26th August 2022 | Advertise | Shop | Archive
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Good morning. A Tesla owner has decided never to lose his keys again. Brandan Dalaly paid $400 to have a computer chip implanted in his hand that uses the near-field communication technology employed by “tap-to-pay” features on iPhones, allowing him to unlock his car with the wave of a hand.
Russia. The military confirmed that it was responsible for a missile strike in eastern Ukraine that killed 25 civilians and 200 military personnel. The strike came on the day that Ukraine celebrated its Independence Day.
South Korea. The fertility rate is now 0.81, the world's lowest fertility rate. The fertility rate has declined for six straight years. In 2020, South Korea recorded more deaths than births for the first time. The average rate across advanced economies is 1.6.
United States. President Joe Biden formally announced the cancellation of up to $10K of federal student loan debt for Americans making less than $125K per year. Critics say the debt cancellation will add to federal deficit and possibly spur already high inflation.
1993 Ernest Shonekan Appointed
Ernest Shonekan is appointed interim president of Nigeria by General Ibrahim Babangida. Ibrahim Babangida decided to step aside after nullifying one of Nigeria’s most successful general elections, purportedly won by Moshood Kashimawo Abiola (MKO).
NIGERIA
Keep Your Money
The Story
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has rejected the funding offer made by parents in an attempt aimed at bringing the lingering faceoff with the federal government to an end.
What did the parents offer?
The National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) had sought an audience with the federal government over the lingering strike by ASUU, The Punch reported on Wednesday. NAPTAN had proposed the payment of a N10,000 levy per session by each parent to increase the funds available to Nigerian universities. NAPTAN’s Public Relations Officer, Dr. Ademola Ekundayo, who suggested that the intervention may be tagged "parent support levy", said the payment would be made directly to the schools.
Why will ASUU reject such proposal?
While NAPTAN lamented that parents and students are at the receiving end of the faceoff between ASUU and the FG, ASUU insists that the government must be compelled to perform its duties, which includes using "Nigerians’ money to fund education as it is done in other countries". Speaking on Arise Television on Thursday, ASUU’s National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, said the parents' intervention should be in joining the union to mount pressure on the federal government to live up to its responsibilities.
The union's president, in emphasizing his position, lamented how Nigerian students have been forced to look to places like Ghana, Benin Republic, and Togo to study. "We can’t be calling ourselves the giant of Africa and we are the worst in education. So, they [parents] should add to the pressure coming from ASUU to ensure that the government prioritise education. That is more important than the N10,000”, Osodeke said. Source
HEALTH
For A Sleepful Life
The Story
That sleep deprivation is harmful to man's health is no news, but scientists say poor sleep does more than diminish our health.
What else does it do?
Sleep deficiency has since been linked to heart disease and other health challenges, but scientists now say that our tendency to be kind may be dependent on how much sleep we get. In a report published in PLOS Biology on Tuesday, August 23, researchers said that inadequate sleep affects our social behavior, including how generous we are. "Lack of sleep shapes the social experiences we have [and] the kinds of societies we live in,” said Eti Ben Simon, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley.
What's the link to generosity?
The researchers say that the fatigue that results from a lack of adequate sleep could reduce how generous we are. In an experiment to determine the link between sleep loss and generosity, the researchers found that the hours of sleep lost in the switch over to Daylight Savings Time every spring seems to reduce people’s tendency to help others. In the research, they found that average donations to one U.S.-based nonprofit organization dropped by about 10% in the workweek after the time switch, compared to four weeks before and four weeks after the change.
How did they link the influence of sleep to the participants' behavior?
To test the influence of sleep on the participants, the researchers first brought 23 young adults into the lab for two nights. The participants were made to sleep through one night and stay awake for another night. In the mornings, participants completed a standardized altruism questionnaire rating their likelihood of helping strangers or acquaintances in various situations. With 1 for least likely to help and 5 for most likely, participants rated on a scale from 1 to 5, whether they would give up their seat on a bus to a stranger or offer a ride to a coworker in need.
In the outcome, about 80% of participants showed less likelihood of helping others when they were sleep-deprived, than when they had more sleep time. And with the help of a functional MRI machine, the researchers found that sleep deprivation reduced activity in a network of brain regions linked to the ability to empathize with others. The researchers also observed that donations remained unchanged in Arizona and Hawaii, where Daylight Savings Time is not observed.
Freshly Pressed- Adequate sleep makes the world a better place. Source
INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY
DAAD Masters Scholarships for International Students in Germany
This scholarship programme offers you the opportunity to continue your academic education in Germany with a postgraduate course of study.
For applicants from artistic disciplines and the field of architecture, the DAAD offers subject-specific scholarship programmes: Music, Fine Art/Design/Film, Performing Art, Architecture.
Application Deadline: August 31, 2022. Apply Here
EUROPE
Not Weathering This Storm
The Story
This outcome seems a little harsh, and could really dampen the spirits of people who dare to predict weather in Hungary.
What outcome?
The head and deputy head of the National Meteorological Service - Kornelia Radics and Gyula Horvath - were fired after an inaccurate rain forecast Saturday prompted the postponement of the annual St. Stephen's Day fireworks show. The show was rescheduled for next Saturday based on forecasts that said extreme weather was likely around 9pm, when the show was supposed to begin. The Meteorological Service, while demanding the reinstatement of the two officials, said its critics “ignored the scientifically accepted uncertainty inherent in meteorological forecasts".
Did the wrong forecast cause harm to anyone?
No, it did not. The event – which takes place along the Danube River in Budapest and is billed as the largest fireworks display in Europe – is the country’s most important national holiday. But the Meteorological service had been erring on the side of caution, mindful that in 2006, strong storms with wind gusts up to 60 mph hit Budapest as some 1.5 million people gathered to view the fireworks display – five people were killed and more than 300 were injured amid the panic that ensued that year.
Isn't that even more reason to be careful?
Well, Budapest remained storm-free during that evening this year. Unfortunately, Hungary's government-aligned media was outraged that the service's “gravely wrong” forecast had caused a needless postponement of the fireworks display, and heads rolled. Critics of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, which has been accused of corruption, nepotism, and anti-democratic tendencies charged that the dismissals were politically motivated and are reminders of Hungary's communist past.
Despite the popularity of the show, some Hungarians have questioned its scale and cost, especially at a time when the economy isn't exactly doing well. About 200,000 people signed a petition against holding the event, arguing that the money should be used for causes that are beneficial to the economy. Source
Deborah Samuel: US honours slain Sokoto student
FRSC declares rotational number plates illegal
Nigerian-born scholar shortlisted for Canadian poetry award
First vaccine against malaria not for adults — FG
Atiku seeks Wike’s support, Obasanjo pushes Obi’s agenda
FG warns Nigerians against travelling to Northern Cyprus
Insecurity: 137 borders in Nigeria are unguarded, says Irabor
South Africans strike, protest joblessness, inflation
Australia makes largest-ever crystal meth bust
Japan to spend $1.83m on ex-PM Abe’s state funeral
EVERYDAY KNOWLEDGE - TELECOMMS
Call Setup Success Rate (1)
Ever looked at your handheld and seen you have full network bars yet can barely do a dang thing with it – be it for calls or for browsing? Perhaps it gets so frustrating sometimes that you just want to grab your network service provider's neck and squeeze it hard, right?
Well, here's what many phone users do not know: The difference between Network Availability and Network Quality.
NASA releases stunning new images of Jupiter. NASA
Games Played During Road Trips (Prose). Lolwe
Police Honor Beloved Officer Lost In Line Of Due Process (Satire). The Onions
Visualizing the world's worst data breaches. IIB
Six months of Russia’s war in Ukraine, explained in maps. Al Jazeera
TRIVIA
Around the world in 3 minutes.
How much about other people's cultures do you know? Look at this -
- What's the traditional dance of Hawaiian people?
- In which culture is coffee a religion?
LWKM
Written by Seun, Mercy, Kingsley, and Tosin.
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