Positive Affirmations - Daily Affirmations

Positive Affirmation for Tuesday June 20, 2017

I Cheat Death by Enjoying Life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Positive Affirmation for Monday June 19, 2017

I celebrate my free-will.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Positive Affirmation for Sunday June 18, 2017

I celebrate both my uniqueness
and my connection with all that is.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Positive Affirmations

Today, I choose the higher road -
the path of charity, acceptance, love, selflessness, kindness.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Thank you for visiting my Daily Positive Affirmations on the basic goodness of life and on our ability to meet with grace and courage whatever life throws at us.
   Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Let me bring peace into moments of chaos.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I reach toward the shining mountains,
beyond the fog of daily worries.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I do not need anyone's permission to be my true self.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I sail the seas of life as the MASTER of my ship.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

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I give thanks for both my bloom and my thorns.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I am one with the Earth,
with the Water, with the Fire,
with the Air that I breathe,
with all Living Things,
and we are all one with Spirit.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

Standing in the inspiring vision of my future,
I boldly take every step - large and small -
with courage and intent.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I am a unique expression of the universal fabric of creation.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I am a Passionate Observer of Life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

Self-respect is not a function of size, age, or wealth.
I breathe deep, sing loud and sweet,
"I am me, I am unique, I am magnificent."
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I set my own course through the ocean of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

Today, I Dance Lightly With Life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I am a Passionate Observer of Life.
I See the events, feel the emotions,
and recognize the difference.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I Create Today As a Celebration of My Life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I say NO to the demands of the world.
I say YES to the longings of my own heart.
There is nothing I ever need to have.
There is nothing I ever need to do.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie 

I ride the storm - cheering wildly.
I gather strength from the storm.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Dream with Powerful Vision.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I am ready and willing to seize the opportunities life offers.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I trust my intuition to deliver
powerful visions of my inspired future,
and I empower my intent to
transform those visions into reality.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Whenever the World Frowns, I Smile Back.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today, I have gratitude for ALL of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Am One With Spirit and All Creation -
I give thanks for the unity of all creation
and for everything that has brought me to this moment.
I release my entire being to the gentle nurture of Spirit.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today, I will do my best...
and then relax in the knowing
that I have done all I could.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Dream with Powerful Vision:
I open my mind to Spirit,
and trust my intuition to deliver inspiring visions of my future.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Receive ALL of Life with Thanksgiving -
I have gratitude for EVERYTHING
that has ever occurred to bring me to this moment.
I give thanks for the joys and the sufferings,
the moments of peace and the flashes of anger,
the compassion and the indifference,
the roar of my courage and the cold sweat of my fear.
I accept gratefully the entirety of my past and my present life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Dream with Powerful Intention.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I welcome change as a great adventure.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Within my mind, the sun always shines,
and the sky is always blue.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I have Gratitude for Everything
that has brought me to this moment.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Find A Magical White Bunny In Every Rabbit Hole.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I'm Filled with Love Inside.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I follow my intuition,
and it leads me along the Right Path.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I am a Paradox - a Duality - and yet an Entirely Unified ME.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I have ready access to a power beyond my wildest imagination.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I accept gratefully the entirety of my past and my present life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I choose to create a joyful story in THIS moment.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I choose to feel supremely happy at this very moment.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I am a Mirror for Love and Light,
but never for Anger or Fear.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I forgive everyone - especially myself.
I forgive for my own sake,
that I may transmute my resentments into Unconditional Love.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Affirmation:
I forgive everyone, especially myself,
for all actions and all inactions throughout my entire life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I see the miracle in all of life. I am thankful for all creation.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I do not hold fear about what is happening in the world.
I am responsible for how I conduct myself in the events of my days,
and endeavor to not dwell in fear about anything.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Affirmation:
All people are my heart-felt brothers and sisters.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Forgive Myself and All Others with Compassion.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I come to life with an Open Mind,
Clean Hands, and a Loving Heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Slowly and Deeply, I Inhale a Calming Breath.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I am a blessing to the world
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

My bold life awaits me. I answer the call.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I strive toward my vision,
while accepting gratefully whatever life offers me.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I say NO to the demands of the world.
I say YES to the longings of my own heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I am Honored that Spirit has chosen to create ME.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Like a Manatee, I am Peaceful, Respectful,
Gentle, Kind, and Self-Healing.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I breathe in my courage. I exhale my fear.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Everyone I Love Becomes My Family -
and I Love Everyone.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I forgive myself completely for having created stories of suffering.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I honor everyone and honor all points-of-view.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The world is a better place because I am here.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I have compassion for everyone who has ever
been a player upon the stage of my life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I unconditionally forgive everyone for all hurt
that I have ever experienced in the presence of their actions.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I alone am the MASTER of my ship of life.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I celebrate my free-will,
and choose my life-path.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I unconditionally forgive myself for everything
that I have ever done, said, or thought
that has caused me harm or suffering.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I am at Peace with myself,
my family, my community, and the world.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I come with an Open Mind, Clean Hands, and a Loving Heart.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I thank Spirit for EVERYTHING
that has brought me to this moment,
and entrust my entire being
to the gentle nurture of Spirit.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Am One With Spirit and All Creation
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Today I Release All My Troubles And Grief.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I Dream with Powerful Intention -
Opening my mind to Spirit, I trust my intuition
to deliver powerful visions of my inspired future,
and I empower my intent to transform those visions into reality.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I am Cautious, But NOT Fearful.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I attain Inner Peace by Intending my future, and never Expecting it.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Creating Peace

Creating Peace

What can you do to promote world peace?
Go home and love your family.
- Mother Teresa

Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you find peace within yourself,
you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.
- Peace Pilgrim

Guide our feet into the way of peace.
- Luke 1:79

Let there be peace on earth.
And let it begin with me.
- Jill Jackson Miller

Today in My World: Visualize peace. Create peace around yourself. Then let that peace keep expanding.



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The Battle for Your Mind

The Battle for Your Mind

Part of the happiness of life consists not in fighting battles,

but in avoiding them. A masterly retreat is in itself a victory.
- Norman Vincent Peale

We carry our worst enemies within us.
- Charles Spurgeon

Life is way too short to spend another day at war with yourself.
- Anonymous

It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe,
that lures him to evil ways.
- The Buddha

Today's affirmation:
I lay aside the battles within my own mind,
and grant myself peace.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Nigerians get ultimatum to leave South Africa

Nigerians get ultimatum to leave South Africa

Nigerians living in some parts of South Africa are under threat after indigenes gave them an ultimatum to leave the country.

play Scene of xenophobic attack
(Time Live)

Nigerians living in some communities in South Africa have been given and ultimatum to leave the country or face dire consequences.

This much was made known by the Nigeria Union in South Africa in a message stating that two communities in the country have ordered Nigerians living there to quit their territories after accusing them of committing crimes and turning their women into prostitutes.

ALSO READ: "Xenophobia: 'Leave or we kill you all' - SA hate group threaten Nigerians"

In the statement, the President of the Nigerian Union, Ikechukwu Anyene, said the Kuruman community in Northern Cape Province gave Nigerians until Thursday, June 15, 2017, to leave the place while the Klaafontein community, Extension 5, Johannesburg, also directed landlords not to renew the rent of Nigerians in the area.

Anyene said the grievances of the South Africans was that Nigerians were responsible for some social vices such as illicit drug trade and prostitution and they blame every crime in the country on Nigerians even when it was clear they were not committed by Nigerians.

Anyene narrated how a Ugandan man allegedly raped a girl in Kwazulu Natal Province and was described as a Nigerian in the media just to make it seem as if the man was a Nigerian.

“The Nigeria Union held series of meetings with the affected communities as well as police and local authorities on the recent threats to Nigerians.

We have also written reports on these incidents and sent to the Nigerian Mission and the South African police.

We recommended interventions before the June 15 deadline to the mission and we are waiting for their response. The union is worried that any incident involving non-South Africans are attributed to Nigerians. There have been sustained media propaganda against our people

ALSO READ: "Xenophobia: South Africans attack Nigerians, burn houses, church, cars (Photos)"

The union believes that the Early Warning Unit set up by Nigerian and South African governments has not been effective. We are yet to have any meeting with the ministers of the two countries met."

 

How Nnamdi Kanu used propaganda to become the new face of Biafra

How Nnamdi Kanu used propaganda to become the new face of Biafra

From a council flat in Peckham to a country home in Umuahia, Nnamdi Kanu owes his rise to prominence to constant hate speech, an adulterated version of Judaism and the help of the Nigerian Government.

play Nnamdi Kanu appears in court during his trial in 2016 (Press 

Among the Igbo, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu is respected for many reasons. He is seen by most as the father of the Igbo nation, the man who fought to lead them out of a failing experiment and into a nation of their own, what would become the ill-fated Republic of Biafra.

For the few surviving soldiers who fought under his hand in the war that followed, he was a father and a leader.

For the generation that came after, those who saw him in documentaries and read of him in books, he is the symbol of lost values, a throwback to what the ideal Igbo man should be: strong, informed, industrious, fearless.

Perhaps more than anything, Ojukwu’s defiance is what has made him a deity of sorts among his people.

When he declared the Republic of Biafra, Eastern Nigeria was in the disadvantage in population, finance, military power and everything that would matter in the months to come.

play Ojukwu inspects Biafran soldiers during the civil war (Archive)

Looking back now, 50 years later, Ojukwu was well aware that the odds were not in his favor, but it is clear that the decision was made in spite of the circumstances, not because of them.

It was in an attempt to draw from this sentiment that a certain London-based radio broadcaster from Abia re-created Radio Biafra and began a campaign to whip up the undead desire for secession.

Nnamdi Kanu was born ‘Nwannekaenyi “Nnamdi” Kenny Okwu Kanu in Isiama Afara, a town in the area of Umuahia, the capital of Abia State. The exact date of his birth is not public knowledge, most claims put it at some time in 1970.

He attended Liberty Avenue Primary School, Umuahia before stepping up to the town's Government Secondary School to continue his education.

Whenever there is a conversation about most of the world’s most iconic rebel leaders, it is easy to see their influences as well as the formative steps; Castro’s first speech, Kagame’s first battle, the baby steps that helped them grow into the roles that they assumed in later years.

Kanu spent his formative years in the Igbo hinterland; by default, he must have been exposed to a more emotionally-influenced interpretation of the war, and the circumstances that surrounded it, from older soldiers and superiors.

Beyond that, there is enough to suggest that he was born close to the nucleus of the war, both in location and ideology.

His father, Eze Israel Okwu Kanu, an Igbo chief, conveyed much-needed aid to soldiers and civilians during the civil war. Not far from the Kanu family home is what is left of what used to be headquarters of the Biafran army, where his family claims Ojukwu once spent a couple of nights.

ALSO READ: Nnamdi Kanu's father says his son will not stop struggle for Biafra

Kanu was also born at a time when the war was a very recent memory and like many of his peers, the perspective he was afforded would have been fresh and relatively untouched by time.

play Nnamdi Kanu's parents; Eze Israel Okwu Kanu and his mother is Ugoeze Nnenne Kanu, at the family's country home in Isiama Afara, Abia. (Tom Saatar / Telegraph)

Kanu would go on to study at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka after secondary school, but after a series of strikes, he crossed the seas to London where he claims he finished his tertiary education.

There is no information on what university he attended or what course he studied.

According to The Telegraph, he made his home in Sandlings Close, Peckham, an area in London that is also known as 'Little Lagos' for the large number of Nigerians who live there.

The self-proclaimed leader of Biafra holds a British passport that guarantees his entry into the United Kingdom at any point that he wishes.

It is not clear how Kanu spent most of his time in London, but what we do know is that it was while he was here that he first became involved in the fight for Biafra.

This is where things get interesting.

There are reports that he joined the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), the major face of Biafra at the time and became a favorite of its leader, Ralph Uwazurike.

At the time, Uwazurike was a marked man in the face of the Obasanjo administration. After several ‘excursions’ with his newest friends, the Department of State Services (DSS), starting in 2003, he was aware that he could only find success with a new approach.

That new approach was Radio Biafra.

play Peckham is a hotbed of cultures that has supported a large Nigerian population for years (MoveBubble)

Radio Biafra has its origins as a pirate radio station that broadcast propaganda during the civil war from a studio mounted on a jeep; a measure that the war and hovering warplanes made necessary.

Uwazuruike’s brainchild was intended for a similar purpose; a medium of spreading the message and ideals of the secessionist country to Igbo people and apologists across the world.

The station was to broadcast from a location outside Nigeria that the federal government would have no control over; because of Kanu’s residence in London, his eloquence and his relationship with MASSOB’s leader, he seemed the obvious choice for the role.

But Kanu had other ideas, in the weeks that followed, he took charge of Radio Biafra and from his council flat in Peckham, went rogue on MASSOB.

The year was 2009.

This decision would also have implications when he, alongside other disgruntled members of MASSOB formed a splinter group, what we now know as IPOB, short for the Indigenous People of Biafra.

History has proved that it is near impossible to instigate widespread rebellion or upheaval without some sort of propaganda machine or media. In Nazi Germany, radio was the tool of choice for Hitler and Goebbels and Kanu put it to similar use.

Kanu used Radio Biafra to spread a deeply sectarian and militant message, as he put it "… Biafra or Death", often referring to Nigeria as a ‘zoo’ that was destined to go up in flames.

In a video that has since gone viral on social media, he said of spiritual leaders from the South-West’s Yoruba tribe, “It's always Yoruba people, head of Pentecostal, head of Catholic, head of Anglican. Hausas are killing us, Yorubas are sucking our blood”.

“If you’re attending a Yoruba church, you should be ashamed of yourself”, he continued. “Anybody attending a pentecostal church with a Yoruba pastor is an idiot, a complete fool, an imbecile. They are worse than Boko Haram. If your pastor is Yoruba, you are not fit to be a human being”.

These rants on Radio Biafra sparked a new conversation among its listeners; one where violence was often mentioned and war was an inevitable means to the desired end.

ALSO READ: Our failure to learn from the past is why we are inching towards another civil war

Among the Igbos, the desire for separation may have become understated to a large degree in the years that followed the war, but like all ideas that have gained a romantic appeal, it has always been a constant.

As such, pro-Biafra rhetoric is not a strange concept, either to the Igbo or Nigerians of other tribes.

What set Kanu apart and grabbed attention in those early years is also the reason why among more nuanced spectators, he is not taken seriously.

Unlike other pro-Biafra groups, Kanu has made little attempt to appeal to reason in achieving his goals.

His version of the struggle for Biafra has been defined by an excessively crude and one dimensional method.

While the most prominent of these groups, MASSOB believes that Biafra can be achieved by negotiation and its detailed 25-step plan, Kanu, on the other hand, believes that the only solution is war, and every other Nigerian is the enemy.

On 19 October 2015, Ralph Uwazuruike cleared the air about Kanu’s membership, disclosing that he does not belong to the movement and was sacked for indiscipline and for inciting violence among members.

Broadcasting in over 100 countries around the world, Radio Biafra had such massive reach that it spread quickly, its nightly broadcasts heard at home in Nigeria and by supporters in far-flung places like Australia.

In hindsight, it would appear the most pivotal tool in Kanu’s rise, even if that success came with its own thorns.

In 2014, the station’s existence became public knowledge and in the months before the presidential elections, Nigeria’s primary broadcasting agencies tried to pull down its transmission, with little success.

Arrests were made in 2015; three members of IPOB, David Nwawusi, Benjamin Madubugwu and Chidiebere Onwudiwe were detained at various times during the year for connecting Radio Biafra transmitters to Ericsson masts in eastern states.

More than a decade after he left the country, Radio Biafra put Nnamdi Kanu in the national conversation, but only to a degree.

At the height of the station’s popularity, Kanu was little more than a faceless monster, a largely unknown entity. While his message had found willing listeners, many agreed that he would have to leave London for Nigeria to be taken seriously.

Yet, absurdly, even after his return, it is this air of mystery cultivated over time, that has created an image that is seen as untouchable by most of his followers.

Nnamdi Kanu is a walking, breathing conundrum.

Where the integrity of his peers has come under question at one point or the other, he has branded himself as the outlier.

play Nnamdi Kanu makes appearances in full regalia; something between an Igbo chief and a Jewish Priest (Press)

He portrays himself as the quintessential Igbo man, first and above anything else. In his tirades, he preaches that the Igbo are a subset of the jewish people and identifies as a Jew, referring to the regular idea of the Christian God as a sham, like the rest of Nigeria.

In place of this, he says the Igbo will practice Judaism in the new country and offers obeisance to a new god of Biafra, Chukwu Okike Abhiama.

When he makes public appearances, it is full regalia, with a Jewish cap, a handfan with the rising sun of the Biafran flag printed on it, and a Jewish prayer shawl; often appearing like something between a Jewish priest with an apprentice stylist and a hippy Igbo traditional ruler.

His appearance is no mistake; Kanu makes concerted efforts to keep it up, enhancing it as much as the circumstances allow.

When he was released from jail in April 2017, he wasted no time in visiting Enugu to ‘pray’ at the Cenotaph erected in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the civil war.

“Whenever Nnamdi Kanu enters Biafraland, he would first go to Hill Top Ngwo to pray at the Cenotaph before proceeding to his home to see his parents and his people”, a source told Nigerian newspaper, Daily Post. “He has paid his customary homage to the memory of our fallen heroes”.

It is here that our failure to properly examine the history and educate ourselves on the Biafran war has played straight into his lap.

His core audience is a new generation that only saw the war in books and stories and he is able to sell them his own idea of the country of their dreams, re-imagined to suit his inclinations.

For them, Nnamdi Kanu is the new Biafra in flesh.

It is no mistake that this pristine image has amassed followers in the tens and hundreds of thousands, young men who in recent months have begun to refer to him as ‘our father’, ‘the leader of Biafra’.

An IPOB press release from 2015 even goes further to refer to him as ‘Prophet Nnamdi Kanu’

This image is often re-enforced by his closest friends and family members.

"My brother was singled out by God for this mission" Kanu’s brother and fellow Biafra agitator, Prince Kanu told the Telegraph in January. When he was further prodded, he claimed his brother was led by a vision he had in 2006 in Croydon, a fair distance from Nigeria and Igbo land, if we are to put it lightly.

The success of this ‘re-branding’ has reduced the pro-Biafra struggle into a personality cult of sorts, with reports of supporters kneeling down before him and kissing his feet upon his release from detention.

In reality, what Kanu has created is an illusion; a representation of the fallacious history that he invokes and the promise of the future he seems so willing to fight for.

It is an image that is as convenient as it is effective.

ALSO READ: Nnamdi Kanu is not the messiah for Biafra

But for all that Nnamdi Kanu has done to put himself in the frontlines of the struggle for Biafra, no-one has done more to help his cause than the Nigerian government.

While Radio Biafra put him in the list of pro-biafra agitators, a vast majority of the people he hoped to lead still viewed his message at arms’ length, with a certain degree of skepticism.

What they said was pretty simple; here was a man, calling on them to defend themselves and their sovereignty and prepare for war with the rest of Nigeria, yet he was miles away in a flat in London, speaking into a microphone from an undisclosed location.

play Nnamdi Kanu visited the Enugu Cenotaph almst immediately after his release from prison (Daily Post)

It only made sense that whoever sought to lead them would lead from the front.

In the final months of 2015, Kanu decided to pay a visit to Nigeria, taking up temporary residence in Lagos’ Golden Tulip Hotel. Barely days after, he was nowhere to be found.

On October 18, 2015, reports made the rounds that Kanu had been arrested by the dreaded Department of State Services.

He told his lawyers that he had been held in secret for four days.

In the weeks that followed, the IPOB leader was charged with treasonable felony for a speech he delivered at the World Igbo Congress in 2015 where he asked the bewildered audience for 'guns and bullets' to fight the war for Biafra. Alonside him were the three IPOB members arrested for planting Radio Biafra transmission equipment early in that year.

Political analyst Cheta Nwanze describes his arrest as “a mistake because it played into his hands”.

As Nwanze told the BBC in May, “When the 2015 election happened, there was a slowdown in the popularity of his radio station and that’s when he decided to come to Nigeria to get arrested”

Nnamdi Kanu had spent months accusing the government of a conspiracy against the Igbo people and moonlighting as the patron saint of information and freedom from oppression; if his supporters suspected that his ‘truth’ was a threat to the government, his arrest gave credence and credibility to those claims.

Even after the courts ruled that he should be released in November 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari's federal government pulled a rabbit out of the hat, and ensured that he was re-arrested and held again.  The DSS presented a court order that gave it license to keep him custody for an extra three months for 'questioning'.

As one commentator put it, this authoritarian approach inspired the feeling that “perhaps, this guy is not totally wrong”

Kanu would spend go on to spend months in and out of Kuje Prisons, often falling victim to the crippling judicial system and the DSS’ underhanded tactics to hold him for as long as possible.

The news of his arrest and detention spurred protests across the east and in other countries where his message had struck a nerve and earned him followers.

When he was finally arraigned before the Wuse Zone 2 Magistrate Court in Abuja in November 2015, IPOB members and sympathizers travelled in luxury buses and gathered en masse outside the court to demand his immediate release.

As the trial and detention continued, so did the calls for his freedom.

If Nnamdi Kanu was a loud mouth rebel-at-large before October 2015, his incarceration upon his arrival in Nigeria elevated him to the status of a martyr among his followers.

ALSO READ: IPOB members tell the FG that they don't care if Nnamdi Kanu is arrested again.

After months within those prison walls in Abuja, Nnamdi Kanu has been regained his freedom, released on bail on April 28, 2017. His detention has served the direct opposite of its purpose; making him the face of the renewed struggle for separation.

Since his release, he has kept a relatively low profile. Besides  closed door meetings with Igbo leaders and his visit to the Enugu Cenotaph, he has only made the news for relatively bland reasons, such as his interaction with two of Nigeria’s most divisive political figures, Ekiti governor Ayo Fayose and former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode.

His careful treading has been a factor, not of choice, but of his stringent bail conditions, including a ban from addressing a gathering of more than 10 people.

In a Nigeria where the adverse standard of life and its many manifestations dominate the headlines and cover stories, Biafra has re-entered the mix with a sense of urgency that does not feel familiar.

The Igbo’s struggle for secession is as valid as it was 50 years ago. Ojukwu’s reasons for pulling out are still very present; a political system that is tailored to suit the North and its large population, the perpetuity of the northern cabal and its stranglehold on federal power, absurd levels of corruption and nepotism at various levels of government, and a level of insecurity that suggests that the government can only do so much to protect its citizens.

Many point to examples such as the spread of the government's infrastructure projects, and in particular, the rail network that is supposed to cover the whole of the country. Despite the presence of commercial hubs in Onitsha and Aba, much of the South-East is not covered in the plans that have been released by Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi.

play Nnamdi Kanu's arrest and detention incited protests in Abuja and the South-East, as well as cities where his Radio Biafra had amassed a mass following (Press)

Ethnic and tribal tensions are also as high as ever; on June 6, 2016, a group of Northern leaders gathered at the iconic Arewa House to sign what is now known as the Kaduna Declaration, giving Igbos in the North a three-month ultimatum to leave the region.

Yet, it remains to be seen if Biafra is really the answer. Despite the resurgence of the campaign for secession and the emergence of new characters like Nnamdi Kanu, a good number of Igbos remain skeptical about the prospect.

They cite the lack of political unity and harmony among the Igbos as well as the absence of the elaborate structures to support an active economy that the new nation will need to survive.

Mitterrand Okorie, a social commentator, and lecturer at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike in Umuahia thinks that while the campaign for Biafra holds water, a lack of consultation has made the struggle one-dimensional.

“I think the agitation for Biafra is valid, the whole marginalisation of the Igbos has taken another dimension, the level is almost criminal.", he told Pulse in a phone interview. There is a bit of sort of trying to punish the South-east for their sins and it doesn’t give us a sense of belonging in Nigeria”,

“There is a lack of consultation in how IPOB is trying to navigate. You don’t just suppose everyone is part of the struggle. Some are new federalists, they want a restructured union. They don’t want separation for various reasons. This category of Igbo people have never had to sit down in a consultative way to know how this struggle is going to happen”

There are also important preliminary questions that have been left unanswered, such as the borders of the proposed country and the inclusion of the South-South states, to the effect that what obtains now feels like a case of pulling the cart before the horse.

“But we have to ask where does the map of Biafra start? Somebody may say it is the right time for Biafra to arise, but I don’t think it should include non-Igbos state. That’s the conversation we ought to have”, Okorie added.

Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB’s call for Biafra does not incorporate these questions, or even pay them any attention. While it is important to recognise the nature of his role in bringing the conversation about Biafra to the frontlines, what he offers is overtly inflexible; a myopic approach that has portrayed the struggle as little more than a rebel movement.

As the days pass, the shallow extent of his ideals continues to come across, just a few weeks after his release, he conferred honorary Biafran citizenship on Ayo Fayose, a political figure whose credibility wanes with each visit to Ado-Ekiti's pepper sellers.

The press releases may imply a sense of direction and coherence but his actions suggest a man who is swinging wildly with a blindfold in the hope that he will hit a bag full of validation, instead of one with the comprehensive strategy and intellectual consideration that the agitation for Biafra requires.

READ ALSO: IPOB honours Fayose with honorary citizenship

As Okorie put it in simpler terms, “you cannot achieve self-actualization by referring to your country as a Zoo”

The agitation of millions of Igbo people across Nigeria represents more than such simplistic logic.

play The map of Biafra, soon after it was declared in August 1967 (Archive)

In recent times, they have presented different facets of the case for separation. There have been calls to go back to the drawing board, including demands for a true sovereign national conference and a referendum to determine the pulse of the Nigerian people.

50 years after the first shots were fired, it is clear that the Igbo desire for a single homogeneous state is still as strong as ever. In the last two years, it has gone from a by-line and the stuff of aggressive folklore to a dream that seems realer with each day.

Nnamdi Kanu may be the new social-media savvy face of Biafra but he is nowhere near capable of making it happen.

 

6 Myths Christians Need to Shatter About Hell

Do we have it all wrong?

The Bible tells us that everyone will exist eternally either in heaven or hell. Hell is mentioned in the Bible numerous times including in Matthew 8:12, which says, “The children of the kingdom will be driven out into the darkness where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth". Hell is also mentioned related to internal destruction in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 which says, “These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power”. Hell is also described in great detail in Revelation 14:11 which says, “The smoke of the fire that torments them will rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name”. As believers, we know that hell is very real but it is still a confusing notion. Descriptions of hell are dark and scary. While it’s not easy to wrap our minds around it, as Christians we have to fully understand it to understand God and His love for us. Here are six myths we need to shatter about hell.

The Daniel Miracle

The Daniel Miracle

If I mentioned the name Daniel in connection with the Bible, the first words most people would associate him with are “lion’s den.”
Sure, Daniel was thrown into a lair of hungry lions because he disobeyed a decree to bow and worship only King Darius when he was caught praying to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But it’s what Daniel did long before he entered the lion’s den that has always resonated with me.
When Daniel was in his teenage years, he was among the most handsome, physically fit, and intelligent young men in the royal line of Judah. Then disaster struck: King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian ruler of the most powerful nation in the civilized world at the time, assembled a massive army to march into Jerusalem and to conquer the land in 605 b.c.
To demonstrate his dominance, King Nebuchadnezzar cherry-picked Jerusalem’s best and brightest minds and most beautiful women as captives. Daniel, along with three young men his age—Hananiah, Misha-el, and Azariah—were carted off to Babylon, along with all of Judah’s livestock and the Temple treasure.
There’s every indication that this quartet was treated well because they were seen as assets by the King’s court. They were the best of the best, the crème de la crème who would have gotten perfect 2400 scores on their SATs or aced their law school entrance exams today. Think National Merit Scholars.
Biblical academics believe this Fab Four was around fourteen years old when they were placed under the guidance of Ashpenaz, who was in charge of the palace personnel, to teach them the Chaldean language and literature.
Like hotshot recruits entering college, they were assigned the best foods from the King’s own kitchen during their training period. Nothing would be spared for these elite scholars who looked—as well as acted—the part.
Daniel and his three friends may have grown up in spiritually depraved Judah, but somebody in their lives—a parent, an uncle, a rabbi, or a prophet—must have modeled how they should serve God. That’s the best explanation I have for why they refused to eat the rich foods set before them at the King’s table.
You see, these “foods” were considered detestable to the God of heaven whom they faithfully served. Perhaps they were presented with meats that had been sacrificed to idols, or meats that were unclean because the animals had been strangled or contaminated with blood or fat—or all of the above. More likely, though, they were offered meats that God forbade His people to eat in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. I’m talking about pork, rabbits, camels, badgers, snakes, and flesh-eating birds such as vultures.
Daniel also passed on the King’s wine. While there was no scriptural injunction against drinking wine, perhaps Daniel knew the pitfalls that awaited those consuming excess alcohol and wanted to truly present his body to God as a living sacrifice. After all, the Babylonians were attempting to change his worldview by giving him a Chaldean education, to change his loyalty by giving him a new name (Daniel was called Belteschazzar, while Hananiah, Misha-el, and Azariah became the celebrated Shadrach, Meshach, and Abegnego who would later walk into the fiery furnace), and to change his lifestyle by giving him a new diet.
So, when presented with the King’s banquet, Daniel politely inquired, You got anything else to eat?
When told no, he asked if he and his compatriots could consume a different diet that would be blessed by their God, which made Ashkenazi—the man in charge of their well-being—very nervous. He was afraid they would become pale and thin compared to the Babylonian youths in palace training. They wouldn’t measure up. They’d fall behind.
“Give me and my buddies ten days,” Daniel said. “That’s all I ask. Let us eat only pulse and drink only water. If at the end of ten days we don’t look better and look healthier than the young Babylonian men, then we’ll eat the foods supplied by the King. Case closed.”
I always marvel at the faith and courage it must have taken Daniel to risk his life for what he believed in. He simply was unwilling to dishonor God’s commands, even in the area of diet.
Ashpenaz knew his head was on the chopping block if these four youths— the best of the best of Judah—became weaklings and lost their physical edge. When Daniel pressed his case, the steward reluctantly agreed to their experiment. The four could eat their pulse—the ripe, edible seeds and produce of a wide range of plants—and drink only water for ten days.
In a sense, Daniel was placing his life on the line as well, but he was willing to put God’s principles for healthy eating to the test. The story goes that for ten days they ate only pulse and drank only water. At the end of their experiment, they were found to be greater in health and excelled in wisdom and mental acuity and clarity when compared to their Babylonian counterparts. No one was smarter, better looking, or healthier than Daniel, Hananiah, Misha-el, and Azariah.
Based on the objective results of following their “Maker’s Diet,” the four young Hebrews were allowed to continue consuming a diet approved by God for the balance of the three-year training program. Scripture tells us that when they were examined by King Nebuchadnezzar himself, they were found to be “ten times better” in health, wisdom, and understanding than the leading young men of Babylon who had received the same education.
Imagine if you were found to be ten times the student, ten times the teacher, ten times more effective as an attorney, ten times more proficient in sales, ten times more precise as a surgeon, or ten times stronger and faster than the competition. Think of the advantage you would have over everyone.
In other words, imagine that you were LeBron James for a moment. Okay, I’m exaggerating, but sometimes when I see LeBron take over an NBA basketball game in the waning moments, I can imagine what it’s like for someone to be clearly head and shoulders above the competition. That’s what Daniel must have been like against his competition in the palace court. He was ten times better, which is why the King gave him more and more responsibilities.
The author of the Book of Daniel was Daniel himself. This was his story, and the Spirit of God inspired his words. Compared to some of the other miraculous events described in the book—interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walking in and out of the roaring flames inside the furnace; Daniel surviving without a scratch in a den of hungry lions; and seeing astounding visions from God Himself—I still believe that Daniel’s steadfast faith and the fact that he and his friends excelled to the point of being “ten times better” than other young men in the palace court is the greatest miracle recounted in the Book of Daniel.
I believe it’s critical to return to our Maker’s plan for eating healthy. We are God’s temple, and He cares about us and what we eat and what we do. He wants us to live long, healthy lives so that we can be beacons of light to a lost generation for as long as we can.

London Fire At least 6 people were killed

London Fire At least 6 people were killed

The police have said six people were killed at Grenfell Tower in west London and that they expect that number to rise.

play More than 200 firefighters were deployed to put out the fire engulfing a west London residential tower block
(AFP)

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At least six people were killed in a massive blaze that engulfed a London tower block on Wednesday, raising serious questions about fire safety in Britain's housing blocks.

Here is what we know so far:

How many victims?

The police have said six people were killed at Grenfell Tower in west London and that they expect that number to rise as emergency workers make their way through the building.

The ambulance service said 64 people had been hospitalised, 20 of whom were in a critical condition.

Several hundred people would have been in the block when the fire broke out, local officials said. The London Fire Brigade said it had rescued "large numbers" of people.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said firefighters were only able to reach the 12th floor of the 24-storey block at the height of the blaze.

He said "a lot of people" were still unaccounted for and urged any survivors to contact the authorities.

More than 200 firefighters were deployed to put out the fire, which was still burning more than 11 hours after the alarm was raised. Some 100 medics tended the casualties.

What happened?

Fire services said they received the first call at 00:54 am on Wednesday (2354 GMT Tuesday) and were on scene at the Grenfell Tower public housing complex within six minutes.

Witnesses reported the entire building was on fire by around 2:00 am (0100 GMT). Around an hour later the London Fire Brigade also tweeted that the whole building was in flames, starting from the second floor.

play Grenfell Tower is a concrete block built in 1974 in the working-class area of north Kensington in west London
(AFP)

Survivors said they saw the flames outside their windows, rising up the exterior of the building, which had recently been covered in cladding during a major refurbishment finished last year.

"It appears that the external cladding has significantly contributed to the spread of fire," said Angus Law from the BRE Centre for Fire Safety Engineering at the University of Edinburgh.

Where was the fire?

Grenfell Tower is a concrete block built in 1974 in the working-class area of north Kensington in west London.

The £8.7 million (9.9 million euro, $11 million) refurbishment of the block was completed last year and included new windows and heating system.

The area neighbours the wealthy district of Notting Hill.

What were residents' concerns?

Construction firm Rydon, which completed a refurbishment of the tower in 2016, said the work "met all required building control, fire regulation and health and safety standards".

David Collins, former chairman of the Grenfell Tower Residents' Association, said the building's management had failed to listen to residents' calls for improvements on fire safety.

"If the same concerns were had in a wealthy part of Kensington and Chelsea they would have got resolved, but here they didn’t get resolved," Collins told AFP.

"This is a multi-ethnic, multicultural, diverse community that just didn't get served by the people representing them," he said.

Local residents had warned a year ago about a potential fire risk caused by rubbish being allowed to accumulate during the refurbishment.

"This matter is of particular concern as there is only one entry and exit to Grenfell Tower during the improvement works," read a blog post by the Grenfell Action Group.

"The potential for a fire to break out in the communal area on the walkway does not bear thinking about as residents would be trapped in the building with no way out," it said.

Some residents said the official advice was that people should stay inside in the event of a fire.

Khan said the advice would be looked into.

"We can't have is a situation (where) people's safety is put at risk because of bad advice being given or if it is the case, as it's been alleged, of tower blocks not being properly serviced and maintained," he told the BBC.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's new chief of staff Gavin Barwell, a former housing minister, promised a review of building regulations covering fire safety following a fatal 2009 fire in another London local authority apartment block.

The review has not been published.

West London Fire Multiple fatalities reported in inferno

West London Fire Multiple fatalities reported in inferno

Few deaths have also been recorded as many have been taken to the hospital after been burnt severely.

Image1 / 2

• 

  The fire swept through London's 24-storey Grenfell Tower, a 1970s block, in the early hours, trapping residents inside  Natalie Oxford/AFP 

   

   

  Fresh reports on the massive fire broke out in a 27-floor block of flats in west London indicate that multiple fatalities have been recorded.

  According to Al Jazeera, few deaths have also been recorded as many have been taken to the hospital after been burnt severely.

  The London Fire Brigade reportedly said 40 fire engines and 200 firefighters were battling the blaze which had engulfed all floors from the second to the top of the Grenfell Tower.

  Commissioner at London Fire Bridage, Danny Cotton, said. "I can't confirm the figure due to the size and complexity of the building. Unfortunately, there have been a  number of fatalities.

  "It's a major fire that has affected every floor from the second floor upwards," Cotton said.

  The police also said "A number of people being treated for a range of injuries."

  It was further reported that flames ravaged the tower, lighting up the pre-dawn west London skyline and sending up a thick plume of black smoke.

  Large pieces of debris could be seen falling from the building.

  play Inferno rages storey building in West London
  (Reuters)

  
  

  Al Jazeera also reported that witnesses said they heard screaming from the upper floors as the flames rose in the night.

  "They were trapped. They couldn't come downstairs, especially from the top floor ... People have been burned. I have seen it with my own eyes. And I have seen people jump," Daniel told BBC.

  Hanan Wahabi told AFP she escaped with her husband and son, 16, and eight-year-old daughter but feared for her brother and his family who live on the 21st floor.

  ALSO READ: Fire engulfs tower block in west London

  "Last time I saw him they were waving out the window, his wife and children. I've not heard from them since, the phone is not going through, the landline isn't going through," she said.

  London mayor Sadiq Khan also declared it a "major incident".

  Actor and writer Tim Downie, who lives nearby, said: "It's horrendous. The whole building is engulfed in flames. It's gone. It's just a matter of time before this building collapses".

  Police said in a statement they were called at 1:16am (0016 GMT).

Nigerian men fight dirty at Italian train station

Nigerian men fight dirty at Italian train station (Tweet/Video)

Two Nigerian men have been caught on video as they stripped themselves naked while fighting at an Italian train station.

play These Nigerians have once again brought disgrace to the nation
(Ubani Chijioke) 

Two shameless Nigerian men have yet again displayed their rascality after they engaged themselves in a dirty fight at the Padova Railway Station, Italy, stripping themselves naked in the process.

ALSO READ: "No Joking: 2 Nigerian men fight landlord in Dublin (Video)"

play The Nigerians fighting dirty in Italy (Ubani Chijioke)

According to a Twitter user, Ubani Chijioke with the handle @thandiubani who posted a video of the shameless fight on his handle, the two Nigerian men and two other women who are apparently of the Igbo stock are seen battling it out to the amusement of onlookers who could do nothing to separate them.

In the video which was posted online on June 6, 2017, two men are seen trying to stop a man dressed in a blue shirt from beating a woman before the fight to no avail, before the fight turned messy, leading to the men tearing their clothes into shreds, all the while screaming in the Igbo language.

ALSO READ: "Not Joking: Nigerian woman pulls off top to fight Indian men in a bus (Video)"

Though the cause of the fight was not known, the shocked pedestrians could be heard screaming for the men to call off the fight to no avail.

play The shameless Nigerians tearing their clothes to shreds in Italy (Ubani Chijioke)

 

A Marine who coaches Fortune 500 execs explains why setting goals is a 'waste of time'

A Marine who coaches Fortune 500 execs explains why setting goals is a 'waste of time'

Combat veteran Andrew Wittman was an infantry Marine for 6 years. He explains why setting goals can be a complete waste of time. Wittman is the author of "Ground Zero Leadership: CEO of You," and coaches Fortune 500 CEO's and top executives. Following is a transcript of the video.
Setting goals is the biggest waste of time on planet Earth. People are shocked when I say that. Setting goals is a complete waste of time if you don't have a target destination. So I say it like this: Have you ever gone on a vacation and you didn't know where you were going? And if that ever happened, how did you pack?
So I don't know where I'm going. Here's my goals. I'm going to set goals of getting a surfboard, getting skis, getting hunting rifles, getting fishing rods. OK, all those took time to research, I spent resources, I got them, "Yay, I accomplished my goals." "Where you going?" "We're going rock climbing." Right? So, these goals did not help me.
In fact, I wasted valuable hours of my life and valuable resources I could have spent getting me to my destination on stuff that was a complete waste. So now think of it like this: If I said, "We're going to Rome in 2 weeks." All the goals self-populate.
What do we need to do? We've got to get our passport and visa. We've got to get plane tickets. We've got to get a hotel. We've got to figure out where we're going to eat — and what we're going to go see. So the goals self-populate. So stop wasting time trying to come up with goals. Just come up with a destination and a target of where you want to be and all your goals will self-populate.

Mark Zuckerberg shares the hiring rule he says separates good companies from great ones

Mark Zuckerberg shares the hiring rule he says separates good companies from great ones

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg explains the rule that allowed him to hire people of the caliber of his COO Sheryl Sandberg.

play null
(Getty Images) Hiring Sheryl Sandberg was one of the smartest business decisions Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg ever made.
Sandberg joined in March 2008 at a time when Facebook was ready to scale and needed the acumen she developed in her role as the head of Google's advertisting arm as well as the chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.
Facebook would end 2008 with 450 employees, $272 million in revenue, at a loss of $56 million; last year Facebook had more than 17,000 employees and brought in $27.6 billion in revenue, with $10.2 billion in net income.
In an episode of LinkedIn cofounder and chairman Reid Hoffman's podcast "Masters of Scale," Zuckerberg told Hoffman that his experience with Sandberg taught him that the "single most important thing" when it comes to scaling into a massively successful business is having founders surround themselves with the best people they can find.
"And when I look at my friends who are running other good companies, the single biggest difference that I see in whether the companies end up becoming really great and reaching their potential or just pretty good is whether they're comfortable and really self-confident enough to have people who are stronger than them around them," Zuckerberg said.
He created a test for himself for any direct hire he needed to make. "I've adopted this hiring rule, which is that you should never hire someone to work for you unless you would work for them in an alternate universe," he said. "Which doesn't mean that you should give them your job, but if the tables were turned and you were looking for a job, would you be comfortable with working for this person? And I basically think that if the answer to that question is no, then you’re doing something expedient but you’re not doing something as well as you can on that."
To clarify, you don't need to be hiring the world's most qualified interns — the rule applies to high-level positions reporting to the top. The point is that to be effective leaders, founders, and CEOs need to learn to set aside their egos and hire people they admire.
Zuckerberg took his time with hiring Sandberg. After they met at a Christmas party in December 2007, he would meet regularly with Sandberg and talk for hours about his vision for Facebook and what she thought she could add to it. After a few months, Zuckerberg decided Sandberg passed the test.
"There are all of these things, for example, that Sheryl is much stronger than me at, and that makes me better and makes Facebook better," he said. "I am not afraid or threatened by that. I value that."
You can listen to the full episode of "Masters of Scale" on Stitcher or wherever you get podcasts. 

13 signs your boss is impressed with you, even if it doesn't seem like it

13 signs your boss is impressed with you, even if it doesn't seem like it

Tough love and extra work actually might be a sign that your manager thinks you are quite competent.

play Can you read your boss?
(Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/Flickr) Does your boss think you're competent?
It's an important question. Getting along with your boss is a pretty crucial part of succeeding at work. Your manager likely controls whether or not you get promoted, demoted, or fired, after all. Your job is in their hands.
Some bosses make it clear if they adore you — non-romantically, of course. They heap on the praise, give positive and detailed feedback, and make you feel like you're an integral part of the success of the organization.
But not all managers are so open.
It's always good to ask for honest feedback. Before you make inquiries, though, here are 13 signs that your boss probably is pretty impressed with your work:

They give you tough love

play They give you tough love
(Henry Söderlund/flickr)

Suzanne Bates, CEO of Bates Communications and author of "All the Leader You Can Be," tells Business Insider that it can be difficult to figure out whether or not your boss likes you.
"A boss who sees you as promising may give you a lot of feedback, not all of it positive — some of it might be 'tough love' because he or she sees you as someone who can handle it and is ready for more responsibility," she says.

They challenge you

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed at times, then that might not be a terrible thing.
"The boss will probably give you more than you feel you can handle at times, not because he or she is trying to punish you, but because they want to test you on tough assignments," says Bates, who has worked with senior executives as a CEO for 17 years.

They share your priorities

play They share your priorities
(Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/Flickr)

"Ask your boss what his or her top priorities are and put up your hand for challenging assignments," Bates says. "Give the boss a chance to see you in action, especially on a project important to him or her, so that they can see what you're made of."

They respect you

At the end of the day, likability is overrated.
"Stop worrying so much about whether the boss 'likes you' because what really matters most is whether they respect you, include you, and engage you in important conversations," Bates says. "Likability is not as important as making a contribution, being a thought partner, and helping the team and the organization thrive."

They ask for your input

play They ask for your input
(Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/flickr)

Bruce Tulgan, the founder of RainmakerThinking and author of "It's Okay to Manage Your Boss," believes that bosses confer more with the employees whom they like and trust.
"If the boss often asks your input in one-on-ones and team meetings and leaves plenty of time for you to talk and then responds favorably to what you say — these are good signs," he tells Business Insider.

They're not always forthcoming with the compliments

You might think that managers shower the employees whom they value with praise, but Bates notes that this isn't always the case.
"They either think you already know you're in good standing, they don't want to seem to be favoring you, or they simply just forget because you do so many things well," she says.
Bates recommends that you ask for feedback and make it clear that you want your manager to tell it like it is.
Tulgan agrees, saying that workers shouldn't always expect unprompted feedback.
"You should always make sure you are getting expectations spelled out in vivid detail and you should be tracking your performance every step of the way," he says. "Keep score for yourself! Then you won't have to guess."

They go to you first

play They go to you first
(decoded conference/Flickr)

Tulgan says that it's promising if your boss seems to use you as a "go-to" person. They hit you up first when something needs to be done, whether it's a regular assignment or a special one.

They give you more responsibility

Managers often deputize their most talented employees. You probably won't get a gold-star badge, but you will get put in charge of important projects and even your fellow coworkers.

They defer to you

play They defer to you
(Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/Flickr)

When other employees are struggling, your manager sends them to you.
"If your boss tells others to go to you for guidance or instruction or examples of good work, this is a good sign," Tulgan says.

They give you important tasks

Tulgan notes that one major sign of trust is your boss specifically asking you to deal with important customers.

They check in with you

play They check in with you
(Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/flickr)

Tulgan notes that bosses will go out of their way to check on the workers they like. They'll ask about your happiness, whether or not you're planning to leave, and how the company can keep you on.
Your boss isn't interrogating you — they're proactively figuring out what steps they'll need to take to retain you.

They ask you to teach others

If your manager is constantly asking you to show the office newbie the ropes or explain how things work to your colleagues, it may feel like they're just pawning off extra tasks on you — to tell the truth, that might be the case in some instances.
But your boss also might also so impressed with your skills that they want to spread them around to others. Instead of looking at these requests as extra busy work, use them as opportunities to hone your own leadership abilities and showcase your expertise in the office.

They ask about your career goals

play They ask about your career goals
(Flickr/David Goehring)

Sure, we all know the "where do you see yourself in five years" question can be a bit sticky in a job interview.
But if your boss takes an interest in your career aspirations within and beyond your organization, that's a whole different story. Questions about your goals and dreams may signal their interest in mentoring you going forward. They're generally a good sign that your manager is truly invested in your long-term success.