Genius! Fake Amazon Résumé Proves the Power of Personal Branding

A French job-seeker has "sold" himself with an online résumé made to look like an Amazon page, proving that some creativity and attention to personal branding can go a long way.

Philippe Dubost began his trawl for a new job as a web product manager in late December. Depressed by the thought of sending a regular résumé into the ether as part of the usual job application process, he built his to look like an Amazon page, complete with product dimensions, five-star ratings, world-wide shipping and even a gift-wrap option.
"Amazon's pages just naturally fit the form of a résumé," he said. "I just thought that if a company thinks that this is fun, then that's a company I would like to work for." I just thought that if a company thinks that this is fun, then that's a company I would like to work for.
Philippe Dubost "At first I sent it out as a link with the normal job applications I was sending, but then sent an email to a popular French blog saying 'Hey guys, if you're bored and have nothing to look at...'" That was the beginning of last week. From there its journey across blogs and social media has propelled it from around 500 hits a day to over 200,000, and the page has gained over 27,000 Facebook "likes".
But more than just being a fleeting Internet sensation, Dubost's Amazon résumé has also done what it was designed for. From the 800 or so messages he has received over 100 have been work-related with job offers coming from across Asia and Europe.
"Quite a few are great and are really fit what I'm looking for," he said. Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery and Dubost admits that Amazon is one of the companies he greatly admires and would like to work for. However he remains tight-lipped about how the company has responded, or even if it have contacted him at all.
Naij

Questions Swirl as Man Holds Boy in Ala. Underground Bunker

Somewhere underneath this red southeastern Alabama dirt is a little boy. A kindergartner, snatched from the safety of his school bus by a gunman and stashed in an underground bunker.
A boy who needs daily medication. A child that this Bible Belt community of 2,300 is praying for. Many details have been released about the man suspected to be the boy's abductor: How he was supposed to have been in court to face charges that he'd shot at his neighbors over a minor property dispute.
It has been stated that the neighbours claimed the bus driver was strange.
The terrified students and their parents keep questioning: How he boarded a stopped school bus Tuesday and shot dead the bus driver?
How he worked on the bunker in the middle of the night for more than a year?
But many questions remained in Midland City on Thursday: What's in the bunker beside the man and the boy? How are they keeping warm when temperatures have dipped into the 30s in the area? Is the boy safe? And why, of all people, him?
The gunman stormed into the school bus Tuesday afternoon and demanded that the driver hand him a child. The driver, 66-year-old Charles Poland Jr., was a gentle Bible-reading man who could not stand to discipline the children on his bus because it hurt his heart, the Dothan Eagle newspaper reported. When he refused the demand, police said, the gunman shot him several times as 22 horrified children scrambled for cover. But the man was able to grab the boy and drag him to his underground bunker.
Charles Poland was fatally shot in Alabama on Tuesday.
Naij

Generosity: The power of giving

by Aisha Stacey

AS human beings, we have an innate sense of morality. No matter what religion, race or colour we are, certain qualities serve as the moral standard.

We admire justice, bravery, honesty and compassion. Also, we abhor those who demonstrate treachery, cruelty or corruption. Moral standards are universal, and one of the most important aspects of Islam is adherence to high moral standards and good manners in society.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught Muslims to have the best manners and distinguished characteristics. The Prophet’s own high standard of morals and manners made him the best example for Muslims to follow. Allah (swt) says in the Quran: “And verily you, O Muhammad, are on an exalted standard of character.” (Al-Qalam)

Generosity was among the countless good qualities of Prophet Muhammad. He was the most generous of people.

One day Prophet Muhammad offered prayer in the mosque and then hurriedly went to his house and returned immediately. A companion asked why he left and he replied: “I left a piece of gold at home which was given for charity and I dislike letting it remain a night in my house, so I brought it to the mosque to distribute.” (Al-Bukhari)

Our worldly possessions are bounties from Allah, who is the Most Generous. Muslims believe that everything originates from Allah and everything will return to Him. Thus, it is logical to behave as if that which we possess is merely a loan; something we are obligated to preserve, protect and ultimately share.

Whenever Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) met a miserly person, he advised him to be more generous and charitable. Ibn Abbas said that he heard the Prophet saying: “The believer is not the one who eats when his neighbour beside him is hungry.” (Al-Bayhaqi). Another companion heard the Prophet saying: “The believer is simple and generous, but the wicked person is deceitful and ignoble.” (Abu-Dawud)

Princeton University wordnet defines generosity as the willingness to give freely. Islam encourages this concept of generosity so much so that it is embedded in one of the five pillars of Islam, the obligatory charity known as Zakat. In Arabic, the term zakat literally means purification of the heart. However, it is also the payment, from surplus money, of an obligatory charity designed by Allah to provide for all the needy members of the community. It is a fixed calculable amount.

There is also another form of generosity in Islam called sadaqah (optional charity). Linguistically, sadaqah means truthfulness, and some scholars have described it as the heart being truthful to its Creator. Anything given generously — freely to others — with the intention of pleasing Allah is sadaqah. Sadaqah can be as simple as a smile, helping an elderly person with their groceries or removing objects from the road or path.

Generosity can be viewed as a wise investment in the future. Generosity or sadaqah may pave the way to Paradise because with every generous act comes great reward from Allah. However, being generous does not only mean giving freely from what you have in abundance. Generosity does not lie in giving away something that is no longer useful but in giving freely from the things we love or need.

Aisha (the wife of the Prophet) said: “A lady, along with her two daughters came to me asking for some alms, but she found nothing with me except one date which I gave to her and she divided it between her two daughters.” (Al-Bukhari)

Allah tells us in the Qur’an that whatever we give away generously, with the intention of pleasing Him, He will replace and multiply. Allah knows what is in the hearts of men.

Allah says: “Say: Truly, my Lord enlarges the provision for whom He wills of His slaves, and also restricts it) for him, and whatsoever you spend of anything (in God’s Cause), He will replace it. And He is the Best of providers.” (Saba)

The companions understood the value of being generous. Abdullah ibn Umar was seen in the market buying fodder for his camel on credit. One of the men queried this knowing that Abdullah had received 4,000 dirhams and a blanket the previous day. It was explained that before nightfall Abdullah had distributed the money amongst the needy. He then took the blanket, threw it over his shoulder and headed home, but by the time he arrived even the blanket was gone, he had given it to a needy person.

After the death of the Prophet, the people faced great hardship due to drought. They came to Abu Bakr asking him to provide them with enough to sustain them, but he was unable to help, the treasury was empty. Just at that time, the camel caravan belonging to Uthman arrived from Damascus. It was filled with foodstuffs and other goods. The merchants gathered at Uthman’s house offering him large amounts of money for the goods; however, he turned them down saying he was prepared only to give the goods to the one from whom he would receive the greatest reward. Uthman gave all the goods to the starving people of Madinah and did not charge them. He knew that Allah would reward him with something far greater than money.

Even in the direst of circumstances, a true believer is the one who gives generously.

The people came to Prophet Muhammad and asked: “If someone has nothing to give, what should he do?” He said: “He should work with his hands and benefit himself and also give in charity (from what he earns).” The people further asked: “If he cannot find even that?” He replied: “He should help the needy who appeal for help.” Then the people asked: “If he cannot do that?” He replied: “Then he should perform good deeds and keep away from evil deeds and this will be regarded as charitable deeds.” (Al-Bukhari)

And Allah says in the Quran that He will repay the generosity of a believer. “And whatever you spend in good, it will be repaid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.” (Al-Baqarah)

God is the one who provides for us and He expects us to share generously. We are encouraged to be benevolent and unselfish with our possessions, with our time and with our exemplary behaviour towards others.

DailyTrust

Toddler Almost Killed After His Egg Collection Hatches Into Eastern Brown Snakes

Kyle Cummings, a 3-year old toddler, was almost killed when his egg collection hatched into Eastern Brown snakes.
It all started about a few weeks ago, when Kyle Cummings came across with a clutch of nine eggs while playing in his family’s 3 acre property near the city of Townsville, in Queensland state.
Unaware of what the eggs actually carried, the young wildlife enthusiast brought the eggs home and kept them inside a box, leaving the box in the warmth of his bedroom closet. It was not until Donna Sim, Kyle’s mother, lost her soul in fright when she found the baby snakes writhing in her son’s wardrobe.
Seven of the nine eggs had hatched into deadly eastern browns. “I was pretty shocked, particularly because I don’t like snakes,” Sim told the local newspaper. Fortunately, Kyle had closed the box tight enough so as to confine the Eastern Browns.
Reptile specialist Trish Prendergast, who is also the Townsville-based reptile coordinator of the volunteer group North Queensland Wildlife Care, was handed the container on Tuesday and released the snakes into the wild that night.
Trish said that Kyle Cummings could have been killed if he had handled the eastern brown snakes – the world’s most venomous species on land after Australia’s inland taipan. “If he’d opened the container he might not be here today,” she said.
Snakes kill 3-4 people each year in Australia, most of them as a result of bites from Eastern Brown snakes.
InformationNigeria

Odemwingie Embarrasses Himself On National TV.

West Brom have denied giving Peter Odemwingie permission to talk with QPR despite him arriving at Loftus Road in an apparent bid to force a move. The striker, 31, was the target of an unsuccessful R's bid of about £3m last week and has put in a transfer request.
"Albion would also like to make clear that Peter has not been given permission to speak to QPR," read an Albion statement. "Talks [between QPR and WBA on a fee] have so far proven fruitless." QPR have denied that Odemwingie was admitted to club premises. Odemwingie's Premier League prowess The former Lille striker has scored 30 times in 80 Premier League appearances, including a hat-trick against Albion's rivals Wolves

Odemwingie had earlier appeared optimistic that a deal could be reached. "I hope they will be happy with what they get and, of course, they want to get in players themselves. I just hope that everything will be sorted out in the next few hours," Odemwingie told Sky Sports News on his arrival in West London. He has also been quoted as saying that he had reached an informal agreement with Albion's technical director Dan Ashworth on his departure, only to find that the situation had changed when he was en route to London. "I am disappointed this is all happening.
I met with Dan Ashworth this morning and we shook hands that I could leave with his blessing if the £3.5m fee was met," the striker was quoted as saying by the Daily Mirror. "Now, as I am on my way, I find that there are more complications. It is frustrating to say the least. But I am hopeful a solution can be found." QPR manager Harry Redknapp confirmed earlier in the day that Odemwingie was still a player he would like to bring into his squad. "He's got pace, I really like him and I think he could help us," he told the the club's official weekly phone-in show 'London Call-In'.
"Whether we can get him, I'm not sure." West Brom had described Odemwingie's transfer request club as "disappointing" earlier in the week. "As we have repeatedly stated, we have no need or desire to sell our core players," said Baggies technical director Richard Garlick at the time. "Since we turned down Peter's transfer request, he has made his position clear in a statement to the media and via his personal Twitter account. This matter will be dealt with internally." Odemwingie, a £2.5m signing from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2010, tweeted on Sunday night: "Looked through my tweets. Deleted some.
Was too much. Only excuses - home alone, dark, son and wife in hospital, frustrated." His deleted tweets included: "Last season January window is when I should have handed in transfer request. Was one foot in Rubin Kazan - not for sale. Fulham. Not for sale. Newcastle. Not for sale. Wigan. Not for sale." Last week he had said he was "deeply hurt" and "offended" by what he regarded as a lack of "common respect" from the West Brom management.
Naij

This is serious: Plane flies unguarded after one pilot slept off leaving his co-pilot locked out of the cockpit

by Rachel Ogbu

Investigations are underway after claims that a pilot fell asleep while in sole charge of a passenger plane on the Boeing 737 flight to Crete.
He had a co-pilot who had left to use the toilet but couldn’t get in from the flight deck immediately. After a struggle, he entered back into the cockpit, only to discover his colleague sleeping.
Although it occurred in September, Dutch airline Transavia recently launched a probe into what happened and the incidence was only made public yesterday by the Dutch safety board (OVV) in a report published on its website calling it a ‘serious’ incident.
The report read:

‘After two and a half hours in the air the captain of the Dutch-registered plane left the cockpit to go to the toilet,’ the OVV said.
‘A little later he wanted to return to the cockpit. When he used the intercom to call the first officer to open the door he got no reaction.
‘When he managed to get into the cockpit, he found the first officer asleep.’

The Mail Online UK reports that in September pilots’ groups raised concerns that new flying hours imposed by the EU could lead to precisely this problem.
Under the new rules, pilots could be landing commercial jets after 22 hours awake – including 11 hours flying, plus stand-by time and travel to the airport.
MPs had warned in their original report that 22 hours of wakefulness was ‘an extraordinary figure’ – particularly for night flying – that raised levels of fatigue equivalent to being ‘drunk.’

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin was accused of ‘rolling over to Brussels’ after his department approved the rules despite the concerns raised in a report by the respected Commons’ Transport Select committee.
UK pilots can currently go up to 18 hours without sleep – but more than four out of ten pilots already report nodding off in-flight – of whom a third awoke to find their co-pilot also asleep.
The new rules are expected to be adopted into EU law after mid-2013 and fully implemented by the end of 2015.
 YNaija.com

IGP Gives NYSC Member Automatic Employment In Abuja

The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Abubakar, has offered an automatic employment to a serving Youth Corps member, following what was described as her outstanding performance during the compulsory one year primary assignment.
The female Corps member identified as Cynthia Kings Ovie, who graduated with a Second Class Upper division from Tansian University in Anambra State, was posted to the Police Officers Wives Association, POWA, International School for her primary assignment.
Speaking with Vanguard  during the commissioning of the project, Wednesday, in Abuja, Ovie explained that on reaching the school, the structure was in a dilapitating state.
She said: “I decided to renovate all the 18 classrooms of the school which were in bad shape and also provided the classes with bookshelves and  magic dusters for all the boards in the classrooms  as well as writing materials, a big national flag and a small one in all the classrooms.
Present at the occasion were Assistant Inspector General of Police in chrage of Zone 7, Felix Ogbaodu; Federal Capital Territory NYSC Coordinator who was represented by Hajiya Mario Mohammed and  Director of Police Education, Deputy Commissioner of Police  Kabiru Ibrahim, who represented  the IGP.
Naij