The Writing Room

The benefits of reading books are many and varied and may surprise you. It turns out that you get more than the content of a book when you read.  According to  research  done by brilliant minds, reading provides the reader with many benefits which  Healthline  shares with us.  According to Healthline, reading: improves brain connectivity increases your vocabulary and comprehension empowers you to empathize with other people aids in sleep readiness reduces stress lowers blood pressure and heart rate fights depression symptoms prevents cognitive decline as you age contributes to a longer life And according to Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel), the writer whose name is synonymous with children's literature, [t] he more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. There are many such insightful and fun quotes from  Dr. Seuss  that highlight the benefit of rea

The Nigeria SARS protests have dominated the news headlines during the last two weeks and have placed that country under the glare of the international spotlight.  When I first saw the headline on  The Daily Show :  Nigeria[n]   End SARS Protests,  my mind immediately went to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS ), the deadly disease caused by one of the corona viruses that emerged in China in 2003. SARS? Wasn’t the SARS outbreak controlled? Is there a SARS outbreak in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic? These questions raced through my mind.   However, as the story unfolded I realised my mistake. The SARS in the world's spotlight at this time is the  Special Anti-Robbery Squad  (SARS) in the Nigerian police force and is the source of the protests named Nigeria SARS protests. Apparently, over the years, SARS has expanded its role from foiling robberies to committing atrocities against targeted citizens of Nigeria. These actions of SARS have triggered, initially, peace

The United States of America (USA), a country founded on the principles of liberty and justice for all, has branded itself as the richest, most powerful and greatest country in the world and a bastion of democracy. This branding has captured the imagination of people across the world who see the USA as a land of opportunity. But, what is the place of the USA in the world and is the external perception of the USA the reality? Let’s find out. The USA—the richest, most powerful and greatest country in the world For now, the USA has the  largest economy  in the world and is, indeed, the  richest countr y in the world. It is also ranked the  most powerful country  in the world. American culture, as it is experienced through its food, globalised media and entertainment industry, has been held up as the ideal and this view has permeated almost every society. The USA is the country to visit, the country in which to live, the country to experience—the land of opportunity. The USA—a land of

Protecting yourself from the corona virus is the most important thing on your mind at this time, especially if you are in one of the vulnerable groups of people with heart disease, lung disease or any disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, cancer, or if you are a smoker or old or any age. Even though you may be in one of these groups, getting COVID-19 is not a death sentence as the people who have recovered have shown us. In this article, I will share with you some insights that I have gleaned from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Dr. John Campbell , former nurse and nurse educator, who brings practical and theoretical experience to discussions about COVID-19 .  Scouring the mainstream media daily for country specific and worldwide information about the virus may be depressing but it is a good way to inform yourself. Also, view the worldwide updates on the progress of the virus in terms of confirmed cases, death and recovery numbers at the Johns Hopk

If you are a student of literature, you would have met Francesco Petrarch. His name is immortalised in the term Petrarchan sonnet , even though he didn’t develop the form. He lived in the 14 th century and survived the Black Death , the Plague that ravaged Eurasia between 1347 and 1351, killing millions of people. Interestingly, that Plague started in the East before moving to Europe and, like the COVID-19 disease which is ravaging the world in 2020, it made a devastating pit stop in Italy of that time. Petrarch was Italian and reflected in many letters about the course of that Plague. One of his reflections has much resonance today.   Kevin Shau , in an article on Medium ,  shares some excerpts from Petrarch's letters that he wrote to his friend and fellow literary great, Giovanni Boccaccio. Of the passage of the Plague, Petrarch wrote : “While I am lamenting in vain and unburdening my spirit of these sorrows, I am accusing men who cannot reply: if only, dea