Tuesday 23 July 2013

YOU CAN DO THIS

Hiya people. If you're not living under a rock or in some cave, you might have heard about the #ChildNotBride campaign on social media. I read Maryam Uwais' take on it and it was hands-down the most comprehensive piece i've read about this issue and how it relates to Sharia...plus she's a Muslim.To understand what the issue is (just in case that your cave is truly impenetrable) you can read about it here and here.
Here's an excerpt of Mrs. Uwais' piece:

Once again, Senator Yerima is in the news, claiming Islam as the basis for his argument that a girl automatically transforms into an adult of ‘full age’ once she is married, with the attendant responsibilities that relate to the renunciation of citizenship, irrespective of her age or mental capacity. Because the Senator from Zamfara State has gone public with his personal comprehension of the Shari’a, it has become necessary to respond publicly to his utterances.

It should be pointed out, however, that several media reports on the constitutional review debate at the Senate give the impression that underage marriage has been endorsed by the Senate Chambers. Facts are that S.29 of the 1979 Constitution permits a Nigerian citizen of ‘full age’ to renounce his or her citizenship by declaration in a prescribed manner, for which purpose ‘full age’ was stated to be 18 years and above. The subsection also provides that, ‘any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age’. In its current efforts to review the Constitution, the Senate Committee had determined that the particular subsection should be deleted, basically because citizenship has no bearing on gender, as for example, voting, the right to drive a car, possess a weapon or such similar social interactions that are evolving or are germane to a democratic Nation. Senator Yerima, however, vehemently argued (and lobbied) against the removal of the clause, on the grounds that deleting that clause was against (his understanding of) Islam. In his understanding, a girl, once married, automatically assumes the full mental capacity and responsibility to consciously make the prescribed declaration of renouncing her citizenship.

You can read the rest here


I also saw the video of Nollywood actress and singer, Stella Damasus and she was spitting fire. That woman ain't playing. You should watch it here:


I just signed the petition "United Nations: Stop The Nigerian Senate From Making Under-Age Marriage The Law!" on Change.org. It'll take like 30 seconds max and it's important. This petition would allow the amendment of the constitution so that Section 29, subsection 4b that allows children who are under 18 to be deemed as of "full age" is deleted. Will you sign it too? Here's the link. Thanks

P.S: I'll be back with regular gist. I know i owe you plenty in the meantime, please pay up your Sykik's gist money. She has promised to make me hammer so pay up biko. You remember my one dollar a person dream to be a millionaire don't you? It's not working at the moment so do me one better and pay up. *kisses*

Tuesday 9 July 2013

HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU?



Confidence is not bravado, or swagger, or an overt pretense of bravery. This is according to Dharmesh Shah and i totally agree. Confidence is not some bold or brash air of self-belief directed at others.

Confidence is quiet: It’s a natural expression of ability, expertise, and self-regard.

I stumbled on this post on Linkedin and i just loved it and thought to share. Dharmesh lists 9 qualities of truly confident people.

Source

1. They take a stand not because they think they are always right… but because they are not afraid to be wrong.
Cocky and conceited people tend to take a position and then proclaim, bluster, and totally disregard differing opinions or points of view. They know they’re right – and they want (actually they need) you to know it too.

Their behavior isn’t a sign of confidence, though; it’s the hallmark of an intellectual bully.

Truly confident people don’t mind being proven wrong. They feel finding out what is right is a lot more important than being right. And when they’re wrong, they’re secure enough to back down graciously. Truly confident people often admit they’re wrong or don’t have all the answers; intellectual bullies never do.

2. They listen ten times more than they speak.
Bragging is a mask for insecurity. Truly confident people are quiet and unassuming. They already know what they think; they want to know what you think. So they ask open-ended questions that give other people the freedom to be thoughtful and introspective: They ask what you do, how you do it, what you like about it, what you learned from it… and what they should do if they find themselves in a similar situation.

Truly confident people realize they know a lot, but they wish they knew more… and they know the only way to learn more is to listen more.

3. They duck the spotlight so it shines on others.
Perhaps it’s true they did the bulk of the work. Perhaps they really did overcome the major obstacles. Perhaps it’s true they turned a collection of disparate individuals into an incredibly high performance team.

Truly confident people don’t care – at least they don’t show it. (Inside they’re proud, as well they should be.) Truly confident people don’t need the glory; they know what they’ve achieved. They don’t need the validation of others, because true validation comes from within. So they stand back and celebrate their accomplishments through others. They stand back and let others shine – a confidence boost that helps those people become truly confident, too.

4. They freely ask for help.
Many people feel asking for help is a sign of weakness; implicit in the request is a lack of knowledge, skill, or experience.

Confident people are secure enough to admit a weakness. So they often ask others for help, not only because they are secure enough to admit they need help but also because they know that when they seek help they pay the person they ask a huge compliment.

Saying, “Can you help me?” shows tremendous respect for that individual’s expertise and judgment. Otherwise you wouldn't ask.

You can read the rest of the article here. Enjoy.

I'll be back xo