Microsoft Develops A Mood Measuring Smart Bra That Prevent Over Eatin

A bra is part of any woman’s wardrobe, and one of the most essential under garments. But  what could be better than getting more than physical support from it? I say stress management courtesy of that little garment.

Apparently scientists have now come up with a bra believed to read the wearer’s moods and prevent over eating as a result of stress. According to BBC, Microsoft researchers have designed a smart bra that can detect stress. The prototype contains removable sensors that monitor heart and skin activity to provide an indication of mood levels.

The aim of t his project was to find out if wearable technology could help prevent stress-related over-eating. Mood data was provided to the wearer via a smartphone app in order to highlight when “emotional eating” was likely to occur.

Not to say they forgot about the men, only that theirs did not work as well. A similar underwear had been invented but was not as effective and it is believed this was because the sensors were located away from the heart. As if that is not technology enough, Last month saw the release of a Twitter-connected bra, that tweeted every time it was unhooked to encourage women to self-examine their breasts.

Well, I hope the smart bra works for all those emotional eaters!

NSSF ACT 2013: What You Need to Know

NSSF ACT 2013
The NSSF Bill 2013 was passed by the National Assembly on 4th December 2013 and received presidential assent on 24th December 2013 repealed the NSSF Act (Cap 258) and replaced it with the NSSF Act 2013. In this regard from the commencement date of the NSSF Act 2013 the previous amount of Kshs 400 per employee under the NSSF ACT no longer applies.

The highlights of the NSSF Act 2013 include:
1. Convert the existing NSSF from a provident fund to a pension scheme.
2. Mandatory contributions are a total of 12% of a person’s earnings divided as follows:
a. Employer contributions of 6%
b. Employee contributions of 6%
2. Contributions into the scheme are divided into two categories
a. Tier I contributions : All is remitted to NSSF
b. Tier II contributions: Goes to NSSF or to a registered private pension scheme of which the employee is a VALID member by the commencement date.
3. Both Tier I and Tier II contributions are mandatory.
4. All pension contributions are tax deductible contributions.
5. All employers with one employee or more are required to register with the NSSF and remit contributions every month.
6. Any employer who fails to deduct and remit contributions to the NSSF, neglects or refuses to register with NSSF commits an offence and shall be liable to a fine  of  Kshs 300,000/-.
7.  Access to public services for all employers shall be subject to registration with the Fund (NSSF).

Facebook No Longer Free! You Now Have to Pay for Ads to Reach Your Fans!

Facebook has continually encouraged people to create fan pages for their businesses and products as a way to have a sales and marketing platform or just as a means to interact with customers one on one. They have done this by asking you to get as many likes as possible. But was this social site fooling us all along?

If you are a marketer or a business owner you might have noticed that the organic reach of your posts on the Facebook has dropped! That means not all your audience or the people who have liked your page are getting to view your posts. Considering it was very hard to get the likes in the first place and even Facebook going ahead and requesting you to pay them to get more likes, just to turn around and change that, it does not seem right.

According to AdAge, Facebook stated that “We expect organic distribution of an individual page’s posts to gradually decline over time as we continually work to make sure people have a meaningful experience on the site.”

For business owners it does not make financial sense to pay to display free content that is not generating any sales thus no revenue acquired. It is also a disadvantage to the viewers too as they liked your page for reason, maybe to get particular content e.g news, health tips etc and that will not be getting to them. So did Facebook just make Google + the next big thing?

Give us feedback on what you think of the Facebook changes and stay tuned to the next article on how you can reduce the effect of this change.

African Union Responds To Melvin's Video Message

Last week, Melvin was announced as the winner of ONE Campaign’s Big Brother Africa video competition and this week, the African Union has responded to his video message.

Melvin recorded this video message calling on the African Union AU to step up its efforts to fight energy poverty. Energy poverty affects 70% of the 589 million citizens in sub-Saharan Africa. This severely hampers life-saving hospital services, job and educational opportunities, agricultural production as well the safety and security of women and girls.



This was part of a video competition organised by ONE in collaboration with MNET to mark charity week.  BBA housemates recorded short video messages calling on the AU to do more to address problems facing Africa.  Viewers then voted on the best video using Big Brother Africa’s online platform.

Melvin presented his winning video to a representative of AU/NEPAD at a press function held in Johannesburg last week, on the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. On that occasion, ONE noted that 42, 170 viewers (out of 82, 474) had voted for his message, signifying the importance that Africans attach to energy poverty. He therefore, called on AU leaders to do something about it.

Well, H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Agriculture and Agriculture at the African Union thought it wise to respond to Melvin’s call with a video message of her own. How cool!

What’s even cooler, she reassures Melvin and the Big Brother Africa viewers:

“We will definitely increase our efforts and steps to eradicate energy poverty, end hunger, fight HIV/AIDS and many more pertinent issues…. The African Union is not just for the Heads of State and Government – it is your Union,” she said.

“The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, whom I am here representing, echoes the words of young people who like to say: it is not cool to be poor,” Her Excellency added.

Feature: The Future Of Bengelo!

Bengelo is the last standing couple in the House having survived the 'curse of the couples'.

After the likes of Cleo and Elikem lost their loved ones to Evictions, we saw LK4 and Koketso booted out together while Bolt and Betty, as well as Oneza followed each other out of The Chase.

As much as we love Bengelo and wish them all the best in their relationship, it seems Africa is not entirely convinced.

We ran a poll recently about what Big Brother Africa fans thought about Beverly and Angelo's relationships and the results prove that this looks like one of those convenient arrangements.

With 793 fans convinced that the two are just enjoying each other's company for now. A close second came in with 779 votes saying "there's no love here, they will separate after BBA".

There are 573 that have no doubt at all that the two love each other but also know that they will still separate after The Chase.
Then how mean can people be though? a whole 486 think the two are just using each other. Anyway, there's no hope lost as a certain fraction of the respondents believe that the two are a solid couple and may get married.

We still wish our Bengelo stay together and have all the fun in the outside world. What about you?

Uti Donates To The Less Privileged

BBA All-Stars winner, Uti Nwachukwu pulled his other celebrities, fans, supporters and his friends along, to go support the less privileged, for the third edition of Uti Leads The Stars.

Nwachukwu began the visit in 2011, as a platform for stars to come together and lend their support to the less privileged.

The event which took place at the tail end of 2013 at Calabar Hall, Surulere was well attended by several entertainers and celebrities who lend their undying supports to the actor. In attendance include, BBA ‘The Chase’ contestants, Melvin Oduah and Beverly Osu, Frank Oshodi ,Morachi, Ace, Chuddy K, Gulder Ultimate men- Michael Nwachukwu, Chris Okagbue and Dennis, Ik ogbonna, Ogechi Asiegbu, Mr Anambra Francis, Mr Nigeria Kenneth Okolie, Miss Nigeria Ezinne Akudo, Yolanda Okereke and Yomi Casual.

The event was hosted by the larger than life Denrele Edun and Pastor (Dr) Ayotunde Alao who made sure the widows, orphans, blind, deaf, dumb and others enjoyed every minute of the event held in their honor.

Lots of goodies were raised for the homes and they were blessed with bags of rice, clothes, shoes and food in abundance. The homes felt so much love and happiness as they enjoyed the celebrity performances and charitable donations. Some of the children from different homes all took turns to give ‘star’ performances in dancing, singing and the likes.

The less privileged were pulled together from 15 different homes including, God Wives International, Ajoke Group Of Widows, Amuwo Odofin Widows Association, Less Privileged Children Yaba, Sari-Iganmu Special School, Amuwo Odofin Orphan Committee, Modupe Cole, Bethesda Home, to mention but a few.

Uti says “I feel so blessed, I am so happy that God has used me as a platform to continue to care for victims of the society. It is Christmas time and it is a season to be thankful. This is my own way of saying thank you to God for such a wonderful and successful year. It has been the best career year and personal emancipation for me. Uti Leads The Stars was revisited and I feel honored that some of my friends came through for me. Thank you so much guys. To all our sponsors, my mentor in South Africa, the students who sent their widows mite, and finally to the wonderful women that run the Uti Fan Club (UFC), words cannot express my gratitude, I am totally honored and I pray that you all harvest in 100 folds the seeds you have all sown.” -

Willy Paul’s Mum Ask haters (J Blessing and Others) To Leave His Son Alone

Kenyan Gospel Artist Willy Paul has of late been in the entertainment headlines for all the wrong and right reasons. His Music has been doing so well hitting the top chats across the East African nations while at the same time his controversial stories also hit the top trending topics on social media across the region.

Of late Willy Paul has had a serious beef with one of the TOP Video Directors in the Country Jibril Blessing popularly known as J Blessing.

This has gone so far that Willy Paul’s Mum decided to come out in defense of his son. Willy’s mum was forced to intervene when things were seen to be getting out of hand that Willy was now begining to get too stressed up.

Willy’s mum phoned one of Pulse reporters in an effort to clarify the on goings between Willy Paul and J Blessing and this is what she said:- “I am begging J Blessing to leave him (Willy) alone. I appreciate what he has done for my son but I am helpless when I hear what he is trying to do to halt Willy’s career. I have an orphan at home. We eat what Willy gets and he gets that through music. If his music doesn’t get played then what will the orphan and I eat?”

The beef between the two is not very clear but when J Blesing was asked about it during an interview with SDE, this is what he said:  I signed Willy and delayed his recording because we agreed that he should finish school first and do music later. However, he was impatient and decided to look for other producers,”

PICTURES: Meet Ali Kiba’s Adorable Son

Bongo flava artiste Ali Kiba still rules the airwaves and clubs with his smashing hits. He is behind hits like Mapenzi yanarun duni, Single boy, Dushelele and many other tunes that set him apart as arguably the best Tanzanian artiste.

Well Ali Kiba has more than his successful musical career to brag about. He already has an heir, a very handsome young man who looks just like his daddy, and from the look of things judging from the photos, this young lad might just take after his dad, I mean he already has a ‘msanii’ kind of pose going.

Well enough said, meet Ali Kiba Jnr.

The Economics of Personal Finance

Economics can be described as a social science that studies how individuals, governments, firms and nations make choices on allocating scarce resources to satisfy their unlimited wants. As complex as the principles of economics may seem, they can be applied in our day to day financial decisions to derive full potential from our personal finances. A few of such concepts are outlined below:

1. The difference between needs and wants
Our actual needs are pretty limited: food, shelter, clothing, companionship. Just about everything else is a “want,” and our wants are essentially endless. Because our resources are limited, we have to make choices about which wants to fulfil.
Also, the way we fulfil our needs involves a lot of choice. Many people believe they have to spend money in certain ways or in certain amounts, when in reality their spending is a choice – or is at least based on choices they made earlier.
For instance, if one is facing loan re-payments that are stretching his income far beyond what he can afford, it is because he chose to take a loan that was not sustainable given his income level. When it comes to borrowing, the rule of thumb is to avoid any debt whose re-payment is beyond 36% of your current net income.

2. Scarcity of resources makes your choices for you
It is a wonderful feeling to believe in a world of endless abundance, but the reality is that at any given point in time, our resources have limits. Whether it is oil in the ground, or the cash in our pockets, there is only so much available to be spent.
Ignoring this reality means that one’s expenses will always outweigh the income available, no matter what time of the month it is. This eventually leads to unsustainable spending by over-relying on credit cards, unnecessary personal loans, among others.
Overlooking the importance of making the sometimes-hard choices needed to responsibly manage money means that one will have even fewer choices in the future.

3. The unsustainable nature of the ‘hedonic treadmill’
In simple terms, the hedonic treadmill means that we quickly adjust to improved circumstances. In essence, a new possession may make us happy for a little while but we soon take our situation for granted. Our expectations continue to rise, and should those expectations be satisfied, again we’d adjust and quickly want more. This means therefore, that we must learn to be motivated by things deeper than money, and to find true happiness in things that go beyond worldly possessions.

4. Every money decision has a cost of its own
“Opportunity cost,” very simply, means what we give up to get something else. In every choice, there’s an opportunity cost. Understanding that our choices have opportunity costs, and examining what those costs are, should help us make better decisions with our personal finances.
For instance, spending beyond our means to satisfy wants instead of needs means that we fore-go the opportunity to earn returns on that money, had it been invested instead.

5. The time value of money
This boils down to a relatively simple proposition: that the shilling I get today is worth more than a shilling I’m promised sometime in the future. This core principle of finance holds that, provided money can earn interest, any amount of money is worth more the sooner it is received, and invested.

Based on these principles, it is easy to see how the broader concepts of economics can be observed to create a better and more rewarding personal financial plan. What it all boils down to is the main principles of personal finance: Always remember to save before you spend, borrow wisely, spend wisely, and most importantly, find happiness in things beyond money.
Please talk to us on how to get your finances on track, or how to improve your existing blue-print.

Tips On How To Be More Professional At Work

Professionalism in the office is imperative especially if you want to go climb the ladders at your workplace. It creates a preferred image of yourself and can rub off on other employees too. So just what do you need to work on so you can appear more professional at work? Below are some of my biggest and most recommended tips on being more professional at work.

1. Maintain a professional attitude. Being professional at work is not just about arriving on time and dressing appropriately. It’s also about how you act, the things you say and actions you take that define how professional you seem at the office. You can act however you like outside the office, but to remain professional at work, it’s a good idea to keep a professional attitude.

This means what you think about and what you say should be considerate of your work environment. Try to refrain from offensive jokes and stories about drinking and partying on the weekend. Keep your focus on work while you’re there, and you’ll be perceived as being more professional.

2. Separate your personal time and work time.  Everybody has things to do outside work and it is important to have that as part of keeping a healthy work and life balance. You should however limit as much as possible the impact your personal life has in the workplace. Step away from your desk if you need to make or answer a call, filter your words at work and try not to waste company time and resources.

3. Write professional emails. Everybody uses email as part of our jobs. Write professional emails by ensuring  the standards of writing emails are met. You can also add an email signature at the bottom of your email. It’s an effective form of communication if written correctly. Funny quotes, images, links to other sites or advice aren’t really necessary and should be avoided.

4. Get to work on time. Most offices have the required minimum time to get to work. Get to work before time, add in half an hour or one hour after work hours. This depicts a professional and passionate image of yourself about your work and shows you are not working by he clock but willing to improve on your job.

Image: Cartoons by Manjul

Former KTN Anchor Zain Vergee Talks About Her Battle With A Rare Skin Conditio

We are all used to the jovial and vibrant Zain vergee on our screens, but never did we think she was struggling so much behind the scenes. All this because of a rare skin condition called psoriasis, which the renowned anchor who now works for CNN has been battling since she was 8 years old.

Zain saw a chance to talk about her condition courtesy of a video they posted of a recent piece about the disease. All said and done, here is part of what she had to say about her battle with Psoriasis.

I have spent more than a decade of my professional career on international television, my face visible to millions each day. Yet I have spent a lifetime hiding.

For years, I guard a painful secret: I can’t bear to look in the mirror. I shrink from bright light. A gaze that lingers a second too long makes me panic. A hot summer day sends me into the shadows.

I have fish-like scales. There are tiny red islands floating on the surface of my skin. They combine to create continents with jagged surfaces. They turn black and start to smell. There is blood and pus.

My scalp spits out silver flakes. My ears are filled with crusts. I leave white specks wherever I sit. I float in long, loose clothes. My hands betray me. The sores sit openly. My nails are dented with pockmarks. I find strands of hair on the sheets and pillowcases every morning.

I suffer from psoriasis. It’s ravaged my body since I was 8. At its worst my plaques look like leprosy. I feel like a leper.

My face is flawless. Not a blemish. Not a mark. Compliments are endless. But I am acutely aware that a horror film unfolds in secret beneath my clothes. I am effervescent and radiant on the outside and rotting inside. Which is the real me?

The cameras fire up, the red light turns on. I am splendidly made up. I lose myself in the moment. I am energized. I am focused. It’s only my face. It is floating. It’s all that exists. It gives me confidence.
No one has it all. I fight my body and myself all my life. I hit rock bottom many times because of my disease. It seems futile to try anymore. “Who will ever want me like this” I cry hysterically at home. “No one could ever touch me.” My mother pulls me out self-loathing and defeatism. When I want to give up, she will not let me.

In the end, Zain is still battling the condition. Zain Verjee’s psoriasis went into remission for 10 years. She still battles the condition today.