Kachikwu inspects filling stations in Lagos today

Nigeria loses 100,000 barrels daily, says Okowa

To ensure effective distribution of petrol in Lagos State, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kackikwu and officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will be inspecting filling stations in Lagos today.

Already, Kachikwu, who met with marketers in Lagos yesterday to appeal to them to resume importation of PMS, has been directed by the Senate to harmonise all subsidy claims in a bid to end fuel scarcity in the country.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Danjuma Goje, said the N413 billion proposed for subsidy payment did not include the sum for October to December 2015.

Proffering long and short term measures to the fuel scarcity, stakeholders emphasized the need for adequate infrastructure, revamping of the nation’s refineries and deregulation of the downstream sector.

Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, the Director-General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, called for more investment in critical infrastructures such as power, roads and the rail system.

According to him, fixing infrastructure will greatly improve productivity and efficiency in the economy and impact positively on the welfare of the people. He added that it would boost private investment in the downstream oil sector especially in petroleum product refining.

Yusuf said that this will ultimately reduce importation of petroleum products and ease the pressure on the foreign exchange market as well as foreign reserves.
National President of NACCIMA, Chief Bassey Edem, said that government should overhaul the existing refineries and encourage building of new ones, especially modular refineries, all around the country to boost her refining capacity for local consumption.

This, he said, would support export of refined products, thereby maintaining local employment and saving the nation foreign exchange used in the importation of refined products.

President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Alhaji Remi Bello, said that until the oil and gas downstream sector of the economy is deregulated, the recurring problem of petroleum scarcity in the country will cease to end.

Also yesterday, the problem of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea moved again to the front burner at the two-day retreat for the Nigeria Navy in Asaba, the Delta State.

At the opening ceremony, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa lamented that Nigeria has continued to lose between 40,000 and 100,000 barrels of crude oil daily due to theft as piracy, illegal bunkering and vandalism were still flourishing in the country.

Okowa who spoke on “Nigerian Navy and Emerging Maritime Security Challenges” said that the subject of security has become a recurring decimal in the maritime sector, adding that the topic could not have come at a more opportune time.

Former President Jonathan Escapes Death By Whiskers In Bayelsa

Former President Goodluck Jonathan this morning when some suspected militants working for the All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State drove into his convey.

The men, who intercepted and drove into a short motorcade conveying the former President from the Julius Berger bridge area of the state capital Yenagoa, trailed and chased the motorcade to the entrance of the Yenagoa private residence of the former President in the Kpansia area of the town, before they were overpowered and arrested by a combined team of security operatives attached to the former President.

Members of the arrested gang have been taken to the Bayelsa State Police Command for further investigation and interrogation.

PRESIDENT BUHARI SHOCKS MINISTERS

PRESIDENT BUHARI SHOCKS MINISTERS

*Some Ministers Are Already Grumbling
Barely three weeks in office, President Muhammadu Buhari has shocked Ministers with poor salaries and some austere allowances. He has also imposed dos and don’ts on them, including travel restrictions.

Most Ministers were said to be embarrassed by the perks of office accruable to them in office.

The only leverage the Ministers will enjoy is the privilege of flying in a Business Class on trips.

These conditions of service for Ministers were contained in a letter given to them during the week by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir David Lawal. Full Details...

The letter said: “I am pleased to inform you that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has appointed you as a Minister in the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

“The appointment takes effect from 11th November, 2015 under the following Terms and Conditions of Service as contained in “Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders(Salaries and Allowances, etc) (Amendment ) Act 2008.”

“I am to add that your tenure terminates at the end of this Administration unless otherwise decided by Mr. President. Please accept my heartiest congratulations and best wishes on your appointment.”

While the substantive minister will earn N2,026,400 Annual Basic Salary ($8,514.285), Minister of State is to get N1.8million ($7,563.025) per annum.

Other highlights of the conditions include: Estacode Allowance ($900 per diem); Duty Tour Allowance (N35,000); Utilities Allowance (Telephone/ Electricity/Water) – 30% of Annual Basic Salary (N607,920); Domestic Staff Allowance - 75% ((N1,519,800) of Annual Basic Salary; Medical Facilities (in accordance with NHIS Policy); Special Assistant (To be provided in kind); Security (To be provided in kind); Air Travel (By Business Class); Newspaper Allowance (15% of Annual Basic Salary - N303,960).

Accordint to NATION, the letter said: “As a Political Office Holder, you must obtain permission from Mr. President before you travel out of Abuja. If the trip is official, Ministers are entitled to a Duty Tour Allowance of N35,000 per diem. However, all private journeys will attract no Allowance.

“Severance Allowance of 300% of Annual Basic Salary payable after full tenure of office with government. The allowance will be pro-rated after a minimum of two years tenure.

It added: “200% of Annual Basic Salary (N4,052,800) will be paid to you to enable you to acquire accommodation of your choice in line with monetization policy.

“Furniture Allowance. 300 % (N6,079,200) of Annual Basic Salary will be paid once in every four years. The allowance will be paid annually at the rate of 75% (N1,519,800) of Annual Basic salary.

“Motor Vehicle Fuelling Maintenance Allowance - 75% of Annual Basic Salary (N1,519,800) for the maintenance of your vehicle(s) as Government no longer provides chauffeur driven vehicles to Political Office Holders/Public Officers for house to office running.

“Annual Leave (30 calendar days for each leave year or calculated on pro-rata basis, with 10% of Annual Basic Salary(N202,640) as leave grant); Personal Assistant Allowance (25% of Annual Basic salary to enable you to employ a Personal Assistant of your choice).”

Investigation show that some of the ministers were uncomfortable with the salary and allowance package as it might not be able to pick their bills.

The package has caused rumbles in the cabinet because while Nigerian ministers earn $8,514.28 Per Annum (about N2m), their counterparts in Ghana are on $50,000 (about N11million) and those in South Africa (the highest paying in the continent) were said to be taking home about $302,521 per annum.

A reliable source said: “Most ministers have been sad since they received their letters of appointment because the salary and allowance package was a far cry from where they were coming from. We hope that ministers will eventually not steal if they have to serve this nation on poor pay.

“We have ministers in this government who left high-net worth job of $10,000 to $20,000 per month, how will they settle their bills? Some ministers have headed corporations. You can imagine a minister managing about $3billion portfolio now getting $8,521 per Annum.

“Some ministers have children in Ivy League universities where they are paying as much as $40,000 to $60,000 per annum. How will they be able to cope to meet up with their responsibilities?”

“Curiously, we have some Executive Secretaries, Directors-General and Group Managing Directors of parastatals like NNPC, PPMC, NCC, NDIC, PEF, PPPRA, DPR, NERC, NIGCOMSAT, and others who will be earning more than their ministers. I think the system is distorted somehow.”

Another source added: “To earn commensurate salaries and allowances, the president can explore foreign donors’ basket for payment of ministers. Or else, it will be difficult to get the best from this team.

“Alternatively, there might be scientific corruption in Buhari’s cabinet. This is the type of corruption we call 'chop and clean mouth'.

Meet 54 Year Old Once Barren Nigerian Woman Who Delivered Twin Boys

Meet 54 Year Old Once Barren Nigerian Woman Who Delivered Twin Boys

Miracle still happens. According to twitter user @temiokomi who shared the photos, his Aunty aged 54, has welcomed twin boys with her husband who is over 54 year old. The couple who lives in UK welcomed their first children after several years of marriage. Big congrats to them. 

IBB Says He Will Vote For An Igbo President In 2019 (See His Reason)

IBB Says He Will Vote For An Igbo President In 2019 (See His Reason)

According to thecable, Ibrahim Babangida, former military president, says he is ready to vote for an Igbo president in 2019. In a chat with The Interview, a magazine focused on leading professionals and politicians, IBB, as he is fondly called, described the agitation for Biafra republic as a distraction.

“We do not need this distraction now,”

he was quoted as saying, adding that, “I will vote for an Igbo president in 2019, if I find one.” He also revisited one of the most controversial issues involving him – the death of MKO Abiola, acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 election. He said he recieved the news of his death with shock but without regret. Responding to the question whether he believed that Abiola died of natural causes, Babangida said:

“I should know? I didn’t serve the tea!”

According to Azu Ishiekwene, managing director of The Interview, the retired general also spoke on his relationship With President MuhammaduBuhari, Vasta Mamman, IBB’s childhood friend who was executed on his orders, and Sani Abacha, former military ruler. Ishiekwene said in the magazine, which will be out next week. Babangida was also said to have revealed how Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia state, arranged a meeting between him and Buhari in 2006.

Appeal Court Nullifies David Mark’s Election

Channels Television. Updated November 28, 2015

A Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi, Benue State capital, has nullified the election of former senate president, David Mark.

The Makurdi division of the Court of Appeal on Saturday, ordered a re-run of the poll within 90 days.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Benue South, Mr Donald Onjeh had challenged the decision of the National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld the victory of Senator Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Onjeh’s lawyer, Adetunji Oso, also urged the Appellate Court to allow his appeal and set aside the decision of the Tribunal.

He said the court erred when it held that the papers tendered by his client were mere documentary hearsay.

The documents, according to Mr Oso, demonstrated that while the collation of results for the Benue South senatorial district’s election on March 28 was still ongoing in seven of the nine local government areas, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), declared Senator Mark winner of the poll.

17 year old girl posts haunting selfie moments before killing herself over boyfriend

 

The girl pictured above posted the heartbreaking selfie moments before she committed suicide .
Rina Palenkova, 17, posted the haunting image online with a message reading simply: “Goodbye”.
She was killed by an onrushing locomotive minutes later.Rina is thought to have been having relationship problems with her boyfriend.Daily Mirror reports
The suicide took place in the city of Ussuriysk in the Primorsky Krai region of the Russian Far East.
The train driver saw the girl and tried desperately to stop the locomotive.

According to the driver, she saw the oncoming train and rushed in the direction of the track.
Police said she had problems with her boyfriend.
After her death, he posted on message on his page on a Russian social media site asking people not to send him any messages of condolences.
He said: “

You won’t be able to make me feel better.”Please don’t write to me about it if you do not want to cause me any psychological trauma.”

Payment Of N5,000 To Unemployed Nigerian Youths To Start In 2016” – Minister.

The Federal government has ​​​assured the country that it would commence payment of N5,000 promised to unemployed Nigerian youth during the electioneering campaign, from 2016.

Minister of youth and sports, Solomon Dalong, said this on Wednesday when he paid a condolence visit on the national chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun, over the death of Abubakar Audu.

Mr. Dalong, who spoke to ​ journalists​ during the visit​,​ said:

“I would want the youth to understand that every promise must be backed up by budgetary provision and our promise to pay N5000 is not contained in the 2015 budget. So, definitely, it is going to begin in 2016 as we have made budgetary allocations for that.
“We are committed to the campaign promises of creating jobs, providing wealth and combat poverty. We have embedded in our manifesto things that we are translating to reality​.”​

One of the Nigerians deported from the United Kingdom on November 25, Wednesday, has narrated his story to Detained Voices.

The United Kingdom has deported 50 Nigerians after having committed different offences while in the country. The deportees, made of 44 males and six females arrived into Nigeria aboard a chartered B767 aircraft belonging to PITAN Airways. 

The federal government had recently expressed concern over the UK’s plan to deport some 29,000 of its nationals demanding that due process be followed before any Nigerian is sent back from the UK.

Read the story:

“Basically, the charter flight is for today and they’re trying to get us on the flight. But here lies the problem.

“We all know very well, according to the rules anyway, if they want to take us they have to get travel documents for all of us. But then they have already issued travel certificates for everybody without anybody actually signing for it. How does that work?

“Obviously there have been allegations this week against the home office and against the Nigerian embassy about, you know bribary, to make sure she issues travel documents for How are we supposed to follow the rules and regulation when those rules and regulations of the Home Office clearly doesn’t apply to them. They actually break the law on a regular basis. They bribe people on a regular basis.

“Half of the people on the flight today have family here. They shouldn’t be going to Nigeria in the first place. I left Nigeria 17 years ago, right, I was 9 years old when I left Nigeria. I had only really lived in Nigeria for 6 years. And you are telling me it’s okay you can go back there. To where? My dad passed away last month. Who am I going back to?

“Who am I going back to? My sisters here, my brothers here. My niece has very big health problems. She’s got heart issues. They’re in London. She needs help on a regular basis. My sister cannot handle it. We are just sat in the room basically. We are waiting for the officers to forcefully remove us. We are just in the room waiting. Because at the end of the day, they haven’t answered our questions.”people without their knowledge, you understand what I mean.

“According to the information we are getting, each person gets £3000. Basically, all of us have been sold to the British Government to do whatever they wants to do to us. We’ve been very calm. We’ve asked them can you get the home office to explain how they’ve got travel documents for us when we didn’t sign for it. Obviously that’s fraud because I haven’t signed for anything.

NNPC SPEAK TO NIGERIANS ABOUT THE ONGOING FUEL CRISIS

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday, apologised to Nigerians for the hardship experienced in purchasing petrol during this period while it also stated that it had entered into a partnership with security agencies in the country to assist in the monitoring of fuel supply across the country.

The statement said:

We must all make sure that petroleum products get across to Nigerians at the regulated price especially as the yuletide season approaches. We have enough products and we want to plead with the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTDs) not to be involved in the diversion of petroleum products in order to avoid causing untold hardship to motorists.

Providing insight on the role of the security agencies in curbing product diversion, Managing Director of the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, Mrs. Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, said the DSS and EFCC have been mobilized to bring to book any marketer involved in sabotaging the efforts of the Federal Government in making petroleum products available to motorists across the country.

We have invited the EFCC and DSS to join us in this campaign of monitoring the movement of petroleum products and they have our mandate to sanction any errant marketer. Enough is enough.”
She urged Nigerians and other motorists to desist from panic buying assuring that there are sufficient petroleum products to satisfy local consumption.

She said.

Building a million-dollar business in one year!!! From a Pro

Some people lead their entire lives without earning a million dollars, so it sounds impossible that some businesses might be able to achieve this milestone within their first year. But it is possible. Plenty of businesses have achieved this goal, and you can too!

Pay attention to the following tips and use them to help power up your revenue growth:

Find a growing market

One of the easiest ways to build a million-dollar company in such a short period of time is to find a growing trend and ride it to the top. Take the example of Micah Adler, CEO of mobile app developer Fiksu, which grew from less than $1m to $100m in just three and a half years – with only $17.6m in venture capital – following its 2010 launch.

Certainly, Adler’s success comes in part from building great products, but it also comes from his timing. In 2012, just two years after Fiksu’s launch, mobile-app development represented $19bn in revenue and was experiencing annual growth of more than 60 per cent a year. Finding a growing market of your own like this can put you on the fast track to

Think monetisation from the start

It seems strange to think objectively, but some startups start without any obvious monetization strategies. Twitter is one example of this phenomenon, but there are countless other companies out there building up their free user bases, hoping that inspiration – and, consequently, financial stability – will strike along the way.

If you want to grow a million-dollar company in your first year, you can’t afford to think that way!

Most profitable companies operate from one of two models: either they sell a lot of inexpensive products to a lot of people or they sell a few big-ticket items to a more limited buyer list. Neither model is easier or inherently better than the other. What’s more important than choosing is having a defined plan for monetisation. Knowing how you will make money from the start will prevent wasted time spent hoping that something profitable will come together for you.

Be the best

There are plenty of mediocre products out there, but the odds are good that these companies aren’t making a million dollars or more during their first years. If you want to hit these big potential profits, you have got to bring something to the table that wows customers and generates buzz within your marketplace.

How can you tell if you have got a “best in breed” product? Look to your current customers. If you aren’t getting rave reviews online or positive comments sent to your inbox, chances are your clients are not as ecstatic about your product as they need to be to hit your target sales. Ask your existing customers what you can do to make your product better and then put their recommendations into place. They will appreciate your efforts and will go on to refer further sales to you in the future.

Hire all-stars

Hitting $1m in revenue during your first year is no small feat, and you certainly aren’t going to achieve this goal with a team of underperformers. Yes, hiring these people will be cheaper and easier, but you’ll pay for this convenience when your end-of-the-year sales numbers come up short.

Instead, you need to hire all-stars, and the fastest way to do this is to ask around for referrals. Pay particular attention to the sales hires you make, as these key employees stand to make the biggest difference in your business’s bottom line. Get them on the bus and then encourage them to do whatever is necessary to close deals (pro tip: a good series of incentives won’t hurt!).

Consume data

Finally, if you want to shoot for the revenue moon, you need to be absolutely militant about gathering data and acting on it. When I approach a new marketing project, I prefer to work in short sprints of a few weeks or less where we’ll try something new, check the statistics to see how the changes impacted revenue and then either commit the changes or try a new test.

Do the same with your growing company. You have a veritable gold mine of information just hanging out in your Google Analytics account, so put it to good use by identifying your company’s key performance indicators and running tests designed to push these metrics even higher. If you aren’t able to carry out these tests on your own, bring on a rock-star analyst who can help you make sense of your numbers. When every penny counts towards reaching your $1m-a-year goal, you’ll find these employees to be worth their weight in gold.

Photos from the premiere of ‘Road to Yesterday’ in Abuja

By Online Editor on November 26, 2015 5:07 pm

Founder, Silverbird Group, Senator Ben Murray Bruce, Co-Producer, Road to Yesterday, Genevieve Nnaji, Executive Producer, Road to Yesterday,Chinny Onwugbenu and Director, Road to Yesterday, Ishaya Bako at the premiere of the movie ‘’Road to Yesterday’’ in Abuja yesterday PHOTO: Ladidi Lucy Elukpo.

Founder, Silverbird Group, Senator Ben Murray Bruce, Minister of Information/Culture and Tourism,Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Co-Producer, Road to Yesterday, Genevieve Nnaji at the premiere of the movie ‘’Road to Yesterday’’ in Abuja yesterday PHOTO: Ladidi Lucy Elukpo.

Director, Road to Yesterday, Ishaya Bako, Writer, Road to Yesterday, Emil Garuba,Cast, Road to Yesterday, Chioma Omeruah, Executive Producer,Road to Yesterday, Chinny Onwugbenu and Co-Producer/Cast,Road to Yesterday,Genevieve Nnaji during the Premiere of the Movie ‘’Road to Yesterday’’ in Abuja yeserterday PHOTO: Ladidi Lucy Elukpo.

PROUCTION OF ALDULTERATED DRINKS

Please be careful this festive season, lots of adulterated drinks are been produced.  

The unheard voice of a muslim wives : When we fail to outlaw the inquality!!!

Muslim marriages are not governed by South African courts. In today’s day and age, we have yet to grant Muslim wives equality and justice. It cannot go on this way.

In the Muslim community divorce is entirely skewed in the favour of men.

Women cannot decide to get divorced without the consent of their husbands, they can also be deprived of settlements and of getting financial support after divorce.

This is a bizarre compromising of the Bill of Rights.

To undo this reality, the Muslim Marriages Bill was introduced four years ago but after receiving flak from the more conservative Muslim community, it has since been swept under the rug.

Meanwhile, women in the Muslim community are being deprived of access to justice.

They do not have a voice, they are ‘spoken for.’

Aside from the little access to legal recourse, there is also the ugly side to polygamy that traditional Muslim marriages allow. According to practice, current wives are meant to be consulted prior to engagement to new wife.

This often fails to happen as husbands go off and secretly marry someone else. In other cases, the first wife is alienated in favour of the new wife or wives. This is not meant to happen as husbands ought to treat wives fairly. However, because this is not prescribed by law, it is easy to side-step.

Imagine the feeling of finding out that there is another wife in the picture. Imagine knowing that despite this, it is up to your husband whether you can get divorced and whether your children will receive support.

You, the wife, are trapped.

It cannot be that some have more rights than others. It cannot be that in our time, we allow women in the Muslim community to bear the brunt of unfair traditional practice. In ignoring the equality of Muslim women, we are saying that they are not of equal value.

This is an abuse of freedom and equality.

The Women’s Legal Centre (WLC) will face the Presidency, the departments of Home Affairs, Justice and Correctional Services, and Parliament, in the Western Cape High Court on 1 December 2015. This action taken by the WLC is sending the message that ours is meant to be a society that is founded on justice and equality before the law.

They are asking why our institutions are failing to open access to justice.

This week marks the start of the 16 days of Activism against women and children abuse. What right do we have to support this campaign, if we are not willing to support access to justice that Muslim women are due?

Members of a society must be allowed to express their views and pursue the lifestyle that they desire. If the traditional marriage is what a woman wants, then she should be able to do so.

Equally, if she wants to end that marriage, she must be able to do so. We cannot surrender anyone in our society to coercion.

Tunisia arrests 7 women over ISIS propaganda

Tunis - Seven women have been arrested in Tunisia for posting propaganda on the internet on behalf of the country's branch of the Islamic State jihadist group, the interior ministry announced on Monday.

It said the women had confessed to "activities within the media wing" of Jund al-Khilafa, which claimed two attacks this year in Tunis and the seaside resort of Sousse that killed 60 people, all but one of them foreign tourists.

They had confessed to having "incited terrorism through their posts (on the Internet) and of having expressed joy at the terrorist attacks in our country", the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry, contacted by AFP, gave no details about the suspects.

Apart from attacks at home, thousands of young Tunisians have travelled to Iraq, Syria and Libya to fight alongside Islamic extremists, according to the authorities in the North African country.

EXCLUSIVE: Scientists finally proves there is life after death [MUST SEE]

The existence of some form of life after death, have been clinically proven by a team of psychologists and medical doctors associated with the Technische University of Berlin.

According to the team of scientists led by Dr Berthold Ackermann, their discovery was based on the conclusions of a study using a new type of medically supervised near – death experiences, which allow patients to be clinically dead for almost 20 minutes before being brought back to life.

The team said, this controversial process that was repeated on 944 volunteers over that last four years left the volunteers with most common memories including a feeling of detachment from the body, feelings of levitation, total serenity, security, warmth, the experience of absolute dissolution, and the presence of an overwhelming light.

The team added that religious beliefs of the various subjects seems to have held no incidence at all, on the sensations and experiences that they described at the end of the experiment. They concluded that, there is life after death and it looks like it applies to everyone.

Paternity Leave Or Not, It’s Harder Than Ever For Zuckerberg (And You) To Be A Good Father

This week the most powerful man in technology, and maybe on the planet, announced he’ll be taking a few months off to help raise his daughter. I think the news reveals quite a bit about how our generation regards fatherhood and ultimately why we need to be taking paternity leave. But, for the moment, paternity leave is a medicine we still can’t seem to choke down. If we want to really make an inroad here, and I’d argue as a society we have plenty riding on this, we need to advance past the press-release stage and start taking harder measures.

Becoming A Father Is Hard

Ed and Karen Zuckerberg, Mark’s parents, would probably hit it off with your folks: They met while in graduate school, got married in their 20’s, moved into a modest home and soon after welcomed the first of three babies.

As a generation, we marvel at how our parents just plunged into marriage and family building. Maybe we’re overly-responsible, but for most of us having a kid before we’re settled is hard to fathom.

But accumulating stability costs precious time. Couples today get pregnant nearly a decade later than their grandparents. With every passing year, getting pregnant, and staying pregnant, becomes harder. Suffering a miscarriage shakes you at your core, and for couples like the Zuckerbergs, I can only imagine the pain associated with suffering three such disappointments. In these situations, as a hopeful father, you beg for mercy. You mourn for your future. Your heart breaks for your partner. And you make vows to be present and loving and attentive, should your luck ever change.

For a growing generation of couples, like the Zuckerbergs, we must go through hell to get the baby we always wanted. Ultimately, when our boss calls to drag us away from our partner and newborn miracle, we’re much more likely to send that call to voicemail. And enjoy the rest of the day at the park.

But Becoming A Good Dad Is Harder Still

And yet many of us still realize that as hard as it can be to father a child, to be a spectacular dad is infinitely more challenging. Generally speaking, I think our generation harbors real concerns about whether we are up to the task.

In the 1980’s, Ed Zuckerberg bought his first home at age 30 and then used that same roof to house his dental practice. His kids horsed around in the waiting room and the family was close knit. Growing up in our household, my dad was the hardest working man on the block, and when he was in town, he was home by 6PM. No matter what. Back then only Al Gore used email (atleast, according to Al Gore) and if a work call came through on our house landline, my mom shot my dad a sideways glance. Computers weren’t mobile so if my dad wanted to bring work home with him, he had better be ready to carry it in both arms. When the man was present, he was very present.

Today’s dads are just different. For starters, according to Pew, nearly 3 in 10 dads don’t even live in the same house as their babies and the majority of those don’t break bread with their children even once a week. Married men with salaries are now 35% more likely to work 50 hours per week, and even when they’re “off”, they’re still connected to the job and paranoid. In a recent survey of new fathers, less than 10% said they thought it was easier to be a great dad today than during their father’s generation. And no doubt, maybe our standards for great dads have been raised.

My dad and I used to go to Celtics games in the 1980s and during time-outs and halftime, we just hung out. By the mid-1990s, you started to notice dads using their new company-issued Startac to check voicemail, maybe once a quarter. Come the 2000’s, dads donned blackberries and checked email every timeout. Today, dads are on Slack and responding to messages seemingly every change of possession.

Today, dads are on Slack and responding to messages seemingly every change of possession.

Many future fathers wonder if we can realistically do better and reverse the trend. The truth is many of us still use our own parents HBO Go accounts. We prefer to work until we’re simply exhausted and hate to be interrupted. We probably stayed single a tad too long. And yes, we still play video games. Collect sneakers. And wear them to work. We act like sophomores in college, and dress like sophomores in high school. Are we unselfish enough, and reliable enough, to raise wonderful kids?

Paternity Leave or Paternity Left

Amidst the silent apprehension, paternity leave should feel a godsend. For a generation committed to data and proof, there are reams of studies that demonstrate taking paternity leave creates equality in the home and healthier relationships between father and child. Reading on, and between, the lines of Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement, he buys into the notion paternity leave helps address concerns that haunt so many men of our generation.

But nearly 50% of dads who have the option to use generous paternity leave (let’s call it 4+ weeks), still don’t take all of it. What’s even weirder is that when dads were asked if they should get longer paternity leave, a healthy majority answered “no”. Where I came from, people don’t just turn down paid leave lightly, so you better believe something else is up.

Daily Pulse: BREAKING: Paris Attacks Leader Killed, China Responds to ISIS, The Biggest Pharma Deal Ever!

Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty

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BREAKING: Abdelhamid Abaooud, the purported leader of the Paris attacks, was confirmed dead by French authorities. His body was identified using papillary prints. Two others were killed in yesterday's morning raid in St. Denis, and eight were arrested.

Other Updates: President Obamawill attend a climate change conference in Paris at the end of the month, despite security concerns. “We have great confidence in our French partners,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, deputy national security adviser ...China's foreign ministry has confirmed that ISIS killed a Chinese citizen—Fan Jinghui, a consultant from Beijing. It puts pressure on the country to get more involved in resolving the Syrian civil war. ISIS has also claimed responsibility for the death of Norwegian hostage Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad.

#Quote

"Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity. China resolutely opposes terrorism in any form and resolutely fights against violent, terrorist, criminal activities that challenge the bottom line of human civilization."

Chinese President Xi Jinpingresponds to the death of Fan Jinghui