A hero is someone who can endure and overcome major challenges to achieve greatness. A hero is focused and determined on working hard and I believe Jesse Owen is one of such men. James Cleveland Owen was born in Oakville, Alabama and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio as the seventh of the eleven children of Henry and Emma Owens. He was given the name Jesse by a teacher in Cleveland who did not understand his accent when the young boy said he was called J.C. Throughout his life, Owens attributed the success of his athletic career to the encouragement of Charles Riley, his junior-high track coach at Fairview Junior High, who had picked him off the playground and put him on the track team. Since Jesse worked in a shoe repair shop after school, Riley allowed Jesse to practice before school instead. As a student in a Cleveland, Ohio, high school, Owens won three events at the 1933 National Interscholastic Championships in Chicago. On May 25, 1935, while competing for Ohio State University (Columbus) in a Western (later Big Ten) Conference track-and-field meet at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Owens equaled the world record for the 100-yard dash (9.4 sec) and broke the world records for the 220-yard dash (20.3 sec), the 220-yard low hurdles (22.6 sec), and the long jump (8.13 meters [26.67 feet]). .He married his longtime high school sweetheart, Ruth Solomon, in 1935. Together they had three daughters, Gloria, Beverly and Marlene. In 1936 Owens arrived in Berlin to compete for the United States in the 1936 Summer Olympics. Adolf Hitler was using these games to prove to the world that the German “Aryan” people were the dominant race. Meanwhile, Nazi propaganda promoted concepts of racial superiority and depicted ethnic Africans as inferior or even non-human. Owens incredible performance winning four gold medals was a surprised to many. On August 3, 1936 he won the 100 dash by defeating Ralph Metcalf, on August 4 he won the Long Jump (after some friendly and helpful advice from German competitor Luz Long, that Owen should place a towel in front of the take-off board. Leaping from that point, Owens qualified for the finals, eventually beating Long). On August 5 he won the 200 yard dash and was later added to the 4 x 100 men’s relay team. He won his fourth on August 6 (his performance wasn’t duplicated until 1984 when Carl Lewis won gold medals in the same events at the 1984 summer Olympics). It was of no surprise that, Hitler shook hands only with the German victors and then left the stadium (some claim this was to avoid having to shake hands with the African-American, but according to a spokesman, Hitler’s exit had been pre-scheduled). Olympic committee officials then insisted Hitler greet each and every medalist or none at all. Hitler opted for the latter and skipped all further medal presentations. In his autobiography (The Jesse Owens Story, 1970) Owens recounted how Hitler later stood up and waved to him anyway. Owens was cheered enthusiastically by 110,000 people in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium and later ordinary Germans sought his autograph when they saw him in the streets. However back in New York, after the ticker-tape parade in his honor, Owens had to ride the freight elevator to attend a reception for him at the Waldorf Astoria. How Unimaginable that this great patriotic citizen(Jesse Owen) who brought fame and glory to America after the incredible success in the Olympic games had difficulty making a living. How funny life could be. He became a sports promoter and entertainer. He would give local sprinters a ten or twenty yards (9.1 or 18.3 meters) start and beat them in the 100 yard (91 m) dash. He also challenged and defeated racehorses, although as he revealed later, the trick was to race a high-strung thoroughbred horse that would be frightened by the starter’s pistol and give him a good jump. His self-promotion eventually turned into a Public relations career in Chicago Illinois. In 1968 Owens received some criticism for supporting the racially turbulent Olympic Games that year. Several years later, on March 31, 1980, Jesse Owens at 66, died in Tucson from complications due to cancer and was buried in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago Illinois. Jesse Owens was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1976 by Gerald Ford and (posthumously) the Congressional Gold Medal by George H.W Bush on March 28, 1990. In 1984, a street in Berlin was renamed after him. If you are reading this article, you may wonder why I have chosen to qualify the person of James Cleveland Owen as a portrait of success. J.C as he was popularly known, an African American who through all the trials and obstacles remained devoted to is vision, overcome segregation, racism, bigotry to prove to the world that African Americans are not inferior. He proves that true success is determined from within a person and not by colour or race. I choose him a portrait of success worth emulation.

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• 1305- Scottish leader and national hero, William Wallace, was executed in London.
• 1617- 1st one-way streets established (London).
  1833- Britain abolishes slavery in colonies; 700,000 slaves freed.
• 1914- Japan declares war on Germany in World War I.
  1948- World Council of Churches formed by 147 churches from 44 countries.
• 1960 World’s largest frog (3.3 kg) caught (Equatorial Guinea).
• 1990- West Germany and East Germany announce that they will unite on October 3.
• 1996 – Osama bin Laden issues message entitled ‘A declaration of war against the Americans occupying the land of the two holy places’.

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 Why do so many dreams fall by the wayside? Why is it that many people give up on their dreams and choose a ‘just OK’ life instead of a life of enthusiasm, success and self expression?  Are there things that you would love to do but somehow never get round to doing them? It is not strange, perhaps you failed to do the right thing. Many, many people get stuck in life. Stuck in unfulfilling careers, stuck with the things that they never wanted, while the things they do want seem to remain forever out of reach. Many get stuck, many never get what they want because they succumbed to F-E-A-R : false evidence appearing real. It may be the fear of upsetting someone else, it may be the fear that you might make a fool of yourself, it may be the fear of the unknown or perhaps, the fear of failure itself. Fear has prevented more people from succeeding in life than any other cause. Human beings tend to give up their pursuit of success to the frightening feelings of fear.

What is fear? The true definition of fear is- false evidence appearing real. Fear is one of the greatest obstacles on the road to success. Fears are multiplied through negative thoughts built up over years. Fear of the unknown or the unproven future keeps many people confined to their pigeonholes. Fear is something that seems very real in our minds. But upon further investigation we discover that the so called facts are untrue. How many times have you turned away from an opportunity because you were too afraid to go for it? Has fear kept you in a comfort zone too long? Has fear blocked your door of opportunity? Just keep in mind that when fears begin to create doubt, check the substance of that thought or idea. You may find it’s false evidence appearing real. When we analyze all the circumstances that create fear, they generally wind up being only figments of our imagination.

You can combat fears by concentrating on your goals, your aspirations and your dreams of success. Don’t allow fears to eat away your confidence. Stop and analyze what you fear. Is it because of a bad experience or something you haven’t tried before? Examine the situation confronting you. Learn everything you can about the situation. Then eliminate your fear by re-establishing your belief through clear, positive thinking and action. This will help you build your confidence every time. If you change the way you think, fears will disappear and you will instinctively change the way you act. Success – great success, is visualizing, planning and doing things that failure never dreams about doing? Are you going to take on the challenge of greatness that is facing everyone in this world but which only a few conquer? I dare you to make the most of yourself. Take me up on my offer and see your life dramatically change.
Tags:Fear,Motivation

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1831 – London Bridge opens

1838 – Slaves in Trinidad and Tobago are emancipated

1876 – Colorado is admitted as the 38th U.S. state

1936 – The Berlin Olympic Games open

1936 – Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer was born

1976 – Kanu Nwankwo, Nigerian footballer was born

1984 – Bastian Schweinsteiger, German footballer was born

1994 – Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley confirm rumors that they had married eleven weeks earlier

1996 – Olympic Games: Michael Johnson wins the 200-meter dash in 19.32 seconds, beating the old world record by over 0.3 seconds

2005 – King Fahd of Saudi Arabia died

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Hi, readers! I know you have been following the entrepreneurship series. Today I will like to talk about the need for student entrepreneurs. Do you know that majority of today’s student don’t really regard the phrase “student entrepreneur”, to them its mere theory that hardly works. Most students would rather depend on their parent to cater for them, than aspire to utilize their potentials and be their own boss. While some would rather hope they graduate from University with a good grade just to work for some big company. This way of life has been embedded into our custom and in the minds of the youth for decades and they have become major road blocks that discourage students from going out on their own. The long time effect of a life style that’s solely dependent on people to survival or succeed, is financial struggle, which is a direct result of people who are dependant or work all their lives for some one else.
If you may permit me to ask, how long are we as student going to continue living life without the hope of becoming our own boss? Not been certain of what will become of us when we graduate from the University system. There’s no reason why students who are supposedly the hope of the future, should be afraid of their future.
However, I believe the lot falls on me as a student entrepreneur to tell my fellow student that many people fail to succeed in life because they cling to old rules, ideas and norm. They resist change. These people end up struggling for the rest of their lives and get nothing, and eventually blame the educational system, their parent, the government or somebody other than themselves. Fellow students the ball is in your court. change your mindset and seize the opportunities around you. As a student you have the opportunity, while on campus to own your business and create job for yourself.
So be among the new generation of student entrepreneurial minded youth who have change their mindset to reverse this once inevitable subsistence way of life and take charge of the future, by starting their own business. They are creating a better live for themselves by taking control of their income without depending on someone else for survival.

Tags: student entrepreneurs ,be your own boss

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Over the years countless institutes and individuals have asked the million dollar question. What makes an entrepreneur an entrepreneur? What traits or characteristics are inherent to a successful entrepreneur and is one born with those traits? Some people believe an entrepreneur is born while others believe an entrepreneur can be taught. Some believe an entrepreneur is like an artist – either you have it or do you don’t. Some see entrepreneurs as leaders that are focused, disciplined, competitive, and charismatic, while others see them as huge risk takers. And all of these analogies are right to some degree.
Entrepreneurs see the world differently. They have the ability to see the world as a system. They have the ability to see something in its entirety and as an integrated unit, and they seem to possess the ability to see opportunity within the global picture. They are what is called a system thinker.
There are other characteristics they possess. They have the determination and dedication to follow through with commitments and they always appear confident and in control. They are of the mindset “I can,” and “I will.” They are not afraid of failure because failure is not in their vocabulary nor is it an option. They are objective but have the ability to weigh risks realistically within the big picture. They have an uncanny ability to anticipate developments which gives them the edge on many competitive situations. Entrepreneurs seem to feel right from their gut, call it instinct. They are a resourceful group that possess excellent problem solving skills and are able to diligently work through obstacles as they occur.
When it comes to successful entrepreneurs it’s a question of what came first, the chicken or the egg. Is it inherent qualities that we are born with that lead us to be entrepreneurs or is it when we choose to become an entrepreneur that we develop the skills and qualities of success? That’s a question we can resolve ourselves. What is for certain is that successful entrepreneurs are born every day and that you too can be a successful entrepreneur by developing the skills of success.

Tags: Entrepreneurship, qualities of an entrepreneur

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July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. The phrase “Fourth of July” has acquired widespread significance in American culture as a reference to the Independence Day celebration in the United States.

• 1826 – John Adams & Thomas Jefferson 2nd & 3rd presidents of USA, die

• 1827 – Slavery is abolished in New York State

• 1884 – Statue of Liberty presented to US in Paris

• 1894 – Republic of Hawaii established

• 1926 – Alfredo Di Stefano, Argentinian footballer was born

• 1831 – James Monroe 5th president, dies

• 1934 – Joe Louis wins his first professional boxing match

• 1954 – Germany wins the football World Cup for the first time – 3:2 in a match against Hungary

• 1959 – With the admission of Alaska as the 49th U.S. state earlier in the year, the 49-star flag of the United States debuts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• 1976 – The citizens of the United States celebrate their country’s bicentennial anniversary

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I often wonder when folks say they are committed to a society, a group, even when their actions speak otherwise. “I would die for my fatherland” (or is it motherland?) they say, but I will have them know that actions speak louder than words. Patriotism is a concept which arises as a result of certain characteristics or traits in a particular society, and such an orientation is not confined. It pervades a person’s thinking, outlook and actions. A patriotic individual does not need to be forced into obeying the laws of the land because it’s his pride to do so. The patriotic individual is hardly aware he is patriotic because his orientation has become a guided principle of life. When he lives, he lives for his country. A patriot is a fearless soldier, a tireless sportsman, an honest citizen. He takes actions that bring glory to his country rather than for personal gain. Remember patriots like Ken Saro Wiwa, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and many others, who lived their lives for the cause of their nations. However, there are some folks who interpret a patriotic citizen as a fool, because they fail to see the thin line that exists between a patriotic citizen and a self-centred one. The suicide bomber is more of a misguided miscreant than an honourable citizen. A patriotic citizen is not a war-mongering political leader. Neither is he a self-perpetrating office holder. He respects the content of the social contract, he does not see himself as the only vessel of knowledge, and he is humble enough to respect the wisdom of others. He is exalted by others, not himself. Patriotism is a must-have virtue for which the possessor cannot claim personal glory.

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The U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday voted 379 to 35 to approve Senate legislation that would raise federal broadcast indecency fines tenfold to a maximum of $325,000 per violation. President George W. Bush has signaled support for a legislation that would help him appeal to the GOP’s conservative base. His signature would clear the way for the first change in the indecency law since 1992. Broadcast television networks opposed the increase, saying it will have a chilling effect on programming. Enactment of the law will close a two-year debate over indecency that gained national prominence when singer Janet Jackson’s breast was bared during a Super Bowl halftime show on CBS in January 2004. The higher fines substantially raise the stakes for stations that air risqué and off-color material. The current maximum fine the Federal Communications Commission can assess for an indecency violation is $32,500. Critics, including the watchdog Parents Television Council (PTC), argued that was too little to discourage obscene broadcasts. Cable and satellite TV providers remain exempt from FCC indecency prohibitions under the bill. But in the wake of the bill’s enactment, the PTC, which is credited for raising much of the fuss about off-color programming over the past couple years, is planning to emphasize a campaign to encourage the cable TV industry to offer programming a la carte–allowing subscribers to choose and pay for only the programming they want in their homes. Earlier Wednesday Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., introduced legislation to encourage cable to offer programming a la carte. Congress is sending the bill to President Bush three months after the FCC levied more than $4.5 million in indecency fines to television stations, its biggest penalties ever.

In 1992 lawmakers approved a measure ordering the FCC to create a so-called “safe harbor” for off-color material between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. A bill approved by the House last year would have raised the cap on FCC broadcast indecency fines to $500,000. The House bill also included controversial provisions that would have cleared the way for the FCC to fine on-air talent — not just the broadcast licensees — for infractions and would have allowed the agency to revoke the licenses of repeat offenders. Under standard legislative procedures, leaders from the Senate and the House would have met in conference to iron out the differences between their bills before sending a compromise measure to the White House for the president’s signature. But industry critics were concerned that the controversial provisions in the House bill could have stymied indecency legislation this year. By simply accepting the Senate version of the legislation, which only raises the cap on the fines, the House avoided the possibility of indecency legislation being blocked in the Senate.

Source: TVWeek

Tags: President George W. Bush , indecency legislation , House of Representatives

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There’s an inherent danger in taking long airplane flights – and it has nothing to do with the food. For more than half a century, long distance air travel has been figured to increase the risk of blood clots in the legs. If the clot forms in your leg and passes into your blood stream, it could travel to your heart or brain, respectively causing a potentially fatal cardiac arrest or a stroke. This condition is known as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).
However, British researchers report that cabin air pressure is not the culprit as some have speculated. They suggest that the condition is caused by lack of movement. Writing in the journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. William Toff and colleagues from the University of Leicester subjected 73 healthy volunteers in a crimped chamber for 8 hours shift to stimulate the condition of an actual flight. They lowered the air pressure and oxygen level in the chamber to match the flight levels and even put a table in the middle to stimulate the close quarters of a cabin.
“Our study provides, for the first time, a carefully controlled assessment of the effects on blood clotting of the low air pressure and low oxygen level that might be found during a long-haul flight. We found no evidence that low pressure low oxygen were activating the body’s clotting mechanism,” concluded Dr. Toff of the University of Leicester’s Department of Cardiovascular Science. The researchers say that clot formation is probably the result of sitting still for long hours(e.g. 8 hours). Dr. Toff advised travellers that the best solution on any long haul voyage – no matter how you’re travelling – is to be sure you 

• stretch your feet and legs
• Get up and walk around the plane once an hour
• Rotate your ankles while seated
• Avoid wearing tight clothing around your waist
• Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration
• Stretch your calves once an hour
• Avoid alcohol and sedatives, which promote immobility
• If you’re at an increased risk of blood clots, speak to your doctor before flying.

Tags: Airplane cabin pressure, Blood Clots, American Medical Association, Vein Thrombosis   

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