Beyonce’s conflicting campaigns

Let me state this from the very beginning – I am a big fan of Beyonce.  I like her music.  She and huzzy Jay Z have proved to young people, particularly black folks like me that hardwork pays and with it you can reach any level.
I’ve lived in Harlem, New York for well over 30 years.  My parents migrated here from Senegal in 1980 and I was born a year later. I draw inspiration from the story of this remarkable couple who rose from poverty to wealth by channeling their energy to positive use at a time when some of their folks chose to ruin themselves with drugs. They are my heroes.

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New Zealand to South African chef: You’re too fat to live here

A South African chef who has been working in New Zealand since 2007 now faces being deported from the country on account of his weight.  Immigration officials said Albert Buitenhuis who weighs 286 pounds did not have “an acceptable standard of health”.
In 2007 the wife of a Briton who lives in New Zealand was denied visa to join her husband because of her weight.  Over half of New Zealand adults and nearly one-third of its children are either overweight or obese.
The country’s immigration service requires all visa applicants to undergo a complete medical examination, which includes body size measures like waist circumference.

Read the full story: Obesity Post

Why southern Africans are getting bigger

In South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, obesity rates are soaring.  The epidemic is particularly worse with women, but even the men are not any better.  South Africa’s Medical Research Council says 70 per cent of all women above the age of 35 are overweight.
Even with its poverty and hunger, a national survey in Swaziland noted that at least 55 per cent of Swazi women are overweight or obese.  According to Hester Vorster of the Center for Excellence in Nutrition at South Africa’s North-West University, “the problem in Africa is that both under- and over-nutrition are the worst in the world.”

Read more: Obesity Post

Malala to terrorists - You may shoot us, but won't silent us

Today is Malala Day, a day set aside by the United Nations to draw global attention to the importance of education for all children.  It was named after Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani schoolgirl who was short in the head in October 2012 for speaking out about her right to education.
Malala who has been receiving treatment in London since the attack, was at the UN headquarters in New York to mark the day.  She delivered a very impressive, wise and courage speech.  I just listened to the speech and I frankly it drew tears to my tears.  The message is simple but profound - Taliban, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram and terrorists all over, you might shoot us, but you won't silent us.
I hope all the agents of terror would listen to this 16 year old activist and heroine of free speech.  Boko Haram, Malala spoke to you particularly.  You always use youtube to send you messages (though you claim to hate western education), now here is a message on youtube for you.  You may bomb schools, but you won't take away our resolve to be educated and free.

Want to get rid of those bingo wings?

Surgery to reshape the upper arms is becoming common as more and more common women embrace the procedure to keep fit, latest statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) indicate.
15,000 brachioplasty procedures were performed last year in the United States according to the group, an increase of more than 4000 per cent over the figures in the year 2000.   Brachioplasty is the medical name for the surgery to remove skin bingo wings.
According to a poll by ASPS, most women who go for under the knife to get rid of bingo wings, say they admire the toned arms of celebrities like Michelle Obama, Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore.
Read more here: obesitypost.com

Potbelly increases the risk of heart disease and cancer

The risk of heart disease and cancer is higher in people with potbelly than in those with bingo wings or who are generally overweight, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The researchers behind the study looked at over 3,000 people for up to seven years and those with abnormal stomach fat were more likely to suffer the illnesses after accounting for clinical risks factors.
People with too many pounds around the midriff have a greater risk of heart disease and cancer than those with a similar BMI (body mass index) who carry their fat in other areas of the body, said the researchers.
Read more: obesitypost.com

Boko Haram kills 30 in a boarding schol attack

Woman morn the death of her child in a Boko Haram attack

Islamic militants attacked a boarding school before dawn Saturday, dousing a dormitory in fuel and lighting it ablaze as students slept, survivors said. At least 30 people were killed in the deadliest attack yet on schools in Nigeria's embattled northeast.
Authorities blamed the violence on Boko Haram, a radical group whose name means "Western education is sacrilege." The militants have been behind a series of recent attacks on schools in the region, including one in which gunmen opened fire on children taking exams in a classroom.
"We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. When I woke up, someone was pointing a gun at me," Musa Hassan, 15, told The Associated Press of the assault on Government Secondary School in Mamudo village in Yobe state.
He put his arm up in defense, and suffered a gunshot that blew off all four fingers on his right hand, the one he uses to write. His life was spared when the militants moved on after shooting him.
Read more: Huffington Post

Bought for $850m in 2008, sold it $1m in 2013, the story of Bebo

Here is the 'interesting' story of Bebo, the once very popular social networking site as reported by Guardian:

Michael Birch, the co-founder of Bebo, tweeted this week that he had bought back his social networking website from AOL for just $1m. In 2008, when Bebo was all the rage among teenagers, AOL paid $850m (£557m) for it.