Kelvin Carter: The Second Vulture.

 

KELVIN CARTER: THE SECOND VULTURE

In the 1990's there was a widely circulated photo of a vulture waiting for a starving little girl to die and feast on her corp. That photo was taken during the 1993/94 famine in Sudan, by Kevin Carter, a South African photojournalist, who later won the Pulitzer Prize for this 'amazing shot'.

However, as Kevin Carter was savouring his feat and being celebrated on major news channels and networks worldwide for such an 'exceptional photographic skill', he lived just for a few months to enjoy his supposed achievement and fame, as he later got depressed and took his own life!

Kevin Carter's depression started, when during one of such interviews (a phone-in programme), someone called in and asked him what happened to the little girl. He simply replied, "I didn't wait to find out after this shot, as I had a flight to catch..." Then the caller said, "I put it to you that there were two vultures on that day, one had a camera".

Thus, his constant thought of that statement, later led to depression and he ultimately committed suicide. Kevin Carter could have still been alive today and even much more famous, if he had just picked that little girl up and taken her to the United Nations Feeding Center, where she was attempting to reach or at least take her to somewhere safe.

Today, regrettably this is what is happening all around the world. The world celebrates stupidity and inhumane act, at the detriment of other. Kevin Carter should have taken the girl away from that place, which will cost him nothing, yet he didn't. Here is the inhuman posture, "he had all time to take his shot, but he had no time to save the girl's life".

Thus, we must all understand that, the purpose of life, is to also touch lives. So are you too a Vulture. In whatever we do, let humanity come first, before what we stand to gain out of the situation. In all we do let's always think of others and how we can be of benefit to humanity, how we can lend a helping hand and wipe away tears. Hence, when we seek knowledge, wealth, fame, skills or even positions, let's think of how we can use it to benefit the people and society at large.

"Today, there is a lot of poverty in the land, so if our God Almighty has blessed you, be a blessing to others, extend a helping hand to those in need. Remember, you giving, is also a way of appreciating divine blessings, bounties, and favour of God Almighty upon you. Therefore, it is very important that we all should help the poor and needy, the orphans and widows amongst us, so that they can meet their needs. Please don't be a Kevin Carter, be human and think humanity."

"Beware, we humans are not humans, if we lack humaneness in all we do."

Extract from PJ Bulama's Post on Facebook. 

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Reverend Samuel Johnson: The Doyen of Yoruba History.

Reverend Samuel Johnson: The Doyen of Yoruba History. 

The famous George Santayana quote: “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.” That's the thing, though. None of us have forgotten.

History is life.

According to J.B. Bury "History is science no more no less." 

Having gone through some textbooks and done little research on Yoruba history, the name Reverend Samuel Johnson always kept on popping up. Firstly, I came across this erudite name in the book entitled "The Groundnorm of Nigerian History". Due references were made to this man throughout the pages of the book that deals on Yoruba History. Also, reference was made constantly to his book, "The History of the Yoruba" published in 192. 

Here's a short biography of Reverend Samuel Johnson. 

Rev. Samuel Johnson, an Anglican priest and historian from the nineteenth century, dedicated his efforts to documenting the history of the Yoruba ethnic group in Nigeria. His significant contribution lies in his posthumously published manuscript titled "The History of the Yorubas" in 1921.

Commencing his education under the guidance of CMS missionary David Hinderer in Ibadan, Samuel Johnson's scholastic journey culminated with Gottlieb Buhler at the CMS Training Institution in Abeokuta. At this institution, he received comprehensive education encompassing Scripture and Catechism, Greek, Modern and Medieval History, Mathematics, Philosophy, and Natural History.

Photo credit: Dr. Michael Dorrtmont, provided courtesy of Olayemi and the Nigerian Nostalgia Project Archives.

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Hedy Lamarr: Beauty with Brain

Hedy Lamarr: Beauty with Brain.

 Hedy Lamarr: The Woman Who Invented Wi-Fi.

The most beautiful woman in the world in cinema and thanks to her we have Wi-Fi. Her name was Hedy, Hedy Lamarr (born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler) 

She was a Viennese Jewish woman with a passion for technology and a vocation for theater and film. In Hollywood, and first in Germany, where she began her career and then escaped to avoid the Nazis, she was called the most beautiful woman in the world and, indeed, her photos and films confirm that she was incredibly beautiful and talented 🌟

What few in Hollywood suspected was that the brunette who starred alongside Spencer Tracy or Clark Gable was also an extraordinary communications engineer, capable of inventing and patenting a teleguide system for missiles.

At the beginning of World War II, along with avant-garde composer George Antheil, she co-invented a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes that used spread spectrum and frequency hopping technology to defeat the threat of radio jamming by the Axis powers.

The U.S. government rejected the invention during World War II, only to take it back at the time of the Cuban crisis. Hedy Lamarr's invention became fundamental to the development of Wi-Fi technology.

She was inducted into the National Investors Hall of Fame 2014.

The Electric Frontier Foundation awarded her and George Antheil the Pioneer Award in 1997.

In short, if today we can connect wirelessly with mobiles, PCs and tablets to networks, we owe it to her, the most beautiful woman in the world, which is celebrated today in Austria and Germany, because her birthday (November, 9) has become Inventor's Day.

©️goldenageofcinema

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Some African Wise Sayings.

                   Some African Wise Sayings

African societies are reputed with wisdom which are embedded in their traditions, folklores, proverbs, witty sayings, epigrams and songs. According to Chinua Achebe in his well known book and page-turner "Things Fall Apart" proverbs are like palm oil with which an Ibo man eats yam. 

I'm privileged to come across some wise sayings from some African countries on Facebook. They are full of wisdom, philosophical and thought-provoking.

1. Ambition without knowledge is like a boat on dry land. (Ghana)

2. If a man is born in a stable, he does not become a horse, but if he lives long in the stable, he will behave like a horse. (Ethiopia)

3. A bee can never be as sweet as honey no matter how long it stays in the beehive. (Gambia)

4.  The size of a chicken does not lie in its feathers. (South Africa)

5. A chameleon may change its color, but it does not change its naturenature. ( Kenya)

6. If you tell a fool a proverb, he will ask you to explain it. (Zambia)

7. Make some money, but don't let money make you. (Tanzania)

8.  The young goat that rushes to eat leaves will one day swallow prickly caterpillars. (Nigeria)

9. He who is able to run from his own shadow can only communicate with the dead. (Namibia)

10. If a fish refuses to open its mouth, it doesn't get caught. TogoYou should not beat your chest with someone else’ hands. (Cameroon)

11. When a rat laughs at a dog, its hole is nearby. (Nigeria)

12 . He who is surrounded by enemies should learn to sleep with one eye open. (Nigeria)

Due credit to the unknown netizen who posted it on Facebook. 

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Mike the Headless Chicken

 

Mike the Headless Chicken:How Mike Survived Without a Head. 

On September 10, 1945, Lloyd Olsen was beheading chickens for market on his family farm in Fruita, Colorado, when one of the decapitated birds picked itself up and started running around the yard, still very much alive. Olsen put the chicken, which he named Mike, in a box on the porch and was amazed to find it still alive the next morning. 

Mike survived because most of a chicken’s brain is located in the back of its head, behind the eyes. When Olsen brought down the axe, he lobbed off most of Mike’s head but left the part of the brain that controlled breathing, digestion, and other bodily functions.   

Olsen realized he had in Mike an attraction that others would pay to see and spent the next 18 months exhibiting the headless rooster at fairs, carnivals, and other public events. He fed Mike by dripping water and liquid food into his esophagus with a dropper and removed mucous from his throat with a syringe. Mike became so famous that even Time magazine wrote about him.

Mike died on March 17, 1947, while on tour in Phoenix, Arizona. Olsen and his wife, Clara, awoke in their hotel room to the sound of Mike choking on mucous. They searched for the syringe, only to realize that they had accidentally left it at the sideshow where Mike had been on display. Unable to suction the mucous from Mike’s throat, they could only look on as he suffocated.

Though his amazing story ended many decades ago, Mike the Headless Chicken has not been forgotten by the citizens of Fruita. Every year, the city hosts a festival in his honor, which draws hundreds of attendees from around the United States.

Written by 

Don Vaughan

Fact-checked by 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Repair Every Leak: The Painter Who Repaired Every Leak

 

 Repair Every Leak: The Painter Who Repaired Every Leak.

The Word of God in Galatians 6:9 says : "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not".

  Here is an illustrative story I came across to butress the above settled principle of life. 

A man was asked to paint a boat. He brought his paint and brushes and began to paint the boat a bright red, as the owner asked him.

While painting, he noticed a small hole in the hull, and quietly repaired it.

When he finished painting, he received his money and left.

The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter and presented him with a nice check, much higher than the payment for painting.

The painter was surprised and said “You've already paid me for painting the boat Sir!”

“But this is not for the paint job. It's for repairing the hole in the boat.”

“Ah! But it was such a small service... certainly it's not worth paying me such a high amount for something so insignificant.”

“My dear friend, you do not understand. Let me tell you what happened:

“When I asked you to paint the boat, I forgot to mention the hole.

“When the boat dried, my kids took the boat and went on a fishing trip.

“They did not know that there was a hole. I was not at home at that time.

“When I returned and noticed they had taken the boat, I was desperate because I remembered that the boat had a hole.

“Imagine my relief and joy when I saw them returning from fishing.

“Then, I examined the boat and found that you had repaired the hole!

“You see, now, what you did? You saved the life of my children! I do not have enough money to pay your 'small' good deed.”

Moral Lesson. 

So no matter who, when or how, continue to help, sustain, wipe tears, listen attentively, and carefully repair all the 'leaks' you find. You never know when one is in need of us, or when God holds a pleasant surprise for us to be helpful and important to someone.

Along the way, you may have repaired numerous 'boat holes' for several people without realizing how many lives you've save. ❤️

Make a difference....be the best you...

Have a blessed day🌿

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The Genealogy of Jesus Christ: Lessons Learnt from it.

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ: Lessons Learnt from it. 

I discovered something strange and wonderful this morning as I went through the Daily Reading and came to  Matthew 1 where where is the long list of  

Genealogy of Jesus Christ that stretched through 42 generations from Abraham to the birth of Christ. 

Many time  in the past, I had just run over the long list to fulfill all righteousness of reading through the chapter. But as I read this morning, I discovered that the long list was kept there intentionally and the Holy Spirit had many hidden truth there. 

1:3-6 Matthew’s inclusion of four particular women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba) reveals his concern to do more than relay historical data. All four of them were not Israelites, but from Gentile Nations and naturally ought not to be included in the Royal family line of Jesus Christ the Messiah.    

    TAMAR acted as a prostitute to scam her father-in-law, Judah, but she was declared righteous for her actions by Judah for showing greater faithfulness to the family than he had (Genesis 38). 

    RAHAB was a prostitute and a foreigner, but she helped deliver the city of Jericho into the hands of the Israelites and had faith in God (Joshua 2:1-21; 6:22-25). 

      RUTH was from Moab, an enemy tribe of Israel, but she faithfully took care of her mother-in-law Naomi and was praised for being better than seven sons (Ruth 1–4).      

      BATHSHEBA, was wife of Uriah whom David committed adultery with, who was not even the first wife, yet she became the mother of Solomon, the wisest king of Israel (2 Samuel 11; 12:24-25). 

This was the colorful line into which God’s Son was born.

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus lists the good, the bad, and the ugly, and it intentionally does not leave out people who seemed questionable. This is to show that God sent his Son as the Savior of all people—the Jews, the Gentiles, men, and women. No matter who people are or where they come from, God’s plan of salvation is offered to all people.

ANOTHER LESSON, no one is ruled out in the Lord’s agenda. Everyone has a place in the plan of God and in the agenda of God for this end time. 

You are not an accident, neither are you an accidental discharge. 

No matter your background or whichever way you were born, you are intentionally made for His purpose. 

No matter your situation, Jesus has the Solution. 

#mikebamiloye

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