What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You

Here’s a new question for you ask on your next date: So….what position do you sleep in? A new study found that sleeping positions affect personality by determining how we feel when we wake up. 

The way you sleep can give startling insights into your personality, even giving away how stubborn, bossy or stressed you are, a body language expert has claimed.

Robert Phipps, a body language expert, has studied the four most common sleeping positions to determine how it reflects a person's personality and outlook on life.

The results, he claims, can identify how stressful your day was, how much you worry and how much control you have over your life.

It is said to reveal traits such as stubbornness, bossiness and fanciful dreaming, as well as how self-critical a person is or whether they feel in control of life.

According to his research, more than half of British adults sleep in the “foetal” position, curled up on their side with knees tucked in.

This stance, favoured by worriers, is said to show the sleeper is seeking to return to their comfort zone after a stressful day. 

Foetal sleepers are conscientious, ordered and like things in their place, according to the study, but are also in danger of over-thinking problems and worrying unnecessarily.

The research, for budget hotel chain Premier Inn, revealed the “log” as the second most popular position, adopted by nearly three in every ten people.

The log position, with a straight body and limbs at the sides, shows a person is inflexible and rigid in thinking, set in their ways and stubborn.

They may appear bossy to others, and so should aim to “stretch themselves” and embrace the challenges and excitement of a new day, it is claimed.

A quarter of people taking part in the study classed themselves as “yearners”, sleeping with their arms stretched out in front as though they are chasing their dreams or being chased.

According to Phipps, this means they want more from life and are willing to “go out there and get it with both hands”, eager to face the next day.

They can be their own worst critics, expecting great results in everything they do and giving up quickly when things don’t go their way.

“Yearners” should take care to go after what they really want and avoid wasting time pursuing whims that do not really leave them fulfilled, it is advised.

A further 17 per cent of respondents classed themselves as “freefallers”, sleeping face down with their arms outstretched.

Often clutching their pillow, they can appearing to be “holding on for dear life” in what is thought to be the most uncomfortable sleeping position for adults.

Those who adopt it can feel as if life “happens around them” and they are just “hanging on for the ride”, believing they lack control over what will happen the next day.

So-called freefallers can wake up feelings anxious, or believing they still have issues and tasks left over from the previous day.

According to the research, they should aim to deal with things one step at a time, taking control of each day so they feel motivated to “be the boss of their own destiny”.

The study, of 1,000 British adults, allowed participants to select more than one option, with some selecting several sleeping positions in their responses.

Premier Inn spokesperson, Claire Haigh, said: "Many people read their horoscopes, but we wanted to give our guests a more unique way to look at how their day might turn out by looking at how they sleep.

“We have worked with Robert to develop 'sleep-o-scopes' and were shocked that the research revealed just how stressed we are as a nation.

"It is important we try and wind down after a long day and get a good night's rest so we wake up refreshed and ready to tackle the day ahead."

Sleep positions

1. FOETAL

People who sleep like this are returning to their comfort zone to de-stress themselves from the day's activities. The higher the knees and lower the head the more internal comfort you give yourself. Foetal sleepers are conscientious, ordered and like things in their place but they can over think things and worry unnecessarily.

People who sleep like this for the majority of the night can expect a refreshed awakening having dealt with the previous day's issues compartmentalising and organising while they sleep, allowing them to feel refreshed when they wake and ready to move onward and upward.

Foetal sleepers should be careful not to become too stuck in their comfort zone and be prepared to take on new challenges each day. 

2. LOG

The sleeper in this position fully extends their head, neck, arms, legs and body all stretched out in a straight line. The longer you sleep like this, the more rigid your thinking and you can become inflexible which means you make things harder for yourself.

Loggers are set in their ways and can be stubborn, liking things done their way, which can make them come across as bossy or even aloof.

"Sleep like a log" is the old adage and people who sleep in this straight line can wake up stiffer than when they went to sleep. Try to relax more and let your muscles unwind from the day's hassles and you'll wake up feeling more flexible in your thinking.

Loggers need to stretch themselves each day to reach new goals and then your day is likely to be more exciting, challenging and fun. You'll see and feel the benefits in your body and mind as you embrace being a more relaxed you.

3. YEARNER

The Yearner has two possible meanings with arms outstretched as though you are chasing your dreams, conversely it can mean you are being chased. You feel you want more from life and are willing to go out there and get it with both hands, ready to capture every new and exciting challenge that comes your way.

Yearners are their own worst critics always expecting great results in everything they do, which can mean giving up to quickly with things that don't go their way right from the off.

Yearners wake up eager to face the challenges of the day, seeking out new opportunities. However, take care to make sure what you yearn for is what you really want or you'll spend a lot of wasted time and energy chasing things that don't really fulfil you.

Yearners should face each new day as a fresh start, reviewing where they are going and what they want from the day, then go for it and see it through with full commitment. 

 4. FREEFALLER

With the whole body outstretched flat on their stomach, arms at right angles, hands gripping the pillow as though holding on for dear life, physically the least comfortable position to sleep for most adults.

Freefallers tend to feel like life happens around them and they are just hanging on for the ride, which can make them feel like they're not in control of what happens.

Freefallers can wake up feeling like they still have things leftover from the previous day, which can make them feel over anxious about getting things done today.

Freefallers need to take control of each new day and deal with things one step at a time until you are happy to move to the next step. You will then be more motivated and inspired, creating opportunities for you be the boss of your own destiny.

Premier Inn spokesperson, Claire Haigh, said: "Many people read their horoscopes, but we wanted to give our guests a more unique way to look at how their day might turn out by looking at how they sleep. We have worked with Robert to develop 'sleep-o-scopes' and were shocked that the research revealed just how stressed we are as a nation.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9617122/What-does-your-sleeping-position-say-about-you.html

7 Things All Cheaters Need To Know

Dear Remorseless Cheaters,

Apparently there is still some confusion out there that your extracurricular shenanigans are wrong. In the interest of members of the unsuspecting public that may hook up, marry, or have children with you, the following PSA is offered.

1. You aren’t “edgy.” You think we lack the sophistication and intellect to understand your complicated love rhombus. On the contrary. You lack the intellect to keep both your security clearance and your pants on. Cheating on your spouse doesn’t make you special, misunderstood, or star crossed. It makes you rather embarrassing.

2. Quit with your Darwinian theories already. We didn’t evolve to be monogamous? Well, we didn’t evolve to do a lot of things. Farm. Use indoor plumbing. Buy sequined crap on QVC. And yet we manage. Why is it that you blame your primal self for infidelity, yet you are quite adept at technologies such as placing personal ads on Craigslist? Why point to the reptilian part of your brain as an excuse for boinking whomever you want to? When the spouse of that person comes after you with a shotgun, neither you nor the court of law will be much impressed with his argument that the reptilian part of his brain would like to splatter your guts on the sidewalk.

3. Admit that you like the deceit.

Come on, it’s a high. Playing hooky is a lot more fun than getting a day off from school. Everyone there in the classroom, playing by the rules, listening to a boring lecture on the Continental Congress, while you smoke dope behind the bleachers. Renegade! The secrecy and lies are what gives the frisson of danger to your affair and makes it so delicious. Otherwise you would have an open marriage, same rules for everyone. But no, the power imbalance is what you’re after. You enjoy a position of advantage over your trusting partner. They’re at home, devoting their energies to you and your home life, faithful to the wonderfulness that is you. Sweet gig you got there — and you know it.

4. Stop minimizing. Cheating is no big deal? Quit getting those puritanical knickers in a twist? It’s just a quick naughty with the boots on. Nothing to get so huffy about. Geez.



Tell that to the man who had to paternity test his children. Or to the spouse who gets an STD thanks to you. Or to the stay-at-home mother who made herself financially vulnerable to your cheating ass. Or to the children who lost their intact family and get shuttled around next holiday season, having to play nice with your latest flame.

When your family reminds you of your selfish choices that led to these outcomes, you’ll be tempted to tell them that they are bitter and should stop playing at “victimhood.” They are not pretending to be victims — they are victims. How they navigate away from that pain is up to them. You’ve got no business telling them to suck it up. When the urge strikes, distract yourself, perhaps with a sparkly object like a mirror, an exercise class, or by slapping yourself.

5. Swingers, open marriage aficionados, the polyamorous — no one is judging you. Have at it. It’s not cheating if everyone is consenting and on board. This public service announcement does not apply to you.

6. No one is forcing you to stay married.

If you don’t want to be monogamous, don’t be. Find another person like yourself and quit feigning monogamy. If your marriage is truly awful and sexless and your love language is seething passive aggression, find your guts and just end it honestly. But your spouse and children couldn’t function without you? They need you too much? Let them be the judge of that. You may find that they get on quite well without you. Your partner is a person deserving of respect and honesty, not a consolation prize. It’s condescending to act like life with them is a huge sacrifice. Lay your “burden” down already.



7. This is not your best self.

It is understandable that you want to think of yourself as a good person. Our character, however, is made up of our actions. Not how we wish to perceive ourselves. People who don’t care who they are hurting, who lack empathy synapses and introspection? We call those people sociopaths. Don’t be like that. (And if you are truly like that, no public service announcement in the world can save you.) You’re better than this. Please go live an authentic life.

http://www.gistmania.com/talk/topic,137070.0.html

Ladies: Why Nagging Doesnt Work. Quit Nagging Now!

If you are at your wit's end because your spouse leaves the bathroom in chaos, never cleans out the bathtub or shower, lets things slide, throws clothes on the floor, conveniently forgets to take out the trash, doesn't follow through with promises to do household chores, ignores reasonable requests to pick things up, refuses to quit smoking or lose weight, watches too much television, is on the computer a tremendous amount of time, and on, and on, and on... you may find yourself nagging or being demanding.
Face it. Nagging doesn't work!! Have you ever thought about what nagging is? Here are some related terms for nagging: faultfinding, continually complaining, criticism, catty, carping, coaxing, cynical, demanding, dunning, hairsplitting, insistent, nit-picking, overcritical, peevish, persistent, pestering, pettish, pressing, quibble, recurring, relentless, shrewish, slam, swipe, unrelenting, urging, and wheedling. However, Nagging can become a vicious cycle. The more you nag, the more your mate avoids you or withdraws both emotionally and physically from you.

Why Nagging Doesn't Work
(a) Even though your gripes may be valid, nagging makes your spouse resentful.
(b) Nagging makes your spouse defensive.
(c) Nagging puts you in the parent role and your spouse in the child role. This isn't healthy for your marriage relationship.
(d) Nagging is disrespectful.
(e) Nagging is often perceived as criticism, so your spouse may tune out making what you are saying ineffective.
(f)  When your spouse is being nagged, he/she probably feels attacked personally.
(g) Nagging can make your spouse feel inadequate.

Ways to Avoid Being a Nag
(i)   Don't blame.
(ii)  Don't demean.
(iii) Don't attack.
(iv) Don't criticize.
(v)  Don't manipulate.
(vi) Avoid making your spouse feel stupid.
(vii) Don't give in to your frustration and do your spouse's chores. Your mate needs to learn to deal with the logical consequences of being messy.

Instead of Nagging, Try Positive Approaches
(a) Share your feelings.
(b) Stick to the issue at hand.
(c) Keep your statements brief so they don't turn into long lectures.
(d) Don't make ultimatums.
(e) Avoid using the phrases, "You always..." and "You never..." and "You should..."
(f) Consider saying "would you" or "will you" rather than "could you" or "can you". There's a subtle difference in the way the request will be heard by your spouse.
(g) Set a good example in picking up after yourself, putting your clothes away or in the hamper, leaving the bathroom is good shape after your shower or bath, eating healthy foods, exercising, etc.
(h) Try to brainstorm solutions with your spouse. Hiring a housekeeper or a handyman now and then may be a good alternative for some couples.
(i) Acknowledge your different perspectives regarding chores and housekeeping expectations.
(j) Show your appreciation when your spouse does put dishes in the dishwasher, or picks up a towel, turns off the television to take a walk with you, or when dirty clothes end up in the hamper.
(k) See what happens if you stop nagging.

If you are the One Being Nagged
(1) Accept your responsibility in helping to create a home environment that has triggered a nagging response in your spouse.
(2) Honestly evaluate your attitude about chores, picking up after yourself, annoying habits, and more.
(3) Ask yourself if you have a pattern of avoidance when it comes to chores or other issues.
(4) If you ignore your mate's requests or refuse to even acknowledge that you heard what your spouse has said to you, stop this behavior. Really try to listen and to respond to your spouse. It is okay to say no. At least your spouse will know you heard what was said.
Source: http://www.gistmania.com/talk/topic,136994.0.html

Books that will never exist

1. 10 BEAUTY TIPS by olusegun obasanjo... 
2. WORLD PEACE by Osama Bin Laden...
3. COMPREHENSIVE ENGLISH MADE EASY by Mrs
    Patience Jonathan... 
4. POLITICS WITH HARMONY by General Sani
    Abacha...
5. A PEACEFUL NIGERIA by Boko Haram...
6. COMEDY EXTRAORDINARY by Pete Edochie
7. BENEFITS OF NIGERIA BEING THREE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES ... By Gowon and Buhari
8. PEACEFUL MIDDLE-EAST by President
    Benjamin Netannyahu (israel president)...
9. RUNNING A WORLD-CLASS AIRLINE by
    Nigerian Airways...
10.IRAQ-WORLD CLASS TOURISM ATTRACTION
     by Saddam Hussien...
11. HOW TO BECOME EPL HIGHEST GOAL SCORER by
      Yinka Ayefele.
12. TIPS ON GROWING TALL by Aki and Pawpaw,
      Julius Agwu n MI.
13. STAYING SLIM by lepacious Bose
14. GOOD GOVERNANCE by James Ibori
15. SPEAKING SIMPLE ENGLISH by Chris Okotie...;-lwkmd
16. Undying love for democracy by Vladmir Putin.
17. How to plan your finances by Mike Tyson
18 How to defeat Boko Haram by Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan

Inspirational

I was walking around in a Big Bazar store making shopping, when I saw a Cashier talking to a boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old..

The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll. Then the little boy turned to me and asked: ''Uncle, are you sure I don't have enough money?''

I counted his cash and replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy the doll, my dear.'' The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. 'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much . I wanted to Gift her for her BIRTHDAY.

I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.' His eyes were so sad while saying this. 'My Sister has gone to be with God.. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister...''

My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.' Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister won't forget me.' 'I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.' Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly..

I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. 'Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?''

'OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some of my money to his with out him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.

The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!'

Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give It to my sister. He heard me!'' 'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses.'

I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local news paper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the news paper that the young woman had passed away.. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed for ever...

The love that the little boy had for his mother and sister still, to this day, hard to imagine. Ansd in a frection of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him

Annoying Question Females Ask And their Answer!!

1]. Are U a player? *Yes REALMADRID FC wants to sign me next season* do dey expect u 2 say yes?
2].Why do u wan't my PIN ?? Want to use it to burst balloon.
3]. Can U die 4 me? My name is surely not Romeo
4]. My BIS will soon expire. What am i going to do? Return the BB to the seller and get a Nokia 3310
5]. If I sleep over in your Place, hope Nothing funny will happen? No, trust me we would just perform night vigil
6]. Hope U won't break my Heart? If u don't put it at the edge of the table...
7]. Can U take me out? Sorry are U in prison?
8]. Pls come and pick me.. Like say she be beans.
9]. I think ave missed my period.. then ask the class captain for the next class!!!
10.] Can't you get a Car? Shey your Papa get Car when him dey Higher Institution? Lmyo

Saudi Arabia implements electronic tracking system for women

 

 Denied the right to travel without consent from their male guardians and banned from driving, women in Saudi Arabia are now monitored by an electronic system that tracks any cross-border movements.
Since last week, Saudi women’s male guardians began receiving text messages on their phones informing them when women under their custody leave the country, even if they are travelling together.
Manal al-Sherif, who became the symbol of a campaign launched last year urging Saudi women to defy a driving ban, began spreading the information on Twitter, after she was alerted by a couple.
The husband, who was travelling with his wife, received a text message from the immigration authorities informing him that his wife had left the international airport in Riyadh.
“The authorities are using technology to monitor women,” said columnist Badriya al-Bishr, who criticised the “state of slavery under which women are held” in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Women are not allowed to leave the kingdom without permission from their male guardian, who must give his consent by signing what is known as the “yellow sheet” at the airport or border.
The move by the Saudi authorities was swiftly condemned on social network Twitter — a rare bubble of freedom for millions in the kingdom — with critics mocking the decision.
“Hello Taliban, herewith some tips from the Saudi e-government!” read one post.
“Why don’t you cuff your women with tracking ankle bracelets too?” wrote Israa.
“Why don’t we just install a microchip into our women to track them around?” joked another.
“If I need an SMS to let me know my wife is leaving Saudi Arabia, then I’m either married to the wrong woman or need a psychiatrist,” tweeted Hisham.
“This is technology used to serve backwardness in order to keep women imprisoned,” said Bishr, the columnist.
“It would have been better for the government to busy itself with finding a solution for women subjected to domestic violence” than track their movements into and out of the country.
Saudi Arabia applies a strict interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, and is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.
In June 2011, female activists launched a campaign to defy the ban, with many arrested for doing so and forced to sign a pledge they will never drive again.
No law specifically forbids women in Saudi Arabia from driving, but the interior minister formally banned them after 47 women were arrested and punished after demonstrating in cars in November 1990.
Last year, King Abdullah — a cautious reformer — granted women the right to vote and run in the 2015 municipal elections, a historic first for the country.
In January, the 89-year-old monarch appointed Sheikh Abdullatif Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh, a moderate, to head the notorious religious police commission, which enforces the kingdom’s severe version of sharia law.
Following his appointment, Sheikh banned members of the commission from harassing Saudi women over their behaviour and attire, raising hopes a more lenient force will ease draconian social constraints in the country.
But the kingdom’s “religious establishment” is still to blame for the discrimination of women in Saudi Arabia, says liberal activist Suad Shemmari.
“Saudi women are treated as minors throughout their lives even if they hold high positions,” said Shemmari, who believes “there can never be reform in the kingdom without changing the status of women and treating them” as equals to men.
But that seems a very long way off.
The kingdom enforces strict rules governing mixing between the sexes, while women are forced to wear a veil and a black cloak, or abaya, that covers them from head to toe except for their hands and faces.
The many restrictions on women have led to high rates of female unemployment, officially estimated at around 30 percent.
In October, local media published a justice ministry directive allowing all women lawyers who have a law degree and who have spent at least three years working in a lawyer’s office to plead cases in court.
But the ruling, which was to take effect this month, has not been implemented.
Source: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/22/saudi-arabia-implements-electronic-tracking-system-for-women/

Aliko Dangote is Africa’s richest man

Nigerian billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote has once again topped the list of Africa’s 40 richest people.

Dangote topped the list with a combined networth of $72.9 billion, making an increase of 12 per cent from last year.

GLO Telecommunications C.E.O Mike Adenuga also makes the list ranking at 5th place.

Other Nigerians who make the list include Zenith Bank C.E.O Jim Ovia in 19th place, 61-year-old female oil boss, Folorunsho Alakija and Theophilus Danjuma who both tie in 24th place, Oil and Telecoms businessman Sani Bello in 37th place amongst others .

Ten reasons why Man City are out

The summer transfer window

"Probably we need to improve our team," said Roberto Mancini after Real Madrid rubber-stamped City's departure from the Champions League. Some - the Italian certainly among them - would argue winning should be a spur to strengthening further. After securing the Premier League title, the City manager's premier transfer targets were players such as Daniele de Rossi, Javi Martinez, Daniel Agger and Robin van Persie, world-class footballers all. He ended up with Maicon, who used to be one, the promising Matija Nastasic and Javi Garcia, a useful squad member, plus Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell and third-choice goalkeeper Richard Wright, who have made one Champions League appearance between them this season. None of the City signings have been the automatic choice Mancini envisaged. Each, in his own way, could be deemed a weak link at times.

The draw

To end up in one Group of Death is unfortunate. To be in two is truly damaging. City's task was difficult from the moment they were pitted with Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, just as Bayern Munich, Napoli and Villarreal were daunting opponents last season. While a second successive failure means City's UEFA co-efficient will remain low - and, assuming they qualify, puts them in danger of ending up in a third tough group next season, the reality is that it is not just the continental giants of Bayern and Real who have eliminated City: Napoli and Dortmund, two teams equally untried at this level, have acclimatised quicker and better.

The final four minutes in Madrid

The question 'what if?' can be posed after every failed campaign. City can ponder an alternative series of events when Aleksandar Kolarov's free kick in the Bernabeu, which put them 2-1 up, was the winning goal. Had every other result remained the same, they would be ahead of Real Madrid with a game to go. But, as they know, Real rallied, the winning habits of Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo apparent in their comeback. Victory would have had a psychological significance for a City side in need of a breakthrough result in Europe.

Double Dutch

It was branded the group of champions and Ajax have four European Cups in their sizeable trophy cabinet, but the Eredivisie winners were much the pool's underdogs. Indeed, they are yet to take a point from either Madrid or Dortmund. But, after a 3-1 win and a 2-2 draw, they have four from City and much as Mancini regrets the late loss to Real, he should be most critical of his team for their failings in the double header against Frank de Boer's side. The second half in Amsterdam and the first in Manchester were especially costly.

Tactical tinkering

Mancini's controversial fondness for a back three is not the unmitigated disaster some believe; it worked in the Premier League game against Tottenham and was a qualified success in Madrid. But a mid-match switch in Amsterdam backfired when, with their defence looking confused, City promptly conceded. And starting off with a 3-5-2 formation against Real was a mistake Mancini had to remedy inside half an hour; they were exposed on the flanks and unable to cope with the Spanish champions in the centre of the park. While, as Mancini insists, top footballers should be able to adapt to any formation, City's players often seem happier playing their variant of 4-4-2.

Diabolical defending

GettyImagesKarim Benzema has the freedom of Eastlands as Maicon forgot to track his man

When Maicon neglected to mark Karim Benzema as the Frenchman volleyed Real ahead on Wednesday, it was all too typical. While City have the Premier League's tightest defence, they are yet to keep a clean sheet in Europe. And despite the quality of the opposition, too many goals have simply been gifted. Ajax scored three from corners alone and, while Mancini has been criticised for preferring zonal marking, the Italian had a point when he sarcastically said he forgot to tell Joleon Lescott to jump when Niklas Moisander headed the Dutch champions' second goal in Amsterdam. Dortmund's strike in Manchester, meanwhile, was the product of an awful pass from Rodwell, straight to scorer Marco Reus.

The lack of a defensive midfielder

Nigel de Jong's reputation has rarely been higher at City. Since the Dutchman joined AC Milan in August, City have used four different defensive midfielders alongside Yaya Toure with none really convincing Mancini, to the extent that he disposed of them all when selecting his side against Real on Wednesday. Rodwell was particularly awful against Dortmund but Garcia was hauled off at half-time when Ajax visited Manchester. Only Partizan Belgrade have had as many efforts on their goal as City in the Champions League and the lack of protection afforded to their defence is a major reason.

Getting the balance right

When City are at their best in the Premier League, it is often with two strikers plus David Silva, Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure. That may be too attacking a formula for the more tactical Champions League, however. City are too open too often. They concede goals and are left to chase games. Late onslaughts have produced a point in each of their home matches, but stirring comebacks have not been sufficient. There was a time when Mancini was criticised for being too defensive. Now, perhaps, he is not defensive enough.

Strange selections

It was only a footnote when James Milner replaced Sergio Aguero in the dying minutes against Real but it seemed odd to take off the scorer. It was perplexing, too, that Gareth Barry was not on the bench against Dortmund, meaning that, when Garcia was injured, Rodwell came on. Edin Dzeko, the Premier League super-sub, has been granted more starts in Europe when, despite the Bosnian's return in front of goal, Carlos Tevez might have been a better choice.

Injuries

Apart from losing both first-choice centre-backs in January, City's players stayed fairly fit as they won the Premier League. They have had less luck this season: Aguero sat out the start of their Champions League campaign, Silva missed both meetings with Ajax and Pablo Zabaleta one. Nasri was hurt in Madrid and Garcia against Dortmund while Mario Balotelli was unavailable for both meetings with Madrid and Gael Clichy missed in the second one. If every losing team blames injuries, they have nevertheless played a part in City's problems.

Source: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story/_/id/1235793/ten-reasons-why-man-city-are-out-of-the-champions-league?cc=3888

Human Brain, Internet, and Cosmology: Similar Laws at Work?

The structure of the universe and the laws that govern its growth may be more similar than previously thought to the structure and growth of the human brain and other complex networks, such as the Internet or a social network of trust relationships between people, according to a new paper published in the science journal Nature's Scientific Reports.
"By no means do we claim that the universe is a global brain or a computer," said Dmitri Krioukov, co-author of the paper, published by the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis (CAIDA), based at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at the University of California, San Diego. "But the discovered equivalence between the growth of the universe and complex networks strongly suggests that unexpectedly similar laws govern the dynamics of these very different complex systems."
Having the ability to predict -- let alone trying to control -- the dynamics of complex networks remains a central challenge throughout network science. Structural and dynamical similarities among different real networks suggest that some universal laws might be in action, although the nature and common origin of such laws remain elusive.
By performing complex supercomputer simulations of the universe and using a variety of other calculations, researchers have now proven that the causal network representing the large-scale structure of space and time in our accelerating universe is a graph that shows remarkable similarity to many complex networks such as the Internet, social, or even biological networks.
"These findings have key implications for both network science and cosmology," noted Krioukov. "We discovered that the large-scale growth dynamics of complex networks and causal networks are asymptotically (at large times) the same, explaining the structural similarity between these networks."
"This is a perfect example of interdisciplinary research combining math, physics, and computer science in totally unexpected ways," said SDSC Director Michael Norman. "Who would have guessed that the emergence of our universe's four-dimensional space-time from the quantum vacuum would have anything to do with the growth of the Internet? Causality is at the heart of both, so perhaps the similarity Krioukov and his collaborators found is to be expected."
Of course the network representing the structure of the universe is astronomically huge -- in fact it can be infinite. But even if it is finite, researchers' best guess is that it is no smaller than 10²⁵⁰ atoms of space and time. (That's the digit 1 followed by 250 zeros.) For comparison, the number of water molecules in all the oceans in the world has been estimated to be 4.4 x 10⁴⁶.
Yet the researchers found a way to downscale this humongous network while preserving its vital properties, by proving mathematically that these properties do not depend on the network size in a certain range of parameters, such as the curvature and age of our universe.
After the downscaling, the research team turned to Trestles, one of SDSC's data-intensive supercomputers, to perform simulations of the universe's growing causal network. By parallelizing and optimizing the application, Robert Sinkovits, a computational scientist with SDSC, was able to complete in just over one day a computation that was originally projected to require three to four years.
"In addition to being able to complete these simulations much faster than previously ever imagined, the results perfectly matched the theoretical predictions of the researchers," said Sinkovits.
"The most frequent question that people may ask is whether the discovered asymptotic equivalence between complex networks and the universe could be a coincidence," said Krioukov. "Of course it could be, but the probability of such a coincidence is extremely low. Coincidences in physics are extremely rare, and almost never happen. There is always an explanation, which may be not immediately obvious."
"Such an explanation could one day lead to a discovery of common fundamental laws whose two different consequences or limiting regimes are the laws of gravity (Einstein's equations in general relativity) describing the dynamics of the universe, and some yet-unknown equations describing the dynamics of complex networks," added Marián Boguñá, a member of the research team from the Departament de Física Fonamental at the Universitat de Barcelona, Spain.
The other researchers who worked on this project are Maksim Kitsak, CAIDA/SDSC/UC San Diego; and David Rideout and David Meyer, Department of Mathematics at UC San Diego.
This research was supported by multiple grants, including Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant number HR0011-12-1-0012; NSF grants number CNS-0964236 and CNS-1039646; Cisco Systems; Foundational Questions Institute grant number FQXi-RFP3-1018; George W. and Carol A. Lattimer Campus Professorship at UC San Diego; Office of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain (MICINN) project number FIS2010-21781-C02-02; Generalitat de Catalunya grant number 2009SGR838; and by the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) Academia Prize funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain.

I need re-branding....

I am Nigeria... I have millions of acres of arable land and billions of cubic litres of water, but I cannot feed myself. So I spend $1 billion to import rice and another $2 billion to import milk. I produce rice, but don't eat it. I have 60 million cattle but no milk. I am hungry,
Please re-brand me.

I drive the latest cars in the world but have no roads. I lose family and friends everyday on roads for which funds have been looted. I lose my young, my old, and my most brainy and productive people to the potholes, craters and crevasses they travel on every day. I am in permanent mourning, please re-brand me.

My school has no teacher and my classroom has no roof. I take lecture notes through the window and live with 15 others in a single room. All my professors have gone abroad, and the rest are awaiting visas. I am a university graduate, but I am illiterate. I want a future, please re-brand me.

Malaria, typhoid and many other preventable diseases send me to hospitals which have no doctors, no medicines and no power. So my wife gives birth with candlelight and surgery is performed by quacks. All the nurses have gone abroad and the rest are waiting to go also. I have the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world and future generations are dying before me. I am hopeless, hapless and helpless, please re-brand me.

I wanted change so I stood all day long to cast my vote. But even before I could vote, the results had been announced. When I dared to speak out, silence was enthroned by bullets. My rulers are my oppressors, and my policemen are my terrors. I am ruled by men in mufti, but I am not a democracy. I have no verve, no vote, and no voice, please re-brand me.

I have 50 million youths with no jobs, no present and no future. So my sons in the North have become street urchins and his brothers in the South have become militants. My nephews die of thirst in the Sahara and his cousins drown in the waters of the Mediterranean. My daughters walk the streets of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, while her sisters parade the streets of Rome and Amsterdam. I am inconsolable, please re-brand me...

My people cannot sleep at night and cannot relax by day. They cannot use ATM machines, nor use cheques. My children sleep through staccato of AK 47's, see through the mist of tear gas. The leaders have looted everything on the ground and below. They walk the land with haughty strides and fly the skies with private jets. They have stolen the future of generations yet unborn and have money they cannot spend in several lifetimes, but their brothers die of hunger. I want justice, please re-brand me.

I can produce anything, but import everything. So my toothpick is made in China; my toothpaste is made in South Africa; my salt is made in Ghana; my butter is made in Ireland; my milk is made in Holland; my shoe is made in Italy; my vegetable oil is made in Malaysia; my biscuit is made in Indonesia; my chocolate is made in Turkey and my table water made in France. My taste is far-flung and foreign, please re-brand me.

My people are cancerous from the greed of their friends who bleach palm oil with chemicals; my children died because they drank ‘My Pikin’ with NAFDAC numbers; my poor die because kerosene explodes in their faces; my land is dead because all the trees have been cut down; flood kills my people yearly because the drainages are clogged; my fishes are dead because the oil companies dump waste in my rivers; my communities are vanishing into the huge yawns of gully erosion, and nothing is being done. My livelihood is in jeopardy, and I am in the uttermost depths of despondence, please re-brand me.

I have genuine leather but choose to eat it. So I spend a billion dollars to import fake leather. I have four refineries, but prefer to import fuel, so I waste more billions to import petrol. I have no security in my country, but would rather send troops to keep the peace in another man’s land. I have 160 dams, but cannot get water to drink, so I buy pure’ water that roils my innards. I have a million children waiting to enter universities, but my ivory dungeons can only take a tenth. I have no power, but choose to flare gas, so my people have learnt to see in the dark and stare at the glare of naked flares. I have no direction, please re-brand me.

My people pray to God every morning and every night, but commit every crime known to man because re-branded identities will never alter the tunes of inbred rhythms. Just as the drums of heritage heralds the frenzied jingles, remember - the Nigerian soul can only be Nigerian - fighting free from the cold embrace of a government that has no spring, no sense, and no shame. So we watch the possessed, frenzied dance, drenched in silent tears as freedom is locked up in democracy’s empty cellars. I need guidance, please re-brand me.

But then, why can I not simply be me, without being re-branded?

Or does my complexion cloud the color of my character?

Does my location limit the lengths of my liberty?

Does the spirit of my conviction shackle my soul?

Does my mien maim the mine of my mind?

And is this life worth re-branding?

I am not yet born, please re-brand me.

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." Edith Wharton


"Live wisely and live long" God is faithful" (Prov3:13-23)

@ Nosa Imuwahen

Children Who Swim Start Smarter

Children who learn how to swim at a young age are reaching many developmental milestones earlier than the norm.

Researchers from the Griffith Institute for Educational Research surveyed parents of 7000 under-fives from Australia, New Zealand and the US over three years.

A further 180 children aged 3, 4 and 5 years have been involved in intensive testing, making it the world's most comprehensive study into early-years swimming.

Lead researcher Professor Robyn Jorgensen says the study shows young children who participate in early-years swimming achieve a wide range of skills earlier than the normal population.

"Many of these skills are those that help young children into the transition into formal learning contexts such as pre-school or school.

"The research also found significant differences between the swimming cohort and non-swimmers regardless of socio-economic background.

"While the two higher socio-economic groups performed better than the lower two in testing, the four SES groups all performed better than the normal population.

The researchers also found there were no gender differences between the research cohort and the normal population.

As well as achieving physical milestones faster, children also scored significantly better in visual-motor skills such as cutting paper, colouring in and drawing lines and shapes, and many mathematically-related tasks. Their oral expression was also better as well as in the general areas of literacy and numeracy.

"Many of these skills are highly valuable in other learning environments and will be of considerable benefit for young children as they transition into pre-schools and school."

The study is a joint project between Griffith University, Kids Alive Swim Program and Swim Australia.

Report: http://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/470251/early-year-swim-interim-report-2012.pdf

Using Rust and Water to Store Solar Energy as Hydrogen

How can solar energy be stored so that it can be available any time, day or night, when the sun shining or not? EPFL scientists are developing a technology that can transform light energy into a clean fuel that has a neutral carbon footprint: hydrogen. The basic ingredients of the recipe are water and metal oxides, such as iron oxide, better known as rust. Kevin Sivula and his colleagues purposefully limited themselves to inexpensive materials and easily scalable production processes in order to enable an economically viable method for solar hydrogen production. The device, still in the experimental stages, is described in an article published in the journal Nature Photonics.

Scientists are producing hydrogen from sunlight, water and rust. They’re paving the way for an economic and ecological solution for storing renewable energy. (Credit: Image courtesy of Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

The idea of converting solar energy into hydrogen is not a new one; researchers have been working on it for more than four decades. During the 1990s, EPFL joined the fray, with the research of Michaël Grätzel. With a colleague from University of Geneva, he invented the photoelectrochemical (PEC) tandem solar cell, a technique for producing hydrogen directly from water. Their prototypes shared the same basic principle: a dye-sensitized solar cell -- also invented by Michael Grätzel -- combined with an oxide-based semiconductor.

The device is completely self-contained. The electrons produced are used to break up water molecules and reform the pieces into oxygen and hydrogen. In the same liquid, two distinct layers in the device have the job of generating electrons when stimulated by light; an oxide semiconductor, which performs the oxygen evolution reaction, and a dye-sensitized cell, which liberates the hydrogen.

The most expensive part? The glass plate

The team's latest prototype focused on resolving the main outstanding problem with PEC technology: its cost. "A U.S. team managed to attain an impressive efficiency of 12.4%," says Sivula. "The system is very interesting from a theoretical perspective, but with their method it would cost 10,000 dollars to produce a 10 square centimeter surface."

So the scientists set themselves a limitation from the start -- to use only affordable materials and techniques. It wasn't an easy task, but they managed. "The most expensive material in our device is the glass plate," explains Sivula. The efficiency is still low -- between 1.4% and 3.6%, depending on the prototype used. But the technology has great potential. "With our less expensive concept based on iron oxide, we hope to be able to attain efficiencies of 10% in a few years, for less than $80 per square meter. At that price, we'll be competitive with traditional methods of hydrogen production."

The semiconductor, which performs the oxygen evolution reaction, is just iron oxide. "It's a stable and abundant material. There's no way it will rust any further! But it's one of the worst semiconductors available," Sivula admits.

Silicon-enhanced nano-rust

That's why the iron oxide used by the team is a bit more developed than what you'd find on an old nail. Nanostructured, enhanced with silicon oxide, covered with a nanometer-thin layer of aluminum oxide and cobalt oxide -- these treatments optimize the electrochemical properties of the material, but are nonetheless simple to apply. "We needed to develop easy preparation methods, like ones in which you could just dip or paint the material."

The second part of the device is composed of a dye and titanium dioxide -- the basic ingredients of a dye-sensitized solar cell. This second layer lets the electrons transferred by the iron oxide gain enough energy to extract hydrogen from water.

An outstanding potential -- up to 16%

The results presented in the Nature Photonics paper represent a breakthrough in performance that has been enabled by recent advances in the study of both the iron oxide and dye-sensitized titanium dioxide, and both of these technologies are rapidly advancing. Sivula predicts that the tandem cell technology will eventually be able to attain an efficiency of 16% with iron oxide, while still remaining low cost, which is, after all, the attractiveness of the approach. By making it possible to store solar energy inexpensively, the system developed at EPFL could considerably increase the potential of solar energy to serve as a viable renewable energy source for the future.