Maria Sharapova attends Harvard Business School

                            
She might be serving a two-year doping ban, but tennis star Maria Sharapova won't be twiddling her thumbs during that enforced sabbatical after enrolling for a course at the prestigious Harvard Business School.

The tennis superstar posted a photo of herself at the campus gates on Twitter and Facebook last weekend.

The Harvard Business School's admissions process is notoriously tough, accepting only 11% of all 2016 applicants.

Sharapova's representatives did not immediately respond to CNN's request to clarify what qualifications, if any, she will gain.

 

Source;CNN

The rejected Colombian tribe of Kogi and Kankuamo

                          
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is a unique pyramid-shaped mountain on the northern tip of the Andes in northern Colombia. On its slopes live four separate but related peoples: the Arhuaco (or Ika), Wiwa, Kogi, and Kankuamo. Together they number more than 30,000.
                             
The mountain’s peak is over 5,000m high. Rising from the shores of the Caribbean, the lower plains are clad in tropical forest, turning to open savannah and cloud forest higher up.
To the Indians, the Sierra Nevada is the heart of the world. It is surrounded by an invisible ‘black-line’ that encompasses the sacred sites of their ancestors and demarcates their territory.
                                 

Older brothers

The Sierra Indians call themselves ‘the older brothers’, and believe that they have a mystical wisdom and understanding which surpasses that of others. They refer to outsiders as ‘the younger brothers.’
The older brothers believe it is their responsibility to maintain the balance of the universe. When there are hurricanes, droughts, or famines around the world it is said that they are the cause of human failure to keep the world in harmony.
Balance is achieved by making offerings to the sacred sites to give back to the earth what is taken out of it.

Mamos

The coca leaf plays a central role in daily life and is used in offerings and ceremonies.
Each man carries a bag of the leaves, which are chewed to create a mildly stimulating effect. When two men meet, a handful of leaves is exchanged as a sign of mutual respect.
A hollowed-out gourd called a ‘poporo’ contains crushed seashells. A stick is used to transfer the powder to the wad of coca in the mouth – the highly alkaline shells react with the coca to stimulate its active ingredients. Surplus powder is rubbed on the neck of the poporo – over time, this becomes a thick collar.
Coca is also grown by non-Indian settlers as the raw material for cocaine. Colombia has long been dubbed the cocaine capital of the world, and its production has had devastating consequences for the indigenous population.
The lower slopes of the Sierra have been occupied by colonists growing coca for the drug trade that funds much of the armed conflict between guerrilla groups and paramilitaries in the country’s long-running civil war.
Despite the Indians’ peaceful nature, they have frequently been caught in the crossfire between the army and illegal armed groups, and many have been killed or forced to flee from the quasi-civil war raging on their land.

The Sierra Indians are descendants of the Tairona, a great civilization whose masterful gold work and architecture draw tourists and grave robbers alike to the region.
Each tribe has adapted to the invasion of their lands in its own ways: the Kogi shunned outside invasion by fleeing higher up the Sierra. They have remained particularly averse to visits from camera-toting tourists.
The Arhuaco, whose men are distinguished by their white conical hats, organized a strong political movement to defend their rights, while the Kankuamo living on the lower foothills were almost entirely integrated into mainstream society.

Water

Water is highly revered by the Indians and there is strong opposition to existing and planned hydroelectric dams in the region. Dams interfere with the natural water cycle of the Sierra and threaten the tribes’ crops and livestock.
Privately owned land and development projects are making it increasingly difficult for the Indians to move within their ancestral territory and make offerings to keep the world in balance.

From the biblical Cush to the modern day Kenya

                           
Kenya is mentioned in the bible though indirectly. A look at the bible shows different scriptures where the country is mentioned, the land that is south of Cush is always referred to as Kenya. Cush in this day is the modern Ethiopia. The country that is south of Ethiopia Directly refers to as Kenya. Kenya started been referred to as Kenya in 1895 when the British started colonizing the country. Before then, the country was a part of the greater 127 provinces ruled by King Xerxes.
Around 2000 BC, Cushitic-speaking people from northern Africa settled in the part of East Africa that is now Kenya. By the 1st Century AD, the Kenyan coast was frequented by Arab traders, who due to Kenya's proximity to the Arabian Peninsula, established Arab and Persian colonies there. The Nilotic and Bantu people also moved into the region during the first millennium AD. and settled inland.

The Europeans

Evolving from a mixture of Bantu and Arabic, the Swahili language then developed as a lingua franca for trade between the different peoples. When the Portuguese arrived in 1498, the Arab dominance on the coast was clipped, as the Port of Mombasa became an important resupply stop for ships bound for the Far East. The Portuguese gave way in turn to Islamic control under the Imam of Oman in the 1600s until another European influence came along, this time from the United Kingdom during the 19th century.

Colonial History

The roots of the colonial history of Kenya go back to the Berlin Conference in 1885, when East Africa was first divided into territories of influence by the European powers. The British Government founded the East African Protectorate in 1895 and soon after, opened the fertile highlands to white settlers. Even before it was officially declared a British colony in 1920, these settlers were allowed a voice in government, while the Africans and the Asians were banned from direct political participation until 1944. During this period thousands of Indians were brought into Kenya to work on building the Kenya Uganda Railway Line and subsequently settled there, whilst inviting many of their kith and kin who were mainly traders from India to join them.

Resistance to Colonialism -- the Mau Mau

In 1942, members of the Kikuyu, Embu, Meru and Kamba tribes took an oath of unity and secrecy to fight for freedom from British rule. The Mau Mau Movement began with that oath and Kenya embarked on its long hard road to National Sovereignty. In 1953, Jomo Kenyatta was charged with directing the Mau Mau and sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. Another freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi was arrested in 1956 for his role in the Mau Mau uprising as one of the leaders of the struggle for independence and was subsequently hanged by the colonialists. Kenya was put under a state of emergency from October 1952 to December 1959, due to the Mau Mau rebellion against British colonial rule and thousands of Kenyans were incarcerated in detention camps. During this period, African participation in the political process increased rapidly and in 1954 all three races (European, Asian and African) were admitted into the Kenya Legislative Council on a representative basis.

Kenya achieves independence

In 1957, the first direct elections for Africans to the Legislative Council took place and those elected increased the people's agitation for Jomo Kenyatta's release from detention. In 1962 Kenyatta was released to become Kenya's first Prime Minister, when Kenya finally gained independence on December 12, 1963. The following year, Kenya became a Republic with Kenyatta as its first President. In the same year Kenya joined the British Commonwealth.

The Road to Kenyatta's one party state

In 1966, a small but significant leftist opposition party, the Kenya People's Union (KPU), was formed by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a former Vice President and Luo elder. KPU was banned shortly thereafter and its leader arrested in 1969 and Kenya became a "de facto" single party state. Following Kenyatta's death in August 1978, Vice President Daniel Arap Moi succeeded him as Kenya's second President.

The Moi era

In June 1982, Kenya was officially declared a one party state by the National Assembly and the constitution was amended accordingly. Parliamentary elections were held in September 1983 under a single party for the first time and the 1988 elections reinforced the one party system. However, in December 1991, Parliament annulled the one party section of the constitution. A diversity of new parties were formed in early 1992 and in December of that year, multiparty democracy was restored and elections were held with several parties participating. Because of divisions in the opposition, Moi was reelected for another 5-year term, and his KANU party retained a majority in the legislature. Due to parliamentary reforms in November 1997, political rights were expanded, which led to an explosion in the number of political parties. Again, Moi won re-election as President in the December 1997 elections, because of a divided opposition. KANU won 113 out of 222 parliamentary seats, but, because of defections, had to depend on the support of minor parties to forge a working majority.

President Mwai Kibaki

In October 2002, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) was formed, emerging from a unification of opposition parties together with a faction, which broke away from KANU. Mwai Kibaki, the NARC candidate, was elected as the country's third President in December 2002. President Kibaki received 62 percent of the vote, and NARC garnered 130 out of 222 parliamentary seats (59 percent of seats). During Kibaki's first time in office, democratic space was opened up even more and coalition politics took root.

The Grand Coalition

Kenya held its Tenth General Election on the 27th of December 2007. A dispute that followed the announcement of the result by the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) unfortunately degenerated into an unprecedented seven-week long spate of violence in some parts of the country, leading to loss of lives, dislocation of some citizens, destruction of property and general disruption of social and economic life.
The former Secretary General of the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Koffi Annan with the assistance of eminent persons from across the African continent including H.E. President Jakaya Kikwete, Chairman of the African Union and President of Tanzania, H.E. Mrs. Graca Machel, His Excellency Mr. Benjamin Mkapa and His Excellency Mr. Joachim Chisano, helped broker a reconciliation between H.E. President Mwai Kibaki and his main contender Hon. Raila Odinga leading to the signing of the National Accord and Reconciliation Agreement, thus paving the way for the restoration of peace and security in the country and a return to normalcy in the affected regions.
The Agreement, included a fundamental change in the Government structure to introduce the post of Prime Minister, with two Deputy Premiers and the formation of a Grand Coalition between the President's party of National Unity and Hon.Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement Party.
Following the agreement, H.E. the President and the Prime Minister Designate appointed a National Accord Implementation Committee to prepare a program of action for the Grand Coalition Government (GCG), synchronize the manifestos of the coalition parties and identify short, medium and long term policies for implementation by the GCG.
The Committee established a reconciliation and building program covering the entire country with activities cascaded down to all districts and constituencies and involved the Private Sector, Civil Society, Media, Community Based Organizations, Sports Personalities and Faith Based Organizations in the National Emergency Recovery Strategy.
In parallel to this, three important Bodies were established: The Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission, The Commission of Enquiry on Post Election Violence and Independent Review Committee on the 2007 Elections. Through these Bodies truth, reconciliation and healing will be brought to Kenya and its people.
The parties also agreed on a process and roadmap for comprehensive constitutional reform, which will strengthen the institutions of Governance and address the long term differences that contributed to the violence.
Life in Kenya has settled down quickly with the country coming out stronger and more united than before as President Mwai Kibaki begins his second and final term in office.

Compiled by Nelson Abdalla

About Washington, D.C

                          
Washington, D.C., is the capital city of the United States, located between Virginia and Maryland on the north bank of the Potomac River. The city is home to all three branches of the federal government, as well as the White House, the Supreme Court and the Capitol Building. More than 900,000 people live in Washington, D.C.

The city of Washington was named for George Washington (who picked the location), while the District of Columbia was named for explorer Christopher Columbus.
Size: 68 square miles
Nickname(s): D.C.
Motto: Justitia omnibus – “Justice for All”
Tree: Scarlet Oak
Flower: American Beauty Rose

Interesting Facts

• On July 16, 1790, a compromise between Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison—known as the Residence Act—was passed, declaring George Washington’s selection of a site on the Potomac River as the nation’s new permanent capital. As part of the agreement, the federal government assumed the states’ debts.

• George Washington oversaw construction of the White House, but never lived in it. John and Abigail Adams became the first occupants of the presidential mansion on November 1, 1800, although only for the last four months of his presidency.

• While still under construction, the United States Capitol held its first session of Congress on November 17, 1800. On March 4, 1801, Thomas Jefferson became the first president to be inaugurated in Washington within the Senate chamber of the Capitol.
• After capturing the nation’s capital during the War of 1812, British troops set fire to the White House, U.S. Capitol, several federal buildings and private residences on August 24, 1814. First Lady Dolley Madison, who had refused to leave the White House until only a few hours before the British arrived, secured the full length portrait of George Washington and a copy of the Declaration of independence on her way out.
• It took 83 years to complete construction on Washington National Cathedral. Although originally conceived of in 1791 by Major Pierre L’Enfant, who had been commissioned by George Washington to design a plan for the nation’s capital, the cathedral’s creation did not commence until September 29, 1907, when a stone from a field in Bethlehem was set into a larger slab of American granite and laid in ceremony as the foundation stone. In 1990, the National Cathedral was finally completed.
• Citizens of the capital of the United States, who are deprived of voting representation in the national legislature, have been seeking statehood for years. On September 9, 1983, a Constitution and petition for statehood for New Columbia—as the new state would be called—was presented to Congress.
•  The National Air and Space Museum is one of the most popular museums in the world, attracting, on average, more than nine million visitors each year.

Source:America.com

The deep history behind the Deutschland

                                
The history of Germany is not the history of a nation, but of a race... Thus, even before the fall of the Roman Empire, it becomes the main trunk out of which branch histories of nearly all European nations, and... the connecting link between ancient and modern history. The records of no other race throw so much light upon the development of all civilized lands during a period of fifteen hundred years.
  How could a people, numbering more than one hundred million worldwide - a people who have contributed so much to the civilization of man - be ignored by the Bible? The Bible does have much to say about the history and prophecy of this significant nation. Let's understand!
 Certainly, German contributions to civilization as we know it, have been massive. Great German philosophers, musicians, poets, inventors, historians - far too many to mention - have literally shaped this world's way of thinking over the centuries.
Could the German Reich, the oldest political institution in Europe, which ruled the continent as the Holy Roman Empire for a thousand years, and which almost gained control of the WHOLE WORLD in two wars this century - could a people with a role in human affairs that large, be completely ignored in the Bible? That's what scholars would have you believe.
The Bible does not mention the word "Germany" - and for good reason - they did not acquire that name until the Romans collectively labeled them Germani almost 2000 years ago. In fact, the Germans refer to themselves as Deutsch, not German. They call their beloved country Deutschland. If we are to find the German people mentioned in the Bible, it must be under some other name than what the Romans labeled them.
 For several years now,historians have taught that modern-day Germany descended from the people the Bible refers to as the Assyrians. In this article,i will prove this fact from the Bible and other historical sources. Certainly, the Bible is the greatest historical source of all! In fact, IT IS THE ONLY COMPLETE HISTORICAL SOURCE WE HAVE concerning man's civilization.
We have often said that one third of the Bible is prophecy, most of which is for our day. And you can be sure that Assyria is mentioned in numerous Bible prophecies. But much of the Bible is also history. It is in the Bible where we read of the beginning and establishment of the nation of Assyria - modern Germany. Together, Bible history and prophecy can give us the complete story of the German people from beginning to end. Let us now take a look at the early history of the German people.
 

The Assyrian Empire Begins

  For those who scoff at the prospect of Assyrian people moving from the upper regions of the Mesopotamia Valley into central Europe, consider this undeniable fact: ALL OF MANKIND, at one point or another, has descended from that very cradle of civilization - the Mesopotamia Valley! That is where civilization began after the flood waters receded in Noah's day. "And the ark rested... upon the mountains of Ararat."(GEN 8:4). The ark landed on the mountainous region just north of the Mesopotamian Valley (the eastern part of modern-day Turkey).

  Over three hundred years later, Abraham, through whom God was to raise up His chosen nation Israel, was begotten of the line of Arphaxad, the third son of Shem.

It is significant that Asshur, father of the Assyrians, and Arphaxad, whose line Abraham descended from, both came from Shem! This means that while there may be some distinguishable physical differences between the Assyrians and Israelites, both peoples came from the fair-skinned, white racial strain of Shem. We will refer to this more a little later.

The Assyrian Migration

Before their migration, Periplus, who lived about 550 B.C., wrote, "The coast of the Black Sea... is called Assyria" from p. 261 of Perrot and Chipiez's History of Art in Sardinia, Judaea, Syria and Asia Minor, vol.II). C. Leonard Woolley described what these people looked like in his book, The Sumerians: "In the Zagros hills and across the plain to the Tigris, there lived a... fair-haired... people akin to the Guti (Goths) who... remained in what was afterwards Assyria.". This description certainly matches those who descended from the line of Shem, as we have already noticed.
 By the time of Christ, the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder recorded that the Assyrians were now dwelling north of the Black sea (Natural History, IV, 12, p.183). By this time, they had moved north.
 But they did not stop there,the Assyrians - before 604 B.C. - left their land north of Babylon and migrated northwest - through the lands that are now Georgia, the Ukraine, Poland, and into the land that is called GERMANY today. Today the descendants of those Assyrians are known to us as the GERMAN people"

Tracing Germany's Roots

For centuries, the German people have dominated the heartland of Western Europe. Yet they are a people who know very little about their true origin - or at least refuse to know. The Germans themselves are responsible for hiding much of this knowledge, just as many tried to hide their past at the end of the Hitler era.

Just as the modern-day Israelites are one family of people from many different tribes, so too are the German people today. They number well over 100 million people worldwide - most of them residing in Germany and Austria.

Much was written about the early German tribes which poured into Europe during the first and second centuries A.D., thanks in large part to the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who lived at that time. Among the most significant of these early German tribes are the Chatti (ancestors of the modern Hessians), Treveri, Tungri, and the Alammanni, to name just a few. Chatti means "to break down by violence; to make afraid or terrify." The ancestors of this German tribe, before migrating, lived mostly in Asia Minor, and were called the Assyrian Chatti.

Many of these early German tribes were in constant conflict with the Roman Empire which is why the Romans collectively labeled them Germani, meaning "war men". As the Encyclopedia Britannica points out, "There is no evidence that [Germani] was ever used by the Germans themselves. According to Tacitus it was first applied to the Tungri, whereas Caesar records that four... tribes... were collectively known as Germani." (11th ed., vol.11, article "Germany").

The Romans called them Germani because of their fierce, warring nature. "Not a single neighbor of the Germans," wrote Emil Ludwig, "could ever trust the Germans to remain peaceable. No matter how happy their condition, their restless passion would urge them on to ever more extreme demands." (The Germans: Double History of a Nation, 1941, p.12).

These early tribes migrated into Central Europe, as historians verify. The Romans labeled all of them "war men". But from where did they come? Smith's Classical Dictionary answers: "There can be NO DOUBT that they [the Assyrians]... migrated into Europe from the Caucasus and the countries around the Black and Caspian seas." (article "Germania", p.361).

Speaking of the Indo-Germanic tribes which were invading Europe while he was alive, the historian Jerome, who was born in A.D. 340, writes, "For 'Assur (the Assyrian) also is joined with them'"! (Letter 123, sec.16, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers). Jerome was quoting from Psalm 83:8. Jerome wrote of this Assyrian migration because he lived while it was happening! He was an eyewitness to these events.

Germany in the Middle Ages

As you might expect, the nature of the German people remained warlike throughout the Middle Ages. For 1,000 years, the German Reich ruled Europe as the Holy Roman Empire. "Its citizens, the Germans," wrote Dr. Hoeh, "felt themselves true Romans and bearers of the Christian Reich or Kingdom. They were therefore the chosen people of the Christian era, entrusted with a world-mission to be the protectors of Christianity." (Dec.1962 Plain Truth, "Germany in Prophecy!").

Charlemagne, who was crowned by the pope as the Roman emperor in A.D. 800, was the first to give his people the vision of a world-ruling empire during the Middle Ages. That vision took hold of the German people for over 1,000 years. It resurfaced again this century during the two great wars.

Emil Ludwig, in the above-mentioned book, wrote, "The history of the German kings and leaders during the Middle Ages is a story of revolt and conspiracy... In matters of torture the Germans in the Middle Ages exceeded all other nations in inventiveness." (pp.14,33). A quick review of 20th-century German history reveals that this German nature of cruelty and war did not end with the Middle Ages. A quick review of Assyrian history will also reveal this tendency toward cruelty.

In his Plain Truth article, Dr. Hoeh wrote, "The German leaders and philosophers have never forgotten this notion of the Middle Ages that the German, in place of the Jew, has a special mission from God. German politicians know that their dream of a world empire can be created only if they maintain this claim of a world-mission." (Dec.1962).

To look back at the Middle Ages to better understand the German people today may seem ridiculous for those who think man has "progressed" far beyond those social tendencies. Winston Churchill considered this argument prior to World War I. "No one would do such things," he said, voicing the popular belief of the day. "Civilization has climbed above such perils" - right? But then he asked, "Are you quite sure? It would be a pity to be wrong. Such a mistake could only be made once - once for all." (World Crisis, p.46).

To say that Germany and this world are just too "civilized" to enter into another world war is to make the same mistake the world has made twice this century!

Germany started World War I - the great war to end all wars, so we thought. Then came World War II - far worse by comparison, with close to 60 million killed as a result. Germany also started that war.

But could it happen again? That is the question which should concern everyone on this earth. Have we learned the lesson from history? Philosopher George Santayana said, "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it."

Naziism did not Die

Here is what U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said in February, 1945, in a signed document about American-British policy on Germany: "It is our inflexible purpose to DESTROY German militarism and Naziism and to ENSURE Germany will NEVER AGAIN be able to disturb the peace of the world. We are determined to disarm and disband all German Armed Forces, break up FOR ALL TIME the German General Staff that has repeatedly contrived the resurgence of German militarism, remove or destroy all German military equipment, eliminate or control all German industry that could be used for military production. It is not our purpose to destroy the people of Germany, but ONLY WHEN NAZIISM AND MILITARISM HAVE BEEN EXTIRPATED, will there be hope for a decent life for Germans and a place for them in the community of nations."

Let me stop here for now.i am just here to write you history and nothing else.

Written by Stephen Flurry

The Yoruba And The Fading Heritage

                                  

Yoruba is the most civilized tribe in Nigeria’’ yesss, genuine Igbos and Hausas confirmed this. Yoruba is the most educated tribe in Nigeria, of course, no doubt about that; the most accommodating; most peaceful and the likes. These good attributes goes on and on. Then, ask yourself, ‘’is this as a result modern civilization?? Noooo!, you cannot tell me you are more nicer than your parents. This is the heritage inherited from our parents, believed to have also inherited from the fore-parents who were more into cultural way of life.

Yoruba culture teaches morals, values, mode of dressing and the likes. Though, there were crude part of it, this is refined over time, it is normal in any culture around the globe. Even, the so-called Christianity and Islam were cruder than this before, it was refined over the years and not abandoned. Nothing bad in accepting religion, which we think is ‘’Salvation’’ but why do we need to take it with their own culture as well.

Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, but did he instruct us to hang the Symbolic Cross on our neck to immortalise him, that is Israelite culture, ours is Bead (Ileke). I never see Nigerian children, using gold plated ‘’Gun’’ as necklace because his/her father, Imam or Pastor is killed by Gun or have you ever seen children of the Boko Haram victims hanging bomb as necklace, Noooo!. That is their own culture and not part of religious faith.

Arabs use big turban (Lawani) because of the dust in their desert area, when they were under-developed, my Muslim uncles would put on big turban during naming ceremony being conducted in a very cool atmospheric sitting room. They claim that, dressing like Mohammed (S.A.W) is additional heavenly benefit.

Many of my friends told me when they see beads as necklace, the person look like Babalawo and ladies with ‘’waste beads’’ (Bebe) look like a re-incarnated child ‘’Abiku’’..Haaba!!. Bead is just fashion thing devised by our fore-parents, even they tattoo then. Living with white people made me realise those wigs our ladies wear do not make them beautiful, because Oyinbo have it natural and it looks better on them. Then, I began to see the natural beauty in our hand weaving hairstyles, C´mmon! Black beauty is more adorable in its natural form.

Immorality, being tagged as civilization mixed with foreign culture taken upside down, has eaten deep in us, you see ladies with chest lowered top & the Cross of the necklace being lowered in-between the two ‘’treasures’’ of women, such scene recently took my attention. I was just staring at it until the girl asked me politely ‘’hey, are you fascinated by the Jesus on the cross of Calvary, I answered, not really, I’m actually interested in the two thieves behind him.

I also noticed religious beliefs have even separated the Yoruba children rather than uniting us, why going that far with religion my people! We are known to be more accommodating going by our heritage.

When you meet a loving Yoruba girl, her first JAMB question to you is ‘’are you a Christian or muslim’’, even, having Yoruba name indicates Christianity to her. Kai! me and many of my friends suffered from this JAMB question during our hunting years until we devised a way of re-modifying our names: Dauda becomes Dafo, Rahman to Raymond, Gani to Ganny, Jossiah to Jossy, Sunday to Sunnel and Jide to Jaidous.

Even, you have to deny your fathers’ house because of the message in-front like ´´ Allahu Akbar’’ or ‘’ Covered with Blood of Jesus’’. Then you tell your girl,,,’’you know, I’m in this city to study and I rented a room here, I am from Lag meen’

Yorubas, we got all the swags naturally in our culture, let’s prevent it from fading away.

Written By: Raymond Ajeigbe