MicoStar Mall gives Nigeria direct access to US Biggest Sales Day this year, Black Friday Nov.27

Black Friday Nov. 27th is the Biggest Sales Day of the year in USA. While Cyber Monday Nov. 30th is the Biggest Online Monday Sales Day of the year in USA. MicoStarMall.com was the first online shopping mall to ever introduce US Black Friday in Nigeria five years ago.

 
Since then they have had a record breaking sales in Nigeria and Africa each year during US Black Friday Sales. The reason is because so many people living in Nigeria and other parts of Africa have the opportunity of purchasing real Black Friday deals directly from stores in US and receive their goods at their doorstep. 

This year MicoStarMall.com is giving everyone in Nigeria and other countries in Africa direct access to purchase ANY item from ANY store in America for the EXACT sales price and get delivered to their door step BEFORE Christmas (apart from vehicles that could arrive later). 

MicoStar Mall will be giving their customers FREE local door to door delivery to any city in Nigeria for purchases made during this period! MicoStar Mall will also match and ensure the total price of any item of the same quality purchased from any US store through MicoStar Mall is lower than ANY price you will find in ANY store in Nigeria or any other online store. Everyone should take advantage of their huge sale this week! 

You are sure of quality items directly from US stores, discounted prices and safe delivery with Micostarmall.com Visit www.micostarmall.com for huge deals this week and your Christmas Shopping!

EFCC declares man wanted for withdrawing N45m mistakenly credited into his account

Press statement from the EFCC...

The public is hereby notified that Jerry Ogbonna Obike Phillip, whose photograph appears below, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a case of stealing. Phillip allegedly withdrew the sum of N45, 000,000.00 (Forty Five million naira) which was mistakenly credited into his account in a new generation bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria before the money could be reversed to its rightful owner.

Photos: Awww...this is beautiful!

This post was shared by Facebook user, Allen Harris...he wrote;

"This female stole my heart at the age of 11, stayed with me when I only had a few dollars to my name, lived paycheck to paycheck with me, was strong enough to deliver 3 beautiful seeds to me,
motivated me to keep going when I was nervous about leaving nursing to grow my business, said that she has faith in every decision I make, remained patient until I finally got it together, & is still here for the payout. This is only a fraction of what I owe Mrs.Harris." ‪#‎2016Mustang‬

Why Do Nigerians Speak So Loud When Making Phone Calls?

Have you ever been asked before, ‘why are Nigerians so loud on their mobile phones?’ Have you ever wondered yourself or, have you been embarrassed when fellow Nigerians talk at the pinnacle of their voices in the train, bus, shopping malls or at any other public places while away, overseas? But, wait, is it only Nigerians who love to swagger and yell whenever they use their mobile phones, or is this an unfair generalisation?

In the last six months, I brought it upon myself to carry out a rather informal research in Dubai; being a host to over 250 nationalities, Dubai, the pride of place in the United Arab Emirates, is the most appropriate place for such an undertaking. Yes, many Indians too like to be heard during their phone conversations; they speak aloud the more the number of people around them, but Nigerians ‘never carry last’ on this.

Also, if you are in the North or East Africa. I remember when I was in Kigali, they accused West Africans of being too noisy; it also happens when you visit Senegal or Niger in West Africa, and they will narrow it down to Nigerians. Yes, Nigerians are uncommon people; they laugh away even in bad situations.

And so again I don’t think this seemingly irritating phone etiquette is specific to just Nigeria or people from Africa, Nigerians just do it best.

For me, being a Nigerian, I didn’t have to ask seven out of ten blacks I encountered in the UAE, which part of Africa they come from; when they are on the phone, it’s already clear to me. I asked a teacher of journalism, with a PhD in Sociology at the University of Maiduguri, Dr. Abubakar Mu’azu to bear his mind on this subject in relation to Nigerians, and he informed that, “It is not all Nigerians that are loud, it’s certain sections of the country that are, for instance, if you live in a place like Lagos, you discover that the whole culture of Lagos is noisy and the people are noisy and loud too. If you get to the North, they don’t shout as much as you see in the South-West and in the South-East. Once more, if you look at people from the South-South region, particularly Cross River, they are generally not loud. People from Akwa Ibom are not generally noisy, but most people of Edo and Delta area are very outgoing.”

Then, why do some people get irritated by what excites another person, and sometimes the very person that is irritated by someone else’s noisy phone habits, irritates the noisy person in question, by let’s say, biting his or her own fingernails. No matter how well-mannered you think you are, there are things you do that will not go down well with others, and so, while you are tolerant, try to keep your etiquettes strictly within your space in public arenas.

According to Dr. Amee Shah, Director of the Speech Acoustics and Perception Laboratory at Cleveland State University. “There are four different elements: a biological component, a pathological component, a personality component and a cultural component…It can be mechanical; everybody is born with a different size larynx and vocal cords.., some may have smaller lungs and not enough airflow to cause a louder voice.”

Still, as it is evident from Abubakar’s interpretation, “even culture can affect how loudly (or softly) we talk,” says Shah. “Certain cultures prevent or inhibit loud talking, especially if you’re a woman.” “There are practical reasons why someone may not make direct eye contact and not project their voice loud enough.” In Nigeria, it is noteworthy that the majority of loud phone users are men.

As to whether loud talking is genetic, Shah says it’s more about the environment.

“At the family level, it’s more of a mental influence,” she states. “If it’s a big family, everybody learns that to be heard, you have to speak up. It’s more sociological.”

Simply growing up around a bunch of loud talkers can influence most people. So, could this be responsible for why Lagosians and many southerners, generally, in Nigeria are loud and noisy? Alas, yet people from Kano, unlike most northerners in Nigeria, are loud too. A Kano man likes to brag; the louder he speaks, the more he attracts the attention of others when discussing his business or plans.

Many people I was courageous enough to ask why they are too garish and loud on the phone blamed the poor service provided by the telecommunications companies in Nigeria. Sometime you hear that the voice of the person at the other end is very faint, they too will complain they can’t hear you, hence the two speakers find themselves shouting; more so, even when the service is good, they just shout because they have become used to it.

In Nigeria, it is very usual to find people around generator sets, in parks, open markets, in ceremonies or in tenement buildings commonly known as ‘face-me-I-face-you,’ with people buying and servicing competing generator sets. So people shout, because if you don’t, there is the tendency you will not be heard and these are some of the baggage Nigerians carry to other parts of the world.

Trust Nigerians, we possess a high sense of exertion. What some people consider as noise may just be the usual swank by an average Nigerian who can hardly be suppressed, and is highly extroverted. Nigerians are generally expressive, they are hardly despondent, the kind of jokes Nigerians will crack when their landlords give them a quit notice, after a bomb blast (that claims many lives of fellow citizens) or when they receive meagre salaries that can hardly pay for their basic needs is baffling. A Nigerian will laugh out, joke and say, “tomorrow go better.”

Young loud phone talkers aren’t the only irritants today, even older people have joined the stream of youths using their phones at public functions, taking selfies, browsing or texting, sometimes laugh loud when they read or see something funny on their screens, thanks to the proliferation of the cell phones.

Source from gistmania.com

NIGERIAN'S FORMER PRESIDENT "GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN" IS PLUS ONE TODAY

Atiku Abubakar wishes GEJ a happy birthday

Nigeria’s former president, Goodluck Jonathan, turned 58 on Friday and has been getting
loads of birthday greetings on social media especially on Facebook and Twitter.

Jonathan who is presently in the United States lost his reelection bid to Muhammadu
Buhari after having served first as vice president to late Umaru Yar’Adua and as president 
for six years.

Movie producer Elvis Chucks robbed in Lagos last night

Movie Producer Elvis Chucks was robbed at Ilupeju, Lagos last night November 19th.
According to him, he was heading home at about 9pm yesterday after he finished
production for the day at a movie location when he and two others in his Hummer SUV
were attacked by 8 armed men, who double crossed his  SUV at the Ilupeju town
planning bridge heading to Third mainland bridge where he had stopped to drop off someone.



The men robbed him of his phones, his Apple watch which he said he was wearing for the
first time, 4.5D Canon Cameras, iPhone s6 .6lenses and a Samsung S6. He said after
several failed attempts to move his Hummer jeep, the robbers moved him and the occupants
into their own vehicle and drove them to an ATM machine at Cele along Mile 2 Badagry
express way where he was forced to withdraw N150,000 from his account. They took the
money from him and then drove off. thankfully, no one was injured.

Former Premier League footballer reveals how he was brought to the UK as a child and forced into male prostitution

In a report on Today programme, Al Bangura who played in the Premier League for 

Watford from 2009 - 2015, spoke to BBC's Sima Kotecha on how at 14, his parents 

told him to become the leader of the secret society his late father had headed in 

Sierra Leone. The 27-year-old who is now working with the Premier League to raise 

awareness on the growing number of teenage players being tricked into leaving Africa 

for Europe, refused.

    "I said I didn't think this was something I wanted to get involved with. I want to play 

      football and I'm going to school so I don't want to do that," he says.

So he travelled to neighbouring Guinea where he met a French man, who pretended to
be his friend and promised to help him fulfill his dream.

     "I didn't know he had another different intention - to get me into the sex trade,"

The pair travelled to France and on to the UK. Once there, the man left him alone in
a building.

     "All of a sudden I saw two or three guys come around me, trying to rape me and
make me do stuff. Because I was young and I was small, I just started screaming. They
probably thought I knew what I was there for - obviously I know what I came over here for,
I was here to play football."

     "I was just crying and proper screaming and I tried to make my way out - I was cold,
I was crying, I was shaking, I didn't know what to do, I was all over the place. I made my
way outside. I didn't know where to start, I thought it was the end of my life."

He requested help from a Nigerian man, who told him to go to the Home Office and claim
asylum. Because he was 16, he was later given a two-year right to stay.

"It was so emotional, because after a few months I'd kind of forgotten about what what I'd
been through, it had been sad but I ended up coming to a good thing.

     "I started meeting people, started playing football and I got the opportunity to join
Watford when I was 16 and things just started building up for me," he explains. "It's quite
emotional to talk about it now, I'm happy I've got over it, but it's sad for me."

It is estimated that 15,000 teenage footballers, are moved out of 10 West African countries
every year - many of them under-age.

The figures come from non-governmental organisation Foot Solidaire, which helps send
boys back to Africa after they have been tricked by unscrupulous agents into leaving the
continent.

The National Crime Agency says its most recent figures from 2014 show a total of 2,340
potential victims of trafficking were referred from 96 countries - of these 29% were minors.

But Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Kevin Hyland said he believed more children
were trafficked to the UK than the official figures suggest. 

Sports journalist Ed Hawkins has just spent two years investigating the football trade for a
book called the Lost Boys.

     "It's difficult to put a number on it, but it's probably in the thousands each year. People
aren't aware of the scams, how the culture of greed permeates from top to bottom
(in football) and encourages the slave trade," he says.

A Fifa rule called Article 19 says clubs cannot sign people aged under 18, but it has caveats.

     "It's not worth the paper it's written on, it's just for window dressing by Fifa, they have
given get out clause for clubs to do what they like," he says.

     "There should be a blanket ban on the signing of minors - it shouldn't be allowed at all,
Uefa says this should be in place, with no caveats at all. That would help reduce the numbers."

Bangura, who also now works with charities to publicise the issue, said:

     "I think there's loads of vulnerable kids in Africa who want to achieve what I've achieved
in my life. There's loads of kids who might not even tell their parents, or their parents might
use their last money to make sure they come over here to play football and they end up doing
something else. It's important for me, having been through what I've been through in my life,
for me to say I've been through that, I've survived, but what about the young kids coming up,
will they survive, are they going to be able to cope with that, so we really need to find a way
to stop all of that."

Source: By Sima Kotecha for BBC NEWS

Samsung allows easy bypass of Android Factory Reset Protection

Just a few days after Google hinted Samsung would better stop meddling with Android, as it was introducing several basic security flaws that made it vulnerable, here's another jab: Samsung's modifications make it very easy for anyone to bypass Android's anti-theft reset protection system.

To discourage smartphoone thefts, Google added a Factory Reset Protection to Android, that prevents a thief from simply resetting a stolen device and use it. This systems is designed so that you'll still need the original owner's permission to really clean up the device... but it can easily be bypassed on Samsung's devices.

The trick is that Samsung decided to make things easier to users. When you connect a USB storage device to one of their Android smartphones, it automatically launches a file manager app. The issue is that this action happens even during the initial setup process - which allows an attacker to simply download and execute an app that does a special reset that bypasses the protection system; meaning... there's no protection at all.

Surely Samsung didn't intend to make things easier to thieves. But this is just one more case that you can't/shouldn't mess with things without thinking of its consequences; particularly when dealing with systems that have such a complexity and where it's hard to remember just how far the implications of each tiny modification may reach.

VIDEO LINK

https://youtu.be/DJ8_qbj1DPQ

South Africa's Stellenbosch University aims to drop Afrikaans after protests

An elite South African university wants to drop Afrikaans as the language of instruction and teach in English.

Stellenbosch University management has taken the decision in the wake of a viral video about the challenges and racism faced by black students.
It detailed how some struggled with lessons in Afrikaans, one of the main languages spoken by the white minority.
A student movement that campaigned for change said: "The doors of learning and culture shall be opened to all."
The university is reportedly two-thirds white, more than two decades after the end of apartheid.
Opposition to being taught in Afrikaans helped mobilise students to join the campaign against white-minority rule.

Crazy Architects Build zombie Powered to protect Themselves from Potential zombie apocalypse

      Just in case Night of the Living Dead becomes a reality, zombie enthusiasts across the globe are gearing up to plan for the potential zombie apocalypse. The folks at Architects Southwest have devised a fun contest for designers and architects to create a Zombie Safe House. One horrific entry is a self-sustaining vertical farm that uses a zombie-powered energy system, and also keeps its human inhabitants safely out of reach of the brains-hungry power source.


      Lured by hanging bait traps with delicious warm-blooded rabbits inside, the zombies will flood into a giant turbine in a frenzy, ravenous for tiny rabbit brains. As they attempt to grasp the tasty snacks, they’ll run around and around, turning the turbine and powering the housing system above. Zombies may be slow, but their strength provides enough power to yield electricity and water pressure.
On the surface, the humans can live safely in a cantilevered structure, centered around a spiral staircase that leads to each level


  Living units are dispersed on lower levels, and the structure is capped off with a large penthouse. In the middle of the building will lie a vertical farm planting unit that grows edible crops for the humans to enjoy, as well as trees to sit and ponder beneath as the zombie apocalypse goes on outside. The plants will be irrigated via an underground water storage area, with the water being siphoned thanks to zombie power.
Should a zombie slave escape, each structure has a retractable bridge which would prevent a slow-moving zombie from gaining access to the living compound. Each unit is also equipped with an escape route, which elevates the living areas with a track system when zombies are near. Grouped together, the structures make up a comfortable Zombie Ranch that uses the power of the undead for good.

Grow your business with Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to find and keep new customers.  Email Marketing is the process of sending e-mails to acquire new customers and convince existing customers to make additional purchases.  It is also used to enhance the relationship of a business with its customers and prospects and encourage customer loyalty and repeat business.
By building a mailing list, a business can create an extremely valuable asset.
The advantages of email:

• Email lets you send information to a wide range of existing and potential customers at a much lower cost than direct mail or printed newsletters.
• E-mail marketing allows you to track your return on investment exactly and is often reported as second only to search marketing as the most effective online marketing tactic.
• The delivery time for an e-mail message is short (i.e., seconds or minutes) as compared to a mailed advertisement (i.e., one or more days).
• E-mail marketing is paper-free (i.e., "green)
• Once you have a large list, you can "rent" your list to 3^rd party marketing firms that will mail other offers to people on your list - this can be a significant additional source of revenue for your business.

How to build your email list:
Include an email sign-up box on your web site.  Giving away a free report or "how-to" white  course is a great incentive for people to subscribe to your list.
You can also collect the email addresses of people that drop-off of your cart page after entering their email address. You can then send them a follow up email offering a discount to complete the sale.
Once a person submits their e-mail address to you they become an opt-in subscriber. Don't just send emails that attempt to sell things but rather offer them information, free reports, and tidbits of news and advice. That way they will be more likely to purchase it as something you recommend to them, not just as something you are selling.
Key points to remember about email:
The sending of unsolicited email is forbidden by law and can involve severe penalties for violators. It is governed by the federal Can Spam Law.
You should only send email to a person when they have "opted-in" to receive it. When you collect a person's email address, be sure that you explain how you intend to use their email.  Include a privacy policy on your web site and place a link to it next to your email collection box.
Due to the large amount of spam email, it is getting harder to get legitimate commercial email delivered into people's inbox.  Specialty software and service firms have emerged to help business manage their email programs and ensure that their emails are not blocked as spam.
Although it takes time and effort to maintain and grow, a mailing list can end up being the most powerful tool in your internet marketing arsenal.

How to Find Free Coupons on the Web

When times are tough, the old fashioned staple of coupons tend to experience resurgence. Coupons have been around as long as the concept of marketing has, and in recent years the internet has helped create a whole new universe for coupon hunters.
Coupon Aggregators
Some web sites specialize in providing a one-stop shop for coupons from all sorts of stores, both online and brick and mortar stores. Similar to travel web sites, these coupon aggregator sites can save you a lot of time clicking around looking for the best deal. Why go to hundreds of sites when one site can deliver what you need? That's exactly what sites such as RetailMeNot.com do for you. Beyond simply searching for stores of interest on their site, they also provide other convenient ways to access their online coupon services. For example, why not use their Mac Dashboard Widget to keep track of the latest free online coupon codes? If you don't have a Mac, simply download their Internet Explorer or Firefox web browser add-ons and have free online coupon codes sent directly to your web browser. Jumping on the expanding popularity of Facebook, they also offer a plug-in for the popular social networking site.
Other useful free online coupon aggregator web sites include CouponMountain.com, DealCatcher.com,Ebates.com and BestOnlineCoupons.com. Do a search on Google or your favorite search engine for "free online coupons" and you'll be amazed at the different sites out there.
Company Coupons
Businesses have long recognized the power of the coupon. Not only does it help them increase sales, but from an analysis perspective it can help their marketing departments figure out what types of promotions consumers you like respond to the best. Thus, you can find many coupons directly from company web sites.
The easiest way to see if there are savings of what you regularly buy is simply to type the brand name and the word "coupon" into any search engine. Chances are the free online coupon you're looking for is out there. Many may have expiration dates, so make sure you take note of when the coupon is good until.
Free online coupons have two main ways of redeeming them. The first is the good old fashioned way. Print out the coupon and take it into the store of your choice. Present the coupon at the point of purchase. Another popular way to use free online coupons is by typing in a coupon code during an online purchase. If you regularly purchase over the internet, this can be more convenient (and save a lot of paper and printer ink too).
Make sure to read the fine print of any web site offering coupons. Most will ask for your email address and other personal information. Give out only what you're comfortable with. It's a good idea to open a separate email account just for these types of online promotions. This will prevent your personal inbox from getting flooded with spam.
Finding free online coupons is not only a great way to save money, it can be a lot of fun as well!

8 Strange Stories That Will Freak You Out When You Find Out They Are Real

1. When the children of Riverwood Primary School in Australia went out for recess one day, they found their playhouse filled with 1.5 liters of human blood…

  Due to the amount of blood found, it was clear the victim would not have been able to get up and walk away. DNA testing was never able to match the blood to anyone.

 2. The number 0888-888-888 was discontinued for a dark, dark reason…

 

 Every single person who was assigned the number has died in the last ten years. Two of these deaths were mob bosses who probably had it coming, but phone companies still don’t like those odds.

 3. When George Boyer was a boy, he didn’t want to be an athlete or a rock star when he grew up. Instead, he aspired to be a one-legged man. It wasn’t until he was 68 that he got his wish…

 

 Boyer shot himself in the leg. The doctors at the hospital said they could save it, but Boyer convinced them to amputate it regardless. Boyer cheerfully lived with one leg for the rest of his life.

5. In 1838, Edgar Allan Poe released the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. The story was about three sailors who had to consume their friend to survive a shipwreck. Little did Poe know that this story became a reality some years later…

 

 In 1884, three sailors actually became shipwrecked and were forced to eat their friend, who eerily had the name of Richard Parker, the man eaten in the story.

 6. Edward Mordrake was born with a second face attached to the back of his head. The second face couldn’t speak, but could laugh and cry separately from Edward’s emotions…

 

7. A man in Japan set up a security camera because he suspected someone was stealing from his kitchen. He thought it might have been an animal, but when he saw the footage…

 

 It turned out to be a woman who would emerge every night out of his cupboard, eat his food, and even take a shower. She had apparently been living there without the man knowing for a whole year.

8. Before April 15, 1965, the day Lincoln was shot, Lincoln himself had a dream that might have predicted his fate…

 

In his dream, Lincoln saw a soldier standing over a casket. When he asked who the man who died was, the soldier responded, “The president.”

 What Did You Think?

 

 

 

How a New Software Program Can Bring the World Together

James lives in Hawaii and his mother lives in Korea.  James speaks English (he never learned Korean), and his mom only speaks Korean.  They communicate perfectly.
Elad lives in Israel. His grandmother lives in Austria. Elad speaks no German and his Grandmother speaks no Hebrew.  They communicate perfectly.
Enrique is from Honduras, but he lives in the U.S.  Enrique just started learning English and speaks very little. But, everyday Enrique reads the latest local US news on the Web, with no problem.
What these individuals (and close to 60 million others around the world) share, is a remarkable, free software program called Babylon.
Babylon may well be the most advanced translation software in the world, and it's a must-have for anyone whose life extends beyond the borders of their own language--or those who want it to.
Once you download it, you can highlight any text in practically any program, and its instantly translated into the language of your choice.   You can use it to translate a website, email, word doc, pdf, and virtually any document in any format you can think of.
You can compose a document in your native language, and Babylon will instantly translate it into another before you send it.
The program translates 75 languages, including: Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindu, and Russian.  It also includes up-to-date encyclopedias, dictionaries, and spell checkers.
Babylon is a long way from early translation software that would, more often than not, generate an unreadable babble of grammatically incoherent text that was better suited for generating laughs than comprehension.  Babylon's ability to understand and translate is state-of-the art.  In fact, businesses are adopting Babylon as the standard when it comes to translating commercial communications and other important documents.
Babylon is also a great tool for people who are learning another language.  Use it anytime you encounter a word or passage you don't understand.
What users rave about most is the program's ability to open up a different world to them. Whether it's surfing a news site in a different country, or being able to properly communicate with a family member or friend oversees, Babylon can make it happen.

Man weighing 800 pounds is kicked out of hospital for ordering pizza

Steven Assanti, 33, weighs in at over 800 pounds. His unhealthy habits have led him to this precarious spot. He had recently entered into a weight loss program at a hospital but was kicked out for violating one of their policies: no ordering pizza.
Source: CNN

As a result, Assanti is currently living in the back of his father’s truck, driving around until they will find someone to help. His father refuses to take him home, explaining that his son would fall back into the same unhealthy habits.

A New Solution That Stops Snoring and Lets You Sleep

If you constantly feel exhausted, experience headaches for no obvious reason or have high blood pressure, it could be the result of snoring.
More than a simple annoyance, snoring is also the most common symptom of a potentially serious health problem—obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Over 18 million Americans snore, and it’s related to OSA. People who suffer from OSA repeatedly and unknowingly stop breathing during the night due to a complete or partial obstruction of their airway.  It occurs when the jaw, throat, and tongue muscles relax, blocking the airway used to breathe.  The resulting lack of oxygen can last for a minute or longer, and occur hundreds of times each night.

OSA has been linked to:

• Acid reflux
• Frequent nighttime urination
• Memory loss
• Stroke
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Heart attack
• Consistent lack of sleep

People over 35 are at higher risk. OSA can be expensive to diagnose and treat — up to $5,000 — and those treatments can sometimes be quite painful. Plus, they're not always covered by insurance.
However, a recent study published by Eastern Virginia Medical School's Division of Sleep Medicine concluded that wearing a simple chinstrap while sleeping can be an effective treatment for OSA.
The chin strap, which is now available from a company called MySnoringSolution, works by supporting the lower jaw and tongue, preventing obstruction of the airway.  It’s made from a high-tech, lightweight, and super-comfortable material.  Thousands of people have used the MySnoringSolution chinstrap and reported better sleeping, and better health overall because of it.

An effective snoring solution for just $119

The “My Snoring Solution” Chinstrap is available exclusively from the company’s website, which is currently offering a limited time “2 for 1” offer.  The product also comes with an unconditional 90-day, money-back guarantee!
If you want to stop snoring once and for all, without expensive CPAPs or other intrusive devices, this may be the solution you’ve been waiting for.
Click here to learn more about this special $119 offer from MySnoringSolutions.

Learn More  

The statements and claims made about this product have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (U.S.). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

This article sponsored by MySnoringSolution

THE FASTESTEST WAY TO LEARN LANGUAGE

Do you really have to travel to another country to learn the language? The 10-language twins undertook the challenge of learning a language in a week in Berlin, their city of residence. What can we learn from how they learned?

By Ed M. Wood

What’s possible in a week? If you dedicated seven days to the achievement of one goal, how ambitious could you make this goal? These were the questions that the multilingual twins Matthew and Michael Youlden posed themselves when they determined to learn Turkish in one week. They would attempt to liberate themselves from the distractions and responsibilities of modern-day life in order to cram eight hours of study time into their daily routine. Here are the seven things that I learned by observing some of the world’s most capable language learners.

1. Get To Know Why

Lesson learned: Clearly define your goal at the very beginning and then plot a route towards this goal’s achievement.
The twins set themselves the challenge of learning a language in a week in order to stretch themselves, and then it was a question of choosing which language to learn. Turkish presented itself as a natural option; there are nigh on 300,000 Turkish speakers in Germany’s capital, and the areas of Kreuzberg and Neukölln are dotted with stores adorned with signs in Turkish. Truly understanding one’s environment in these neighbourhoods requires one to first understand Turkish.

2. Get Sticky

Lesson learned: Map and label your immediate environment in the new language from the very first moment. You’ll build and reinforce associations passively while going about your daily life.
The first operational step in the twins’ learning process was to decorate the entire apartment with sticky notes. This had an almost ceremonial touch to it as the twins delved into dictionaries and proceeded to label everything with its corresponding Turkish name. Within the space of about an hour it was impossible to carry out any menial task, be it making a coffee or flicking off a light switch, without first being presented with at least three different words related to this action.

3. Get A Partner

Lesson learned: There are few better motivations than a peer with the same goal. Whether you’re motivated by competition or a sense of mutual responsibility, the mere presence of a learning partner is likely to exert just the right amount of pressure to keep you on track.
The importance of the other twin’s presence became immediately apparent as Matthew and Michael delegated responsibilities for rooms to decorate with sticky notes. This simple task was augmented by continuous little tests that they would spring on one another, and the fact that they split up their day slightly differently and studied different topics meant that each twin became a source of knowledge for the other; the question how do you say that again? was met surprisingly often with an answer. The most extraordinary moment came towards the end of the week when the twins simply switched their everyday conversations to Turkish, asking one another if they wanted tea or coffee, were ready to cook dinner or when they were going to leave the house the next day.

4. Prepare Mini-Motivations

Lesson learned: You need landmarks on your route towards your goal. These landmarks can consist of small challenges - real life interactions in the language, for example - which force you to prepare areas of vocabulary to overcome them. The gratification that will come with their completion will serve to spur you on to ever greater heights.
Matthew and Michael had numerous micro-challenges throughout the week. On the first day they were visited by a Turkish friend who greeted them in Turkish and complimented them on how quickly they’d picked up their first words and phrases. They then learned the names of fruits and the numbers from one to a billion so that they could visit the Turkish market in Kreuzberg (although they refrained from purchasing nine hundred thousand kumquats). Displaying their haul after their first functional exchange in Turkish, they beamed with pride and a palpable sense of accomplishment before marching back home to study further.

5. Eat The Language

Lesson learned: Find a way to tie everything you do to learning. Surround yourself with the food, the music and the films, so that even in your downtime you can prime your mind towards the language and perhaps trigger further areas of interest and motivation.
On our second visit to the brothers’ apartment 24 hours into the week, we found them sampling dozens of different kinds of Turkish snacks. Like kids staring at the backs of cereal packs before heading to school, the nutritional information and various special offers and competitions on the packaging were analysed during snack breaks. There was no moment of complete removal from the language learning process during the eight hours that the twins had allotted to it. The intensity ebbed and flowed, but it never dissipated entirely.

6. Use What You Already Know

Lesson learned: The greater the depth of processing, the more likely the information will be remembered. Find pleasure in drawing parallels and making comparisons between the language(s) you already know and your new language.
One of the twins’ most common phrases was, “ah, that’s a bit like in … ?” They were constantly using their existing knowledge to support the ever-growing knowledge of Turkish. Not only did this spark some energetic exchanges regarding the etymology of various words, but it also ensured new words would never be forgotten once woven into their web of associations. Even if you are learning your second language, you will likely come across words that share common origins with words in your native tongue.

7. Variation is the spice of life

Lesson learned: So you have your route plotted and an idea of your favored methods, but do remember to try new things; your new language has just as many sources as your native language.
The twins spent a lot of time engrossed in books or on their computers and apps, flicking and swiping their way through exercises eagerly, but at other times they were to be found searching busily for Turkish radio stations and write-ups of Turkish football games on the web. There is no definitive method to learn a language, nor any tool or teacher that will single-handedly deliver you to the holy grail of fluency. Language is written, spoken, read and heard. Each of these areas is considered a core skill within which there are myriad potential inputs; would you restrict yourself to one in your native language? All too often, people enter their weekly language class to converse with their teacher, but then barely have any contact with other native speakers or the media being broadcast in their target language. Try something new every day. Listen to a cheesy song, read a newspaper article from a newspaper whose politics differ from your own, write a story for kids, attempt some improvised theatre and talk to yourself while cooking. Spice it up and add some flavour to your language learning!

President Obama’s 16-Year-Old Daughter Malia Confirmed Pregnant

WASHINGTON, D.C. – 

In what promises to be the biggest White House scandal since intern fellatio, President Barack Obama’s daughter, 16-year-old Malia, has confirmed that she is pregnant.

This first was treated as rumors that came shortly after a GOP staffer was forced to resign over distasteful comments she made towards Malia, A man has since spoken on this matter, stating wired things about the pregnancy…so whoever started this pregnancy story may want to start looking for a new job.

Sources say Malia is now in her second trimester. Mother and First Lady, Michelle Obama, says that although she will be a grandmother much younger than she planned, teen pregnancy runs in the family.

“On her father’s side of course. My mother-in-law had Barack when she was 18, so I see where Malia gets it from. I’m just so excited to decorate the nursery. The White House hasn’t seen a baby since oh, 1884 or so.”

For now, Malia is staying hush-hush about the father’s identity, but one thing she would say is that he is white. “My mom always hoped I would get with a nice mixed-race man like dad, but love is so colorblind. Mom was probably right though. The dad already left me for some tramp. And of course, like all white men, my baby-daddy won’t want to pay his child support. I already told him, ‘You want to keep your license so you can drive that bleach-blond tramp around in your little Jaguar, right? Better step up.’”

Despite her future motherhood, Malia is still considering her college options. “It’s not like Stanford or Berkeley are going to, like, turn me down for being a teen mother. Hello, I’m the president’s daughter. This doesn’t ruin my plans for a future at all. I can probably get a book deal out of this in a few years. MTV already offered to give me my own show, White House Baby-Momma-Drama or something stupidly titled like that. I was like, no way – that’s so white trash.”

President Obama says he is being supportive of his daughter, despite being as outraged as any father would be if his young daughter announced an unexpected pregnancy. “We’re all very relieved this little blessing happened, and thankfully in my second term.” When asked about his daughter’s ex-boyfriend, he replied, “He’s just lucky I didn’t have him erased. Don’t mess with the Commander-in-Chief, homeboy. Ever hear of the Secret Service? Regardless, we’re sure he’ll come around.”

Heart-Touching Short Film – I Bet You’ll Cry After Watching This.

11-Year-Old Sacrifices Himself to Save His Little Sister’s Life

The third of seven children, La’Darious Wylie was protective of his siblings. The 11-year-old proved how much when he gave his life for his little sister Sha’Vonta, 7, as a car sped at them while they were waiting at their bus stop in Chester, S.C., at around 7:30 a.m. last Tuesday. Seeing the vehicle headed toward them, La’Darious lunged, pushed his sister out of the way, and received the full impact of the crash — which “several” other children waiting at the stop witnessed, according to a local news report. 

La’Darious’s mother, Elizabeth McCrorey, and her daughter Sha’Vonta. (Photo: CBS12) 

“He knew to look out for her,” his mother, Elizabeth McCrorey, told The Herald of her 4-foot-tall, 75-pound hero, who died the following day of his injuries from the accident. 

The driver, Michelle Johnson, however, didn’t look out for anyone. She reportedly sped off before Sha’Vonta had even gotten up from the ground. Two days later, Johnson, 57, was charged with felony hit and run and now faces up to 25 years in prison. When she posted her $25,000 bond on Friday, she said nothing to explain or defend herself. “I don’t know how that person can sleep at night knowing they hit a child,” family cousin Kimberly Robinson told The Herald. 

Police investigate the bus stop where La’Darious Wylie was struck. (Photo: CBS12)    
                Unanswered questions don’t haunt La’Darious’s mom, though. “I don’t hate her,” McCrorey explained. “I just wish she had stopped.” The mother is focused now on just moving forward and honoring her beloved son, for whom a funeral was held on Thursday of this week. “She donated his organs [so that] her son could save another child’s life,” Robinson wrote on a GoFundMe memorial page that she set up for the McCroreys. 

Scientists say this ridiculously simple strategy can help you learn anything

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Testing yourself on the material you’re trying to learn is more effective than studying and re-studying that material.
In his book "Fluent Forever," opera singer Gabriel Wyner suggests that one of the best ways to learn a new language is to practice remembering it.

In other words, instead of reading and re-reading a list of vocabulary words, you should read it once and then test yourself repeatedly.

The same strategy works for pretty much anything you’re hoping to commit to memory, and there’s a growing body of research behind it. Psychologists call this phenomenon the "testing effect."

A 2003 study, cited in a meta-analysis by Henry L. Roediger, III and Jeffrey D. Karpicke, highlights the power of testing for making information stick. In the study, researchers led by Mark Wheeler had participants either review a list of 40 words five times or review it once and take four recall tests. Then they took a recall test either five minutes or one week later.

Results showed that participants who’d read the word list five times performed much better on the recall test five minutes later. But participants who’d read the test just once and been tested performed better on the test one week later. In other words, testing helped boost the participants’ long-term memory.

More recent research suggests that combining testing with immediate feedback (finding out whether you answered right or wrong) is more effective, and can even boost memory right after the information is learned.

In a 2014 study led by Carola Wiklund-Hörnqvist, 83 students in an undergraduate psychology course studied a series of psychological concepts for four minutes. Half the participants continued to study these facts while each fact was presented on a computer screen for 15 seconds.

The other half took six tests in which they had to come up with the concept described on the screen. For example, if they saw "the improvement in retention of information presented at the beginning of a list," they would have to type in "primacy effect." Then they would see the correct answer.

At the conclusion of the learning period, all participants took a test in which they were presented with a fact and required to type in the corresponding concept. They took the same test 18 days and five weeks later.

Participants who had been tested performed better on all three tests.

Taken together, these studies suggest that the most efficient strategy for remembering something — whether you're learning a new language or studying for a science exam — is simply to practice recalling it. It’s probably a lot more effective than trying to drill the facts into your head by staring at them for an hour.