"First Time In 15 Years" - Footballer Mario Balotelli Embraces His Roots

Italian footballer Mario Balotelli has embraced his African roots by sharing a picture of himself tucking into west African delicacy, jollof rice. 

The proud player who recently got engaged shared the picture above on his official Facebook fan site caption, "Back to my Ghanaian roots. Eating jollof rice for the first time in 15 years."

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MH17 Plane Crash: Black Boxes Arrive In Britain

The black boxes from downed Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 have arrived in the UK for analysis by air accident investigators, it has been confirmed.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said they had been delivered to its headquarters in Farnborough, Hampshire.

Experts will attempt to download data from the recorders following a request by authorities in the Netherlands - who are leading the investigation.

Some 298 people, including 10 Britons, were killed in the crash on 17 July.

Western leaders have accused Russia of arming separatist rebels in Ukraine, and believe the rebels shot down the Boeing 777-200 airliner with a ground-to-air missile.

But Russia has suggested Ukrainian government forces are to blame.

It comes as a group of MPs criticised the fact that UK licences to export arms to Russia had remained in place, despite the conflict in Ukraine.

Downing Street said the UK had not sold arms to Russia since March.




Source: BBC News

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Lupita Nyong'o Cover's The July Issue Of ELLE France

Lupita Nyong'o looks happy in yellow on the cover of the ELLE France July issue.

The stunning actress who is labelled a star by the magazine, wows in a canary yellow Giambattista Valli Haute Couture silk gown. It's been a great year for the actress who is currently working on her next role as part of the Star Wars cast.

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Wellness: 5 Great Protein Sources That Aren't Meat

You know you can easily meet your daily protein requirements with a steak or a platter of sashimi, but you can get the essential nutrient from these lesser-expected foods, as well.

1. The Best for Dieters

What They Are: Nuts and seeds

How Much Protein You Get: Almonds and pistachios have about 5–7 grams per ounce; macadamias and hazelnuts have 2–3 grams per ounce.

Why They're Great: Packed with protein as well as healthy monosaturated fat and fiber, nuts are surprisingly filling. This could be why studies keep finding a relationship between eating nuts and dropping pounds. In one, people who ate 70 almonds a day (in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet) lost 18 percent of their body weight.

One More Thing: The average 150-pound woman needs 60–100 grams of protein a day, says Lauren Schmitt, RD, founder of Healthy Eating & Training. Instead of trying to get all of your protein in your entrées, eat smaller amounts throughout the day, to better regulate your mood, hunger and blood sugar levels, Schmitt says. Sprinkle nuts on foods like cereal, oatmeal, salads and fruit.

2. The Best All-Purpose Alternative to Chicken

What It Is: Soy

How Much Protein You Get: One half-cup of soybeans has (are you ready for this?) about 34 grams of protein (in comparison, a half-cup of chicken has about 17 grams). In tofu form, a half-cup of soy has about 10 grams. 

Why It's Great: Soybeans are the only plant food that are considered a "complete protein," which means they provide all the essential amino acids in the amounts needed for good health, says Sumner Brooks, RDN, founder of Not on a Diet. There's a reason vegetarians love soy: Tofu can rival chicken in stir-frys, and tempeh (which is compressed soy) is a ground-beef doppelganger in chili and sauces. Try roasted soybeans with pumpkin seeds for a convenient, filling, high-protein snack. 

One More Thing: Processed soy foods, like veggie burgers or soy dogs, are often made with soy protein isolate (SPI). While you are getting protein, this means that you're not getting soy's other nutrients or its soluble fiber, explains Brooks (and because of the way the protein is isolated, you could be getting other unnatural chemicals instead).

3. The Best Treat

What It Is: Dairy

How Much Protein You Get: A cup of milk has about 8 grams, an ounce of cheese has 6–7 grams, yogurt has 4–6 grams (per 6-ounce serving), Greek yogurt and kefir have 15–20 grams.

Why It's Great: Dairy foods are a high-quality protein food, and a little goes a long way toward meeting your amino acid and protein requirements. Greek yogurt and kefir are veritable protein powerhouses, and a serving has as much protein as a serving of lean meat. 

One More Thing: Brooks says clients who talk about giving up dairy and replacing milk with nut milk are shocked to hear that almond milk is so diluted from the source of the whole nut that the liquid has little to no protein.

4. The Best for Antioxidants

What They Are: Beans

How Much Protein You Get: A cup of cooked beans generally has between 12–16 grams.

Why They're Great: They're low in fat and high in insoluble as well as soluble fiber, which help promote a healthy digestive tract, lower blood cholesterol levels and can reduce the risk of some types of cancer. A growing body of research suggests that eating beans, as well as fish, chicken or nuts in place of red meat can lower the risk of several diseases and premature death. Eat a mix of colors to get different types of heath-promoting, free-radical-fighting antioxidants.

One More Thing: Beans are considered "incomplete," because they're missing essential amino acids, explains Schmitt. Pair them with whole grains that have complementary amino acids as well as extra protein. Good combos: Lentils and quinoa, black beans and brown rice, hummus and whole wheat pita.

5. The Best Choice for Those Who Work Out a Lot

What They Are: Eggs

How Much Protein You Get: One large egg has 6 grams of protein (about 12 percent of the recommended daily value). 

Why They're Great: Eggs are another perfect, complete protein, with all the amino acids your body needs, says Schmitt. What's more, they contain vitamin B12, which is involved in processes like fat breakdown, muscle contraction and promoting a healthy metabolism.

One More Thing: Most of an egg's protein is found in the white, but don't toss the yolks, says Schmitt. That's where you'll find vitamins A, B12 and D, as well as calcium, folate and omega-3s. (And you know that eating an egg a day won't have any ill effects on your cholesterol level.)

By Corrie Pikul

Huffington Post

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Relationships: 7 Ways To Create A Happier You

“Happiness is a journey, not a destination.”

All of us are different. All of us are unique. We come from different countries, different backgrounds, and are interested in different things. But there’s one thing that everyone universally wants, no matter who they are: happiness.

We’re constantly trying to chase happiness, as if we can run up to it and catch it and keep it in a shoebox forever. But all of this is in vain. As Souza once said, happiness is a journey, not a destination. There are ways we can live our life to make sure our journey is a happy one.

Here’s 7 Ways To Create a Happier You:

Surround Yourself with Positive People
Assess how you feel after spending time with those close to you. If you’re constantly being put down or feeling unhappy after being in their presence or speaking with them , consider this: you deserve to be surrounded by people who lift you up, not put you down.


Accept Yourself
Stop beating yourself up over your flaws (or what you view as your flaws). Don’t let your past mistakes hinder you. Stand in front of the mirror, look at your yourself, and tell yourself that from this point on, “no more holding on to guilt. I forgive myself”

Stop Comparing Yourself
Jealousy is an ugly trait to have. Understand this… Everyone has a God given purpose. In that purpose, there’s a process. Your season will come. Don’t compare your first chapter to someone else’s 20th chapter.

Spend One Hour a Day on Your Favorite Hobby
Sometimes, life gets so overwhelming that we let it rush by, forgetting to spend time on our passions. Dedicate just one hour, or maybe half-hour, of your day to doing something you love to do.

Nourish Yourself
Eat foods that heal you, not foods that hurt you. Your body is your temple, and it deserves to be given all of the nutrients it needs and more. When you eat good, you feel good, and that’s  the whole point.

Meditation/ Prayer
For me, nothing makes me happier than the feeling I get when I’ve just prayed. Spending time in His presence assures me that everything is going to be okay, whether it turns out the way I’ve planned or not.

Count Your Blessings
Be grateful for what you’ve been given. And I don’t mean that in a lecture-y way; I mean that you should focus on what you have instead of what you don’t have, because it will truly make you a happier person.

I live everyday trying to maintain  my own happiness while trying my best to bring happiness to others as well. Faith and Gratitude are  the keys to happiness for me. I remind myself of the good in my life. I appreciate the good times and look at the challenging times as opportunities.

You only have one life to live, and you should be living it with a smile on your face. :)





Source: The Praying Woman

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Picture Of The Day

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Career: 12 Young Entrepreneurs Who Make Me Feel Optimistic About Nigeria's Future

Not long ago I came across a picture on Facebook; it was the first item on my timeline. In the picture were three individuals: my Facebook friend, a successful and commendable African entrepreneur, and another individual. 

Alongside the picture was a caption, which celebrated "the individual," a beneficiary of a brutal military regime. The caption on the picture made me cringe. Immediately, I went through a flashback of Nigeria's history - the picture made me think about Nigeria's future.

Then I began to ask myself a series of questions. Why should we as Nigerians celebrate wealthy beneficiaries of brutal military regimes? Why should we as young people accept their ill-gotten wealth as part of Nigeria's success story? Any good student of Nigerian history can make a clear connection between an individual's sudden access to the nation's resources through illegal means, corruption, or military regimes and actual business growth. In this instance, oil fields belonging to an entire nation were conveniently allocated to one individual. 
Rosemary Ajayi, technical assistant to the current Governor of Ekiti State in Nigeria said, "corruption saps the will of everyone but of those benefitting from it." I say, corruption in Nigeria should be considered a form of terrorism.

It is no secret that Nigeria is full of natural resources, however, the lack of transparency and respect for the rule of law has allowed for the misappropriations of these resources. Victor Asemota, owner and principal consultant of Swifta Systems wrote on his twitter page, "A friend said she was at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and was wondering how most people we celebrate in Nigeria became so wealthy? No one has straight stories." He continues, "there are very few noble wealthy people in Nigeria, many of them are mostly government assisted tyrants." As future policymakers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and more importantly, as young Nigerians, we cannot and should not continue to celebrate those who have conveniently benefitted from corruption, or military regimes. Let us learn to ask questions, hold each other accountable, and reclaim respectable moral and ethical standards.

Despite the growing concern for Nigeria's future due to terrorism or the lack of conscientious leaders, I am optimistic. I am optimistic because a growing number of young Nigerian entrepreneurs are creating innovative businesses, and more importantly are not waiting for government connections to create this change. These young innovators are being proactive about change and their enormous success is not a byproduct of nepotism or deeply entrenched corruption.

The collaborative power of technology and new media has given a voice to a new kind of entrepreneur. It has given a voice to innovative young Nigerians emerging throughout the continent and these are who I want more young Nigerians to celebrate as success stories. As the largest economy within the African continent, we have to celebrate hard work and innovation, as well as implement policies that accelerate business growth and strengthen the private sector to create more jobs. 

Here are the 12 Young Entrepreneurs who make me optimistic about Nigeria's future. These young entrepreneurs are out in the field establishing businesses and providing solutions within their various communities.

(1) Jason Njoku is co-founder of iROKOtv, the largest online distributor of Nollywood films.

(2) Tola Onigbanjo is co-founder of Women4Africa, a UK-based organization celebrating, recognizing, and honoring African women who have made great impact in their communities.

(3) Mark Essien is founder of Hotels.ng, Nigeria's leading hotel booking portal.

(4) Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola is co-founder of WeCyclers, a company giving low-income communities in developing countries a chance to capture value from waste and clean up their neighborhoods through an incentive-based recycling program.

(5) Gbenga Sesan is founder of the Paradigm Initiative (PIN), an organization using ICT to empower young people in underserved communities through entrepreneurial training programs.

(6) Linda Ikeji is founder of the Linda Ikeji blog, Nigeria's most visited blog. Over the years, Ikeji's blog has become an advertising platform for artists, entrepreneurs, and top Nigerian companies. Although considered a controversial blogger, Linda uses her sense of humor to attract her readers. Ikeji has adopted an effective sales strategy and leveraged on partnerships with various companies.

(7) Zanau Hassan Maikasuwa is a seasoned farmer and founder of Farmfields Agro-Allied Services, which supports local farmers and agricultural investors dealing with all aspects of farming - animals and crops. Zanau also helped to launch theAWP Network Agropreneur project for Women Farmers.

(8) Misan Rewane is founder of West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE), an organization tackling youth unemployment by identifying, training, and placing talented West African youths in wage-earning jobs in the hospitality sector.

(9) Debo Folorunsho is co-founder of Applause Africa, a media publishing company celebrating, empowering, and connecting Africans in the United States through online programs and in-person events.

(10) Ola Orekunrin is founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria, West Africa's first indigenous air ambulance service and a crucial link for critically injured people.

(11) Sim Shagaya is founder of Konga Online, Nigeria's leading e-commerce company. The Konga marketplace aggregates sellers and retail stores on the same platform, giving customers more variety to choose from.

(12) Achenyo Idachaba is founder of MitiMeth, a company producing hand-woven crafts from invasive aquatic weeds prevalent in Nigeria's waterways. MitiMeth engages local artisans to create eco-friendly hand- woven home décor and personal accessories from invasive aquatic weeds and non-timber forest resources.

Nigeria's future may appear bleak with the lack of effective governance, or the growing number of kidnappings and bombings. Despite these circumstances, Nigeria's young innovative entrepreneurs make me hopeful.

Follow Mary Olushoga on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Africwomenpower

Huffington Post

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