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The reports circulating about Liberian gospel musician Miracle A. Kettor have left many people reflecting on the kind of society we have become. If the reports are true, they reveal a heartbreaking reality.

Imagine someone battling illness for months, pleading with relatives, friends, and loved ones for help, yet receiving little or no support. According to the reports, after the family became exhausted from repeatedly asking for assistance, some of them allegedly resorted to spreading false news of her death in the hope of raising money to settle her hospital bills.

What happened next is what has shocked so many people. As soon as news of her supposed death spread, friends, relatives, and well-wishers reportedly rushed to the hospital, ready to contribute the very money she had been asking for while she was still alive and fighting for her life.

If this account is accurate, it exposes a painful truth about our society. Too often, people ignore the cries of the living but respond immediately to the news of death. We find money for funerals but struggle to help someone pay for life-saving treatment. We shed tears over a coffin but remain silent when someone is crying out for help.

What kind of society have we become? A society where bad news travels faster than good news. A society where compassion often arrives too late. A society where some people are valued more in death than in life.

This story should serve as a wake-up call to all of us. Not everyone who calls you "my friend," "my brother," "my sister," or "my child" genuinely cares about your well-being. Some people disappear when you need them most and only reappear when tragedy strikes.

Let us learn to support people while they are still alive. Visit them when they are sick. Pray for them. Encourage them. Help them according to your ability. The greatest expression of love is not the size of the funeral you sponsor, but the kindness you show while someone is still breathing.

Give people their flowers while they can still smell them. Let our compassion come before condolences, our generosity before graves, and our love before loss.

🚨 BREAKING NEWS

Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream has come to an end.

Cristiano Ronaldo at the FIFA World Cup

2006 – Eliminated in the semifinals by France — ⚽ 1 goal

2010 – Eliminated in the Round of 16 by Spain — ⚽ 1 goal

2014 – Eliminated in the group stage — ⚽ 1 goal

2018 – Eliminated in the Round of 16 by Uruguay — ⚽ 4 goals

2022 – Eliminated in the quarterfinals by Morocco — ⚽ 1 goal

2026 – Eliminated in the Round of 16 by Spain — ⚽ 3 goals

🏆 World Cup Career Total: 11 Goals

🌟 Historic Achievement: Cristiano Ronaldo remains the only player in football history to score in six different FIFA World Cups, a record that highlights his extraordinary longevity, consistency, and impact on the world's biggest stage.

An incredible World Cup journey comes to a close, but his legacy will endure for generations.

Truth be told

Gabriel Nyanti, a Liberian Chevening scholar with a Master's in International Accounting and Finance, has written this poignant concern:

"Let us set aside, for a moment, all political sentiments and affiliations. Let us reduce this to a matter of common sense; one that requires neither a degree from Harvard nor Oxford, but simply clear reasoning.

"A single mining company, BEA Mountain, holds exploration rights in Liberia and extracts approximately $1.65 billion in gold annually from our soil. In return, the Liberian government receives a mere 3% in royalties. Meanwhile, the government travels to Washington DC, secures a $266 million concessional loan from the IMF at 2.25% to 2.5% interest, repayable over two decades, and presents this as a DEVELOPMENT BREAKTHROUGH.

"Now, answer me honestly: Is this a failure of our reasoning, or does it point to something more embedded in our poor judgment? What is wrong with us?"

There will be no current in monsterrado and its surrounding counties, tomorrow from 8am to 6pm
21st century LIB 🤢🤢🤢🤢

This is Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. He has dominated Russian politics for 26 years.

Putin is the definition of “started from the bottom, now we are here.”

He started his career as a KGB agent. The KGB was like the FBI and CIA combined. It was the main intelligence and security agency of the SOVIET UNION, dealing with both domestic and foreign issues.

The Soviet Union was a union of 15 republics, namely;

■ Russia
■ Ukraine
■ Belarus
■ Uzbekistan
■ Kazakhstan
■ Kyrgyzstan
■ Tajikistan
■ Turkmenistan
■ Azerbaijan
■ Georgia
■ Lithuania
■ Moldova
■ Latvia
■ Armenia
■ Estonia

All these republics were part of one large country called the Soviet Union. It was MASSIVE and became America’s biggest rival after World War 2. This rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union became known as the Cold War.

America promoted CAPITALISM , while the Soviet Union promoted COMMUNISM. But that is a subject for another day.

Vladimir Putin joined the KGB in 1975, after finishing law school. He was only 23 years old. He served in the KGB for about 16 years.

In 1991, shortly before the Soviet Union officially collapsed, Putin left the KGB.

The Soviet Union formally ended on 26 December, 1991. After that, the republics that had been part of the Soviet Union became independent countries.

Putin then entered public administration in his hometown of Leningrad, which is now called Saint Petersburg. He became an adviser to the mayor and later rose to the position of Deputy Mayor.

In 1996, Putin moved to Moscow and got a job in the presidential administration. His job involved managing government property. At the time, the president of Russia was Boris Yeltsin.

Working in the presidential administration brought Putin closer to the center of power, where senior officials around the president could notice his work.

His skills were quickly recognized. Putin was appointed Deputy CHIEF OF STAFF to the President.

A Chief of Staff manages the president’s office. When I say the president’s office, I do not mean the physical room where the president works. I mean the team of aides and officials who support the president.

The Chief of Staff coordinates this staff and controls the president’s schedule, often deciding who gets access to the president and which issues reach the president first. It is therefore a very influential position.

As Deputy Chief of Staff, Putin was now inside the president’s inner circle. His work became visible directly to President Yeltsin.

In 1998, Putin was appointed Director of the FSB, Russia’s main intelligence agency and the successor to the KGB. He was also appointed Secretary of the Security Council.

These positions gave Putin access to key security and political networks across the government, which became an important step in his rise.

In August 1999, President Boris Yeltsin appointed Putin as Prime Minister. Russian prime ministers have limited authority. The president runs the show.

On December 31, 1999, President Yeltsin resigned. Putin automatically became Acting President.

Three months later, Putin won the 2000 presidential election and became president.

He was re-elected in 2004 for another four-year term, serving until 2008.

At the time, the Russian constitution said that presidents could NOT do more than two consecutive terms. I must emphasize that presidents were allowed to serve more than two terms, but NOT two terms in a row.

By 2008, Putin had already served two consecutive terms, so he could not run again.

To remain influential, Putin supported his close ally Dmitry Medvedev, who ran for president in 2008 and won. Medvedev then appointed Putin as Prime Minister. During this time, Putin was the one truly in charge even though he was no-longer president. He continued to influence things. Infact, when Medvedev was still president, the constitution was changed so that future presidential terms would last six years instead of four.

In 2012, after the end of his term, Medvedev stepped aside inorder for Putin to run again for president. Putin ran and won, beginning a six-year term from 2012 to 2018. He was re-elected in 2018 for another six-year term that would end in 2024.

However, having done two consecutive terms, Putin was not eligible to run again in 2024. In order to get around this complication, his government brought a new amendment that said a president could now only do a maximum of two terms only. However here is THE CATCH. They said that this change did not apply to anyone who had previously served as president. This meant that Putin's earlier terms were no longer counted under the new constitutional rules, allowing him to run for two more six-year terms.

The amendments were approved by parliament and later confirmed in a national vote (referendum)

This allowed Putin to run again in 2024 for another six-year term, which runs until 2030.

If he chooses, he can run again in 2030, which would allow him to remain president until 2036.

By 2036, Vladimir Putin would be 83 years old. Given the constitutional changes that have already taken place, it is possible that the rules could be amended again in the future. If that were to happen, it could potentially allow him to remain in power beyond the current term limits, or possibly make himself life president.

If you're Zimbabwean, this story should speak to you!

TAFFY THEMAN