan.
In an interview with THISDAY, Suswam, who is
the chairman of the Federal Government's
Needs Assessment Committee for Nigerian
Universities said: "ASUU’s leadership is
determined that PDP government must be
brought down and the easiest way to do it is
ensuring that every family is affected. And so,
the Nigerian family will simply say, ‘look, to
keep this government in place, our children
will be out of school. So it is better that we
kick this government out and bring another
government.’
"That is all they are doing. There is nothing to
it. Otherwise, the Federal Government has
touched on all the requests that led to the
strike by ASUU. They have no basis rather
than playing politics with the strike and then
holding the nation hostage and destroying the
future of this country."
Buttressing his claim, Suswam said: "I feel
that if it is not that they have introduced
politics, you know people can't say that they
don't have political leanings. ASUU’s
leadership, we know where they are standing
in this whole political process. They can't
deny that they are sympathising with
opposition parties and they are determined to
destroy the PDP government. That is what
they are doing and it is nothing more than
that."
The Benue State governor, who had attended
several meetings with ASUU on government
side, said the nine issues raised by the
academic union had been attended to, though
not 100 per cent.
He said: "I think that it is unfair. And I keep
saying it that they have introduced politics
into it. It's purely political. There is no way
that any person can say any other thing. It is
just to portray the government in bad light so
that people will say that you have a
government that is not capable of keeping the
children in school. That is pure politics. There
is nothing more to it because if you present
nine issues and all of them have been
attended to, even if not attended to 100 per
cent, at least you should appreciate that
efforts have been made and you should say
that it is okay because this has been done.
"There were a lot of issues that were
presented. Constitution of governing councils
has been done; they said they should help
them set up pension administrator, N250
million was given to them; they said they
wanted the properties of universities handed
over to them, government said go and form
companies and compete, we will do that. You
know a couple of other things, the need
assessment, an initial N100 billion has been
distributed.
"The retirement age, they say they don't want
to retire at 65, it has been approved, all the
academic staff in the university retire at 70.
Earned allowance, out of N57 billion, N30
billion has been given."
Suswam said the issue that had kept the
universities closed were not because
government could not pay salaries but the
earned allowances, adding, "Academic staffs
of universities collect more than civil servants
in this country.... They have been paying that
consistently and nobody is being owed salary.
These are issues of allowance.
"This earned allowance; it is not every
lecturer in the university that is entitled to it.
So, why must it be a reason why you keep the
children out of school? It doesn't make sense
and I am surprised most Nigerian are looking
at this differently. If in a nation, the whole
leaders of tomorrow are being kept out of
school, then its means that in future, you can
imagine the kind of leaders we would have."
Recalling his involvement in the efforts to
resolve the crisis in the Nigerian university
system, Suswam said when he was invited by
the President to chair the Needs Assessment
part of the ASUU strike, he took the
responsibility very seriously.
"Out of this three weeks, may be I spent like
just four days in Benue because I was
determined that we must raise money for this
Needs Assessment. And within those three
weeks, that committee which I chaired was
able to raise the N100 billion, which has
since been shared. Once we shared that
money, this people (ASUU) moved to other
areas; which is issue of earned allowances,
which was being handled by the SGF", he said.

Source :thisday