TWO-TIME former Governor of old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia has described as unbelievable the amount of money being reported to have been carted away by some aides and Ministers of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, therefore called on President Muhammadu Buhari to jail those found guilty. On the war on terror, the former military tactician urged the President to fish out those supplying arms and ammunition to the Boko Haram sect, warning that the war on terror can only be won when the insurgents are deprived of weapons, adding that this could be achieved through intelligence. He stated this during an interview with Vanguard in Benin City. While reacting to the ongoing probe of the administration of President Jonathan, Dr Ogbemudia urged the Presidency to be cautious of their facts before pronouncing people guilty, adding however that those found wanting should be dealt with accordingly. According to him, “If it is correct that some people looted the national treasury during Jonathan, then they should be brought to book. They should spend time to investigate the looting but they should not announce first that this man is a thief then later they will find out that he is not. Jonathan once described bribery and corruption as petty thief, if that is the new definition we shall see (laughter). “My believe is that this is the first time APC is in government therefore all the theories that they have been propounding along the line, this is the time to test them, and it will take time to assemble sufficient evidence of their genuine readiness to govern. I gave them one year to prepare and three years to execute. If at the end of four years they encourage PDP to come back that will be good. “The way every society behave is evidenced by the type of leadership that society has, it is a reflection of the quality of leadership. If during the last government EFCC did not have sufficient urge to arrest people, now no body is stopping them they are working. So I think that they will continue to do so until somebody stop them. We are waiting for the evidence of what we have heard so far about some persons. We are still waiting to hear that so so person who stole N10billion has returned N9billion or has been sentenced to jail” he asserted. On the war against terror, Dr Ogbemudia stated “the sequence of events that have taken place since they (Presidency) started is the right step in the right direction. But our prayers is that the officers assigned to the fighting should have sufficient pressure and sufficient understanding to be able to pursue the objective. Fighting Boko Haram is not a war, if it were war all you need to do is to run bombs all over the state but that is not allowed. So you have to go in and fetch the individual out. “But what is more important in all this is the job of the intelligence unit, they should go and identify the man who is supplying arms to Boko Haram. Boko Haram people are using weapons and ammunitions. They waste the ammunitions and they replace them, it means they must be buying it somewhere. Which bank is opening the letter of credit for them or the LPO, or which Port are they discharging it or which Airport is the plane bringing the ammunition landing. “So the intelligence unit should be able to find all these, and once they grab the man who is paying the boys, who is supplying the arms then the war is over. But if they allow the man supplying the arms to be hiding then the war will continue. There is also information that when the Boko Haram boys have worked till the end of the month, they organize them to be killed by passing information to the opponents, so that the boys cannot collect their money. “The person is a human being, he is a Nigerian he must be found. If the person is not found the source of the money will be located. And for the abducted girls, I do not believe that they will be found but if they are found they will never be the same again. A lot of transformation may have taken place”.
Saturday, 1 August 2015
S.Africa’s Tutu to remain in hospital for ‘another few days’
South African archbishop Desmond Tutu will remain in hospital in Cape Town “for another few days” despite making good progress, his foundation announced Saturday, four days after he was hospitalised with a recurring infection. The 83-year-old Nobel peace laureate underwent a “small investigative procedure” on Friday night to determine the status of the infection that “he has battled to shake off for several weeks,” the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation said in a statement. While his doctors were “satisfied” with the progress of his antibiotic treatment, he will “remain in hospital for further observation and treatment for another few days”, the foundation said. Tutu was diagnosed with prostrate cancer 15 years ago. The foundation had previously insisted his ailment was unrelated to his cancer but on Saturday the foundation revealed the two were linked. “Although the cancer, itself, was under control, the infection was a consequence of past treatment that the archbishop had received for prostate cancer,” his daughter, Reverend Mpho Tutu, said in the statement. Tutu was first hospitalised for the infection on July 14. The name of the hospital where he is being treated has not been divulged. A picture released by the foundation this week showed the veteran rights campaigner in his hospital bed, sharing a joke with former president Thabo Mbeki who visited the renowned cleric. Tutu shot to worldwide fame during the apartheid era, leading demonstrations against white supremacist rule in a purple cassock while Nelson Mandela was in prison. Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He is still seen as the moral conscience of the country which he nicknamed the Rainbow Nation and continues to speak out about injustice, in South Africa and around the world.
IS detains four journalism students in Iraq
The Islamic State group has detained four journalism students in Mosul on charges of leaking information from the jihadist bastion to Iraqi and media organisations, a media watchdog said Saturday. The four were taken from their homes in different parts of the northern city late Friday, the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory (JFO), an Iraqi organisation, said in a statement. Mosul activists and a former security official confirmed to AFP that four Mosul University students had been detained and taken to an unknown location. A journalist who was arrested for similar reasons in June, Jala al-Abadi, was executed in mid-July. According to JFO, IS holds at least eight journalists from the province of Nineveh, of which Mosul is the capital
Cleric predicts an end to Boko Haram
GENERAL Overseer of House of Redemption International, Archbishop Kalu O. Kalu has called on Nigerians to pray without ceasing for the nation and its leaders, assuring that an end will soon come to all forms of anti-social upheavals in different parts of the country. Specifally, Archbishop Kalu also predicted an end to Boko Haram menace in the North Eastern part of the country, arguing that it was politically motivated and since that purpose has been achieved there will naturally be a truce. Speaking in an interview at the end of his church’s 4-day convention in Surulere, Lagos the cleric who established the HORI in 2009 after several years with St. Joseph’s Chosen Church of God, said Nigeria is passing through a phase, at the end of which the citizens will rejoice. Theme of the convention was: ‘My day, my time, my season of turnaround.’ According to him, the current insurgency in parts of the North was organised for a political purpose, but now that that purpose has been achieved the backers of the dream will back off soon. “If the insurgency ended immediately after the elections everybody in the country would have been left with no alternative than to believe the rumours that have been flying around,” adding “but for its end, it will end very soon.” The Abia State-born cleric believes that Nigeria, as a nation, had been established by divine arrangement, noting that every attempt by individuals or groups to tear or balkanise the nation will come nought. “This nation’s unity is by divine arrangement. Every nation goes through a phase and Nigeria is not an exception. Britain, America and all the developed nations of the world had gone their different phases and today, America is the most powerful nation of the world. Life is in phases and Nigeria is going through its own,” he explained. He therefore enjoined every Nigerian to hold on to God. He argued that a nation that holds on to God will naturally be lifted up, lamenting that despite the upsurge of worship places in the country, there is no righteousness in our governance.
ITS TODAY DONT MISS YOUR CHANCE TO WIN 20MILLION
The time has come! MLotto.net is giving away N20 Million to one lucky winner at 9pm today. It’s not too late to play, you can still play with just N200 for a chance to Change your life. This is real, don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. To play click HERE :http://mlotto.net/home/howtoplay_Mega6.aspx?GotoHowtoplayMega=2
Rapper Reminsce losses Dad
The rapper lost his dad Alhaji A.A Safaru (pictured right) recently. May his soul rest in peace...amen.
Firefighter dies as thousands battle California wildfires
A firefighter died while battling one of the 18 large wildfires raging in California, its governor said Friday, declaring a state of emergency. About 8,000 firefighters have been deployed across the state, said the California National Guard, which has been called into action. “California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox,” California Governor Edmund Brown said in a statement. “Our courageous firefighters are on the front lines and we’ll do everything we can to help them.” The dead firefighter was named as Dave Ruhl, 38, from South Dakota, who was killed Thursday while fighting the Frog Fire in the Modoc National Forest outside Alturas. “Firefighter Ruhl will be remembered for his service and bravery and we extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues with the US Forest Service,” Brown said in a separate statement. Wildfires are a fact of life in much of California, but they have been exacerbated by bone-dry conditions as the western US state is gripped by a fourth year of record drought
This man killed 7 including girlfriend in one day
On Saturday, February 16, 2013, Henry Chibueze, a notorious kidnapper terrorizing South East and South South parts of the country, stormed the home of his girlfriend, Sandra Ijedinma, at Igando area of Lagos State, with an AK47 assault rifle and opened fire on everyone present in the apartment, killing his girlfriend, her elder sister Praise Ozor, and her two children.
Not satisfied, Henry proceeded to a nearby street where one of Sandra’s elder sisters resided and killed the woman and three of her children, before fleeing.
His anger was said to have been that Sandra, who was an optician with Madonna University, had called off their relationship, when she learnt that he was a kidnapper. Sandra’s twin sister, Katherine who sustained a bullet would during the attack had told vanguard in 2013 that the assailant was familiar with everyone in their family but nobody knew he was a kidnapper . She explained that her late sister used to visit Henry at his base in Delta State and in one of such visits, some heavily armed men stormed Henry’s apartment, manhandling Sandra in the process.
She added that the armed men reportedly told Sandra that her lover absconded with their share of a ransom paid to them for one of their kidnapping exploits, threatening to wipe out all his (Henry’s) family members if he did not pay them. Thereafter, Sandra informed her family members in Lagos of what had happened and they rushed to Delta State to bring her to Lagos for proper treatment. But while she was receiving the treatment, she called off the relationship and Henry; feeling betrayed, stormed their Lagos home and killed people while Katherine narrowly escaped death.
The police in Lagos went all out in search of Henry. Vanguard gathered that operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, who were then headed by Sp Abba Kyari, trailed him to Abia, Delta and Rivers State, where they rounded up some of his close friends, relatives and seven members of his gang who were behind the kidnap of a British national, Diction Lee, few minutes after the Briton arrived at the country. They kidnapped him on Airport Road, Ikeja. At that point, it was established that Henry had escaped from the country and was based in Ivory Coast.
But while the search for him went cold in Lagos, Henry, was said to have regrouped with his gang in Imo State and they coordinated several kidnappings in the South East and South South, where he kidnapped over 200 persons, killing most of his victims, including the wife of a royal father in Imo State and an official of the Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission which yielded him N50m ransom.
However, luck ran out on him, last weekend, when he attempted to kidnap the tribunal Judges, handling Election Petition in Imo State, at their lodge, in Disney Hotels, along Onitsha -Owerri Road. Operatives of the Department of State Security, DSS, acting On a tip-off swooped on him, but he managed to escape with bullet wounds which he had gone to treat in the house of his elder brother’s wife, in Ohafia, Abia State, where men of the secret police eventually apprehended him.
He was arrested along side an army deserter, Akeem Bello, from Kwara State, who abandoned his duty post at Maiduguiri where he was posted. Fear of the activities of the Boko Haram sect probably informed his action. A native doctor, Dan Elengi, who is said to be the proprietor of a popular hotel at Ohii in Owerri Local Government Area, of Imo State was also among those nabbed.
The 28-year-old man, who is an indigene of Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State, confessed when he was paraded before the Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, that he operated from Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire and he killed his girl friend and members of her family because she stole his N45million, after he had opened a shop for her in Aba.
Meanwhile, relatives of his victims have been thrown into celebration following news of his arrest. They called on the Imo State Government to ensure that Henry who is also known as Vampire is prosecuted judiciously. Ekene Ozor, the husband of one of Sandra’s sisters who was killed on the day of the attack wants Henry to pay for his crimes. “That man is evil. He robbed me of my wife and two children and robbed my in-laws of eight members of their family.
But my God told me that he would not escape judgment. I am grateful to God for his arrest and I commend the efforts of the Nigeria police especially, the Special Anti Robbery Squad SARS, Lagos State Police Command, who first handled my case, the DSS operatives for their continued efforts to apprehend this heartless criminal. I wish to commend also the governor of Imo State Rochas Okorocha, for his efforts in the arrest of the deadly gang of killers. Days after the attack on my home were highly traumatic. I had seven corpses to deal with at a time and they were all in the mortuary. I was the only one taking care of my remaining children and
I passionately wish to appeal to governors Rochas Okorocha, Ifeanyi Okowa, Akinwumi Ambode and other governors in the federation and well meaning Nigerians to come to my aid as I feel very concerned about the education of my remaining children and their welfare.
Things have tough for me, my little children. We are still having the psychological pain of the attack of Henry. We have been haunted by the fear of another attack by the serial killer. There have been fears of going out freely because of the horrifying threats from the serial killer and his cohorts. Consequently, I’m indebted to the tune of N7.2 million excluding properties sold to meet up with bills, drugs, surgery of my wife’s younger sister who survived gun shots. It is by grace of God that I am still alive because it made me hypertensive since then.”
Not satisfied, Henry proceeded to a nearby street where one of Sandra’s elder sisters resided and killed the woman and three of her children, before fleeing.
His anger was said to have been that Sandra, who was an optician with Madonna University, had called off their relationship, when she learnt that he was a kidnapper. Sandra’s twin sister, Katherine who sustained a bullet would during the attack had told vanguard in 2013 that the assailant was familiar with everyone in their family but nobody knew he was a kidnapper . She explained that her late sister used to visit Henry at his base in Delta State and in one of such visits, some heavily armed men stormed Henry’s apartment, manhandling Sandra in the process.
She added that the armed men reportedly told Sandra that her lover absconded with their share of a ransom paid to them for one of their kidnapping exploits, threatening to wipe out all his (Henry’s) family members if he did not pay them. Thereafter, Sandra informed her family members in Lagos of what had happened and they rushed to Delta State to bring her to Lagos for proper treatment. But while she was receiving the treatment, she called off the relationship and Henry; feeling betrayed, stormed their Lagos home and killed people while Katherine narrowly escaped death.
The police in Lagos went all out in search of Henry. Vanguard gathered that operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, who were then headed by Sp Abba Kyari, trailed him to Abia, Delta and Rivers State, where they rounded up some of his close friends, relatives and seven members of his gang who were behind the kidnap of a British national, Diction Lee, few minutes after the Briton arrived at the country. They kidnapped him on Airport Road, Ikeja. At that point, it was established that Henry had escaped from the country and was based in Ivory Coast.
But while the search for him went cold in Lagos, Henry, was said to have regrouped with his gang in Imo State and they coordinated several kidnappings in the South East and South South, where he kidnapped over 200 persons, killing most of his victims, including the wife of a royal father in Imo State and an official of the Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission which yielded him N50m ransom.
However, luck ran out on him, last weekend, when he attempted to kidnap the tribunal Judges, handling Election Petition in Imo State, at their lodge, in Disney Hotels, along Onitsha -Owerri Road. Operatives of the Department of State Security, DSS, acting On a tip-off swooped on him, but he managed to escape with bullet wounds which he had gone to treat in the house of his elder brother’s wife, in Ohafia, Abia State, where men of the secret police eventually apprehended him.
He was arrested along side an army deserter, Akeem Bello, from Kwara State, who abandoned his duty post at Maiduguiri where he was posted. Fear of the activities of the Boko Haram sect probably informed his action. A native doctor, Dan Elengi, who is said to be the proprietor of a popular hotel at Ohii in Owerri Local Government Area, of Imo State was also among those nabbed.
The 28-year-old man, who is an indigene of Nwangele Local Government Area of Imo State, confessed when he was paraded before the Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, that he operated from Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire and he killed his girl friend and members of her family because she stole his N45million, after he had opened a shop for her in Aba.
Meanwhile, relatives of his victims have been thrown into celebration following news of his arrest. They called on the Imo State Government to ensure that Henry who is also known as Vampire is prosecuted judiciously. Ekene Ozor, the husband of one of Sandra’s sisters who was killed on the day of the attack wants Henry to pay for his crimes. “That man is evil. He robbed me of my wife and two children and robbed my in-laws of eight members of their family.
Henry Chibueze
I passionately wish to appeal to governors Rochas Okorocha, Ifeanyi Okowa, Akinwumi Ambode and other governors in the federation and well meaning Nigerians to come to my aid as I feel very concerned about the education of my remaining children and their welfare.
Things have tough for me, my little children. We are still having the psychological pain of the attack of Henry. We have been haunted by the fear of another attack by the serial killer. There have been fears of going out freely because of the horrifying threats from the serial killer and his cohorts. Consequently, I’m indebted to the tune of N7.2 million excluding properties sold to meet up with bills, drugs, surgery of my wife’s younger sister who survived gun shots. It is by grace of God that I am still alive because it made me hypertensive since then.”
Making the most of one-night stands!
ONE-NIGHT-STANDS are memorable because they are never planned. One minute you’re anxious about the stalemate in your love-life, and the next you are making wild love to a person with whom you are not romantically linked. It is not often this happens, but when it does, do you make the most of it?
A few years back, Lizzy was shocked when she got a call that her mum just had a partial stroke and she was needed urgently at the hospital she was taken.
“I’m her only child,” she said, “and, I anxiously rushed to the government hospital she was taken.
Then , I called the private hospital my company used for her to be transferred, so she could have proper care. We’ve always been close and since dad died a few years ago, she’d needed me more than ever.
“A few days later, I was at her bedside when this doctor called. When he introduced himself, I was surprised. Tall, dark and handsome, Frank looked more like a model than a doctor.
I stopped gawping at him and tried to focus on what he was saying to me. He assured mum would make a quick recovery and I sighed sadly.
It was a relief that mum would be all right but the trauma of the few days coupled with the fact that my husband was on a contract job in Saudi Arabia for nine months made me really vulnerable. Sensing my sadness, Frank asked me into his office where I could talk properly.
“As I narrated all that had happened in the past, coupled with the fact that I was alone in the house with our three children, I felt a bit weepy and Frank got up from his chair, enveloped me in his arms and it felt good. He was afterall a doctor, and I was a patient’s relative. Only, he started kissing me. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked. But, he continued kissing me and as lust stared in my loins, the despair of the past few days were forgotten.
I kissed him back as his hands tumbled with the buttons of my blouse, he eagerly undid his trousers, and eased me gently on to the leather couch in his office and for the next few minutes, sex took my mind of my problems. Afterwards though. I felt guilty but the sex loosened the frustration I’d bottled inside me for weeks.
“I vowed it would be a one-off though, but the next day I was sitting with mum as she slept when I felt Frank’s arm on my shoulder. His eyes said all I needed to hear and I willingly followed him to his office. We made love three more times over the period mum was hospitalised. When she was eventually discharged, I went to Frank’s office to say good-bye. A look at my face and he didn’t bother to ask if we could meet again. We’d had our fun and that was it.”
Lateefat’s experience happened when she was temporarily co-opted by a modelling agency for a big fashion show. A make-up artiste, in her 30s, she found herself working with Chris, a photographer a few years younger than she was. “Chris was a very friendly guy and we hit it off immediately,” she recalled.
We had to work together most of the time and as the days passed, I started fantasising about him while I lay in my boyfriend’s arms Dammy, my boyfriend lived on and off with me and, though, we had a son together, he wasn’t really keen on getting married. He was a bit pompous and a ladies’ man. I didn’t fancy spending the rest of my life with him.
“In the meantime, Chris was getting bolder. I would be with the models, applying make-up, and he would walk behind me, pinching my bottom! When I warned him not to get us into trouble, he bragged that he was trouble! Then, later one afternoon, we were in the bigger office where all the models’ outfits were when he started flirting outrageously with me. Alone at last, I actually felt nervous.
But the models were busy elsewhere and we were able to relax. When the phone rang, I answered and it was one of our boring customers rattling on and on, making silly enquiry. Chris slowly got up and stood behind me. His hands rested on my shoulders before hanging on my boobs. I ought to be shocked, instead I tingled all over. He then started raising up my loose top and massaging my bare breasts. Phone still to my ear, I started up and saw his mischievous smile.
I was burning with desire at this moment. And, there was the danger that someone would walk in. As his arms wreaked havoc on my body, desire welled up. “When the boring caller finally stopped, Chris and I started kissing passionately. I quickly locked the door as he spun my swivel chair around and pulled me into his arms.
Still glued together, he hitched up the black cotton skirt we were all asked to wear, running his hands around my hips, ‘Better than any of the models’, he complemented. Then, he lifted me onto the desk, lowered me backwards and we began to make love. The phone started ringing again, but we were too carried away to stop. Until finally, satisfied, we slumped, panting and laughing hysterically in each other’s arms. ‘That was fun!’ Chris gasped and I agreed.
“There was no awkwardness between us at work afterwards, just lots of secret smiles. But my experience finally gave me the confidence to give Frank his marching orders. I wanted to enjoy being single again and having fun without his making me feel uncomfortable. A few days later, Chris offered to take me out but I gently turned him down.
My confidence boosted, I didn’t want to continue my freedom with a toy boy —the wonderful memories of our days together at the modelling office was all the boost I needed.”
One-night stand
“I’m her only child,” she said, “and, I anxiously rushed to the government hospital she was taken.
Then , I called the private hospital my company used for her to be transferred, so she could have proper care. We’ve always been close and since dad died a few years ago, she’d needed me more than ever.
“A few days later, I was at her bedside when this doctor called. When he introduced himself, I was surprised. Tall, dark and handsome, Frank looked more like a model than a doctor.
I stopped gawping at him and tried to focus on what he was saying to me. He assured mum would make a quick recovery and I sighed sadly.
It was a relief that mum would be all right but the trauma of the few days coupled with the fact that my husband was on a contract job in Saudi Arabia for nine months made me really vulnerable. Sensing my sadness, Frank asked me into his office where I could talk properly.
“As I narrated all that had happened in the past, coupled with the fact that I was alone in the house with our three children, I felt a bit weepy and Frank got up from his chair, enveloped me in his arms and it felt good. He was afterall a doctor, and I was a patient’s relative. Only, he started kissing me. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked. But, he continued kissing me and as lust stared in my loins, the despair of the past few days were forgotten.
I kissed him back as his hands tumbled with the buttons of my blouse, he eagerly undid his trousers, and eased me gently on to the leather couch in his office and for the next few minutes, sex took my mind of my problems. Afterwards though. I felt guilty but the sex loosened the frustration I’d bottled inside me for weeks.
“I vowed it would be a one-off though, but the next day I was sitting with mum as she slept when I felt Frank’s arm on my shoulder. His eyes said all I needed to hear and I willingly followed him to his office. We made love three more times over the period mum was hospitalised. When she was eventually discharged, I went to Frank’s office to say good-bye. A look at my face and he didn’t bother to ask if we could meet again. We’d had our fun and that was it.”
Lateefat’s experience happened when she was temporarily co-opted by a modelling agency for a big fashion show. A make-up artiste, in her 30s, she found herself working with Chris, a photographer a few years younger than she was. “Chris was a very friendly guy and we hit it off immediately,” she recalled.
We had to work together most of the time and as the days passed, I started fantasising about him while I lay in my boyfriend’s arms Dammy, my boyfriend lived on and off with me and, though, we had a son together, he wasn’t really keen on getting married. He was a bit pompous and a ladies’ man. I didn’t fancy spending the rest of my life with him.
“In the meantime, Chris was getting bolder. I would be with the models, applying make-up, and he would walk behind me, pinching my bottom! When I warned him not to get us into trouble, he bragged that he was trouble! Then, later one afternoon, we were in the bigger office where all the models’ outfits were when he started flirting outrageously with me. Alone at last, I actually felt nervous.
But the models were busy elsewhere and we were able to relax. When the phone rang, I answered and it was one of our boring customers rattling on and on, making silly enquiry. Chris slowly got up and stood behind me. His hands rested on my shoulders before hanging on my boobs. I ought to be shocked, instead I tingled all over. He then started raising up my loose top and massaging my bare breasts. Phone still to my ear, I started up and saw his mischievous smile.
I was burning with desire at this moment. And, there was the danger that someone would walk in. As his arms wreaked havoc on my body, desire welled up. “When the boring caller finally stopped, Chris and I started kissing passionately. I quickly locked the door as he spun my swivel chair around and pulled me into his arms.
Still glued together, he hitched up the black cotton skirt we were all asked to wear, running his hands around my hips, ‘Better than any of the models’, he complemented. Then, he lifted me onto the desk, lowered me backwards and we began to make love. The phone started ringing again, but we were too carried away to stop. Until finally, satisfied, we slumped, panting and laughing hysterically in each other’s arms. ‘That was fun!’ Chris gasped and I agreed.
“There was no awkwardness between us at work afterwards, just lots of secret smiles. But my experience finally gave me the confidence to give Frank his marching orders. I wanted to enjoy being single again and having fun without his making me feel uncomfortable. A few days later, Chris offered to take me out but I gently turned him down.
My confidence boosted, I didn’t want to continue my freedom with a toy boy —the wonderful memories of our days together at the modelling office was all the boost I needed.”
Friday, 31 July 2015
Kylie Jenner removes wedding band after denying being married to Tyga, shows off new hair
Kylie Jenner stepped out on Friday with no sign of the wedding band on her 4th finger as she attempted to put speculation to rest she had gotten married to current beau, rapper Tyga.
The pretty teen was careful to show her bare hands as she headed for lunch at Sugarfish in Calabasas, California, in a thigh skimming outfit
Nigerian man arrested in Iceland for infecting women with HIV
A Nigerian asylum seeker who arrived Iceland in August has been arrested for infecting unsuspecting young women with HIV. The capital area police are investigating the case against the man, in partnership with the office of the Directorate of Health.
The man was arrested on Monday and will be remanded in custody while the initial investigation continues, according to a police press release.
The police statement says that part of the investigation includes finding out if any more women have been in contact with the man, and whether they might also be infected.
The statement talks only of a serious infectious disease, but chief epidemiologist Haraldur Briem confirmed with reporters that the man is suspected of having transmitted HIV. Neither Haraldur nor Alda Hrönn Jóhannsdóttir, deputy police chief, would discuss the case in further detail at this stage.
The HIV virus is spread through bodily fluids, including through sex and through blood for example by sharing needles. The only protection against sexually-transmitted HIV is the use of condoms, according to the Directorate of Health.
HIV is a life-threatening illness if allowed to develop without treatment. It can develop into AIDS, which causes the immune system to shut down and lead to death; often years after initial infection. There is not yet a cure for HIV, but it is controllable with medication and infection is detected through blood tests.
Details of the man’s suspected crimes have not been released. One likely explanation for his arrest could be engaging in unprotected sex with the women without telling them he has HIV—an act which would be against the law.
His name has not been released yet.
Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister among 4 killed after their private jet crashed into a car auction
Osama Bin Laden's stepmother and sister are thought to be among 4 people killed after a private jet owned by the family crashed into a fireball after overshooting a runway while trying to land outside London.
The £7million Embraer Phenom 300 was owned by Salem Aviation in Jeddah, which is controlled by the dead terrorist’s family.
The Brazilian-built aircraft exploded after ploughing into a carpark killing the pilot and three passengers. Saudi Arabian media reported that Bin Laden's stepmother and sister were among the 4 people killed, as well as their Jordanian pilot.
The jet was completely destroyed after it overshot the runway while trying to land at the Blackbushe Airport on the Hampshire-Surrey border.
Standard motorist kill good samarithans for laughing at him
An 18-year-old Wyoming man accused of robbing and shooting three members of a family after asking for roadside help told investigators he opened fire after one of the victims laughed at him, an FBI agent said in a court filing Thursday.
Jason Shane, 51, and Tana Shane, 47, died in the Wednesday shooting in the small town of Pryor, FBI spokesman Todd Palmer said.
Which way for Biafra?
SINCE the pogrom against Ndigbo of 1966, that led to the the declaration of the Republic of Biafra among the South Easterners of Nigeria , and the subsequent civil war, from 1967 to 1970, in which Biafrans were defeated, many do not know what to do with the name Biafra, which was drawn from the Bight of Biafra at the South of the Atlantic Ocean.
Most war veterans from the Nigeria side, especially the leaders treat everything about Biafra with ignominy, disdain, and repulsion. Out of pride and arrogance, they wish the name was crushed out of existence.
They forget , that over One million lives were lost in that war majorly through famine, and hunger; that over four African nations, and four nations in Europe recognised Biafra, within its two and half years of existence, that Ndigbo, are a people that show and carry love for humanity, everywhere they go; that Igbos are making their contributions to the building of a virile Nigerian nation in spite of and against all odds; that you can never kill love, for God is love; and that their poor handling of the case of Biafra is a major scar on the conscience of this nation, among other scars, which include the poor handling of Biafran war veterans, retirees, and pensioners of Nigeria, our Prison and police cells.
The only preserved relics of that civil war, can be found in the wretched, poorly maintained war museum in Umuahia. Till date many Biafran war veterans are yet to be paid their disengagement allowances and other entitlements 43 years after, and that is not a big surprise in a nation where even now, military pensioners still queue, and slump on queues for their pension stipends. If those who fought and won the civil war, and those who fight to keep Nigeria safe today still beg for their entitlements, Biafrans who lost the war, ought to learn, and look for a better solution to their predicaments.
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, have consistently employed very non-violent methods to keep the name Biafra, and the quest for justice, equity, peace and unity of the Igbo man in Nigeria alive.
They have resuscitated the Biafran Pounds across some Nigerian Borders, organised serious protest marches and rallies, which the Federal Government find embarrassing and typically, MASSOB have been visited with arrests, extra judicial killings, harassments, and all manners of suppressive actions, which have not solved the problem. The latest development in the Biafra story, is the Radio Biafra, which has given the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, sleepless nights.
I have not tuned to that radio, but those who have listened to it, say it spreads hate and bad language, against the Nigerian state, while also carrying news worthy items on the realities of the Igbo man in Nigeria.
The radio is quite popular among Igbo youths, and the problem is that most of these youths never saw or fought the war, they did not see kwasiokor, Ogbunigwe, air raids, army camps, bedbugs, and the likes, they never lived on rodents, and reptiles as a source for protein. All they know about that war experience is from books, and the social media, and thus,may also not realise that a pharaoh who did not know Joseph is in on the throne.
President Muhammadu Buhari, PMB, was reported to have told his audience during his recent trip to America that his government will be more favourably disposed to help those who voted massively for him, than those who did not. There is no problem with such a comment because it is exactly what politicians in Nigeria do, hence some argue that Igbos made the mistake of voting massively for former President Jonathan during the last elections.
It is realistic to expect a tilt against Ndigbo under this government, no matter what, and it will be a pleasant surprise if PMB did otherwise. Although we now hear that PMB was quoted out of context or wrongly, we will wait for time to tell.
Biafrans should now stand on the awareness created and the messages passed to turn things around for themselves.
The supporters of MASSOB, and Ndigbo in general, in Nigeria and in the diaspora should take the message to the next positive level in the best interest of Ndigbo. Rather than focus on the negativities, and fighting governments, MASSOB, Biafrans, and Ndigbo should harness all the energy and resources to look more inwards in order to turn Igbo land into that dream place for every person.
Their first assignment will be to hold our leaders in Igbo land responsible, by devising ways and means to challenge the present governors, and to make governance very hard and difficult for all thieves, and corrupt persons in our land. Information should be compiled on all past and present leaders, with the view of denying them access to governance where they have stolen the common wealth of Ndigbo in any way.
For example, a list of corrupt and stupendously rich governors making waves in the social media include some Igbo governors, and MASSOB should take such men to task, by organising to prosecute them now or soon after they lose their immunity. MASSOB should be in the fore front of the fight against corruption and kidnapping in Igbo Land.
Second, a master plan for rail and road transportation that will cover the entire Igbo land should be produced, in addition to Carbohydrate and protein supply plan for the South East Zone.
Third, the Igbo States, should agree with some South South States, especially Delta and Bayelsa on the development of a commercially viable deep sea port to augment Port Harcourt and Calabar Ports and to reduce the drudgery, risks and blackmail from importation through Lagos Ports.
The general attitude of an average Biafran should be to develop Igbo land and its environs first and as matter of urgent priority, with or without the oil money from federal government. Should this not be the way Biafra should go ?
Mr Clement Udegbe, a legal practitioner, wrote from Lagos.
Most war veterans from the Nigeria side, especially the leaders treat everything about Biafra with ignominy, disdain, and repulsion. Out of pride and arrogance, they wish the name was crushed out of existence.
They forget , that over One million lives were lost in that war majorly through famine, and hunger; that over four African nations, and four nations in Europe recognised Biafra, within its two and half years of existence, that Ndigbo, are a people that show and carry love for humanity, everywhere they go; that Igbos are making their contributions to the building of a virile Nigerian nation in spite of and against all odds; that you can never kill love, for God is love; and that their poor handling of the case of Biafra is a major scar on the conscience of this nation, among other scars, which include the poor handling of Biafran war veterans, retirees, and pensioners of Nigeria, our Prison and police cells.
The only preserved relics of that civil war, can be found in the wretched, poorly maintained war museum in Umuahia. Till date many Biafran war veterans are yet to be paid their disengagement allowances and other entitlements 43 years after, and that is not a big surprise in a nation where even now, military pensioners still queue, and slump on queues for their pension stipends. If those who fought and won the civil war, and those who fight to keep Nigeria safe today still beg for their entitlements, Biafrans who lost the war, ought to learn, and look for a better solution to their predicaments.
The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, have consistently employed very non-violent methods to keep the name Biafra, and the quest for justice, equity, peace and unity of the Igbo man in Nigeria alive.
They have resuscitated the Biafran Pounds across some Nigerian Borders, organised serious protest marches and rallies, which the Federal Government find embarrassing and typically, MASSOB have been visited with arrests, extra judicial killings, harassments, and all manners of suppressive actions, which have not solved the problem. The latest development in the Biafra story, is the Radio Biafra, which has given the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, sleepless nights.
I have not tuned to that radio, but those who have listened to it, say it spreads hate and bad language, against the Nigerian state, while also carrying news worthy items on the realities of the Igbo man in Nigeria.
The radio is quite popular among Igbo youths, and the problem is that most of these youths never saw or fought the war, they did not see kwasiokor, Ogbunigwe, air raids, army camps, bedbugs, and the likes, they never lived on rodents, and reptiles as a source for protein. All they know about that war experience is from books, and the social media, and thus,may also not realise that a pharaoh who did not know Joseph is in on the throne.
President Muhammadu Buhari, PMB, was reported to have told his audience during his recent trip to America that his government will be more favourably disposed to help those who voted massively for him, than those who did not. There is no problem with such a comment because it is exactly what politicians in Nigeria do, hence some argue that Igbos made the mistake of voting massively for former President Jonathan during the last elections.
It is realistic to expect a tilt against Ndigbo under this government, no matter what, and it will be a pleasant surprise if PMB did otherwise. Although we now hear that PMB was quoted out of context or wrongly, we will wait for time to tell.
Biafrans should now stand on the awareness created and the messages passed to turn things around for themselves.
The supporters of MASSOB, and Ndigbo in general, in Nigeria and in the diaspora should take the message to the next positive level in the best interest of Ndigbo. Rather than focus on the negativities, and fighting governments, MASSOB, Biafrans, and Ndigbo should harness all the energy and resources to look more inwards in order to turn Igbo land into that dream place for every person.
Their first assignment will be to hold our leaders in Igbo land responsible, by devising ways and means to challenge the present governors, and to make governance very hard and difficult for all thieves, and corrupt persons in our land. Information should be compiled on all past and present leaders, with the view of denying them access to governance where they have stolen the common wealth of Ndigbo in any way.
For example, a list of corrupt and stupendously rich governors making waves in the social media include some Igbo governors, and MASSOB should take such men to task, by organising to prosecute them now or soon after they lose their immunity. MASSOB should be in the fore front of the fight against corruption and kidnapping in Igbo Land.
Second, a master plan for rail and road transportation that will cover the entire Igbo land should be produced, in addition to Carbohydrate and protein supply plan for the South East Zone.
Third, the Igbo States, should agree with some South South States, especially Delta and Bayelsa on the development of a commercially viable deep sea port to augment Port Harcourt and Calabar Ports and to reduce the drudgery, risks and blackmail from importation through Lagos Ports.
The general attitude of an average Biafran should be to develop Igbo land and its environs first and as matter of urgent priority, with or without the oil money from federal government. Should this not be the way Biafra should go ?
Mr Clement Udegbe, a legal practitioner, wrote from Lagos.
OMG !!!!! THE GHANIAN ACTRESS WITH THE LARGEST CURVES
MOESHA BODUONG is a reowned Ghanian actress that is heavily endowed ,Moesha is model in ghana ,though thats not what made her different from other ghanian actresses her curves made her Unique
UK-based lawyer fights for Mahama gunman
The case in which an assassination attempt was made on President John Mahama has assumed international dimension, as a UK-trained Ghanaian international lawyer Godwin Adjei-Gyamfi has petitioned Amnesty International-UK over the matter.
In the plea, Adjei-Gymafi described the sentencing of Charles Antwi, the 36-year-old man who was caught with a fully loaded gun at the church of President John Mahama as diabolical and absurd. .
Below are details of the petition to Amnesty International
Details Amnesty International UK Human Rights Action Centre 17-25 New Inn Yard London 3EA Dear Sir, Re: Convict Charles Antwi.
It does not give me pleasure to have to bring to your attention diabolical, gross abuse of process, miscarriage of justice and breach of fundamental human rights of the above-named person.
The detail is that the above named, on the 26th July 2015 entered a church attended by the President of the Republic of Ghana with a locally manufactured gun. The above named was arrested and appeared in Accra court on Tuesday 28th July 2015 without a lawyer.
According to and judging from what the convict was saying in court that he, “wanted to kill the president and take over,” suggest the above named was severely mentally challenged, ought to have been granted a lawyer and immediately referred for psychiatric evaluation. He was instead sentenced on the spot to 10 years imprisonment.
This is most absurd and diabolical as he is mentally unwell, was unrepresented by a lawyer and the maximum sentence on the statute books of the Republic of Ghana is 5 years.
I would be most grateful if you would please look in to the above absurdity as The Republic of Ghana has become a land where the strong and rich enjoy justice and the poor is forgotten.
Godwin Adjei-Gyamfi Solicitor & Barrister-at-Law.
learn how to speak up 30 different languages
Out on a sunny Berlin balcony, Tim Keeley and Daniel Krasa are firing words like bullets at each other. First German, then Hindi, Nepali, Polish, Croatian, Mandarin and Thai – they’ve barely spoken one language before the conversation seamlessly melds into another. Together, they pass through about 20 different languages or so in total.
Back inside, I find small groups exchanging tongue twisters. Others are gathering in threes, preparing for a rapid-fire game that involves interpreting two different languages simultaneously. It looks like the perfect recipe for a headache, but they are nonchalant. “It’s quite a common situation for us,” a woman called Alisa tells me.
It can be difficult enough to learn one foreign tongue. Yet I’m here in Berlin for the Polyglot Gathering, a meeting of 350 or so people who speak multiple languages – some as diverse as Manx, Klingon and Saami, the language of reindeer herders in Scandinavia. Indeed, a surprising proportion of them are “hyperglots”, like Keeley and Krasa, who can speak at least 10 languages. One of the most proficient linguists I meet here, Richard Simcott, leads a team of polyglots at a company called eModeration – and he uses about 30 languages himself.
With a modest knowledge of Italian and some rudimentary Danish, I feel somewhat out of place among the hyperglots. But they say you should learn from the best, so I am here to try to discover their secrets.
When you consider the challenges for the brain, it’s no wonder most of us find learning a language so demanding. We have many different memory systems, and mastering a different tongue requires all of them. There’s procedural memory – the fine programming of muscles to perfect an accent – and declarative memory, which is the ability to remember facts (at least 10,000 new words if you want to come close to native fluency, not to mention the grammar). What’s more, unless you want to sound like a stuttering robot, those words and structures have to make it to the tip of your tongue within a split second, meaning they have to be programmed in both “explicit” and “implicit” memory.
Speaking extra languages delays dementia by five years or more
That tough mental workout comes with big payoffs, however; it is arguably the best brain training you can try. Numerous studies have shown that being multilingual can improve attention and memory, and that this can provide a “cognitive reserve” that delays the onset of dementia. Looking at the experiences of immigrants, Ellen Bialystok at York University in Canada has found that speaking two languages delayed dementia diagnosis by five years. Those who knew three languages, however, were diagnosed 6.4 years later than monolinguals, while for those fluent in four or more languages, enjoyed an extra nine years of healthy cognition.
Those lasting benefits are a stark contrast to the failure of most commercial “brain training” games you can download – whichgenerally fail to offer long-term improvements in memory or attention.
Learning a new language as we age is easier than you might assume
Until recently, however, many neuroscientists had suggested that most of us are too old to reach native-like fluency in a fresh language; according to the “critical period hypothesis”, there is a narrow window during childhood in which we can pick up the nuances of a new language. Yet Bialystok’s research suggests this may have been exaggerated; rather than a steep precipice, she has found that there is a very slight decline in our abilities as we age.
Certainly, many of the hyperglots I meet in Berlin have mastered languages later in life. Keeley grew up in Florida, where he was exposed to native Spanish speakers at school. As a child, he used to tune into foreign radio stations – despite not being able to understand a word. “It was like music to me,” he says. But it was only as an adult that he started travelling the world – first to Colombia, where he also studied French, German and Portuguese at college. He then moved on to Switzerland and Eastern Europe before heading to Japan. He now speaks at least 20 languages fluently, almost all of which were learnt as an adult. “The critical period hypothesis is a bunch of crap,” he says.
The question is, how do hyperglots master so many new tongues – and could the rest of us try to emulate them? True, they may just be more motivated than most. Many, like Keeley, are globe-trotters who have moved from country to country, picking up languages as they go. It’s sometimes a case of sink or swim.
Yet even with the best intentions, many of us struggle to speak another language convincingly. Keeley, who is currently writing a book on the “social, psychological and affective factors in becoming multilingual”, is sceptical that it’s simply a question of raw intelligence. “I don’t think it’s a major factor, although it does make it faster to have the analytical ability,” he says.
Cultural chameleons
Instead, he thinks we need to look past the intellect, into the depths of our personality. Keeley’s theory is that learning a new language causes you to re-invent your sense of self – and the best linguists are particularly good at taking on new identities. “You become a chameleon,” he says.
Psychologists have long known that the words we speak are entwined with our identity. It’s a cliche that French makes you more romantic, or Italian makes you more passionate, but each language becomes associated with cultural norms that can affect how you behave – it could be as simple as whether you value outspoken confidence or quiet reflection, for instance. Importantly, various studies have found that multilingual people often adopt different behaviours according to the language they are speaking.
Different languages can also evoke different memories of your life – as the writer Vladimir Nabokov discovered when working on his autobiography. The native Russian speaker wrote it first in his second language, English, with agonising difficulty, finding that “my memory was attuned to one key – the musically reticent Russian, but it was forced into another key, English”. Once it was finally published, he decided to translate the memoirs back into the language of his childhood, but as the Russian words flowed, he found his memories started to unfurl with new details and perspectives. “His Russian version differed so much he felt the need to retranslate to English,” says Aneta Pavlenko at Temple University in Philadelphia, whose book, The Bilingual Mind, explores many of these effects. It was almost as if his English and Russian selves had subtly different pasts.
Resisting the process of reinvention may prevent you from learning another language so well, says Keeley, who is a professor of cross-cultural management at Kyushu Sangyo University in Japan. He recently ran a survey of Chinese speakers learning Japanese to examine their “ego permeability” – with questions such as “I find it easy to put myself in other’s shoes and imagine how they feel” or “I can do impressions of other people”, and whether you can change your opinions to suit the people you are near. As he suspected, the people who score highly on these traits had much greater fluency in their new language.
It is not just about the amount of time spent learning and using languages
How come? It’s well known that if you identify with someone, you are more likely to mimic them – a process that would effortlessly improve language learning. But the adopted identity, and the associated memories, may also stop you from confusing the language with your mother tongue – by building neural barriers between the languages. “There must be some type of home in your mind for each language and culture and the related experiences, in order for the languages to stay active and not get all mixed together,” Keeley says. “It is not just the amount of time spent learning and using the languages. The quality of the time, in terms of emotional salience, is critical.” Indeed, that might explain why Keeley could switch so effortlessly between those 20-odd languages.
Of all the polyglots, Michael Levi Harris may demonstrate these principles the best. An actor by training, Harris also has an advanced knowledge of 10 languages, and an intermediate understanding of 12 more. Occasionally, his passion has landed him in some difficulty. He once saw an online ad for a Maltese meet-up. Going along, he hoped to find a group of people from Malta, only to walk into a room full of middle-aged women and their white lap dogs – an experience he recently relayed in a short film The Hyperglot. You can see a trailer below.When I meet him in a cafe near the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he effortlessly slips into a rather posh, “received pronunciation” English accent, despite being a native New Yorker. As he does so, his whole posture changes as he melds into the new persona. “I’m not really trying to consciously change my character or my persona. It just happens, but I know that I am suddenly different.”
Importantly, Harris thinks that anyone can learn to adopt a new cultural skin in this way – and he has a few tips for how to begin, based on his experiences of acting. The important thing, he says, is to try to imitate without even considering the spelling of the words. “Everyone can listen and repeat,” he says. You may find yourself over-exaggerating, in the same way that an actor may be a little over-the-top in their performance to start with – but that’s a crucial part of the process, he says. “In acting first, you go really big, and then the director says OK, now tone it down. And you do the same with a language.” He also suggests looking carefully at things like facial expressions – since they can be crucial to producing the sounds. Speaking with slightly pouted lips instantly makes you sound a little bit more French, for instance.
Finally, he says you should try to overcome the embarrassment associated with producing "strange" noises – such as the guttural sounds in Arabic, for instance. “You have to realise it’s not foreign to us – when you are disgusted, you already say ‘eugh’. And if you acknowledge and give your subconscious permission to do it in speech, you can make the sound.” That may sound a little silly, but the point is that all this should help you to get over your natural inhibitions. “It’s all to do with owning the language, which is what actors have to do to make the audience believe that these words are yours. When you own words you can speak more confidently, which is how people will engage with you.”
There’s one big factor that stops people learning languages efficiently…
Even so, most agree that you shouldn’t be too ambitious, particularly when starting out. “If there’s a single factor that stops people learning languages efficiently, it’s that we feel we have to be native-like – it’s an unreachable standard that looms over us,” says Temple University’s Pavlenko. “The ease of expression is what matters to me a lot – finding a better way to express myself, colloquially.”
Along these lines, you should also practice a little and often – perhaps just for 15-minute stints, four times a day. “I think the analogies with exercise are quite good,” says Alex Rawlings, who has developed a series of polyglot workshops with Richard Simcott to teach their techniques. Even if you are too busy or tired to do serious study, just practising a dialogue or listening to a foreign pop song can help, says Simcott.
In the UK, Australia and US, it is easy to believe that we don’t need to make that effort. Indeed, before I met the hyperglots, I had wondered if their obsession merited the hard work; perhaps, I thought, it was just about bragging rights. Yet all of the hyperglots I meet are genuinely enthusiastic about the amazing benefits that can only be achieved by this full immersion in different languages – including the chance to make friends and connections, even across difficult cultural barriers.
Harris, for instance, describes living in Dubai. “As a Jewish person living in the Middle East, I faced challenges. But it turns out that one of my best friends was from Lebanon,” he says. “And when I moved away, he said ‘when we first met I didn’t think I could be friends with you and now you’re leaving, I’m distraught’. It’s one of the most precious things to me.”
As Judith Meyer, who organised the gathering in Berlin, tells me, she saw Ukrainians and Russians, Israelis and Palestinians all conversing at the gathering. “Learning another language really does open up whole new worlds.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)