The Savika, an integral part of the Malagasy culture, is a sport event of the Betsileo, one of the ethnic groups of the Red Island. It is a kind of traditional sport activity of bullfighting. The practice consists in grabbing with the hands the hump of the zebu and using the legs as a spring so that the fighter cannot be trampled by the animal. The dangerous and aggressive nature of the Savika always gathers a heavy crowd.

Young single men get ready for the fight away from the spectators. They can use materials such as a tape as a protective sheath around their abdomens to shield from horns or hooves. The sheath is not easy to wrap, it is quite an art.
Young bullfighters make their families proud as they pass on the heritage from generation to generation. In the arena, there must be about five participants to face the big opponent, the zebu.

The Savika is an opportunity for young men to build fame and to meet young girls. After the fight, these boys will be considered as the handsome and the best fighters of the village. In this game, they will risk everything to defend their value and their honor. Betsileo girls would not hesitate to throw themselves in the arms of good fighters at the end of the Savika.

Anyway, do not think about girls before the big fight!

The closer the time gets; the more adrenaline is rising, and the participants feel excited. There is going to be a big show. Thinking about girls or any other distraction is very dangerous for the fight. It is very important to stay focused and concentrated.
What about the opponent? Its hump makes a great zebu. It refers to the reserve of fat that it carries on its back. The hump allows the zebu to survive in a hostile environment when the grass runs out.

The goal of the game is to hold on to the hump of the zebu as long as possible. The zebu must be the strongest and the most famous of the fighting animals in the village.

Nowadays, the Savika has become a leisure activity for both rural and urban people. It can take place on weekends and/or holidays depending on the occasion and the festivities. Event organizers include the Savika in their festive program to attract people to attend fairs, political gatherings, or other economic events.

Sources: Madagascar Green Island Discovery, Voyage à Madagascar

The Masonjoany, also known as Enterospermum madagascariensis, Santalina madagascariensis or Coptosperma madagascariensis, is a small tree that grows in the western part of Madagascar. It is native to tropical Asia but is used by Malagasy women as a beauty supplement for their face. For these women, the masonjoany means much more than a beauty mask. In addition to its benefits and its various virtues, sandalwood or masonjoany is part of the customs and traditions in the western coast of the Big Island.

Women living in this part of Madagascar have never needed sunscreen. For good reason, they have used sandalwood for centuries more precisely since trade with the Indians exists. This wood, which was used as incense, quickly became a protection against UV rays, as in this area the temperature can quickly exceed 30° Celsius in the shade. The use of the masonjoany has been taught from one generation to the next.

Whenever holidaymakers come, local young girls invite them to apply the mask, and often are they more attracted by its aesthetic side. What they also like about this mask is that it allows them to draw ornaments on the skin, which is very local!

For its traditional use, we need a piece of sandalwood, a stone or a coral, a little water and elbow grease. The real texture of masonjoany has to be obtained. To get a fluid paste, rub the piece of wood against the stone and add water little by little. Then it can be applied generously on the whole face. After drying, the effect is guaranteed. Sakalava women— in the west side of Madagascar—wear it all day long. When they take it off in the evening, they seem to have smoother and softer skin. The masonjoany not only protects from UV rays but also eliminates spots and reduces wrinkles. And it is a 100-percent a “vita Malagasy”—made in Madagascar— natural product.

In the market, Sakalava shopkeepers sell masonjoany in small packages in the form of powder. They also offer to the tourists to apply them the famous ointment and to draw pretty arabesques. Even if the masonjoany is sometimes perceived as a feminine vanity, it should be noted that most of the time women adorn themselves with this mask during ceremonies, elevating the beauty into a traditional art.

Hence, although the masonjoany has become the traditional symbol of Sakalava women in their clothing and customs, it is also now considered as a kind of evolutionary fashion of the Malagasy "face painting" by the younger generations to benefit from its cosmetic goodness.

Source: Malagasy Treasure Island

Every month, dozens of smartphones are launched to a point that it becomes complicated to find your way in an increasingly saturated market. How to choose the perfect smartphone on today then? Before buying your smartphone, these criteria need to be considered:

•    The design and the screen. Nowadays, smartphones tend to have larger screens, so you must be sure that the device you are going to buy fits well in your hand, fits well in your pocket and, above all, is not too heavy. You can choose between a phone with screen with thin edges, a phone with screen notches, or a phone with edge-to-edge displays.

•    The brightness of the screen or the quality of the screen. Indeed, brightness is a very important condition since the configuration that you have inside the store is not the same as the one you have while walking in the street, in full sunlight. Sun reflections may spoil your screen’s readability. Therefore, make sure to have a very strong maximum brightness.

•    Autonomy. Here, it is advisable to choose batteries with the highest capacity — which is measured in milliampere-hour (mAh). Today's high-end smartphones are estimated to have around 4,000 mAh batteries. Anyway, depending on the manufacturer, a big battery does not necessarily mean longer autonomy.

•    Storage. Today it is not recommended to buy a smartphone which comes with less than 32 gigabytes of internal storage. Even with this capacity, it can be difficult to store a lot of photos in your phone. Fortunately, Google photo cloud services allow you to host all pictures directly online for you not to clutter up the internal memory of your device.

•    Phone performances. There are various categories of smartphone performances. If you want to play a lot of games on your mobile phone and perform a lot of tasks such as photo editing or filming in 4k resolution, it is better to choose a high-end smartphone, which is usually quite expensive, with a Snapdragon 800 or Kirin 900 processor. There is low chance that you encounter performance problems.

•    Photos. Of course, you will choose a smartphone which takes the best pictures. The first advice would be not to rely on the number of sensors or number of megapixels mentioned by the manufacturer. It is better to refer to the know-how of the company. For example, if you want to take pictures in portrait mode with a blurred effect at the back, check if the smartphone has a portrait mode. If you want to take group or landscape photos, try to find a device with an ultra-wide-angle sensor. In short, favor versatility over resolution.

It is not evident to assess the quality of a smartphone in a store until you use it. However, it is possible for customers to make better informed purchasing decisions.

Sources: USA Today, Reviews, Consumer Reports

The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga—declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 2001— is a site of cultural and historic significance located approximately a half hour drive from the capital city. The Royal Hill consists of a historical Royal City, the burial site of the Merina royalty and sacred elements of the kingdom.

In 1710, the ruler divided his kingdom leaving Ambohimanga the blue hill to one of his sons who in return made it a capital. The future King’s new capital was in Antananarivo but he still often stated there. Ambohimanga was henceforth considered one of the secret royal Hills of Imerina and known as a “Forbidden City” for more than 100 years until 1897—when the French colonial administration removed all the relics of royal family to break the spirit of resistance and ethnic identity.

The fortification wall was constructed in 1847 with an ancient mortaring technique using lemons and egg white. Every morning and evening, 20 soldiers rolled an enormous 12-ton stone disc to close or open the gateway and protect the residents from raiders. Inside the walls, we can find two ornate rosewood palaces — the two pavilions of Queen Ranavalona II who reigned from 1868 to 1883 — which were erected in 1871. The largest building was for receiving visitors with a large salon on the ground floor and the bedroom of the queen above. In the salon, the original European furniture have been preserved and many Queen’s gifts offered by foreign dignitaries are on display there.

Apart from the room furnishings, the beautiful oriental upholstery on the walls are well worth mentioning. The Queen’s bedroom is also preserved in its original condition. It is still considered to be a sacred place and many visitors come there in pilgrimage to pray to her spirit. The second smaller pavilion is known as the "trano fitaratra" or the house of glass. In the lower level of the building, there is a small lounge also equipped with contemporary furniture.

On the first floor, a beautiful panorama bursts into view; the Queen usually discussed with her ministers in the boardroom. The stained-glass windows of the chamber after which the house was named were imported to the island by an Englishman named Parrot. Two large basins have been carved from the stone foundation, the compound one was a bath and the other was a swimming pool. Water was taken from the lake by the village and was replaced weekly. The simple wooden building next to the pavilions is built of rosewood in traditional style and served as the home and headquarters for King Andrianampoinimerina nearly a century before he was considered to be one of their greatest military and political leaders.

In addition to everyday objects from the royal era, some relics of the Great King can be found there, including weapons, drums, and talismans. The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga is also home to a shrine with exceptional holiness where many pilgrims visit to tie to the king and his predecessor’s souls. Royal edicts and public judgments were handed down in the small courtyard at the base of the hill. The Esplanade above it was the location of larger conventions and royal festivities.

Sources: United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, Madagascar Treasure Island, World Monument Fund, African World Heritage Sites

The Administrative Professionals‘ day is celebrated on the last Wednesday of April of each year. The National Administrative Professionals’ Day, also known as Secretaries Day or Admin Day, is a special day to appreciate professionals— secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals— for their hard work, dedication and talent which make the office run smoothly every day.

For almost every firm and faculty, admin professionals play a key role in the organization. Their responsibilities— including managing appointments, drafting letters and memos, booking business trips, coordinating appointments and planning meetings— their flexibility, their ability to rescue and handle the unexpected tasks make them a valuable asset to any business.  That is why it is often said that having an administrative professional is one of keys to making a company bloom.

A brief history of where Administrative Professionals’ Day started!

The International Association of Administrative Professionals has promoted the National Administrative Professionals’ day. The observance of this day was first launched in 1952 when U.S Secretary of Commerce, Charles Sawyer dedicated one week in June as National Secretaries Week. The same year, June 4th was designated National Secretaries day. In 2000, some major changes have been made. National Secretaries Week became Administrative Professionals’ Day in 2000 and events have been moved to April.

These are some better ways to recognize your Administrative professionals during their special day.

It could be a perfect recognition if it shows you pay attention to what your assistant or secretary enjoys doing. Thus, before deciding on what kind of gift you would offer, it is more helpful if you get to know what your assistants really like. Most of the time, flowers are a nice option especially if your assistant loves flowers. Buying music player gadgets could also be a perfect present for a music lover assistant. If you notice that your desk clerk always has perfectly manicured nails, buying her a spa or beauty supply store gift card can make her day a memorable one. However, a secretary is not necessarily a female. An assistant who frequently goes fishing on the weekends might love a gift card to a sporting goods store.

Sometimes, the nicest way to recognize hard-working employees is to give them a break. If you are not able to grant your secretary an entire workday off, sending her or him home a few hours early can make a big difference.

Source: National Day calendar

As the capital of the nation, Washington DC boasts more than its fair share of America’ s great monuments and icons. The largest concentration of American monuments all lies along the length of the city’s National Mall. Often referred to as America’s front yard, the mall is the greatest public space in the country: around 24 million people visit the National Mall every year.

The National Mall is a stage on which American people come to protest, soak up their history or just lie in the sun. Stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to the United States Capitol building, it contains many of the most potent symbols of America’s national identity.

The Lincoln Memorial houses the statue of Abraham Lincoln—the 16th president of the United States. One of his great political speeches—the Gettysburg Address—is engraved in stone on its southern wall. In the center of the mall stands the Washington Monument built to honor the country’ s first president, George Washington. The obelisk was completed in 1888; and at 555-feet high, it is the tallest building in the city. The Federal law states that there is no other structure in DC which can be taller than the Washington Monument.

The United States Capitol building stands at the eastern end of the mall. Since the 1800s, the House of representatives and the Senate have met in this building to debate and define the country’s laws. Lining the edges of the National Mall are some of the America’s large institutions museums and galleries.

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is home to the best collection of American art in the world. The whimsical collection in the National Sculpture Garden is a much-needed breath of fresh air and fun. Epic in scale and ambition, the National Mall tells the story of America through architecture, institutions, and memorials.

Seeing the monuments at nights.

The National Mall is crowded everyday around noon and 3:00 pm. All locals know that the best trip hack is to see the memorials at night. Not only is it cooler and less crowded, but the monuments take out a whole different feel once it gets dark. You cannot come to Washington DC and not see the world War II Memorial after dark lit up in all its glory.

Sources: Britannica, Washington DC, National Park Services, Trust For The National Mall

The “Sambatra", which literally means joyful or happy, is a ritual of collective circumcision. It is a celebration that takes place every 7 years in the Antambahoaka ethnic group. It is through this ritual that young boys become and are seen as real men in their community. Once circumcised, these young boys are called "Mahery"—which means strong men— because of their boldness and strength. Then, they can be also worthy to bear the name of their ancestors.

During the whole month of the Sambatra, the monarchic power of the Ampanjaka (rulers) is exalted and people are reconciled if there have been conflicts. The Antambahoaka people are counted, and indeed all male children born within the last seven years are meant to be circumcised if their parents wish to raise them in the rank of Antambahoaka.

A large parad is organized during the event and re-enacts the journey of Raminia— the ancestor of the Antambahoaka people— from the Mecca to Mananjary. During this event, certain fady or taboos are observed, such as wearing black clothes, sandals and shoes when walking on the sacred land of the tranobe (royal houses of the Ampanjaka) and during the procession. Women are required to have their hair braided. No one is allowed to wear short-sleeved clothes, nor to be bearded or have long hair as far as men are concerned.

Every Thursday of the month of Sambatra marks a pause in the celebrations, because it is considered as a nefarious day by the Antambahoaka tribe. During the Sambatra, a mozinga— a barrel filled with betsa (traditional drink) that anyone can drink— is carried once arrived at the tranobe. However, this mozinga should not be emptied before the circumcisions because its exhaustion proclaims the end of the Sambatra. Several days before the circumcision, the Tora-sitona — a power challenge between the fathers of the children to be circumcised and the uncles—is organized. The uncles throw some wooden pieces when they arrive at the beach side and the fathers, with bare hands, receive and then throw them back.

During the first three weeks of the month, women visit the 12 tranobe of Mananjary and the inhabitants of each tranobe pay courtesy visits to each other, in barefoot as a sign of purity, by wearing ceremonial clothes. After being dressed, the Ampanjaka of the Ramalaza tranobe leaves his palace to bless the zebus to be sacrificed.

Sources: Madagascar Green Island Discovery, MotMalgache, JSTOR.org

When we know we did something right, we feel good. We are in the safety of our comfort zone where everything is familiar. Making mistakes is often viewed as a sign of incompetence or not being good enough, but this is not the case. Your ability to learn from your mistakes is all about mindset, your belief in learning and intelligence.

Do you know what your brain thinks about while making mistakes? When a mistake is made, synapses in your brain fire. These are electrical signals that move between parts of the brain when you learn something new. The times when we are challenged are actually the best for brain growth.

Your environment plays a crucial role in how you perceive the making of mistakes. Psychologists compared the environment of mistake-friendly and mistake-unfriendly classrooms. What they found is that in the mistake-friendly classrooms, students are not afraid of making mistakes and tended to increase their effort put in their work. The fear of being wrong can be paralyzing. When you create an environment where mistakes are a natural part of life, you actually increase your chances for success. In the mistake-unfriendly classrooms, students do not dare to take a boat to reach their goal and tended to be blocked because they are afraid of what others may think if they fail.

Nonetheless, sometimes we should plainly consider where we may be wrong. On the opposite side of fear of failure, we have overconfidence. When a person is overly confident, he or she does not put as much effort into learning anymore; because he or she thinks everything is already OK! Whether it is fear of failure or overconfidence, none of these two mindsets will help you learn or achieve success.

Creating an environment where failure, errors and mistakes are seen as a natural part of learning is crucial. But how exactly can we do that? It all starts with each one of us! What did you use to say to yourself after you made a mistake? Do you say: “I am stupid” or “I made a stupid mistake”?

What does make those two statements different exactly?

The first one is tearing down your self-confidence and attacking your personal identity from being a smart and capable person. If a person is stupid, he or she cannot be smart anymore. What the second statement does is admitting the mistake. Once again, it is perfectly human to make mistakes. Perfection is not only subjective but also highly overrated.

The ability to learn without fearing judgement from anyone else or even yourself is what makes you into a smarter and more capable person. Of course, it is not about trying hard in the first place or seeking to make as many mistakes as possible. Instead, it is all about trying to give yourself the privilege of making a mistake from time to time and see what you might discover after.

Source: Lifehack, Young Mathematicians

Nowadays, the role of social media in sports is quite common knowledge. Why does Twitter, in particular, matter in sport? If you deeply observe all the great games and matches happening these days, you will notice they have something in common, it is not about a swarm of fans or powerful athletes: it is Twitter!  Admittedly, social media platforms like Twitter have become a must for fans and every game player. Aside from being a virtual bar for everyone, there are many other reasons why Twitter matters in sports.

Nowadays, it is hard to imagine a game experience without scrolling through Twitter, retweeting game highlights and occasionally exchanging ideas with other fans. Definitely, social media has become part of that fan experience. Even though they are active on Facebook and Instagram, Twitter remains the most appreciated place of meeting and exchange gathering sports fans.

Research has revealed that Twitter has become at the first-place platform for the sporting industry. Obviously, sporting brands need to be there too! If ever a sporting brand has not made its debut on Twitter yet, now is the perfect time to do so! Why?

Connecting fans and team players in this day and age — where followers matter most — Twitter makes building solid relationships with sports fans much easier. For example, LeBron James— a NBA superstar who loves interacting with his fans, retweeting exclusive photos and just being downright entertaining— makes his people feel valued. In return his fans do their best to support him in everything he does, even outside the court. With great knowledge of his targeted market, LeBron’s personal brand flourished alongside his career.

Compelled by a sport team’s post, fans do not think twice about sharing it to their friends, and that is free advertising! If athletes are not ready to spend some money on business ads, they can simply share quality contents on their own social media platforms instead.

Not only Twitter, but other social media in general also brings people together!

Athletes like LeBron use social media platforms to share their moments of wins and losses with their fans, in order to create a much meaningful connection with them. What is great about that? It drives customers loyalty — which then creates great customer retention. The more athletes and sporting teams show they care for their people, the more likely they are to gain solid followers, and that is good for business!

In brief, Twitter – or broadly speaking the internet – changes the game! With this much opportunity at hand, it would be a great pity not to take advantage of it.

Sources: NORDIC SPORT SCIENCE idrottsforum.org, Twitter

All parents have their own and unique way of raising their kids. They do their best, but nobody is perfect. That is why, when they look back, they all want to fix some of the mistakes they made in the past. Here, Sean Grover—a psychotherapist and the author of the book When Kids Call the Shots—highlights the common mistakes these parents probably did, to help you avoid making them again.

•    Micromanaging. Micromanager parents are those who are dedicated and hardworking. They do love their children and do strive for their children’s success, but they do too much for their kids. Consequently, their kids remain dependent on their parents.

•    Enabling. A parent’s actions are usually well-intended but enabling is one the most dangerous parenting habits. When parents always pander what their kids want, their kids fare poorly in relationships: they always expect everyone to cater them.

•    Bad modeling. Every parent is meant to be their children’s model. Parents who misbehave—erupt in rage, blame others, tell untruths, or play the victim—are subconsciously training their kids to do the same.

•    Bullying. Bullying parents tend to overwhelm their children with orders, directives, threats of violence, or even violence instead of understanding them. That does not mean they do not love their kids. Like other parents, they aim to shape their children as good persons, but they do it in a wrong way. Sadly, kids of bullying parents suffer from low-esteem and anxiety, and fear intimacy.

•    Inconsistency. Inconsistent parenting drives children crazy. Parents who are not stable in making serious decisions tend to produce emotionally volatile children. As a result, these children face struggles in defining themselves.

•    Criticism and comparison. Not everyone can stand being criticized and compared to someone else. Yet, many parents get used to refer to other children as good examples for theirs. That may represent a damage for children. Criticized and compared children grow up thinking of themselves as outsiders and underachievers.

•    Poor structure, limits, and boundaries. Appropriate parenting relates to providing well-balanced structure, limits, and boundaries. Structure means consistent schedules and routines. Limits stand for curbing risky behaviors by generating good judgment. Boundaries refer to honoring and respecting the physical and emotional space between people.

•    Neglect. Every parent has a lot of duties and commitments; and juggling all of them is no easy feat. However, children desperately need parents to be there for them. Some occasions that might not seem that important for an adult, really mean a lot for kids. Children need to have someone close to them at moments like these. Even if parents think they have a good reason to miss their children’ s school play, they should do their best to be present.

Striving to correct these wrong tendencies and to find the right balance for your kids will prepare them for relationships, jobs, and the world outside your door.

Source: Psychology Today