Leadership news 2

ISSUE 162 DEcEmbEr 6, 2014.

tecHLiFe

artiFiciaL inteLLiGence couLd speLL tHe end oF tHe Human race

>43

art masters Vincent enyeama

Pacesetter

Ben carson

Emerging political phenomenon The renowned neurosurgeon and now, possible presidential candidate, says he's sensing a 2016 campaign covenant from God.

trended

stuFF

key question

induLGe

Daniel Craig set to reprise role in new James Bond movie

15 wedding traditions from around the world

Have mobile phones turned humans into more clingy lovers?

Sitting on a gold toilet worth $200,000

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Know-all

THAT'S inSide THiS iSSue

32 sTuff

BELIEVE THIS! Men have nipples because everyone is a female until the Y chromosome kicks in. You were all girl embryos.

28 TRENDED

31 wONDERs Of ThE wORLD

35 LIfEsTYLED

30 whAT's up?

29 TOp TEN STarTIng BLockS 27 pRoudlY nigERiA • Vincent Enyeama Pacesetter

STuFF

THE BIg STorY

31 WondERS of THE WoRld • Old Faithful, USA

32 STuff

28 TREndEd

• Daniel Craig set to reprise role in new James Bond movie

29 Top TEn

• 15 wedding traditions from around the world

33 AcHiEVing THE iMpoSSiblE

• Steal the Crown Jewels

34 ARTiculATE

• Fastest 100 Meter Sprinters in History

• Time and matter photography

35 kEY QuESTion

30 WHAT'S up

• Gangnam Style breaks YouTube

• Have mobile phones turned humans into more clingy lovers?

36 doERS

• Janine Davies South Africa’s ‘titanium woman’

37 ART MASTERS

THE rEguLarS

43 TEChLIfE

44 DREss sENsE BoXED

• Believe this • Fact Box, Do You Remember • Best of the best, Leonardo When? Strictly For JJCs da Vinci 44 culTuREd! • Etiquettewise, Superstitions, • Shocking Foodfacts • Divine Michelangelo • Psychology Ideas, Useless Proverbs, Excusez moi • Artistic genius Pablo Picasso Information, Business • Exceptional Vincent Van Gogh 45 dESiRAblES Blunder, Quick Quiz, • Enthusiastic Raphael da 46 Mindful • Espionage, Discovered • Crossword, WordSearch, Urbino • Sounding Clever, Sudoku, Homework, • Rembrandt van Rijn, the Sounding Great, Spotlights, Bookshelf illusionist • Know Why, 47 A lA cARTE • Nature lover, Claude Monet • Celeb Info, Teeny • Crazy Tricks, Gentleman's • Iconic Pierre Renoir • Fascinating Facts, Words, Laugh-Out-Loud • Articulate Jan Vermeer • Keepsakes, 48 bonuS pAck • Just Unbelievable, Fast WoRld fAMouS pAinTingS • Seen & Overhead, English Forward • Mona Lisa Phrases, Keepsakes • The Last Supper

43 TEcHlifE

• Click Click,

Buzzstop Three more women came forward claiming ace comedian, Bill Cosby sexually assaulted them, reports said Thursday.

In an interview report Wednesday, Syrian leader, Assad seems to suggest that the problem with President Obama’s Syria strategy is that the US isn’t bombing his country hard enough.

Princes William and Harry kicked off the festive season by attending an event close to their heart – the annual Christmas carol service hosted by The Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund, reports said Thursday.

On Tuesday, news spread about the reported arrest and interrogation of the wife

and son of Islamic State chief Abu Bakr alBaghdadi in Lebanon.

Nicki Minaj’s leaked track, All Things Go, off her upcoming album The Pinkprint, focuses on her family and career, but it also includes a major revelation: She almost had a child with an ex-boyfriend 16 years ago, reports said Thursday.

A prominent Muslim cleric on Wednesday said the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes on Islamic State insurgents should widen its scope to include all other militant groups that are tarnishing Islam.

Striking a defiant tone, Russian President, Vladimir Putin on Thursday, accused the West of provoking a crisis in Ukraine and using

sanctions to try to constrain Russia.

Hong Kong student leaders said Thursday they’re considering retreating from protest sites on city streets after more than two months of protests.

The Vatican’s economy minister said Thursday that hundreds of millions of euros were found “tucked away” in accounts of various Holy See departments without having appeared in the city-state’s balance sheets.

Islamic State militants launched an attack overnight on a major military air base in eastern Syria in what looked to be a push to eliminate the last significant government outpost in the extremist-dominated region, activists said Thursday.

Content Victoria Usman, Abisola Alawode, Love Adeyemi, Faith Kure DeSIGn/LAYoUt Matthew Akhabue ACTING EDITOR Catherine Agbo

group

FoUnDeR Sam nda-Isaiah GRoUP MAnAGInG DIReCto DIReCtoR Azubuike Ishiekwene GRoUP eXeCUtIVe DIReCtoRS Michael okpere, Dr Kazeem Durodoye FeeDbACK AnD MAILS Cognoscenti is published as an insert in LEADERSHIP Weekend. A number of the articles in this pullout are sourced from diverse sources.

Please do send your feedback and enquiries to cognoscenti@leadership.ng or send us a tweet @LeCognoscenti

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

StartingBlocks Angola alone has a population of over 350,000 Chinese.

africanFacts

THE PACESETTING PAGES

Rainfall variability is very high in Africa– from 0 mm/year in the Sahara to 9,500 mm/year near Mount Cameroon.

Peter rufai

Dependable keeper

Proudly Nigeria Vincent enyeama

Pacesetter

The Super Eagles’ number one goalkeeper and shot stopper has made a mark in the world of football. His spectacular skills in handling the ball have enabled him to bring his teams to many victories. He has carved a niche and set a pace for others to follow.

Vincent Enyeama who came to limelight in 2002 was born on August 29, 1982. The south-south indigene is known for frequently stopping penalty shots. Before 2002, Enyeama played for the Enyimba football club of Nigeria and went on to win the Confederation of African football Champions League twice with the team. After three seasons with Enyimba, and one with Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Enyeama moved to a minor club in Israel, Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv. He had a fantastic first season, showing amazing physical and athletic skills.

In his first season with Bnei Yehuda, the team qualified for the final of the Israel State Cup and achieved fourth place in the Israeli Premier League, which qualified the team for the 2006 UEFA Cup now known as Europa League. Enyeama later signed for Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2007.

At the point when Enyeama was signed to Hapoel Tel Aviv, the club was facing a poor season between 2007- 2008, but Enyeama helped the team to avoid relegation and reach the state cup final. In 2009, Hapoel unexpectedly, almost won the league title, with Enyeama winning the ‘Player of The Year’ award - although he is a goalkeeper, and this was visible because of the skills he displayed during the match and in that same year Enyeama became Hapoel's penalty kicker. The goalkeeper led his team to win the Israeli cup once again. He currently plays for Lille OSC a French club, he signed for in June 2011. In August 2012 Enyeama agreed to a one-year loan deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv where he captured 27 appearances in

Enyeama

the Israeli Premier League and took part in Maccabi's success to win the championship title.

Meanwhile, his debut for the Nigerian national football team was against Kenya in May 2002, where Enyeama was selected for the 2002 FIFA World Cup as a cover for Ike Shorunmu. He made his competitive debut in that tournament, keeping a clean sheet against England in the third group match. Since the

retirement of Shorunmu, he has been the first-choice goalkeeper for the national team, helping the Super Eagles to third place finishes in the 2004, 2006, 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, and being captain of the team to victory in the 2013. He has also participated in the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Enyeama made his second FIFA World Cup participation in the 2010 tournament in South Africa, he was named man of the match, during the opening with Argentina, producing a defiant display winning a 1–0. Enyeama, who was playing his 56th international for the Super Eagles, made six fine saves against the two-time world champions, four of them from Lionel Messi which led Argentine Coach Diego Maradona to praise him. Enyeama was also awarded man of the match between Greece and Nigeria. The foremost goalkeeper was normited as the African footballer of the year award 2014 but loss to Algerian midfielder, Yacine Brahimi.

The ingenuity and doggedness of the Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama is worth being applauded.

His performance as a footballer in both the national team and his club sides has made him one of the choice goalkeepers, to mention a few of his achievements. Vincent Enyeama has set the pace for the youths who are trying to start up a career in football; in which many times he rose to the challenges of keeping the opponents away from having access to the goal mouth. He has not only brought honour to himself but also the country at large.

StrictLy fOr JJcs Outsmarting pickpockets and thieves Everywhere you go; there is always a threat of violent crime. But at the same time, one has to be wary of petty thieves. Purse-snatching and pickpocketing are rampant in places where people gather. Thieves’ target those they feel have all the good stuff in their bags and wallets. Those that operate around airports often look for loaded down with valuables, jetlagged, and bumbling around in a strange new environment. If you’re not constantly on guard, you’ll have something stolen.

Here are some tips which would

help in outsmarting pickpockets and thieves.

Make photocopies of key documents your passport, rail pass, car-rental voucher, itinerary, prescriptions (for eyewear and/or medicine), and more to bring along. For a backup, leave a copy with loved ones, too, in case you lose your copy and need to have one faxed to you. You could also bring a couple of extra passport pictures.

If you exercise adequate discretion, stay aware of your belongings, and avoid putting yourself in risky

situations.

Also, leave your valuables in your hotel room. Thieves want to quickly and unobtrusively separate you from your valuables, so even a minor obstacle can be an effective deterrent. If you’re sitting down to eat or rest, loop a strap of your daypack around your arm, leg, or chair leg.

Stay vigilant in crowds and steer clear of commotions. Go on instant alert anytime there’s a commotion; it’s likely a smokescreen for theft.

Nigerian retired footballer Peter Rufai was born on August 24, 1963 in Lagos. He started his career playing with Stationery Stores FC and Femo Scorpions. He moved to Benin in 1986, with AS Dragons FC de l'Ouémé, becoming the first player in his position to play abroad. At a more professional level, Rufai spent six years in Belgium, with K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen and K.S.K. Beveren, although he appeared sparingly. In 1993–94, he played 12 matches for Dutch neighbours Go Ahead Eagles, which finished 12th. In 1994, Rufai started a Portuguese adventure with S.C. Farense. In his first year, he was instrumental as the Algarve side only conceded 38 goals in 34 matches, qualifying for the UEFA Cup for the first time ever.

His solid performances earned him a transfer to La Liga, but he struggled to start for lowly Hércules CF during his stay, in an eventual relegation. However, Rufai signed with established Deportivo de La Coruna the ensuing summer, backing up another African, Jacques Songo'o, for two seasons - this included keeping a clean sheet in a January 1998 home success against CD Tenerife (1–0), as the Cameroonian was suspended. He then returned to Portugal for one final year, with modest Gil Vicente FC, also being second-choice. In 2003, Rufai returned to Spain, settling in the country and opening a goalkeeper's school. Rufai played 110 international matches for Nigeria (scoring once), and represented the nation at two FIFA World Cups, always as starter: 1994 (Nigeria's first ever appearance, where he also acted as captain) and 1998. He also helped the Super Eagles win the 1994 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia. Rufai was the son of a tribal king in the region of Idimu. In early 1998, as his father died, he was allowed by his club (Deportivo) to return to Nigeria to discuss the succession, but turned down the status for himself.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

StartingBlocks

2.5,000,000

Number of ‘likes’ Kim Kardashian’s wedding picture to Kanye West got on Instagram. Making it 2014’s most liked photo on Instagram.

200,000,000 Number of copies Charles Dickens famous book A tale of two cities has sold worldwide.

The BuzzworThy sTuff oNLINe

Trended

Funny web

Daniel Craig set to reprise role in new James Bond movie

Grandfather gets 203 characters from The Simpsons tattooed on his back

The shroud of secrecy surrounding the 24th instalment in the James Bond franchise has finally been lifted. On Thursday, it was officially announced at Buckinghamshire’s Pinewood Studios that Daniel Craig would be reprising his role as 007 in the latest film in the saga, to be directed by Sam Mendes. In the movie - set to begin shooting over seven months, he will be joined by a starstudded returning cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris (Miss Moneypenny), Ben Whishaw (Q) and Rory Kinnear (Bill Tanner). There is also an impressive list of newcomers to the James Bond franchise on the list, including Monica Belluci (Lucia Sciarra), Christoph Waltz (Oberhauser), David Bautista (Mr. Hinx) and Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swann).

Mariah Carey struggles during live televised performance Mariah Carey opened the show on NBC’s 2014 live broadcast of ‘Christmas in Rockefeller Centre,’ and she bravely chose to do so by singing live, rather than in a prerecorded segment. Unfortunately for her, it wasn’t her best performance by a mile. Carey hasn’t said anything since her performance, but to say it didn’t go well would be an understatement. Her signature vocal range appeared to be greatly limited, with the diva straining to reach certain notes and choosing to avoid others altogether in a messy rendition of her own Christmas classic, All I Want for Christmas Is You.

A 52-year-old grandfather is hoping his tattoo depicting 203 characters from popular cartoon series The Simpsons will win him a Guinness World Record. Michael Baxter has spent almost AU$12,000 on getting inked and has been a big fan of the show since its debut. His bid to be recognised as a world record holder coincides with the series’ 25th anniversary on December 17. The prison officer said he had sat through an eye-watering 130 hours under the needle over the course of a year. Mr Baxter’s favourite character was Homer but his tattoo includes all the main characters - including Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie.

Supporting characters - such as Sideshow Bob, the Comic Book Guy, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner - are littered among the faces that span across Mr Baxter’s back.

Leonardo Da Vinci’s mother could have been Chinese According to new research by an Italian historian and novelist, Leonardo da Vinci’s mother may have been a Chinese slave. Angelo Paratico has spent the last 20 years living and working in Hong Kong, researching the links between his homeland and China over the past half a millennium. Mr Paratico said documentation he has uncovered during two years of research forms the basis of his latest book Leonardo Da Vinci: A Chinese Scholar Lost in Renaissance Italy. The book, which is due to be published next year, uncovers evidence, Mr Paratico claims, that links Da Vinci and the Far East.

Viral Husband pretends to throw his toddler son off balcony in front of his horrified wife A prankster dad may win the award for cruellest joke after he tricked his wife into thinking he threw his toddler son off of the balcony. Roman Atwood set up cameras and enlisted the help of his two sons in an elaborate attempt to frighten his unassuming wife and fool her into thinking he’d accidentally killed their toddler son. The stunt, which was posted on YouTube and already has almost 5 million views, begins with Atwood playing with his son, who is dressed in a Spider-Man costume covering his face, on the top floor of their Los Angeles, California home. Atwood and his son are greeted lovingly by the boy’s mother, who is then sent downstairs ‘to grab them some water’ so that they can prepare the prank behind her back. Atwood enlists the help of his older son who leads his younger brother into the other room them substitutes the toddler for a dummy, which Atwood then tosses over the railing. His wife runs downstairs and screams in paralysing fear as she sees the boy falling to the ground below and laying motionless on the ground as though he had died.

She unveils the boy’s mask to reveal a dummy under the costume and then proceeds to shoot a disgusted glance at her husband. ‘Why would you do that?!’ she screams still trembling in shock.

‘It’s just for fun,’ Atwood responds as he shrugs his shoulders. She then sentences her husband to a lonely night of sleeping on the couch and gives him a little kick in the groin before she storms out of the room.

Bollywood star slapped during TV show because she was dressed indecently Bollywood star Gauahar Khan was slapped by a man in the audience at a TV competition she was presenting after he took offence at the clothes she was wearing. Akil Malik, 24, reacted after seeing the model wearing a short dress while she hosted the grand finale of singing competition Raw Star at Film City in Goregaon, Mumbai. The 24-yearold then got out of his seat and

threatened to assault her live on television. Malik told the Mumbai police: ‘Being a Muslim woman, she should not have worn such a short dress.’ According to The Independent, Malik was arrested and charged with molestation under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. Ms Khan was left shaken by the incident, but returned to the set an hour later to continue filming, according to local reports.

STrange Finnish man broadcasts every minute of his life via webcam A 48-year-old man, Ari Kivikangas is into life-casting, which basically means he’s constantly broadcasting his day-to-day life via webcam. But unlike other vloggers who try to come up with entertaining things to do and say on camera, Ari makes no effort to seem interesting. Surprisingly, that’s what draws more people to his UStream channel, because it makes him look authentic. Ari, or ‘Cyber man’, as he has come to be known online, claims to be online 24/7, except for a few rare breaks when he’s out picking up his epilepsy medicine or spending time with a female friend. Apart from that, he films pretty much everything he does – like a self-enforced Truman Show of sorts. His viewers apparently

find all of this fascinating, especially because he doesn’t seem to care what other people think of him. “I started about four years ago,” Ari explained. “I was stuck at home for three months and had a lot of time on my hands but nothing to do, so I started doing this. I’m epileptic and I don’t work anymore, so I’m always home. I’m online 24/7.” According to Ari, his main trait is his honesty – he tells his viewers everything about himself and his life history. “I’m completely honest about everything I say. I can’t lose anything because I have no life to lose. Ari, who now has 125 regular viewers and over 500 fans on Facebook, said that lifecasting hasn’t changed him at all as a person.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

StartingBlocks DuMBLaWs

In South Carolina, there is a law which states that anybody above the age of 16 is not allowed to perform a proposal if they do not mean it.

While a man can be sentenced to jail for adultery if reported in India, women can go around having as many extra marital affairs as they like.

10

OF EVERYTHING THAT'S WORTH ITS SALT

FAsTesT 100 MeTeR sPRINTeRs IN HIsToRy

Bolt

Gay

Powell

s/N sprinter

Country

Fastest time

1

Jamaica

9.58 seconds

United States

9.69 seconds

Usain Bolt

2

Tyson Gay

3

Asafa Powell

Jamaica

9.72 seconds

4 5

Maurice Greene Donovan Bailey

United States Canada

9.79 seconds 9.84 seconds

6

Bruny Surin

Canada

9.84 seconds

7

Leroy Burrell

United States

9.85 seconds

8

Justin Gatlin

United States

9.85 seconds

9

Olusoji Fasuba

Nigeria

9.85 seconds

10

Carl Lewis

United States

9.86 seconds

DeADlIesT TeRRoRIsT sTRIKes woRlDwIDe

September 11

July 26-30

August 14

s/N Date

location

killed/injured

1

September 11, 2001

United States

2,993/8,900

2

July 26-30, 2009

Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria

780/0

3

August 14, 2007

Iraq

520/1500

4 5

August 20, 1978 September 1-3, 2004

Abadan, Iran Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia

477/10 372/747

6

June 23, 1985

Multiple places

331/4

7

March 12, 1993

Mumbai, Bombay, India

317/1400

8

May 7, 2014

Gamboru Ngala, Nigeria

310

9

August 7, 1998

Multiple places

303/4954

10

October 23, 1983

Beirut, Lebanon

301/161

Roast chicken is often promoted as the healthier choice but a 100g portion of roast chicken has more fat when compared to FooDFaCts the same portion of pork, for instance.

shockING

Boat trips – Turkey's souThwesT coasT

1. Ucagiz and Kas to Kekova The quickest way to reach the sunken ruins at Kekova is by fishing boat from Ucagiz.

Alternatively, larger boats depart from Kas for day trips that include Kekova. There are also kayaking trips to Kekova from Kas. 2. Dalyan River trips Small boats chug up and down the Dalyan Strait in high season, ferrying daytrippers between the mud baths at Kovcegiz Lake, past the rock tombs cut into the cliffs, and on to iztuzu beach and the coastal ruins of Kaunos.

3. Alanya’s Caves Fishing boats run hour-long trips around Alanya’s rocky promontory, stopping at the ancient shipyard, Tersane, Pirate’s Cave, Phosphorous Cave and Cleopatra Beach.

Larger gulets offer day trips.

4. Twelve Islands Double-decker wooden gulets leave Fethiye each morning. There are plenty of places for a swim, including one at Tersane Island, as well as at several smaller islands with idyllic bays. Lunch is included.

5. Kas to Meis The large island just a short distance from Kas is Greek territory. Known as Meis or Kastellorizo, it is the smallest of the Dodecanese islands and, like many others, it has a scattering of Ottomanera ruins. The trip from Kas harbour takes 45 minutes.

6. Datea to Knidos Day trips from Datca, via fishing boat or gulet, follow the peninsula to the ruins at Knidos. There are swimming spots at secluded bays and dinner is provided.

7. Kemer to Phaselis The picturesque coastal ruins of Phaselis can be visited by gulet on a day trip that also stops at isolated bays for swimming breaks, with lunch on board included.

8. Gemiler Beach to Aya Nikola Island

Ucagiz and Kas to Kekova

Dalyan River trips

Alanya’s Caves

Aya Nikola lies in a sheltered bay, a short boat trip away from Gemiler Beach. Local fishermen drop tourists at the island for picnics and to explore the ruins of a chapel and Lycian tombs.

9. Manavgat Falls Boats from Manavgat ferry tourists upriver to the fall.

Despite their lack of height, the volume of water gushing down is quite a spectacle, and the trip itself is pleasant.

10. Marmaris to Rhodes For a change of scene, board a catamaran (1 hour) or car ferry (2 hours) from Marmaris to Rhodes; both depart daily at gam, returning at 4pm, giving you plenty of time to explore historic Rhodes Town.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

StartingBlocks

BY THE NUMBERS

THE HUMAN BRAIN

86

Number of neurons in the human brain.

4

MILLIMETRES

Thickness of the human cerebral cortex (a major part of the brain).

100

Number of miles of axons in the brain.

220 MPH

The average speed of a neural impulse.

400

MILES

Number of capillaries in the brain.

10

TRILLION

Total number of synapses in the brain.

20%

Percentage of oxygen the brain consumes.

4

Number of people with Alzheimer’s disease in America.

25

WATTS The brain also runs on 25 watts of power.

2

MILLION Number of people with epilepsy in America.

CELEBINFO

Musician and philanthropist, Bono has a species of trapdoor spiders named after him. They are called A. bonoi.

WHAT'S UP

BOXOFFICESTATS

Despite making only $68m in America, The Smurfs 2 banked abroad, bringing in $199m since its release in 2013.

IN-THE-NOW HappENINgS arOuNd uS

Gangnam Style breaks YouTube The Internet is a vast and seemingly limitless space, but it’s no match for PSY. Gangnam Style, the South Korean pop star’s enduring video phenomenon from 2012, has surpassed 2,147,483,647 views on YouTube, maxing out the site’s original view counter. “We never thought a video would be watched in numbers greater than a 32-bit integer (=2,147,483,647 views), but that was before we met PSY,” wrote Google, which owns YouTube, in a blog post this week. “Gangnam Style has been viewed so many times we have to upgrade!”

For anyone who doesn’t have an advanced degree in computing, that basically means YouTube’s view counter was based on a 32-bit integer, a unit of data in computer programming languages, and the number 2,147,483,647 is its maximum positive value.

Rapper living ‘Gangnam style’ goes viral When programmers built YouTube nine years ago, they probably never imagined that a video on the young platform back when several million views was considered a smash hit might be watched more than 2.1 billion times. As of late Wednesday morning, Gangnam Style had breached the barrier, showing more than 2,152,512,000 views.

So how is this possible?

YouTube’s software engineers saw the problem coming and recently updated to a 64-bit view counter across the site, Google spokesman Matt McLernon said. The view counter can now go up to 9 quintillion views (9,223,372,036,854,775,808, to be exact), which should hold PSY for a while. “Nothing actually broke,” McLernon said. “There was never anything that actually went wrong.

It’s just people having fun with the language.”

Still, it’s an impressive feat for PSY’s trademark horse-riding dance video, which is almost 2½ years old. Uploaded in July 2012, “Gangnam Style” was the first clip to hit a billion views and is the most-watched video of all time. It was even the No. 5 most-played video on YouTube this past summer, McLernon said. “People still play this video an absurd number of times,” he said. To commemorate the occasion, YouTube has added a new wrinkle: If you hover your cursor over the Gangnam Style view counter, the numbers spin backwards and forwards.

The portly South Korean and his fourminute video catapulted to the front

PSY

with a deluge of viewers, while bringing his signature galloping dance to global recognition. Clad in a tuxedo and sunglasses, the 34-year-old Psy whose real name is Park Jae-sang is featured and often flanked by scantily clad women as he dances.

Named for a pricey neighbourhood in Seoul, Gangnam Style in October 2012 snatched the Guinness World Record for the most liked YouTube video ever.

“I described the district as normal and calm in the daytime and going insane in the night-time,” he told CNN. “That’s what the lyrics are about.” And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Psy’s video is no slouch.

It’s inspired countless parodies, with tributes ranging from the Ohio University’s marching band to Filipino inmates and even a caricature from the North Korean government.

While the quirky single had its time on the charts around the globe, it has fallen off the lists and sales have slowed

significantly, as is the norm in pop music. While it may not be enjoying the radio and sales attention it once did, the song is still earning Psy (and his record label YG Entertainment) quite a bit of money, and it’s all from that most viral of videos. While there is quite a bit of debate about how much the singer really has earned, the New York Times quoted a video ad buying platform named TubeMogul in reaching a figure.

Breaking down their figures, it can be surmised that Psy has earned just under $2m from YouTube ads, almost all of which come from the Gangnam Style clip.

It should be made clear that $2m figure mentioned above is from YouTube advertising alone. When all other revenue streams are taken into account sales of the track on iTunes, live shows, endorsements, etc. Psy’s wealth swells to somewhere between $8m and $10m, with almost all of it being traceable back to the silly horsey dance.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Stuff

p32

wedding traditions The world over, things are done differently especially when tradition comes to play.

p35

Humans and pHones Have mobile phones turned humans into more clingy lovers?

p36

Janine davies In the largely male-dominated motorsport, Davies is an anomaly.

that will tickle your fancy

eCOnOMIC IdeAS

wOnderS OF the wOrld

Stocks and shares Stock markets sit at the heart of capitalism

Market movers and shakers

Old Faithful, USA Yellowstone National Park, in the northwest of Wyoming, was founded in March 1872.

The oldest of US national parks, it is famous for its geothermal landscape and geysers, including the remarkably regular Old Faithful.

They bubble, burble, and smoke: unbelievably, over 60 per cent of all the natural hot springs in the world are found within Yellows tone National Park in Wyoming. Of the over 300 geysers in the park, the one called Old Faithful is probably the most famous. It is not the largest-that title belongs to the nearby Steamboat geyser-but is certainly the most diligent and dependable. Old Faithful currently erupts at regular intervals of between 60 and 120 minutes, spouting between 14,006 and 32,176 litres of water vertically into the air. It is a magnificent performance.

Geysers are hot springs from which water shoots forth, regularly or irregularly, as if from a fountain. They are formed by a specific combination of geological and climatic conditions.

Old Faithful bubbles and steams in the middle of Yellows tone Park’s upper Geyser Basin. It was officially discovered in 1870 and was the first geyser in the region to be named. Since then, tens of thousands of visitors, as well as a good many scientists, keep Old Faithful under near constant observation. This is how it came to be known that the geyser has erupted more than a million times since records began to be kept in the late nineteenth century. At that time, the geyser followed a schedule as if set by a Swiss watch.

On average, Old Faithful now erupts every 91 minutes, spewing a column of boiling water and steam from the interior of the Earth high up into the air. Each eruption lasts between 2 1/2 and 5 minutes, in which tens of thousands of litres of hot water and water vapour shoot forth from the ground under immense pressure. The column of water shoots between 100 and 50m high, generating a cloud of steam and water vapour visible from afar. Old Faithful is categorised as a cone geyser, which means that it erupts with Where is the Amazon rain forest located?

Answer: The Amazon rainforest is located in South America and covers 2.1 million square miles of land. Brazil has 60%, Peru has 13%, and Columbia has 10%.

QUICKQUIZ

a narrow, steady jet of water emerging from a small channel that extends 7m below the ground, yet has a diameter of just over 4 inches. The water, at a temperature of 177 °C-129°C, shoots forth through this channel at high pressure, literally exploding through the surface of the earth. Yellowstone National Park has such a large number of geysers, hot springs, and mud pots due to an enormous magma chamber lying directly underneath it. All of central Yellowstone is really an enormous volcanic crater, a caldera that formed over 600,000 years ago during a series of major eruptions. The specific eruption that formed the caldera was so powerful that it shook the entire planet, causing the magma chamber to collapse near the surface. Originally filled with lava, later eruptions, some comparably strong, emptied the caldera once again. Ever since then, the Earth’s crust at this location has been remarkably thin, only a mile or two thick. Rain and melt water easily seep through the fissures and cracks down to the volcanic bedrock. On the way down, the water is heated to very high temperatures by the molten rock. The boiling water leads to the buildup of intense pressure below the ground, forcing the water back to the surface where it shoots out like a fountain. Old Faithful is not the only geothermal feature attracting scientific attention.

The behaviour of all 300 Yellows tone geysers is closely monitored. Any change in their eruption rhythm, for example as the result of earthquakes, is meticulously recorded and analysed. Research shows that the magma chamber underneath Yellowstone Park has erupted just three times, at intervals of 600,000 years. Everyone agrees that there is little doubt that it will erupt again. When it will erupt, however, is something no one can say with certainty.

The creation of stock markets, where investors can buy and sell their equities, was one of the key turning points in the history of capitalism. Since then, the importance of shares has grown exponentially, and by late 2008 the total value of shares on world stock markets was around $3trn.

Every major economy around the world has a local stock market - usually in its capital city - on which the country’s shares are traded. The performance of these markets is generally measured by an index of the shares of their biggest companies. These are: the Dow Jones Industrials Average or the S&P 500 (the latter is a broader index) for New York; the FTSE 100 for London; the Nikkei for Tokyo; the DAX for Frankfurt; the CAC 40 for Euronext Paris; and the SSE Composite index for Shanghai.

BUSIneSS BlUnder

Multicultural palava In 1985 Bechtel Corporation, the largest construction and civil engineering company in the United States, pulled out of a joint venture in New Guinea. It seemed flawed from the start. Bechtel had 33 months to build a new plant, organise services, and meet a production deadline or face financial penalties. They planned to place a mine at the top of a mountain in an isolated rain forest, creating a town of 2,500, camps for 400, a power plant, air strip, roads, hospitals, and support services (for natives who had never seen a Westerner). The natives who were recruited to work (while receiving 400 inches of rain during the rainy season) had no concept of private property, modern money, central government, or work regulations. The multicultural workforce of 5,000 was composed of mixed indigenous people and imported technicians from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Korea, and Philippines. The road builders did not believe in working around the clock (the contractor finally went bankrupt). Natives also did not like the work schedule so they went with bows and arrows to shut down telephone lines, roads, and frighten personnel. There was an 85% turnover in the native workforce.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014 that will tickle your fancy

HISTORIFIC

SCIENTIFIC

The mimic Octopus can not only change colours, but will mimic the shapes of other animals, like the Flounder, Lionfish and sea snakes.

Harvard is not the ‘oldest university’ in the US the University of Pennsylvania is. You could say Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning, but it did not start out as a university.

15 wedding traditions from around the world 1. Lobola in South Africa This traditional Southern African custom happens before the wedding when a man pays the family of his fiancée for her hand in marriage. The payment is traditionally done in cows, but in modern times it is done with money. Lobola’s purpose is to build relations between families.

2. Sake sharing ceremony in Japan In the Japanese tradition of sansan-kudo, the bride and groom take three sips each from three flat sake cups, after which their parents do the same, bonding the families together.

3. Pre-planned crying in China Weddings are emotionally draining as it is, but brides and females of the Tujia people in China have to cry for a whole month in advance.

For one hour every day the bride must cry and is joined by her mother and grandmother.

4. Releasing doves in Philippines Forget cutting the cake together, at traditional Filipino wedding receptions, the bride and groom release two doves into the air. This represents a long, peaceful and harmonious life together.

5. A goose for the bride in Korea In Korean tradition, grooms give their new mother-in-laws wild geese or ducks. It apparently represents the groom’s pure intentions and loyalty to his bride.

In more modern times, brides and grooms exchange wooden geese and ducks on their wedding day as a sign of their commitment.

6. Croquembouche in France At French weddings, you’ll be served delicious croquembouche a tower of cream-filled pastry

puffed dipped in sugary sauces. The cake serves as a replacement for the ‘traditional’ wedding cake and is also decorated with fruit, nuts, and glazes.

7. Black wedding cake in Jamaica Forget the red velvet or vanilla wedding cake, in Jamaica they have a black wedding cake made of dark fruits and rum. The same cake is also known as a traditional Christmas fruit cake.

8. Spitting on the bride in Kenya In Kenya, when the newly married couple leave the village, the father of the bride spits on his daughter’s head and chest so as not to jinx their good fortune. It’s pretty gross, but it is tradition.

9. Kransekake in Norway Norwegians have their own version of the wedding cake which is called a kransekake. It’s a tower of iced almond cake rings, and it is common to build the tower over a wine bottle so a nice treat appears as guests break off pieces of the dessert.

10. Polterabend in Germany The German tradition of Polterabend is when family and friends of the bride and groom smash dishware outside their homes on the night before their wedding. This tradition grew into hen nights and stag parties that we know today.

11.Beans wedding in Nigeria Practiced mainly amongst the Eggon people of Nassarawa state, the tradition is that the groom presents his bride’s family with butter beans.

This is the most important part of the marriage rites of this deeply traditional people. And only if the gift of beans is accepted will the wedding hold.

12. Henna painted hands in India Also part of the visually beauty of a traditional Indian wedding is that

Henna the bride and other female guests get elaborate henna designs on their hand and feet to represent the joy, hope and love of the occasion.

13. Jumping the Broom in America Done at most African-American weddings, broom-jumping is rooted in the days of slavery when marriage between enslaved men and women wasn’t legally sanctioned. The enslaved men and women would declare their union by jumping over a broom together.

14. Marrying a tree in India When a person in India decide to get married, they have to marry a tree first. Marrying a tree in India is symbolic as it infuses the present life with the supernatural life. Tree marriage was once widespread in India. The term can also refer to a nuptial ceremony that takes place close to a tree.

15. Bridal sedans and red umbrella in China At a traditional Chinese wedding, a full procession will occur with the bride being escorted to the ceremony in a bridal sedan. Because red is a powerful colour, the bride wears a red veil to hide her face and her mother or attendant holds a red umbrella over the bride’s head to encourage fertility.

WORlD OF ESPIONaGE

Jumping the broom

Korean wedding ducks

Croquembouche wedding cake

quESTIONS yOu'll NEvER aSk

White House weighs increased CIA involvement in Syrian war

How do steroids work?

The government of the United States is considering plans to augment the Central Intelligence Agency’s clandestine role in Syria, amid fears that similar efforts by the US Department of Defence are failing. The CIA’s involvement in the Syrian civil war began in 2012, when US President Barack Obama issued a classified presidential finding that authorised Langley to arm and train opposition militias. The clandestine programme was initially based in training camps in Jordan before eventually expanding to at least one location in Qatar. The CIA currently vets and trains approximately 400 opposition fighters every month with the help of commandos detailed to the Agency from the Pentagon. But the programme may be about to escalate considerably, according to The Washington Post. The paper said recently that the option of expanding CIA arming and training operations in Syria was on the agenda at a recent meeting of senior national-security officials in Washington. The paper said that the proposed escalation of CIA operations in the

Steroids are either naturally or artificially created hormones. They can have significant effect on the body’s growth and development if they are combined with a rigorous exercise program and proper diet. There are many different types of steroids, but the most widely used is a synthetic testosterone (the male growth hormone).

People take steroids to get the extra hormones into their bodies, hoping to promote faster growth and development and bulk up the body’s muscles by stimulating them to grow. Some people start taking them to either improve how they look or to improve their performance in sports. While steroids may enhance muscle mass, strength and stamina, they don’t improve a person’s skill in sports.

Steroids come in different forms: injections, gels, oral drops, creams, and pills. Be clear, however, that steroids are drugs and are only legal with a prescription. Doctors may prescribe steroids to treat asthma, arthritis, allergies and many other conditions.

Many steroids have serious side effects such as mood swings (anger and aggression) hallucinations, high blood pressure, and stunted final height. Using steroids can also lead to testicular shrinkage in and an inability to get an erection (impotence) in guys.

region ‘reflects concern’ about the slow pace of similar programs run by the US Department of Defense, which aim to train and arm antigovernment militias. The latter have so far proved unable to counter the dominance of a host of al-Qaeda-inspired groups operating along the Iraqi-Syrian border. Earlier this month, a major CIA-backed armed group, known as Harakat Hazm, abandoned many of its positions in northern Syria, after it came under attack by Jabhat al-Nusra, an official al-Qaeda affiliate. Along with territory, Harakat Hazm left behind significant amounts of war material supplied to it by the US Pentagon.

The Post said that other moderate opposition militias are beginning to view al-Qaeda-linked groups as their most viable option in defeating the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, something which is worrying the White House.

Spokesmen for the US government refused to comment on the report of a possible increase of CIA operations in Syria, or on whether the White House had reached a decision on the matter.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

bRANDeD

spoRTFACt

Nescafe was the staple drink of the US armed forces during World War II.

In 2004, German F1 champion, Michael Schumacher retained the record for the most wins in a season by a driver with 13 victories.

SOUNDINGClEvER DiCkeNsiaN Bringing to mind the novels of Charles Dickens (especially in evoking the themes of poverty and exploitation. In one Dickensian scene from Roald Dahl’s book Matilda, a cruel headmistress beats the girl Matilda.

AChIevING ThE impossiblE

thinGS you will never do

Steal the Crown Jewels

Stuff

that will tickle your fancy

AUGUSt 1990 SpOtlIGhtS

BeLLiCose eager to fight from the Latin bellicus: pertaining to war.

Genghis Khan’s bellicose nature led to conquests that created one of the largest empires in history.

FILM Wild at Heart

fissiLe able to be split apart with ease from the Latin fiss-: split. It’s hoped that any asteroid approaching the earth disintegrates before impact: but woe betide humanity if the asteroid is not fissile.

The Boomin’ System was the first single released from LL Cool J’s fourth album, Mama Said Knock You Out. It was released for Def Jam Recordings that year.

PResaGe To be an indication that another event will happen from the Latin praesagire: to forebode, from prae: before, and sagire: to percieve keenly.

Frank Bruno’s bizarre behaviour presaged his being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

SOUNDING GREAT

iNGRaTiaTe

To bring (oneself, for example) into the favour or good graces of another, especially by deliberate effort.

It was useless to hope for a Cabinet post ... but if he ingratiated himself with McKinley now, and worked hard to ensure his election in November, he might count on some fairly high-level job next time.

Young lovers Sailor and Lula run from the variety of weirdos that Lula’s mom has hired to kill Sailor.

MUSIC LL Cool J

As you might expect, it has never been very easy to get your hands on the Crown Jewels of the British monarchy, although there have been a few notable attempts over the years.

If you’re thinking of giving it a go today, you will find security better than ever - but there are still lessons to be learned from the attempts of the past.

The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom are estimated to be worth something in the region of $20bn. The centrepiece Imperial State Crown (made in 1838 for Queen Victoria) includes the Black Prince’s Ruby, a Jewel the size of a hen’s egg given to the famous son of Edward III in 1367, alongside some 2,818 diamonds, 297 pearls and assorted other gems. It weighs in at a neck-straining 0.9 kilogrammes.

The Sceptre with the Cross, meanwhile, houses the Cullinan I diamond (or ‘Great Star of Africa’), a 530-carat beauty cut from the largest diamond ever mined. Or perhaps you prefer the rather less showy 186-carat Koh-i-Noor, the second largest cut diamond in the world, which now sits in the 1937 Crown of Queen Elizabeth?

The Crown Jewels have resided at the Tower of London since 1303 - brought to this most secure of royal castles after an attempted theft from their previous home at Westminster Abbey. Since 1994 they have been housed in a specially constructed Jewel House at Waterloo Barracks, where they can be viewed by 2,500 people per hour. They lie on French velvet, behind 5-centimetre-thick (2-in) reinforced glass, and even if you breached the casing, your chances of eluding the entire Tower Guard and the Yeomen Warders are remote. But things weren’t always this secure and the most famous attempted theft of all, carried out by the enticingly named Colonel Blood, came perilously close to success.

Anglo-Irish soldier Thomas Blood

conceived his audacious scheme in 1671, at a time when the jewels were open for inspection in the Martin Tower at the Tower of London by paying the custodian.

In late spring, Blood visited the Tower disguised as a parson and in the company of a female accomplice who pretended to be his wife. While viewing the jewels, the ‘wife’ feigned stomach cramps, at which point the elderly Master of the Jewel House, one Talbot Edwards, hurried off to get her a tonic. Mrs Edwards took pity on Mrs Blood and invited her to recover in their apartment. Over the following weeks, an apparent friendship blossomed between the two couples. Eventually, as was the way of things back then, Blood even suggested that his nephew might be a fitting husband for the Edward’s daughter. On May 9, Blood arranged for another viewing of the Crown Jewels, this time in the company of his ‘nephew’ and two other companions. They carried canes containing blades and assorted other weapons. While one of the thieves stood guard, the others attacked Edwards, throwing a cloak over him and beating and stabbing him before tying him up and gagging him. The metal grille that protected the jewels was then removed and the men made a grab for whatever they could carry, mutilating the regalia where necessary in order to conceal it upon their persons. As luck would have it. Edwards’s son stumbled upon the raid just as his father managed to free himself from his bindings. They raised the alarm and Blood and his men fled with several warders in pursuit. Blood was soon caught and the stolen finery retrieved. Bound in chains, he was hauled before the king but, to general bemusement, secured himself not only a royal pardon but a tidy estate in Ireland to boot. It has been suggested that the king was won over by Blood’s shameless bravado but anyone attempting a similar ruse today can expect rather less lenient treatment.

TELEVISION Guys Next Door

Five guys who lived in a huge house spend most of their time making music videos with lots of comic relieve.

EVENT Gulf War

The United Nations Security Council orders a global trade embargo against Iraq in response to its invasion of Kuwait.

BIRTHDAY Robert De Niro

Academy Award winning actor, Robert De Niro, who is also director and producer, celebrated his 47th birthday on the 17th.

DEATH Pearl Bailey

Tony Award winning American actress and singer, Pearl Bailey died on the 17 from arteriosclerotic coronary artery disease.

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120 metres

ARTICULATE Time and matter photography

Saturday, December 6, 2014 The distance the nerve cells can travel per second.

75

The average number of flowers a honey bee visits in a trip.

What happened to Ambrose Bierce?

Ambros Bierce – journalist, satirist and author of The Devil’s Dictionary – was 71-years-old when he left Washington DC, in October 1913 for a tour of civil war battlefields.

After that he is said to have joined Pancho villa’s army as an observer of the Mexican Revolution, and was in Chihuahua on Boxing Day 1913 when he wrote a letter to his friend Blanche Partington. He signed off with the words, ‘as for me, I leave here tomorrow for an unknown destination.’ He was never seen again. One tale is that he was shot by a firing squad in Sierra Mojada, but others say he never went to Mexico at all. Despite several attempts, no trace of his movements has ever been found.

Are conjoined twins necessarily of the same sex?

Artiste and photographer, Bill Fink is the creator of ‘time and matter photography’, an amazing art form that involves producing photograph-like images out of virtually any material or matter. So instead of conventional materials like silver halide or inkjet, the 60-year-old artiste uses hair, human ashes, soil and anything else you can think of to painstakingly create photo-like images. Photography creates an image from light reflecting off the material while time and matter photography can capture the image and the material together as one, and since everything that exists is material or matter, it makes sense that materials are important. Bill has been dabbling in photography since he was 14 years old, when he landed his first job at a photo lab.

Back then, he used all the money he earned to experiment with all kinds of photo emulsions and chemicals. In 1969, after conducting several experiments with household products, he found that he could preserve a developed picture using alcohol, although it created a bluish green colour of sorts, it did keep the picture from turning black once the light was turned on.

Time and matter photography creates more than a mere image; it produces an artifact that becomes a piece of history, it also creates one of a kind artwork. It allows for experimentation in other fields like making pictures with enamelling, glass and ceramic decorations, leafing metals, or perhaps even scientific or criminal photography documentation. This particular art photograph was made entirely from human hair; the image creates a vintage photograph of a little girl. Some of Bill’s most notable works include a portrait called ‘My Eye’ – made entirely from his own hair, ‘Flowers’ – made entirely from the pollen of those flowers, ‘Quaker Oats’ – a picture made with Quaker Oats, and the image of a man named Bob, made using his ashes.

These pictures look just like vintage photographs; nothing betrays the unique technique used to produce them.

According to Bill, the only things required for making his kind of fine art is effort and curiosity and I will add talent because it has a lot to do with it as well.

KNOW WHY... …humans experience stitch when running Medical scientists today refer to it as ‘exercise-related transient abdominal pain’, which sounds very impressive but explains precisely nothing- which is not unrelated to the fact that the cause of stitch remains something of a mystery. Medical textbooks tend to attribute the pain to visceral ischaemia – that is, inadequate blood supply to the muscle of the chest and abdomen during exercise – but what evidence there is points instead to the stretching of ligaments in this area as a more plausible explanation.

A recent study showed that stitch most commonly affects swimmers and runners, suggesting a link with repetitive torso movement. Researchers at the University of Otago showed that drinking 1.5 pints of fluid before running triggered stitch, apparently through the weight of the fluid pulling on visceral ligaments. The researchers also found some ways of curing it: bending forward while tightening abdominal muscles, tightening a belt around the waist or breathing deeply through pursed lips.

Formerly known as Siamese twin after the celebrated pair, Chang and Eng, who were born in Siam, now Thailand, in 1811, conjoined twins are identical twins formed from a single fertilised egg that has undergone incomplete separation. As a result, they have identical DNA and are always the same sex. For unknown reasons, female conjoined twins are over twice as common as male ones.

Which pharaoh was the Sphinx meant to resemble?

Some of those who linked the building of the time of the pharaoh Khafra suggested that its face was modelled on Khafra himself.

Examinations and detailed measurements by a forensic anthropologist, however, cast doubt on that suggestion. The author Robert Temple noticed a similarity between the Sphinx’s face and that of the Pharaoh Amenemhet II, who reigned from 1929 to 1895 BC. Temple’s idea was that the Sphinx was originally a statue of the jackal god Anubis, but the face was re-carved much later.

What colour is a panther?

There is no such thing as ‘a panther’. The word probably comes from the Sanskrit for whitishyellow, pandarah, which was originally applied to the tiger. The Greeks borrowed the word and adapted it as panther, meaning ‘all beasts’.

They used it to describe mythological as well as real animals. In medieval heraldry, the panther was portrayed as a gentle, multi-coloured beast that had a very sweet smell. Scientifically speaking, all four of the largest species of big cat are panthers. The lion is panther leo; the tiger, panther tigris, the leopard, panther pardus.

They are the only cats that can roar. The animals that most people think of as panthers are in fact, either black leopards or black jaguars. In the USA, when people say panther they mean a black puma. Despite many unproven reports and supposed sightings, no one has ever found one.

Will there always be things we don’t understand?

It certainly looks that way. The more we understand the more we realise we do not know – and the more we are inspired to find out more. As Benjamin Franklin puts it: ‘the doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.’

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

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ThE kEY question

that will tickle your fancy

TEENY What your favourite ice cream topping reveals about you

Have mobile phones turned humans into more clingy lovers?

They say a healthy couple is one where both partners are independent and happy being separated. But modern technology has made near- constant contact the norm.

Mobile phones and social networking means 41 per cent now expect their loved ones to be in touch several times a day. The study suggests we would rather have fewer but closer friends, than a load of pals that aren’t close to us.

Trust, honesty and loyalty are key components to a strong business relationship whereas trust, loyalty and humour make for a strong personal relationship. In both business and personal relationships, communication goes to a higher level of understanding once we’ve earned trust if you don’t have loyalty in business relationships, you are never going to get loyal customers.

Trust and loyalty are vital to building long-standing relationships - We recognise it takes time to build a bond in any relationship, be it business or personal.

Leaving the home without our mobile phones or not having constant connection to the Internet is unimaginable if not unbearable for some of us. Our friends, family, and colleagues seem to expect to be able to contact us at any time, whether across town or across the globe. Critics complain this constant connection through mobile devices disconnects us from those physically around us. However, in spite of such happenings, mobile communication technology overall

The closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to interact in many ways, including mobile communication technology

strengthens our relationships with people we already know. The closer we are to someone, the more likely we are to interact in many ways, including mobile communication technology. People text to friends and spouses to coordinate social activities in person or to simply touch base. Because mobile or portable technologies tend to only be used by one person, they provide opportunities for communication that is not easily observable by others. This is illustrated by adolescents’ use of cell phones to hide interactions with parentally unapproved romantic partners.

Hiding interactions is not limited to teenagers, though, as adults conceal their online infidelities by predominantly conducting them through email. Privacy and control can also be advantages for online daters, as they are able to control

the amount of information they share about themselves as well as when they share it. This control sometimes provides feelings of safety and comfort. Though we use our mobile technologies to stay connected, sometimes this constant accessibility can be intrusive or even abusive. This constant connection creates many paradoxes. We can find ourselves feeling a lack of independence. Dating partners are sometimes annoyed when their partner frequently interrupts them when hanging out with their friends. Some dating partners have even developed rules around when not to interact.

We use mobile communication technology to initiate, develop and strengthen relationships, but also to distance and damage them. We discuss common interests, provide social support, express affection, coordinate activities, engage in small talk, share humours, argue viewpoints, offer offense, annoy, anger, and ignore our friends and families regardless of the mode of communication we elect to use. To a great extent, mobile communication technologies simply offer us new vehicles by which to experience and express a different way of love with partners even when they are not physically present.

Chocolate sprinkles You are a traditionalist. You like things the way you like them and it’s your philosophy that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. You like things neat and in order and aren’t a big fan of messes... especially when you have to clean up after somebody else.

Rainbow sprinkles Your friends would describe you as super fun. After all, you are the jokester out of the group. When you walk into the room, you light it up with your 24/7 happy mood.

Crumbled up Oreos If you are an Oreos person, then by nature, you are super sweet and generous to other people. If a friend needed lunch money, you would offer it up without question. If your brother needed your help with homework, you would do your best.

That’s just who you are.

Cherries You are a half-cup-full kind of person.

After all, what point is there in focusing on the negative? You see the good things in every situation and also, in every person. But you’re not naive. You can see people for who they really are.

Chopped up nuts A real hard worker but you work best under pressure. You constantly need change, which is why you are always changing up your routine and switching around the furniture in your room.

Hot fudge You would rather stay home and read during the weekend, rather than going out to a social event and that’s completely ok with you. You are very family oriented and would do anything for the people you care about. You’re not lazy, you’re just very comfortable.

M&M’s Above all else, you are really caring. The people around you would describe you as a really great friend. It’s really important to you to be attentive to people and listen to their problems. And when they ask for advice, you are great at knowing what to say.

Sour worm gummies You are a total dare devil! Trying new things is your favourite adventure in life and you will keep doing it until you feel like you have accomplished everything there is to do.

Gummy bears If you are a gummy bear’s person, then you are totally the life of the party. You are always cracking jokes with your friends and making them laugh. Not only that but you are good at making friends with strangers, too. You’re super energetic and outgoing in all situations.

Fruit You are a really awesome person to be around because you calm all of your friends down. When they are stressed about a test or about a crush, you are the one who brings them back down to Earth.

You are calm and relaxed and are able to put things into perspective.

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Stuff

Saturday, December 6, 2014 that will tickle your fancy

SHOPAHOLIC

For that vintage gold look, get the handmade Clic Gold’s $75,000 eyeglass for that unique detail that sets you apart.

LADYLIKE

A lady is not afraid to carry breath mints. Neither is she reluctant to offer them to other people.

fitnessdorm

Treat yourself to firm facial for maturing skin

Janine Davies

South Africa’s ‘titanium woman’ In the largely male-dominated world of the motorsport, South African super bike racer Janine Davies is an anomaly.

So far, Janine Davies’ ambition has served her in good stead.

She is currently the first South African woman to compete at the South African National Championships on a 1000 CC motorbike.

That first taste Despite her many accomplishments, Davies’ introduction to bike riding wasn’t smooth. She actually crashed in her first race at the Derby Development Series. But then, she’d only learned how to ride the week before. Still, she wasn’t put off by the accident – which fortunately only resulted in a few scrapes. “It was actually hilarious because the first race went amazing. I loved it,” she recalls. “I came back to the pit and was like ‘Oh my first crash, look at my scratches!’” Davies was less fortunate in 2007, when she crashed into a tire wall during a race that nearly ended it all. “It was my first race for the season and my mum was very nervous,” recalls Davies. “The tire wall is there for safety, but unfortunately I tried to protect my bike. So it was kind of like: tire wall, me, bike and I was just lying there.”

The titanium woman As a result of that accident, Davies fractured her neck, ribs, sternum and hand. When she was rushed to the intensive care unit, doctors also found blood in her lungs. She needed a lot of patching up. “I’ve got titanium all over my body,” she concedes.

During that time, she admits she started to rethink her career.

“I said to my parents: ‘No way,

I don’t want to go through this again,’” she says. When her doctor came in to explain one of her surgeries, however, she found she couldn’t focus on his words.

“Racing came on the TV, so I said to him, ‘just wait, I want to watch this.’” Despite the seriousness of her crash, Davies found her passion for the sport was too strong to let her quit. “You forget about what you’ve gone through and you just kind of want to go back to it, especially when you haven’t done what you want to do yet,” she says.

Helping the next generation of riders Today, Davies is back on her super bike and soaring up the ranks.

She’s competing at the national level. This year, she debuted in the SuperM championship series, and won third place at the Phakisa Freeway in March. She is also trying to open the sport up to women. Her ambition is to one day manage a team that includes more speed-racing femmes. “There are a lot of young women in racing at the moment at a regional level. I want to grow them,” she admits.

Growing up Janine always had a passion for speed and adrenalin, so when she discovered the world of motorbike racing in a safe and controlled environment it was the perfect fit for her. “I was inspired by Wilmarie Jansen van Rensberg who was the only lady that was racing at the time, I in fact was there the day she won a race. From then on all I wanted was be the next woman racer,”

she explains. It’s evident when meeting Janine that she has an absolute love for racing. “Racing is a feeling that you cannot describe but only experience, when you feel your knee scrapping on the ground and the front of the bike lifting as you are coming out of a corner it is an adrenalin rush that you just can’t live without. I race simply because I’m in love with it,” she beams.

Accolades With a list of accolades that continue to grow from season to season, including becoming the first female to compete in the South African National championships on a Superbike 1000cc, the first ever female to make the podium when she took 3rd place in the Derbi Development Championships, and the first female to win a Derbi Development race; Janine’s star continues to rise. 2013 proved to be an exciting year for the young racer, not only did she become a member of the official Yamaha Team in 2013, she went to a training camp in Spain hosted by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) which was dedicated to women, and inspired Janine to start her own female focused academy.Having had no previous exposure to motorcycles, it’s clear that from the short period of time that it took her to succeed that Janine’s competitive spirit and determined nature is what sets her apart, and what truly makes her a young role model. She is undoubtedly an inspiration who will help young women follow their dreams.

This once-a-week facial hydrates intensely, but also uses massage techniques to boost circulation and tighten and firm the skin. It is a great boon to skin that has begun to age visibly.

1. Cleanse the skin using a milky cleanser, applying it directly onto your face with your fingers. Leave it to sink in for a few seconds, then, using circular movements (always moving up the face), massage it in. Remove with cotton wool in the same fashion. This will increase circulation to the skin.

2. Starting at your chin, move around the edge of the jaw and face, lightly tapping the skin 10 to 20 times at points an inch apart. Do the same around the eyes. This will help boost circulation and reduce puffiness, creating a firmer look.

3. Apply an exfoliating mask. This will get rid of dead skin cells but is more hydrating than a facial scrub alone (try a peel-off cucumber mask) Apply tightening cucumber pads (or slices of the real thing) to your eyes and relax. Rinse off, finishing by splashing the face 10 to 20 times with cold water. This boosts circulation, ready for the treatments to come.

4. Apply a vitamin serum, again using upward stroking movements but this time from the neck. Slap the underside of your chin 20 times.

5. Finish with a thick coat of rich moisturiser. Leave this to soak in for five minutes, then remove any excess with cotton wool.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Stuff

that will tickle your fancy

FASCINATING FACTS PeoPle who mySTerIouSly vANIShed Louis prince France /1890 – this film pioneer vanished from a train near Dijon.

His body and luggage were never found.

Dorothy Arnold US / 1910 – the perfume heiress was last spotted buying a book of epigrams and a bag of candy.

Rumour was heard that she never came back from a stroll in central park.

Ambrose Bierce Mexico / 1913 – while reporting on the Mexican revolution, the pioneering journalist and satirist vanished without a trace.

Alejandro Bello Silva Chile / 1914 – his disappearance during a qualifying exam flight over central Chile inspired the saying “more lost than Lieutenant Bello.”

Arthur Cravan Mexico / 1918 – the French protoDadaist writer and art critic disappeared near Salina Cruz, Mexico, and is believed to have drowned.

Ambrose Small Canada / 1919 – the millionaire was last seen at his theatre, the Grand Opera House, in Toronto. It is rumoured that he was killed by his wife.

Wallace Fard Muhammed US / 1934 – the controversial founder of the extremist nation of islam left Detroit for Chicago one day and was never heard from again.

Amelia Earhart Pacific Ocean / 1937 – the pioneering aviatrix vanished over the central pacific. It is clear that her plane crashed, but no debris was conclusively identified.

Subhas Chandra Bose Taiwan / 1945 – one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian independence movement, he vanished after a supposed plane crash.

Michael Rockefeller New Guinea / 1961 – after he disappeared during an archaeology expedition in New Guinea, many speculated that he was eaten by the local people.

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THE BIG STORY

Art

mAsters

Anyone who has seen their art can imagine the kind of intensity and efforts put into them. Not only are they an escape from the everyday world, they also allow you to see your feelings through issues portrayed by each piece. Here are just a few famous artists who used their art to express their innate prowess and brilliance in their life time so much that up until today, they are being immortalised.

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Art mAsters

Divine Michelangelo Italian sculptor, painter, poet and architect, Michelangelo was one of the most influential western artists of all time. He was born on March 6, 1475, in a Florentine village called Caprese.

His father was a magistrate and came from an important family. However, Michelangelo did not wish to imitate his father’s career, and was attracted by the artistic world. At the time, this was considered an inferior occupation for a family of his standing. But when he was 13, Michelangelo was apprenticed to Domenico Ghirlandaio, the leading fresco wall painter in Florence. Here he learned some of the basic painting techniques, and also taught himself new skills such as sculpting. His talents were soon noticed by one of the most powerful families in Florence – Lorezo de’ Medici and at de Medici’s court, Michelangelo was able to learn from the classic masters and he became determined to improve upon the great classics of Greek and Latin art.

In 1496, he began work on his beloved Pieta, a tender and compassionate sculpture of the Virgin Mary, nursing her crucified son – Jesus Christ. The sculpture captured so much power and tender emotion his reputation

rose rapidly. His next most famous sculpture was his huge undertaking of a life size David. This was hewn from a huge block of marble dragged down from a nearby Florentine mine.

Michelangelo created a masterpiece – a perfection of the human form – and most agreed, surpassed his classic predecessors. Michelangelo was a contemporary of the other sublime artist of his generation. The Pope offered him a new commission to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

This was a huge undertaking. Initially the Pope suggested scenes from the New Testament, but, Michelangelo chose the Old Testament with its great variety of characters and dramatic scenes. The project took four years to complete and involved Michelangelo working in awkward positions painting through great neck pain. But, on completion, everyone was awestruck by the magnificence of the work.

Michelangelo gained the reputation of the ‘divine Michelangelo’ – A reputation he was only too quick to encourage. In his final years, he became increasingly religious. His depth of religious feeling was seen through his poetry and direction of his art.

Artistic genius Pablo Picasso Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, Spain in 1881 to a conventional artistic family. From an early age he displayed great talent for painting and began displaying his work. To further his artistic aspiration, he left Spain for Paris where he became part of a new avant-garde movement of art.

His early artistic career went through various states. One of the first states was known as the ‘Blue Period’, when in his late teens his paintings were dominated by different shades of blue; they were also often melancholic. This included a famous self-portrait where Picasso looked much older than his 20 years.

By 1907, Picasso had developed a new form of painting known as ‘cubism’ this involved capturing the essence of the subject on the canvas but exaggerating certain features; typical of this period is the painting ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’ – it is a picture depicting five prostitutes in a brothel. It is an eye

catching and original exploration of modernism in art. Later, between the 1920s and 30s Picasso concentrated on more classical works of art. He became interested in depicting the human form in the style of neo-classical. To some extent, he was influenced by artists such as Renoir and Ingres, although he always retained a very unique and individual expression. One of Picasso’s most famous paintings was his mural of the Guernica bombing. The Guernica bombing was carried out by Italian and German planes and involved the carpet bombing of civil areas. Its objectives seemed not so much military as aiming at destroying civilian resistance and Basque identity. However, it was the painting by Picasso that helped to immortalise the tragedy as a key event in the 20th. Another key painting of Picasso was his simple bird drawing a symbol of peace. Picasso donated it to the Soviet backed World Peace Congress of 1949.

World famous paintings Mona Lisa

The most famous painting in the world, The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the main attraction of the Louvre museum in Paris, where it is seen by six million people every year. The painting’s famous smile which is the most captivating aspect of the portrait represents the sitter in the same way that the juniper branches represent Ginevra Benci and the ermine represents Cecilia Gallerani in their portraits, in Washington and Krakow respectively. It is a visual representation of the idea of happiness suggested by the word gioconda in Italian Leonardo made this notion of happiness the central motif of the portrait: it is this notion which makes the work such an ideal one.

The Last Supper

This world famous painting is not shown in

a museum, but rather covers the back wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery in Milan, Italy. It was painted by the most famous artist of all time, Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th-century. The painting depicts the scene of The Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. His conception of the theme was completely dominated by the idea of bringing out the announcement of the betrayal as the dramatic central motif.

The faces in the painting, with the exception of Jesus (centre figure), are reportedly those of actual people Leonardo sought out in Milan.

The Creation of Adam

Located on the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome, The Creation of Adam was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 and it is just one of nine scenes

from the book of Genesis that are painted on the centre of the ceiling of the chapel.

The Creation of Adam fresco shows Adam and God reaching toward one another, arms outstretched, fingers almost touching. One can imagine the spark of life jumping from God to Adam across that synapse between their fingertips. Adam is depicted as earthbound and slightly sluggish, while God has a commanding presence and appears to be barrelling through the heavens surrounded by a cadre of angels.

Self-Portrait Without Beard

Even though Van Gogh painted many portraits of himself, this one is by far the most famous as it is his last self-portrait and one of the few that depicts him without a beard. Vincent van Gogh knew that his mother was worried about him so he painted

this self-portrait for her in September of 1889, while he was still a patient at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saint-Rémy. The self-portrait brings together all the elements of Van Gogh’s later work: a choice of colour that reflects his emotional state and a style of drawing that pulsate with energy. It was painted shortly after he left the St. Remy asylum in July 1889 and shows that he was still fighting his demons.

Guernica

The most famous painting by Picasso, Guernica was completed in 1937. The painting was painted in Paris and is inspired by the bombing of Guernica in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians.

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Art mAsters

Exceptional Vincent Van Gogh Vincent Van Gogh who lived from 1853 to 1890 was an artist of extraordinary talent. Influenced by impressionist painters of the period, he developed his style with his own instinctive, spontaneous style, becoming one of the most celebrated artists of the twentieth century.

He also played a key role in the development of modern art.

Born in Groot-Zundert, a small town in Holland, his father was a pastor and he had three uncles who were art dealers. His early life seemed generally unhappy. This led him to working with his uncle before becoming so frustrated he became a minister.

After he was released of his post as a priest, he turned to art, and that’s when he found his path. Despite always disliking any formal training, he studied art in both Brussels and Paris. While in Paris, he was influenced by the new impressionist painters of Monet, Renoir and others.

Some of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous paintings include: Starry

Night, Sunflowers, Irises, Poppies, The Bedroom, Blossoming Almond Tree, The Mulberry Tree, The Night Café, and The Potato Eaters. One of his exceptional paintings, Starry Night, is a symbolic landscape full of movement, energy, and light. Van Gogh’s impasto technique, or thickly applied colours, creates a rhythmic effect which makes the picture seem like it’s constantly moving in its frame. Unfortunately for the Van Gogh, his intensity and mental imbalance made him difficult to live later in his life. This led to him being committed to a lunatic asylum where he spent time on and off until his death in 1890. It was during the last two years of his life that Van Gogh was at his most productive as a painter.

He developed a style of painting that was quick and rapid – leaving no time for contemplation and thought. He painted with quick movements of the brush and drew increasingly avant garde styles, shapes – foreshadowing modern art and its abstract style.

Enthusiastic Raphael da Urbino Painting started out for great Italian painter, Raphael Sanzio da Urbino as trying to follow in the footprint of his father who was a court painter. He went on to gain a wide education in the arts, literature, and social skills.

This enabled him to move easily amongst the higher circles of court society as well as help his career in gaining commissions. His style was also considered more refined. He didn’t have the same inventive genius of Michelangelo or Leonardo da Vinci, but he had a supreme grace of painting. He concentrated on a more classical interpretation of perfection, but was still somewhat influenced by the contemporary Florence tradition.

At the turn of 1501, Raphael was held in high esteem and he gained important commissions, such as the Mond de Crucifixion in 1503. In 1508, he was invited to Rome by Pope Julius II and requested to paint some rooms in the Vatican. This was at the same time Michelangelo was painting

the Sistine Chapel, and although the Sistine chapel overshadowed the work of Raphael, his paintings are still considered some of the finest of European art. This work included: The School of Athens, The Parnassus and the Disputa. As well as being a great painter, Raphael was also a noted teacher, who could inspire his fellow pupils to greater standards. He had one of the largest art schools in Rome.

His enthusiasm and talent helped his school become a famous place of art. As well as a painter, Raphael was also a noted architect, drawer, and with Raimondi a printmaker of his engravings. He died in April 6 1570, aged only 37. Yet, he left behind a considerable legacy and was celebrated even during his lifetime. Together with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael makes up the great trinity of the High Renaissance period. He was noted for his clarity of form and ability to convey grandeur, beauty and perfection.

World famous paintings Starry Night

Painted by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1889, Starry Night is one of the most wellknown paintings in modern culture. In the painting, the moon and stars in the night sky are surrounded by large halos of light while a church steeple stands out above the smaller, less detailed buildings in the town below. There are various interpretations of Starry Night and one is that this canvas depicts hope. It seems that van Gogh was showing that even with a dark night such as this it is still possible to see light in the windows of the houses.

The Scream

The Scream is the most famous piece by Edvard Munch, painted around 1893. It was painted using oil and pastel on cardboard.

This frightening painting is on display at The National Gallery, Oslo, Norway. Essentially this famous picture is autobiographical; an expressionistic construction based on Munch’s actual experience of a scream piercing through nature while on a walk, after his two companions, seen in the background, had left him. If every selfportrait is a portrait of the soul to some degree, The Scream was the portrait of the soul stripped as far from the visible as possible—the image on the reverse, the hidden side of the eyeball as Munch looked into himself.

The Persistence of Memory

Painted in 1931 by the Spanish artist Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognisable pieces in

art history. This work of art is known to make people ponder on their way of life and the way they spend their time, and it is also thought that this wonderful painting was inspired by Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. In the painting, four clocks are prominently on display in an otherwise empty desert scene. While this might seem enough, the clocks are not flat as you might expect them to be, but are bent out of shape, appearing to be in the act of melting away.

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Considered by many it is regarded as Vermeer’s masterpiece, this canvas is often referred to be the Dutch Mona Lisa or the Mona Lisa of the North, this beautiful painting by the Dutch artist Johannes

Vermeer features, a girl with a pearl earring.

The painting was completed around 1665 and is on display in the Mauritshuis Gallery in the Netherlands. The girl in this painting is believed to be Vermeer’s eldest daughter, Maria, who was about twelve or thirteenyears-old at the time it was created.

The Night Watch

Completed in 1642, The Night Watch is on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

It is a group portrait of a militia company.

These were groups of able-bodied men who, if the need arose, could be called upon to defend the city or put down riots. The painting depicts the company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and his lieutenant, Willem van Ruytenburgh, surrounded by sixteen of their men.

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Art mAsters

Best of the best, Leonardo da Vinci Italian man, Leonardo da Vinci is considered to be a key person in the birth of the European Renaissance period. This period saw a flowering of new ideas, scientific discoveries and creation of beautiful arts. In several different fields, from science to astronomy, da Vinci proved to be both innovative and several centuries ahead of his contemporaries. He was born an illegitimate son of a Florentine noble and peasant woman and grew up in Vinci, Italy. He lived from 1452 to 1519.

In his formative years, he developed a love of nature and remarkable academic and artistic talents and capacities. His early style reflected his teacher Verrocchio, but he soon developed an

artistic sense which went far beyond his teacher’s rigid style. His first work of great significance was the Adoration of the Maggi. Although unfinished, the work was a masterpiece and introduced several new ideas. In particular he introduced the themes of movement and drama.

He also pioneered the use of Chiaroscuro. This is the technique of defining forms through the contrast of light and shadow. This would be later used to great effect in the Mona Lisa. In 1482 Leonardo went to the court of Ludovico Sforza for 16 years in Milan. Here he continued painting and also branched out into other interest such as engineering and anatomy. During this period he painted the famous Madonna on the Rocks and

also The Last Supper. Later in 1499, he painted the fresco of the battle of Anghiari. This artwork was to exert tremendous influence over future artists. However it was unfortunately never completed and was later destroyed. It was also in this period that Leonardo completed The Mona Lisa, a portrait of a wife of a Florentine noble who came to Leonardo and sat to be painted for several days without a smile. Then one day just for a fleeting second she gave a faint smile and Leonardo was able to capture it. Her smile encapsulates a tremendous mysteriousness which is both fascinating and intriguing. A smile that has immortalised her immortalised the artist and immortalised the art.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Art mAsters

Rembrandt van Rijn, the illusionist The world was blest with the beautiful life and subsequent works of Rembrandt van Rijn, an art master born in the Netherlands in 1606. He was considered so deeply mysterious he was called a magician. His father was a miller, and somehow managed to send his son to a Latin school and later the University of Leiden.

However, Rembrandt was not inspired by studying and left university to begin an apprenticeship as a painter in Leiden. In 1624, he spent his first period of time in Amsterdam where he was able to study under a famous painter called Pieter Lastman. With this period of apprenticeship under his belt, he returned to his home town in Leiden and set up his own independent workshop. He was discovered in 1629 by the statesman Constantijn Huygens, who secured an important commission for him from the Court of The Hague. And this began his successful professional career as an artist.

Rembrandt was inspired mostly by the tragedy that befell his family later

on in his life. He and his wife lost three of their four children at infancy before his wife finally died in 1641, ten years after they were married.

This personal tragedy brought out the best of Rembrandt as a painter.

His bedside paintings of his dying wife are indicative of his ability to draw out the human emotion and display his profound ability to empathise with aspects of the human condition. He was nevertheless also influenced by some of the trends of the day. Following the innovation of Caravaggio, Rembrandt incorporated the art of chiaroscuro – a dramatic use of lighting. In particular, Rembrandt used this technique to give great depth and emotion to the faces he painted.

Rembrandt had the ability to give an impression of a thinking mind behind the face. In his two paintings Christ’s Dead Body, and Christ’s Resurrection, the greatest and most natural movement has been expressed, which is also the main reason why they took so long to execute.

Nature lover, Claude Monet

As a child, Claude Monet’s father wanted him to be become a grocer, but Monet’s aspirations lay in art. And as he grew up in Le Havre, he developed a good reputation as a charcoal impressionist.

These caricatures earned him his first income from art and encouraged him to pursue art more seriously. In 1857, Monet travelled to Paris and spent time in the Louvre. But, Monet was never satisfied with merely imitating the old masters, he would rather look out of a window or visit some place in nature and draw what he saw. He eventually settled in Paris by the river Seine, where he was in close contact with other artists of a similar outlook. At the turn of the century, Monet became increasingly famous and popular as an artist. He developed a formal garden at his property in Giverny. This provided an ideal setting for many series of paintings, such as his water lilies and bridge over a pond.

For Monet, nature was a significant

influence, and he spent hours absorbed in nature – especially at his garden. During the First World War, he became close to George Clemanceau, the French PM. To commemorate the many Frenchmen who died in World War I, he painted a series of weeping willows out of respect for the many Frenchmen who died in the conflict, the primary inspiration for the new art movement of impressionism.

Along with his contemporaries, he captured the light of nature on canvass in a unique, spontaneous and vivacious style. He painted a wide range of subjects ranging from urban scenes to his own beloved formal garden. Monet strove to capture the essence of what he saw in nature, without being constrained by formal ideas of style and substance.

Monet was one of the greatest modern painters. His output was prolific and he continued to develop and innovate throughout his long artistic life until his death in December 1926 of lung cancer.

World's best art museums Louvre in Paris

The Louvre is a very large and famous museum in Paris. Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres. The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum, and received more than 9.7 million visitors.

The museum opened on August 10, 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum renamed the Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon’s abdication many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners.

British Museum

The British Museum is a museum in London dedicated to human history and culture.

Its permanent collection, numbering some 8 million works, is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence and originates from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present. The museum was established in 1753, largely based on the collections of the physician and scientist Sir Hans Sloane. It first opened to the public in January of 1759. Today the museum no longer houses collections of natural history, and the books and manuscripts it once held now form part of the independent British Library.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art located in New York City, is the largest art museum in the United States and one of the ten largest in the world. Its permanent

collection contains more than two million works, divided among seventeen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan’s Museum Mile, is by area one of the world’s largest art galleries. Represented in the permanent collection are works of art from classical antiquity and Ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from nearly all the European masters, and an extensive collection of American and modern art. It also maintains extensive holdings of African, Asian, Oceanic, Byzantine, and Islamic art.

National Gallery

The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in London. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The Gallery is an exempt charity,

and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Its collection belongs to the public of the United Kingdom and entry to the main collection is free of charge. It came into being when the British government bought 38 paintings from the heirs of John Julius Angerstein, an insurance broker and patron of the arts, in 1824.

Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums are the museums of the Vatican City and are located within the city’s boundaries. They display works from the immense collection built up by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries including some of the most renowned classical sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world.

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Art mAsters

Iconic Pierre Renoir Famed for his sensual nudes and charming scenes of pretty women, Auguste Renoir was a far more complex and thoughtful painter than generally assumed. His most iconic painting was the, Dance at the Moulin de la Galette, which explored dappled light as it flutters over young Montmartre revellers flirting, drinking, and dancing. Renoir’s penchant for portraiture attracted the attention of a range of patrons with avant-garde sensibilities. Pierre Auguste Renoir was born in Limoges on February 25, 1841. His father was a tailor, and Renoir was given an apprenticeship at a porcelain painters.

He then had the opportunity to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. It was here that he joined Charles Gleyre’s studio and met many other young French impressionist artists. His art was noted for its vibrant combination of colours.

In classic impressionist style, he avoided rigid lines, and merged objects giving a sense of dream like consciousness. He also painted many portraits of women – often in nude. They focus not on the sexual aspect but often on everyday experiences.

Initially, the art establishment was unimpressed by the new breed of painters and the impressionists struggled to have any exhibitions. Renoir supplemented his income by drawing more conventional portraits. In 1881 he visited Italy and was deeply impressed by the Italian masters. After meeting Cezanne near Marseilles, Renoir sought to break away from impressionism by developing a new structural style of his own. Yet, he never abandoned his techniques of colour that he learnt during his impressionist period and he developed a combination of classical styles of applying paint with an impressionist perspective of colour. In 1892, the French State bought one of his paintings – At the Piano. He gained fame and respect towards the end of the 19th century; he also gained increasing fame and respect. As ill-fortune would have it, his fame and greater renown also coincided with the onset of arthritis which made painting difficult and painful. Along with Claude Monet and others, Auguste Renoir was one of the founders of impressionism – a revolutionary new development.

Articulate Jan Vermeer Johan Vermeer was a Dutch baroque painter from the ‘Golden Age of Dutch Painting’. He lived from 1632 to 1675 and was obscure during his life, but in the 19th century his work was brought to light and now is regarded as one of the greatest proponents of Baroque painting – with his focus on simple portraits and household scenes. There is not much information about Jan Vermeer’s life.

He did not travel much outside Holland, and most of his paintings were bought by a local man. His father was a merchant of paintings and also local inn owner.

When his father died in 1652, Jan took over the business of selling paintings. Jan was a slow worker, producing only three paintings a year. This was partly due to his technique of granular painting. He built up layers of colour – a technique known as pointille. This enabled a depth of colour to shine through. He was meticulous in capturing the light and colour of his

various subjects. Unusually, for the time, Jan often focused on simple household scenes such as The Milkmaid or the Music Lesson. One of the most striking features of Jan Vermeer’s paintings is the radiance of light that illumines his pictures. In 1654, his city Delft suffered a bad explosion which inspired the painter to create one of his most famous paintings which is of Delft the city – choosing the half of the city not damaged. More difficulties arose for the Dutch. In 1672, a severe economic depression hit – harming Jan’s art business. Holland was also invaded by French and English forces leading to panic throughout the country. Jan’s business was badly affected and perhaps as a result of the financial stress died in 1675, aged only 43. Vermeer Masterpiece, after the most recent restoration work in 1994, the subtle colours of the portrait have been brought to light. It is sometimes referred to as the Mona Lisa of the North.

Famous NigeriaN artists Ada Udechukwu

At first glance, the artworks of Nigerian artist Ada Udechukwu look like abstract symbols—spare black-ink brushstrokes surrounded by empty space. But gaze at them longer and human features emerge: a pair of eyes, the curve of a breast, and a tangled mass of hair. Ada began painting with uli, a traditional Igbo tool of painting that patterns and swirls onto fabrics and canvases. She is one of the few female artists associated with the Nsukka group and was born in 1960, to an Igbo father and an American mother in Enugu, where she also grew up. Udechukwu’s stories have a thoroughly contemporary feel.

She portrays the struggles of present-day Nigerians, exploring themes of alienation and betrayal.

Onabolu Aina

Aina Onabolu is credited as the father of modern Nigerian art. He was certainly a pioneer in being the first Nigerian to have formal art training, enrolling in St. John’s Wood Art School, London, in 1920.

But his art career had begun two decades earlier when, self-taught, he took up portrait painting and landscape painting.

A pioneer in promoting art education in Nigerian schools, Onabolu felt duty-bound to demonstrate that Africans could paint as well as Europeans. Though not a great painter, he was undoubtedly a trailblaser, a promoter of art, and an advocate of art education.

Ben Enwonwu

Nigerian painter and sculptor, Ben

Enwonwu is the pioneer whose career opened the way for the postcolonial proliferation and increased visibility of modern African art. During his time, Enwonwu was well regarded as an artist; his art is described as a unique form of African modernism. Recognition of his bronze sculpture of the Queen proved that he, as an African modern artist, used his practice to develop a new kind of modern art whose ideals of representation and notions of artistic identity were different from conventional art-historical narrative of European modernist practice. During her visit to Nigeria in 1956, Queen Elizabeth II commissioned and sat for a portrait sculpture by the artist. During the Royal Society of British Artists exhibition in London of 1957, he unveiled the bronze

sculpture of the queen of England. From 1949-1954, Enwonwu held many art exhibitions within London, Lagos, Milan, New York, Washington DC, and Boston.

Bruce Onobrakpeya

A printmaker, painter and sculptor, Bruce Onobrakpeya is one of Africa’s best known and most highly respected artists. He attended drawing classes at the British Council Art Club in Benin City. He was inspired by the watercolour paintings of Emmanuel Erabor. Much of his work uses stylistic elements and compositions derived from traditional African sculpture and decorative arts. It aims to encourage the growth of art and culture by giving artists opportunities to gain skills, while increasing public awareness of African art.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

GAMETROPIC

GADGETED

The Super mushrooms in Mario are based on a fungi named Amanita Muscaria.

With a BK1001E Bluetooth Keyboard Bluetooth keyboard to use with your smartphone would increase your productivity and save you worries when you are not at your desk.

TechLiFe

Apptitude

Artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race Our desire to create helpful digital assistants and self-driving vehicles could bring about our demise says Professor Stephen Hawking who has again warned that humanity faces an uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt to its environment.

Speaking at an event in London, the physicist told the BBC that: ‘The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.’ This echoe claims he made earlier in the year when he said success in creating AI ‘would be the biggest event in human history, but unfortunately, it might also be the last.’ He argues that developments in digital personal assistants Siri, Google Now and Cortana are merely symptoms of an IT arms race which ‘pale against what the coming decades will bring.’

But Professor Hawking noted that other potential benefits of this technology could also be significant, with the potential to eradicate, war,

disease and poverty.

‘Looking further ahead, there are no fundamental limits to what can be achieved,’ continued Hawking.

‘There is no physical law precluding particles from being organised in ways that perform even more advanced computations than the arrangements of particles in human brains.’ Professor Hawking made this claims at an event, during which he unveiled

a new communications platform, designed by Intel, that will replace his current system. The platform called Assistive Context Aware Toolkit (ACAT) uses his existing cheek sensor, which is detected by an infrared switch mounted onto his glasses. This helps him select a character on a computer. Software from language technology experts SwiftKey is then used to learn from Professor Hawking and predict his next characters and words. This means he can type 20 per cent fewer characters he would previously have had to type, making communication faster.

Professor Hawking has a Motor Neurone Disease related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) a condition that has progressed over the years. This leaves him almost entirely paralysed. ‘Medicine has not been able to cure me, so I rely on technology to help me communicate and live,’ said Professor Hawking.

Click! Click!!

Hand over that virtual money, get Roosterbank In effect, this app is no more than an electronic record of IOUs sent from parents to children. No actual money is involved and the parents still need to remember to hand over cash to their children. However, kids can earn reallife rewards such as loom bands – sent through the post (with the parents’ permission) – if they save enough, over a long enough period of time.

GoHenry, every child’s online account This app works by parents transferring real money via their own debit card or bank account to a children’s account. In both cases, children are given prepaid cards that they can use to buy products on the high street or online.

Deadline uses health data to predict your death

North Korea launches bizarre website to encourage tourism North Korea launched a travel website recently that is decidedly more strange than it is inviting - particularly since the country currently has a ban on international tourists entering the country due to fear of the Ebola virus.

Dprktoday.com is a Korean-language site full of the bizarre imagery and hard-to-navigate portals that one might expect from the Hermit Kingdom. Different areas of the site highlight a variety of North Korea’s attractions, from a pyramid-themed water park to aspects of local culture.

Some of the choices are a bit more confusing, including pictures of rockets and a single dog. The site is even more abnormal given that North Korea currently has a travel ban in place that would prevent tourists from entering the country anyway. In October, authorities reportedly told tour companies they were barring international tourists from entry because of Ebola fears. South Korea’s

for the upwardly mobile

This app uses statistical information to attempt to determine your ‘date of expiration’. This information includes data such as blood pressure, sleep patterns and number of steps walked, as well as vital statistics such as age, gender and height. After entering this information the user is presented with a countdown clock, showing the number of years, months and days they have left to live.

Spider in da house will identify spiders you’re sharing your house with Yonhap News reported that the aim of the site is to ‘attract foreign tourists,’ but since the page is exclusively in Korean, it’s unclear who exactly the target audience is.

Before the travel ban, North Korea had been on a push to encourage visitors, including building a massive ski resort over a period of just 10 months.

While the Hermit Kingdom did have

something of a tourism industry before the travel ban, North Korean tourism is a contentious issue, and there is much debate over whether it is ethical to visit the reclusive nation.

Critics say that trips end up funding the repressive regime, and that the carefully led tours offer little insight into what actually goes on in the country.

To help householders identify which species has taken up residence in their home, scientists from the Society of Biology and the University of Gloucestershire have developed a simple spider ID app. The app lists photos and descriptions of the 12 most common house spiders.

Facebook is only evolving not dying

Every few months, a report is published suggesting Facebook is in decline. A notable study from researchers at Princeton University published earlier this year declared the social network would lose 80 per cent of its users and die out ‘like the bubonic plague’.

Another from YouGov branded Facebook and rival Twitter’s popularity in decline in June, stating a lack of interest, concerns over privacy and advertising fatigue among the key reasons. Facebook was the only network to see a drop in active usage among its 16-24 year-old users, of 0.5 per cent. Since the start of

2013, sharing photos and messaging friends has fallen by around 20 per cent, according to the report. While more than four fifths (83 per cent) of online adults have Facebook accounts, only 47 per cent consider themselves active users, a decrease of around 100 million users between the beginning and end of 2014. As it stands, this doesn’t look great for Facebook. While it may have more global members (some 867 million), YouTube receives more traffic, with 85 per cent of online adults outside of China regularly visiting the site. YouTube’s membership numbers

may be lower at 656 million, but it beats Facebook’s 76 per cent rate of regular visitation by a comfortable margin.

What this suggests is that users are flocking to YouTube with a specific purpose in mind (to watch funny, educational or just plain weird videos), while Facebook is having difficulty encouraging the users it does have to actively use the platform. This is partly attributable to the fact Facebook has the oldest user base of all the social platforms, with a quarter of its active users aged over 45. By contrast, more than 70 per cent of Tumblr and

Instagram’s users are aged between 1634. Generally, older Facebook members are less likely to be posting, sharing and interacting on the platform as younger members, so it’s hardly surprising engagement rates are slightly lower. This doesn’t mean that Facebook is dying a death - far from it. The ways in which we’re using Facebook have evolved; we’re still using it, but we’re more passive observers. Facebook is aiming to become a service provider, allowing its members to buy goods and exchange money alongside keeping up with their old childhood enemies.

44

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Cultured!

CULTURE

for the uninformed & clueless

SHOCK

The Yanomamo tribe of Venezuela and Brazil cremate the body of their deceased and the ashes, which include crushed bones, which are given to the family to be eaten.

Superstitions

Dresssense

Some people believe in order to bring good luck and to keep nightmares away; you must hang a horseshoe in the bedroom or on a door knob with its ends pointing upwards.

Chinese-born American Actress Bai Ling steps out in a very risqué outfit Rihanna might be the queen of shocking outfits but Chinese-born American actress, Bai Ling just took things to a whole other level.

The 48-year-old Chinese actress stepped out for the movie screening of her latest movie, the Key on Friday, November 21, at The Real Experimental Film Festival held at Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills, California and she was not worried about the temperature judging from what she wore. For the event, the petit beauty wore a very revealing ensemble that left

Proverbs A house without a dog or a cat is the house of a scoundrel.

more than half of her body visible to every eye. In her defence, she stated that her outfit was inspired by the film’s title the Key. She wore black sequin strips that were made to look like a key over her chest as she left the rest of her upper body bare. She finished her ensemble with equally revealing see-through skirt that featured several cutouts and a strategically placed red cloth flower. Bai Ling styled her look with a gold key necklace, thick bangs, bold red lip and studded platform heels.

– Portuguese Proverb Lie travels round the world while truth is putting her boots on.

– French Proverb A little too late, is much too late.

– german Proverb

excusez-moi

Dressing in Malta The Maltese are conservative, and their clothing reflects that fact.

They believe appearance indicates status. Never appear sloppy, and take care to groom properly.

Business dress is generally quite formal; casual clothing (even smart casual) isn’t appropriate in the workplace. Men wear suits, and women wear dresses or tailored suits. Women often wear hats to church service and official business or government functions.

Indulge

Sitting on a gold toilet worth $200,000 While gold prices are at record time high, royalty knows no boundaries. A royal toilet made in solid good makes a far cry from modesty. This gold-rich toilet was showcased as part of the 11th World Toilet Summit currently held in the city of Haikou last month.

The capital of the island province of Hainan, also touted as the Chinese Hawaii, which attracts a plethora of tourists from all over the globe seems to be the most suitable venue to display the immaterial luxurious masterpiece.

This golden toilet which has been valued at $201,400 is a 32-kg toilet coated with a 0.8 cm thick layer of 24K gold. For strength, the golden bowl is internally supported by a ceramic core and inherits Europe’s most luxurious toilet Milos in style. The gaudy looking

Casual attire is always elegant.

Men wear slacks and shirts, and women wear blouses and skirts.

Dress modestly when visiting churches. Women should wear dresses that come below the knee, and make sure their shoulders are covered. Also, don’t wear shorts, sleeveless tops, sandals, or open-toed shoes. sanitary ware can surely add a dash of glamor to one’s collection of art and antiques even if it doesn’t find suitable use in your lavatory. However ostentatious this maybe, there is no

uncommon history of common things Belief in the evil eye-the idea that a person can harm others with a glance-was common in many ancient traditions. Early Jews, Christians, and Muslims supported the belief, as did pagan practitioners, particularly in the Mediterranean. The evil eye appeared in Greece as far back as the 6th century B.C., when it adorned drinking vessels. In Greek and Roman legends, the basilisk (or cockatrice) was a dragon that could kill with a glance or a breath. This power, when held

For formal occasions, men may wear tuxedos, and women wear cocktail dresses or evening gowns. (If you’re unsure about the appropriate attire ask your Maltese colleagues.)

by a person, could be either a gift or an affliction. Sorcerers claiming the evil eye could make money by using their talent to bewitch someone’s enemy. Yet its deadly use was often considered involuntary. Thus, a person with abnormal eyes-crossed, cloudy, protruding, or any number of other unfortunate conditions might be said to have the evil eye and could therefore be put to death. In a Slavic folktale, a father fearful of having the evil eye blinds himself in order

guarantee the wealthy will flush out their money for something like this, when they can buy the world’s most technologically advanced toilet, Kohler Numi high tech for only $7000.

During the winter, dress in layers.

Maltese may not heat their homes and offices as warmly as others do.

evil eye to avoid harming his own children.

Many folklorists believe the evil eye tradition comes from the reflective properties of the pupil. A person staring into someone’s eye could see a tiny image of himself, which in some cultures may have been frightening. The word ‘pupil,’ in fact, comes from the Latin pupilla (‘little doll’). But then everyone would have an evil eye. A more likely scenario would give the evil eye to a person whose eyes were different and thus

didn’t perfectly reflect the viewer.

Today you can buy talismans to ward off the evil eye-glass balls painted with concentric blue and white circles, or decals with stylised eyes.

But for the most part, the remnant of the superstition occurs in such expressions as ‘withering glance’ and ‘giving the stink eye.’ We now know that a person’s glance can’t cause physical harm, but the powerful anger in an ‘evil eye’ might prove harmfully distressing.

45

Saturday, December 6, 2014

TRAVELOGUE If in Jamaica, a visit to Ocho Rios would not be out of place. This former fishing village is home to two of Jamaica’s most famous tourist attractions, Dunn’s River Falls and Fern Gully and more.

DESIRABLES

THE MUSTREADS AND LINGER-ONS

BEn CarsOn

Emerging political phenomenon The rising conservative star is considering a run for president, and, following new polling showing him second in a crowded field of potential 2016 presidential candidates, he might actually have a chance

Carson

It was 1965 and Ben Carson, an eighth-grade black student in Detroit, was stunned. Unable to control her anger, his teacher lashed out at white students for failing to outperform Carson, who had just been awarded the class’s highest academic achievement. In an interview last week, Carson described the teacher as being from a time when some people thought “how can a black person ever intellectually do better than a white person?” “To her, it was the most abnormal thing that ever happened in the history of the world,”

Carson said. “To me, I was determined I would show her.” Nearly 50 years later, Carson relatively unknown outside of conservative circles is on the verge of becoming a political phenomenon. He placed second behind Mitt Romney in a recent CNN/ORC poll asking Republicans about their preferred presidential nominee in 2016. Though his support only reached 10% in the poll, Carson outpaced more high-profile potential presidential contenders like former Florida Governor, Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor,

Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee. He’s gaining traction as an AfricanAmerican in a party that is struggling to connect with minority communities.

But Carson is remarkably checked when asked about how, to this day, he deals with racism. “If somebody has a problem with the way that I look, more power to them,” Carson said. “Let them sit and stew in it.

I just got so many more important things to do than to deal with that.” That doesn’t mean he’s silent on the racial issues of the day.

After the recent violence in Ferguson, Missouri, Carson slammed President Barack Obama for contributing to poor race relations. “I actually believe that things were better before this president was elected,” he told radio broadcaster Hugh Hewitt. “And I think that things have gotten worse because of his unusual emphasis on race.”

Carson is well known in the medical community.

He’s a celebrated paediatric neurosurgeon - and Cuba Gooding, Jr. played him in the 2009 made-fortelevision movie: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. But his remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2013 catapulted him onto the national political stage.

With Obama sitting just a few feet away, Carson warned that the US was heading down the same path as Rome. “Moral decay, fiscal irresponsibility,” Carson said during his speech. “They destroyed themselves. If you don’t think that can happen to America, you get out your books and you start reading.” Carson said 15 minutes after his remarks, organisers of the Prayer Breakfast called him and said the White House was “upset and that I needed to call and apologise. I said, ‘I spoke to the president after the Prayer Breakfast and he was quite cordial and didn’t seem upset. I don’t see why he would be upset, unless what I said applied to him.’”

Carson dismisses those who criticise him for his remarks, and said they are just blowing them out of proportion. Yet, Carson does acknowledge that he is trying to make a point when he speaks on the issues of the day. “I try to talk about what I actually see that’s going on and this is what we need in America,” he said. “We need people who are not afraid to express themselves and who are not afraid to debate issues.

From poverty to the

5 things you need to know about Ben Carson 1. He’s credited with being the first doctor to successfully separate conjoined twins joined at the head.

2. Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story is a movie made about his life where he was played by Cuba Gooding Jr. 3. He’s a devout Christian and he gave the keynote speech at the National Prayer Breakfast in 2013 where he has said that he ‘feels fingers’ from God to run for President.

4. He was raised by an illiterate single mother who made her children write essays and read them to her as part of their studies.

5. Until recently, he was registered as an independent. He switched his registration in 2014 to Republican for a presidential bid.

operating room Raised by a single mother with a third grade education, Carson rose from poverty and racial division to achieve success.

Carson’s mother left his bigamist father when he was eight years old and, despite her inability to read, forced him and his brother to spend their days with books and focusing on their schoolwork.

Eventually, Carson earned his undergraduate degree from Yale and went to medical school at the University of Michigan and joined Johns Hopkins when he graduated, becoming a world-renowned paediatric neurosurgeon. When asked if he’s feeling the push from God to run for president, “I feel fingers,” Carson said an interview with Christian Broadcast Network’s David Brody. “But it’s mostly me.

I have to be sure and its part of my personality that says always, look before you leap but don’t leap before you have to.” In 2013, Carson told Fox’s Sean Hannity that “If the Lord grabbed me by the collar and made me do it (run for president),” he would do it.

Now, Carson said he hasn’t quite felt a tug, but he is getting a feeling.

46

Saturday, December 6, 2014

MiNDFUL

RANDOM

for the LeISUreLY-MINDeD & thoUGhtfUL

FACTS

When the game Twister was introduced in 1966, it was denounced by critics as ‘sex in a box’.

LAST WEEK'S

CROSSWORD

AIR FORCE AMERICA APPRECIATION ARMY BRAVERY CEREMONY DUTY FLAG HEROES HOLIDAY MARINES MILITARY NAVY PARADE SACRIFICE SERVICE SOLDIERS UNIFORMS

SUDOKU CLASSIC

WORDSEARCH

WORDLADDER Can you climb the ladder and find the missing numbers?

?

155 ?

32 36 9

SUDOKUCLASSIC

12 4 6 3 See solution below

HOMEWORK FOR GROWN-UPS 1 What type of creature is a mandrill? a) Gorilla b) Chimpanzee c) Monkey

5. What type of mammals fly using echolocation? a) Bats b) Owls C) Eagles

2. Which insect produces gossamer? a) Spider b) Silkworm c) Dung beetle

6. How long is the longest beetle in the world? a) Six inches b) Seven inches c) Eight inches

3. Which insect eats her mate after mating? a) Stick insect b) Praying Mantis c) Grasshopper 4. What is the study of animals called? a) Gerontology b) Zoology c) Animology

7. The study of bird’s eggs is called what? a) Eggology b) Oology c) Eggsis 8. Where will you find a scut on a rabbit? a) The tail b) The ear Answers c) The nose

WORDLADDER SOLUTION

HOMEWORK

c) Monkey a) Spider b) Praying Mantis b) Zoology a) Bats a) Six inches b) Oology a) The tail

WORDSEARCH

Put each of the numbers 1-9 once in every row, column and 3x3 box

CROSSWORD

1. Buccaneers (7) 5. African equine (5) 8. Serious (5) 9. Disregarded (7) 10. Abhorrent (7) 11. Beer mug (5) 12. Intense (5) 14. Thicket (5) 19. Regular hexahedrons (5) 21. Residence (7) 23. Greed (7) 24. Deportation (5) 25. Choose (5) 26. Journeyman (7)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

1. Rector (6) 2. Kind of puzzle (5) 3. Deluge (7) 4. Grabbed (6) 5. Regions (5) 6. Edges (7) 7. Fervent (6) 13. Vegetable (7) 15. Remnant (7) 16. Abrasion (6) 17. Photographic equipment (6) 18. Aft (6) 20. Change position (5) 22. Ways out (5)

SOLUTIONS

ACROSS

3(x2)=6(-2)=4(x3)=12(3)=9(x4)=36(-4)=32(x5)=160(5)=155(x6)=930

DOWN

47

Saturday, December 6, 2014

a la carte

75%

gRaffiti

THE LOTS TO CHEW ON AND REGURGITATE

Average percntage of air contained in some ice creams.

25%

The percentage of people who read slower on the computer screen than paper.

lady'S WORdS When a lady is introduced to a friend’s newly adopted son or daughter ...

She does not say: “Don’t worry. He’ll start looking like you after a while.”

“Look out! You’ll probably get pregnant right away.”

“Are you going to tell her she’s adopted?”

“Aren’t you kind to give a poor orphan a home?”

But she does say: “Congratulations. He’s a very lucky boy, and you’re a lucky mommy (or daddy), too.”

The adoption of a child of any age is-or should be-an act of love and a cause for celebration. In such situations, an enlightened lady does not

pass along old wives’ tales.

Instead, she readily joins in the rejoicing, presenting the child with a gift if she feels the urge to do so.

When a lady wishes to ask a man out on a date.

She does not say: “I have an opening in my schedule; would you like to do something?”

“I’ve had a friend cancel on me; are you available for dinned’ “Unless you are one of these insecure wimps who doesn’t like for a woman to ask a guy out, I’d like to have dinner with you sometime.”

“This is really embarrassing, but I think you seem like a

nice guy. So I was hoping you would go to my best friend’s wedding with me. Now don’t prove me wrong.”

But she does say: “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

If a lady wishes to ask a man out on a date, she may do so, with no apologies or awkward explanations. A lady must, however, be prepared to accept not and to handle herself with class and dignity, just as she would expect a gentleman to behave, should she decline his invitation.

change yOuR WORld Learn to use the apps on your mobile phone There is indisputably a streak of Luddite pride in the tone of voice of people who boast that they cannot figure out how to do anything other than make calls on their cell phones. Sort of like the people who used

to boast about being bad at maths and computer until all the nerds suddenly made gazillion dollars overnight. These days your mobile phones have become a seriously powerful tool. Do yourself a favour and

either use the phone manual guide or probably get assistance from someone who can use the phone and get tutored on the basics of using the mobile phone and every other application on the phone.

Look for one piece of beauty each day and share it with someone.

Looking for beauty forces you to step back from the false rush of whatever is currently keeping you busy and take a breath. And then, crucially, take the time to share that moment with a loved one, even if it’s just

an SMS, you are happier and a little less stressed.

Your environment is better protected because you are paying more attention to it and you have shared that goodness with someone else. so much of the damage we

do is through ignorance and lost focus. You may not be able to keep your finger on the pulse of deforestation in the Congo but you absolutely can notice the world immediately around you.

laugh–Out–lOud Wild things When a snail crossed the road, he was run over by a turtle.

Regaining consciousness in the emergency room, he was asked what caused the accident.“I really can’t remember,”the snail replied.

“You see, it all happened so fast.”

and the attendant explained, the monkeys had gone inside their little sanctuary for some togetherness.“Would they come out for some peanuts?”asked the father.“Would you?”responded the attendant.

A father took his children to the zoo. All were looking forward to seeing the monkeys.

Unfortunately, it was mating time

The zoo built a special eightfoot-high enclosure for its newly acquired kangaroo, but the next morning the animal was found

hopping around outside. The height of the fence was increased to 15 feet, but the kangaroo got out again. Exasperated, the zoo director had the height increased to 30 feet, but the kangaroo still escaped. A giraffe asked the kangaroo,‘how high do you think they will build the fence?”“I don’t know,”said the kangaroo.“Maybe a thousand feet if they keep leaving the gate unlocked.”

48

Saturday, December 6, 2014

BONUSPACK $2.7 40 kmh billion

THE TAKE-AWAYS THIS WEEK

KEEPSAKES Most obsessed-over PeoPle on the Web 1.

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ProfessioN

score

George W. Bush 43rd Us president 65.6 Barack obama 44th Us president 45.3 madonna singer, actress 37.63 Beyoncé singer, actress 36.73 Janet Jackson singer, actress 36.37 silvio Berlusconi italian politician 35.53 Bob Dylan musician 34.46 Pope Benedict XVi 265th Pope 34.02 mitt romney american politician 33.87 Bill clinton 42nd Us president 33.64 Hillary clinton Us politician 33.34 christina aguilera singer 33.13 mariah carey singer, actress 32.6 eminem Hip Hop rapper 32.18 al Gore Us politician 32.02 Britney spears singer 31.71 Hulk Hogan wrestler 31.64 roger federer tennis professional 30.32 Paul mccartney rock musician 30.26 Jimmy carter former Us president 29.8 cristiano ronaldo footballer 29.49 David Beckham footballer 29.21 George H. W. Bush 41st Us president 29.17 Big show wrestler 28.86 John mccain Us senator 28.8 shaquille o’Neal basketball player 28.78 Vladimir Putin russian President 28.74 fidel castro cuban politician 28.7 John Kerry Us senator 28.5 cher singer, actress 28.27 rafael Nadal tennis player 28.18 michael Jordan retired basketballer 27.87 Jeff Gordon racing driver 27.56 John cena wrestler 27.4 The Undertaker wrestler 27.4 Lady Gaga Pop singer 27.27 Noam chomsky linguist, activist 27.13 Kane wrestler 27.03 edward snowden system administrator 26.83 former UK Pm 26.75 Tony Blair steven spielberg director/producer 26.75 Lionel messi argentine footballer 26.72 serena Williams tennis player 26.68 Kobe Bryant basketball player 26.6 sarah Palin american politician 26.46 clint eastwood actor, director 26.36 Kurt angle wrestler 26.16 carrie Underwood country musician 26.1 Jean chrétien canada’s 20th Pm 25.84 Dwayne Johnson wrestler, actor 25.68 Taylor swift singer/songwriter 25.59 LeBron James basketball player 25.53 arnold schwarzenegger actor/politician 25.51 Dick cheney Us politician 25.5 Yulia Tymoshenko Ukrainian politician 25.37 cm Punk wrestler 24.97 Bret Hart retired wrestler 24.84 David cameron UK prime minister 24.83 marine Le Pen french politician 24.72 eric clapton guitarist, singer 24.66 Novak Djokovic tennis player 24.55 Joe Biden Us politician 24.3 Jennifer Lopez entertainer 24.29 Peyton manning super Bowl champion 24.19 Nicole scherzinger singer, dancer 24.15 rihanna singer, songwriter 24.13 shakira singer 24.03 sachin Tendulkar indian cricketer 23.98 ron Paul Us physician 23.95 Pope francis 266th catholic Pope 23.94 chris Jericho wrestler 23.93 maria sharapova tennis player 23.86 edge wrestler 23.78 Thierry Henry footballer 23.43 mc Hammer rapper, actor 23.34 Kelly clarkson singer, actress 23.32 michael schumacher racing driver 23.25 Yoko ono artist 23.11 Donald Trump television personality 23.02 elton John english musician 23.01 rey mysterio wrestler 23 elizabeth ii Queen of commonwealth realms 22.99 rob Van Dam actor/wrestler 22.99 magic Johnson retired basketballer 22.95 Pink singer 22.92 Triple H wrestler 22.81 Kylie minogue pop singer 22.81 Kanye West singer, record producer 22.8 andy murray tennis player 22.78 celine Dion singer and actor 22.76 50 cent rapper, actor 22.74 Derek Jeter professional baseballer 22.67 Paris Hilton american celebrity 22.61 ric flair wrestler 22.56 oprah Winfrey talk show host 22.53

please cut along this line and keep

JUST UNBELIEVABLE

Top speed of the Lightning F-40, the world's fastest production bicycle.

Total amount of money that was placed as bet in the United States in 2011.

SEEN & OVERHEARD

ENGLISH PHRASES Zero

Punctuality

I’m so sorry. Mercury is in retrograde, and that messes with technology, and I was trying to get on email to approve something, and my computer kept crashing.

CAMERON DIAZ

some people are always late, like the late King George v.

SPIKE MILLIGAN

I’ve been on a calender but never on time.

MARILYN MONROE

please cut along this line and keep

Name

FASTFORWARD

happiness

I’m happy as a Frenchman who’s invented a pair of self-removing trousers.

PRINCE GEORGE

to be stupid, selfish and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost.

GUSTAVE FLAUBERT

Anytime I can look a little taller ... I’m happy.

JENNIFER ANISTON

time

time is a great teacher; unfortunately it kills all it’s pupils.

HECTOR BERLIOZ

how long will this 24-hour strike last?

EAMONN O’NEAL

At the end of the day, isn’t it time we called it a day?

JOHN MORRIS

Memory

I remember your name perfectly, but I just can’t think of your face.

REV. WILLIAM ARCHIBALD

I never forget a face - especially if I’ve sat on it.

P. J. DECKER

don’t forget to kill tim.

AL SWEARENGEN

Go from zero to hero Originally North American to achieve sudden and spectacular success. Bill went from zero to hero yesterday after scoring the Rangers goal.

Zero hour The time fixed for momentous events or undertaking: from the count of zero as the final stage in a countdown. All set? I think I should begin to get changed now if I were you.

We want everybody to be ready to fall into their places five minutes before zero hour.

Zero option An option to disarm, especially to withdraw nuclear weapons from potential theatre of war. Ino insisted on our sampling a white Pinot Noir from one of the localities I remembered crawling through in the train. This is the exception to prove the rule. Much too good for the animals. Last night was the zero option. Menu gastronomico valdostano or zero.

Zero tolerance A total refusal to tolerate a certain type of activity or behaviour, without reserve or qualification.

The real conflict between Detroiters and suburbanites is in their different approaches to handling corruption.

Suburban communities swiftly expel sleazy politicians and weed out corrupt practices. Zero tolerance prevails. To the amazement of suburbanites (many of whom once lived in the city), Detroiters continue to re-elect politicians who are less than squeaky clean.

Question

Be a question of time To be bound to happen eventually. At your age, and with your attractions, is it possible for you to sentence yourself to a single life? Trust my knowledge of the world - nothing is less possible. It is merly a question of time.

The - in question The person or thing being considered or talked about.

Out of the question Not to be considered or permitted; impossible: originally used in the meaning ‘irrelevant issue’. As to consulting you, my dear, it was out of all question, because, you know, young ladies hearts and hands are always to be given with reluctance.

SPORTS 49

Saturday, December 6, 2014

‘Warri Wolves Will Excel In Confederation Cup’ Warri Wolves striker, Joseph Osadiaye is quite confident his side will give Nigerians quality representation at the CAF Confederation Cup competition.

The Seasiders together with the 2014 Federation Cup runners-up, Dolphins will fly the nation’s flag in Africa’s second tier clubs championship.

Osadiaye said the quality of players and coaches in their fold are quite encouraging and can comfortably win any com-

Clergies To Immortalise Obadare With Soccer Tourney

By TAOFEEK LAWAL, Abuja

Members of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) worldwide have finalised plans to immortalise the late renowned evangelist and founder of the World Soul Winning Evangelical Mission (WOSEM), Apostle Prophet Timothy Obadare with a soccer competition to be competed among youths within the South-west geopolitical zone of the nation.

A body, Christ For All Souls (CFAS) Sports International in conjunction with Reverend Francis O Claudio have been saddled with the responsibility of staging a befitting first edition of the Under-18 Soccer Competition scheduled to commence across the South-west states by third week of December.

Sports and education were picked as schemes to preserve the name of the late clergy and football was chosen according to CFAS, owing to its global popularity among youths, while educational quiz will also be staged among primary and secondary school pupils in the South-west.

“What we intend to do with this sports competition is to use football to preach all Baba’s morals and good virtues, as we all know that Obadare was an epitome of wisdom in evangelistic world and his legacies would remain indelible on the sound of time; the coordinator of the tourney, Rev. Dr. Oluwaferanmi Olanrewaju stated.

He stressed that Obadare rose above disability of his lack of sight to make big impact on the lives of people including those with two eyes which is a very good attribute that should be emulated by the younger ones.

Olanrewaju added that State of Osun governor, Rauf Aregbesola in his remarks during the burial of Obadare said the state decided to give the late pastor a befitting burial because of the great spiritual work he did while on earth, stressing that the late Obadare represented truth and spirituality on earth thereby would be immortalised to be remembered by the up-coming generations.

petition.

“We’ll certainly defend successfully the CAF Confederation Cup ticket to the admiration and satisfaction of Nigerians.

“We’ve the best of players as well as coaches capable of turning around positively the fortune of any side.

“We wanted the league shield to compensate for our hard work in the out gone season but ended the campaign in the

third spot.

“That wasn’t entirely a bad performance with the CAF Confederation Cup ticket in our kitty.

“I’m happy with the modest achievement and hopeful we’ll further excel at the continent when football hostilities start.

“I’m quite confident that we won’t merely make up the numbers but compete favourably for the title,” said the Super Eagles marksman to supersport.com.

Osadiaye however could not say

forthwith the exact destination point for the upcoming season.

“No, I’ve not decided anything for myself as it affects the upcoming season, I’m still trying to caught some rest before thinking of what next to do.

“At least, I’m quite certain Warri Wolves will be a huge success in the new season with or without me,” said Osadiaye.

Wolves ended their season’s campaign in the third position on 61 points and a Caf Confederation

Joseph Osadiaye

Super Falcons’ Boss Upbeat Ahead Of World Cup Draw Super Falcons head coach, Edwin Okon has assured that his team is prepared to take on any opponents at the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada. The Falcons helmsmen departed the Country on Thursday to Canada to participate in the official draw ceremony for the quadrennial football showpiece holding today in the Canadian capital, Ottawa.

The 24 finalists will be divided into six groups of four teams with the best two in each group progressing to the round of 16.

Okon said he prays for a fair group at the draw ceremony just like any other side, but insisted that his side are not worried who turns out to be their Super Falcons players celebrating a goal during a match opponents.

“We’re praying for God’s fa“I’m going to the draw cere- get will be to surpass the sevvour as well as a good group mony with an open mind to face en-time African champions’ though I don’t normally both- whoever become our group’s quarterfinal stage record at the er my head over who I play opponents.

World Cup. against in any championship.

“We want to be champions “My personal target at the “My attitude has always and should be able to withstand upcoming World Cup in Canabeen to prepare as well as and any challenges, I think that are da is to surpass the side’s best psyche up the players to take the mentality of champions,” quarterfinal record in the 1999 up any opponents. said the head coach of Nigeria World Cup in the United States “That has been our watch- Women Premier League side, of America. word and winning mentali- Rivers Angels to supersport.

“I know we can achieve the ty that helped us to overcome com. feat and even go beyond it to difficult opponents.

Okon said his personal tar- winning the title but first I want

to take the side beyond the quarterfinal stage then take it up from there,” said the former Falconets head coach.

The World Cup final would be held between June 6 and July 5 in six Canadian cities namely Edmonton, Moncton, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Winnipeg.

The Super Falcons have featured in the past six editions of the championship.

Club To Organise Unification Football Match In Ibadan

By TAOFEEK LAWAL, Abuja

In a bid to further strengthen the bond between players resident in Ibadan, both active and retired and to raise fund to assist the ones in distress, Heroic Image Sports Club has concluded plans to stage a unification football match between footballers from the East and Western part of country.

The match according to the president of the sports club, Kenneth Umeh, who addressed the press has been scheduled to come up on the 14th of December at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex Ibadan.

3SC Team Manager, Dimeji Lawal who doubles as the coordinator of the sports club also told newsmen that notable ex-players such as Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer,

Ike Shorunmu, Gbenga Okunowo, ex-Shooting Stars and Super Eagles midfielder, now Coach of Giwa FC, Duke Udi, Bright Omokaro and Tony Alegbe all resident in Ibadan would feature in the match.

“This unification game which was instituted to further foster more unity among ex-players in the state was held last year, but we intend to make this year’s edition more exciting and glamorous with aim of raising funds from well-meaning individuals invited to the event to assist some of our colleagues that are in distress. We must be grateful to some of Igbo business men such as Chief Osita Obodoekwe (OwelleNdigbo), CEO of Brighton Hotel and Chief John Chukwuemeka Nnanna, CEO of Jonceil Ltd that

Nigeria league players in action

have shown tremendous support to this cause by donating generously towards the successful hosting of

this event”, said Lawal, a member of the Damman miracle 1989 Flying Eagles’ squad.

50 SPORTS

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Bankers Games: Skye, UBA Seek History Today The stakes are high and the diadem too precious to concede hence from the camps of cup holders, Skye Bank and challengers, UBA, words of psychological intimidation have been spewing. It is not only from the players but from the big bosses who hold the vaults and provide the enabling environment for their players to remain the best two in the competition.

The first salvo was fired during the traditional trophy tour by MediaVision Limited to the offices of the two finalists and at their Victoria Island high-rise headquarters, Timothy Oguntayo, Managing Director, Skye Bank declared that the trophy was not visiting but staying. His words, “We are a winning team and will continue to win. Our strength as an organization lies in our people and we will continue to encourage platforms like the Nigeria Bankers Games that

helps keep them healthy and fit.

The team Manager, Femi Aribaloye added, “It is a new Trophy and a new challenge, so we will take it home come Saturday 6th December”.

UBA was not left out of the mind’s game as they equally sent a strong message of intent using the occasion of the trophy presentation. First to speak was the Team Manager, Emeka udegbulem, who said, “UBA were the first team to lift the retired Trophy and in continuation of that tradition we will lift the new Trophy.

Team Skye has had their run, now it is our turn.

Then the team captain Peter Nwachukwu, declared: We are winning the trophy for sure, we are in the finals same as last year and we are facing the same team, we are prepared and will emerge victorious on Saturday 6th December.

All Set For FIFA Club World Cup If the excitement of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil has already made this a special year for football, then the FIFA Club World Cup tagged ‘Morocco 2014’ promises to provide a fitting finale to an unforgettable 12 months.

For two of the 161 players on the official competition list, the tournament represents an opportunity to become world champions for the second time this year. Toni Kroos and Sami Khedira tasted victory at FIFA’s flagship event when they lifted the World Cup with Germany at the Maracana on 13 July, and now they hope to add the club equivalent.

For their Real Madrid teammates Marcelo, Karim Benzema, Raphael Varane, Pepe, Fabio Coentrao and even Cristiano Ronaldo – who all lost to Germany with their respective countries during the World Cup – the Club World Cup represents the perfect opportunity to put a little of that disappointment behind them.

That will also be one of the aims of Spain internationals Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos. After their national team was knocked out early in Brazil, the pair will be hoping to recapture the glory of another famous Spanish triumph on African soil – the 2010 Fifa World Cup. For the other members of the star-studded Real Madrid squad, it will be a chance to add another piece of silverware to the current European champion’s already

bulging trophy cabinet.

Aiming to prevent the European domination of 2014 continuing at the Club World Cup and to give Argentina a title to make up for losing the Final in Brazil, San Lorenzo arrive at the competition led by the likes of Nestor Ortigoza, Sebastian Torrico, Julio Buffarini and Emmanuel Mas, with coach Edgardo Bauza crossing his fingers that Leandro Romagnoli can recover before the semifinal on 17 December. Cruz Azul, meanwhile, will hope that an experienced squad featuring names like Jose Corona, Gerardo Torrado, Marco Fabian and Christian Gimenez will finally allow a Mexican side to make a serious impact on the competition.

This year’s edition will feature players from 28 different nations, three fewer than in 2013. Algeria, for its part, will be represented by ES Setif and star striker Sofiane Younes, while the host nation’s Moghreb Tetouan will try to repeat Raja Casablanca’s impressive 2013 campaign with the help of a player who knows the competition well: Moussine Iajour, scorer of two goals in last year’s tournament. When it comes to experience, however, no one can match Auckland City, who are back at the Club World Cup with 12 players who appeared in last year’s edition, including veteran Ivan Vicelich, who will play at the tournament for the fifth time.

Real Madrid players training ahead of the World Club Cup.

Didier Drogba celebrates scoring Chelsea’s second goal with Branislav Ivanovic during the Premier League match against Tottenham on Wednesday

EPL Preview: Chelsea Takes Unbeaten Run To Newcastle •••Southampton faces Man U

By Salifu Usman, with agency report

Premier league table topper, Chelsea takes a six-point lead to Newcastle this weekend while faltering Southampton face Manchester United in a titanic battle.

Chelsea will be hoping to continue their unbeaten run at the St James Park. With 11 wins and; three draws in 14 league matches, Jose Mourinho’s side have opened up a healthy gap on champions, Manchester City.

Seemingly impregnable in defence, robust and classy in midfield and clinical in attack, already, this year’s title race is being talked of in terms of only two teams. Chelsea are already running away with the Premier League and sit comfortably with thirty three points. They are also dubbed as the favourites to win the title this time round.

But for a man who loves to talk, Mourinho is being modest in his assessment of his side and

their title chances. “We are doing well, getting good results in every competition,” he said. “But, I don’t think we should speak too much about it.

“We must go game after game, play the best we can and try to get the best results.”

Chelsea coped comfortably without the suspended Diego Costa in midweek as they beat Tottenham 3-0 but the Spain striker will be back for the trip to Newcastle.

But, Newcastle boss, Alan Pardew believes it will be “impossible” for Chelsea to remain unbeaten in all four major competitions this season. Jose Mourinho’s men maintained their unbeaten start to the current campaign by brushing aside Tottenham 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Ahead of Chelsea’s visit to St James’s Park this weekend, Pardew hailed the quality of Mourinho’s men but said they were bound to slip up sooner or

later.

“It’s the best Chelsea team that I’ve ever seen and I’ve watched them since I was about 12 so I know them pretty well.”

Defending Champions, Manchester City showed they are coming into form nicely, after an inconsistent start to the season, with their 4-1 win at Sunderland their third straight league victory.

Third meets fourth as the two Dutch managers in the Premier League go head to head, with Southampton hosting a Manchester United side who have won four matches in a row.

Louis Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman have a chequered relationship, stemming from their time together at Barcelona and then Ajax, but Koeman will be more concerned with avoiding a third straight defeat. Van Gaal will monitor the fitness of injured duo Wayne Rooney and Angel Di Maria before finalising his line-up.

Iniesta’s Return Lifts Barca For Derby Barcelona have been boosted by the successful return from injury of talismanic playmaker Andres Iniesta as they prepare to host city rivals Espanyol in La Liga on Sunday. Iniesta played for the first time since damaging a calf muscle at the end of October in Wednesday’s 4-0 King’s Cup last32, first leg victory at third-tier Huesca.

The Spain international, captaining the side in the absence of most of Barca’s rested regulars, bossed the game and scored a splendid goal reminiscent of his dramatic effort at Chelsea in 2009 that sent Barca through to the Champions League final.

The ball was played to him from

the left across the top of the penalty area and his first-time shot arrowed into the top corner to make it 2-0 in the 16th minute.

“When you try a shot from outside the area sometimes it goes in,” the self-effacing Iniesta, a hero to Spain fans for his extratime winner in the 2010 World Cup final, told reporters.

“I managed a good strike, although for me the most important thing was the overall feeling which makes me positive,” added the 30-year-old.

Iniesta can provide extra creativity in attack for secondplaced Barca as they seek to keep pace with leaders Real Madrid, who are two points clear

Iniesta

at the top after 13 matches and host Celta Vigo this weekend. A win for Carlo Ancelotti’s men at the Bernabeu will extend their club-record winning streak to 18 matches.

/ SPORTS 51

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Australian Open: Organisers Revise Heat Policy Andrew Wiggins

Parker, Wiggins Named Rookies Of The month

The Milwaukee Bucks’ Jabari Parker and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in October/November.

Parker, the second overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft, ranked first among all rookies in scoring (11.9 ppg). Additionally, among first-year players, Parker ranked second in rebounding (6.1 rpg) and steals (1.33 spg).

Parker recorded a career-high 23 points against the Brooklyn

Nets on November 19, in a triple-overtime victory. He also recorded double-doubles in two of his first three career games.

Wiggins, the first pick in June’s Draft, ranked second among all first-year players in scoring (11.6 ppg) and first in three-point field goal percentage (.440). Among Western Conference rookies, he ranked first in steals (1.13 spg) and minutes played (28.7 mpg). On November 22 v the Sacramento Kings, he led Minnesota with a career-high 29 points during a 113-101 loss.

Australian Open organisers have changed their policy on extreme heat ahead of the 2015 tournament in Melbourne. The new heat policy at the first Grand Slam of the year will take into account the forecast once it exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, as well as a humidity and wind reading.

During last year’s tournament, Canadian player Frank Dancevic required medical attention after fainting during his first-round match. Players also vomited and suffered severe cramping while a ball boy also collapsed as temperatures took their toll.

Organisers were criticised for not suspending matches during the intense heat but have now taken action ahead of

next year’s tournament, which gets under way on January 19.

Melbourne Park now boasts three courts with retractable roofs after the Margaret Court Arena underwent refurbishment earlier this year.

Heat policy Organisers use the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) reading - a combination of air temperature, humidity and wind speed - to decide whether conditions are suitable for play.

“The heat policy, as always, will be applied at the referee’s discretion,” tournament director and Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said on the official Australian Open website.

“The decision on implementing the heat policy will take into account the forecast once

the ambient temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, and the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) reading exceeds 32.5.

“When conditions exceed these levels the referee is taking into account the forecast and state of play when making his discretionary call. We’ve been gathering data for a number of years now and the forecast process is more sophisticated than ever before.

“We believe this update will clarify and streamline the communications process for both players and support staff.

We’ve consulted the playing group and this is seen as the fairest way to implement the policy by many of the top players.”

Trainer Reveals Tyson Torment Tyson Fury was almost forced to pull out of his rematch with Dereck Chisora due to a virus, but still set up a world title shot with a stoppage victory.

The Manchester heavyweight produced a dominant performance against Chisora, who was rescued by his corner after taking sustained punishment at London’s ExCeL Arena.

The victory could have earned Fury a crack at Wladimir Klitschko’s WBO belt, but his preparations for the crucial clash were severely disrupted when he suffered a chest infection.

A summer fight had already been shelved after Chisora hurt his hand and Fury was determined to press ahead with the rescheduled bout.

“Nobody knows Tyson hadn’t trained for the past three and a half weeks coming into this fight,” said his trainer Peter Fury.

“Tyson had a virus that put him bed-ridden. He’s had flu in-

Tyson

jections, been up and down to the doctors, I took him to my place and put him in bed for three or four days.

“Last week, he started to feel better and two days before this fight he said, ‘listen I feel absolutely okay’.

“There was talk at one time of pulling this fight but we have to be on death’s door to pull a fight.”

The 38-year-old Klitschko holds three of the world titles and has not been beaten for over 10 years, but the Fury camp are confident that he can compete with the division’s best.

“Tyson will bring back a world title for Britain,” said his uncle Peter. “The thing with Tyson Fury is you don’t know who is turning up.

“That’s why he has a big advantage - how can you prepare for someone like him? He’s able to switch his tactics up, he’s got that much potential.”

Eva Hrdinova of the Czech Republic and Paula Ormaechea of Argentina feel the heat

Injury: Nadal Set For Return Former world No 1 Rafael Nadal says he is motivated for the challenge of returning to the courts after enduring a torrid time in 2014.

The 28-year-old Spaniard suffered a series of knee, back and wrist injuries throughout the year which culminated in missing the ATP World Finals in November.

Nadal reported on his official Facebook page that he had returned to training on Monday after recovering from surgery on his appendix.

He told Spanish newspaper AS: “It’s always a bit tough starting off after a few difficult months, without any continuity, and after the last month-and-a-half without being able to play any sport and the appendicitis.

“What I have to do this month is to get myself fit physically, progress my tennis as much as possible and lay the foundations to start well in Abu Dhabi and in Doha.

“Then take advantage of those tournaments to recover the competitiveness that I’ve not had for months due to the injuries.”

Nadal endured an up and down year during 2014, which started with falling short of his bid for a second Australian Open title where he was beaten in the final by Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka.

The Spaniard then made history at Roland Garros when cemented his reign as the king of clay with a thrilling four-set victory over Novak Djokovic to win his record ninth French Open title.

After struggling with injury following his record-breaking win, the 14time Grand Slam champion was famously stunned in the fourth round at Wimbledon by teenage sensation Nick Kyrgios before missing the defence of his US Open crown at Flushing Meadows.

Nadal

52

Saturday, December 6, 2014

REPORT OF THE

TRANSFORMATION

AGENDA

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

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LEADERSHIP in a bid to provide a true and objective picture of the successes and challenges of the Transformation Agenda is publishing THE REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA as told by the key actors themselves in their own words unedited.

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The Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan has been hailed as successful in several areas like agriculture, power, roads, macro-economic stability, foreign-direct investment inflow, and the health sector, among others. Critics cite poverty, youth unemployment, insecurity and the contracting middle class as evidence that the Transformation Agenda is not working. So who and what do you believe? Welcome to the Situation Report.

Ministries, Paratatals and Agencies who have made impactful contributions to the Transformation Agenda are invited to tell their success stories in the REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA. Private sector companies and contractors who have successfully executed Transformation Agenda projects are also invited to show and tell their success stories in the historic REPORT OF THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA.

To participwaithteph:otographs, charts and graphs and call

achievements along y Ubimago: 08068640944, n’s tio sa ni ga or e th le pi m co Simply 3143902, Henr Iyobosa Uwugiaren: 08:03 Tosin Allen: 08052116707spaper 6, 76 52 45 06 07 in am nj ew Adebayo Be t Abuja resident n n a in m o d e th in Show and tell it

feature 53

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Need For Security At Motor Parks In the wake of recent attacks at motor parks, security was beefed up across the country, just as sensitisation workshops were held for transporters. However, more needs to be done as visits to some motor parks by YAHYA SARKI, Kebbi and DAVID ADUGE-ANI, Abuja, suggest

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lh Bala Gwandu is a driver who has been engaged in commercial driving for over 20 years in Kebbi State. He wonders why security personnel who used to be stationed at the parks in the state have been withdrawn. The driver said although Kebbi is peaceful, there is the need to take preventive security measures in the parks by having the police or other security details at the gate and premises of the motor park 24 hours a day.

About a month ago, at least 30 people were killed in Gombe State when a bomb planted by suspected insurgents went off at a motor park in the state capital.

The incident was not the first to be reported in a motor park since insurgent activities heightened in the country.

In July 2013, more than 50 persons were killed when a popular motor park in Kano State was bombed; the popular Nyanya Motor Park in Abuja was also bombed twice this year in two separate attacks within few days interval.

Motor parks in Kebbi are many, ranging from the central one located in the state capital, Birnin Kebbi and others located in each of the local government areas of the state.

Apart from these, there are some smaller ones which are also found scattered in towns and villages where travellers making short distance trips usually board vehicles. The central motor parks and others at the local government areas are usually used for long distance purposes but sometimes for both.

Although Kebbi is generally peaceful, the state of security and infrastructure of these public places is questionable and leaves room for concern in the state especially in the wake of security challenges in the country. In most of these public places where hundreds of persons patronise daily, there is no special or authentic security arrangement to safeguard these places apart from local gatekeepers who are only interested in collecting money

from drivers but have no concern for safety. For instance, even the Central Motor Park in Birnin Kebbi does not have stationed policemen, bomb squad or other security personnel at the gates to check the vehicles coming in and out of the park not to talk of other small motor parks.

Bala also lamented the poor security condition as well as poor maintenance culture in motor parks. He said that the Birnin Kebbi Central Motor Park which was constructed by the military administration of Samaila Bature Chamah in 1998 has been in a state of disrepair for many years. Bala cited examples of areas in the market such as the parking space flooring completely damaged by rain. “The park which was constructed over 10 years ago did not get government intervention. Most of the facilities like toilets, shops, drainages and even the parking ground are full of pot holes,” he said.

Other areas which he said require attention are the provision of drainages, construction of shops and even provision of toilets.

A close investigation by LEADERSHIP Weekend around the motor parks revealed that none of the parks, including the Central Motor Park in Birnin Kebbi has any form of security stationed in or around it. When contacted on the matter, the officials of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state refused to comment saying only the state chairman of the union has the right to speak on the matter but had travelled out of the state. Several calls put to the Police public relations officer by LEADERSHIP Weekend to find out why the motor parks were unprotected proved abortive as he declined to respond to the calls.

However, at the popular Jabi Motor Park in Abuja, security has been beefed up in and around the area. The park also has a new entrance where screening of vehicles entering the park is thoroughly done.

Security officials use scanners to screen every vehicle before it passes through the gate.

Utako Motor Park, Abuja

Similarly, some of the smaller entrance gates into the motor park have been closed to make way for easy monitoring of those entering the park.

Recently, there were series of removal of illegal structures in the park by the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). The exercise which was aimed at preparing the park for upgrading led to the removal of many illegal shops and extensions in and around the motor park.

The demolition exercise which was tagged, “pin down operation,” was supervised by the officers of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), environmental health officers, the police, Navy and officials of AMAC. Leading the team, the head of environmental department in AMAC, Hajiya Maimuma Abubakar, explained that, “the demolition exercise became necessary because the purpose for which the motor park was originally meant has been altered and turned into building materials’ shops, hub for scavengers, mechanic workshops and other illegal activities.”

Abubakar maintained that the AMAC authority believed that the purpose for which Jabi Park was built was not being realised.

At the entrance, people coming into the park with big luggage were equally subjected to thorough screenings using security scanners.

One of the officials at the entrance of the gate who gave his name as Sunday told LEADERSHIP Weekend that the measures were part of the efforts by the Jabi Park management to secure lives and property in and within the park. He stated that there were other security measures which the management had but could not be

disclosed to the media for security reasons. “We are taking serious measures to safeguard lives and property at the Jabi motor Park. For this reason, many activities are going on to that effect. I cannot disclose to you some of the measures for security reasons but the one that is easily noticeable is the thorough screening at the gate using scanners,” he said.

Also speaking on the state of infrastructure at the park he said, “the park still lacks modern infrastructure. For instance, the park remains one of the dirtiest in the federal capital city.

Refuse is dumped at almost every place at the motor park. Although there are toilets in the park, they do not prevent people from urinating and defecating indiscriminately in and around the motor park.

“The motor park is an eyesore and an environmentalist’s nightmare; virtually every corner of the area stinks from the smell of human faeces. Many defecate around the corners of the park, mostly at night. Again the park has for a very long time served as a residential and commercial area for many people.

There are many people in the park who don’t have any other home. They do their businesses in the park and also sleep in the area.”

Jabi Motor park like other motor parks has food vendors who openly cook and sell their food inside the parks. These food vendors mount umbrellas at the centre of the park which serve as eating spots.

Since its establishment, the Jabi Motor Park has remained dusty or muddy (depending on the season) with bad-bumpy roads. No effort has been made to tar the road which has exposed the park to dust and dirt.

Although Kebbi is generally peaceful, the state of security and infrastructure of these public places is questionable

54 INTERVIEW

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Nail Care Business Is An $8b Industry – Amira

A 26-year-old UK graduate of politics and international relations, Amira Abraham, who has chosen to make her mark in the nail care industry says it is worth over $8b globally and still remains under-represented. In this interview with RUTH TENE NATSA, she spoke on her career in natural beauty and organic treatment Would you say the nail care business pays the bills?

I would say it does; not just in Nigeria but on a global scale.

Unfortunately, the nail care industry is under-represented because when you talk about beauty features for instance, you would find out that focus is more on make-up, hair and even the hair is artificial with very little focus on the hands; it is an under-represented market though globally, it is worth $8 billion with a large market. I believe Africa is the third global beauty market, though not so sure of a specific figure because we do not have a mechanism in place for data collection. So nobody is able to say how much the industry is worth.

How much do you see the organic market impacting Nigeria’s economy?

I think it is a very big market and it is evident in the number of home-made shea butter products that we see coming up in the market and there is an obvious increase in the demand of shea butter, coconut oil and neem oil. A lot of these natural products that are in high demand in the west are homegrown here. It is a huge industry and I think our cosmetics industry needs to pick up and forget about the chemical beauty products because even the west is moving back to natural beauty alternatives from the processed ones.

What inspired you to go into the nail care business?

Our efforts initially started off as a nails bar with attention on nail care, health and maintenance but in recent times, new products were launched and it came with the expansion of our services. We now include beauty services, massages and healthcare. We have built up our services with more focus on facials, hair removal treatment, body treatment and natural health care. We try to focus more on a one stop beauty shop but it doesn’t change the fact that our central focus is still on nail care.

How and where do you source the organic products?

Everything is made by hand with recipes that I have come up with personally. I am certified in natural product-making and quite familiar with making shampoos, conditioner, body creams, washes among others. I use products that are easily sourced here in Nigeria. So, a lot of the items are shea butter base, coconut oil and essen-

tial oils and the thing with the shampoo and cleansing bars is that I don’t call them soaps because there is no soap in them.

I simply use the oil and refer to them as cleansing bars; they are not dry and do not strip your skin. They are mild enough to be used on both children and adults.

Why organics?

The whole idea was as a result of professional treatment using natural products. We have always pushed for professional grade treatments using natural products so the Bahiyah Organic range is an opportunity to give to customers a bit of the nail bar to take home with them and use in their own spare time.

The reason for this was because I wanted something healthy, something you could trust and say it is natural, not because it has 2 per cent which is the official percentage needed to call something natural, this is something that is 100 per cent natural, even the preservatives are natural.

As young as you are, what inspired you to go into nail care instead of hair, beauty care or any other?

At the risk of sounding odd, I have always been a beauty person right from the age of two to three years when I used to play with my mum’s make up and dress in her clothes. So I have always been beauty-conscious but because I have always been very conservative, I have been beauty-conscious in a natural way, not that I will be wearing so much make up for everyone to know that I have been artificially enhanced. I am always attracted to natural beauty remedies such as ‘manshanu’ (cow oil) for my hair and shea butter for my skin as opposed to using some branded conditioner.

I have always been an earthy ‘daughter of the soil’ kind of beauty person, up to the university when the hobby peaked and became more of a business interest to me, I didn’t really act on it until after I had graduated and served.

How open would you say the Nigerian woman is to enjoying the luxury of spas?

The reason why the nail bar works so well for Nigerian women is because we focus on natural beauty remedies and again particularly the northern women who are conservative. We want people to see and appreciate our natural beauty. So having beautiful hands and feet

Abraham

naturally is something that is appealing to our clients. Having naturally beautiful hair is appealing and so we do not focus so much even with our hair treatments on fake hair extensions but rather on natural hair treatments to grow your own natural hair.

What are your challenges in the nail care business?

The most difficult challenge I ever had since I started running the nail bar has been the Banex plaza bombing because of the proximity. It brought a downtime because a lot of people felt it was too close and usually when Boko Haram strikes, they always strike twice. So people do not want to come back to the same environment uncertain of what’s going to happen next but the good thing about staying here is that I am accessible to the market that my business is intended for and because it is by the street, people feel more comfortable coming in when not looking their best to be transformed into looking it.

The most difficult thing which I think every Nigerian business owner can relate to is the high

cost of running an actual business irrespective of location and I think for some, it is even worse because for us in Abuja, I think it is even better because we enjoy the best of PHCN unlike others who spend a lot on diesel. More importantly, the business is a trust issue; you have to trust me to deliver or even touch you because it is a very personal service.

A word for the aspiring- young beautician

It is important to understand that the beauty industry is a huge field and if you go to a beauty school, you are taught everything from skin care, to body treatment, nail care, make up etc but do not be a jack of all trade. You must get educated and specialise where you have the best skill. For me, many people wondered why nail care but I had to be true to my calling and prior to my starting up, all spas and salons had very little corners for nails with more emphasis on hair. I decided to start the nail bar and expand to other areas and since we started, people are beginning to pay the nail industry more attention.

since we started, people are beginning to pay the nail industry more attention

Feature 55

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Some children doing jobs seemingly above their abilities

Child Labour: A Common Practice Among Artisans Although Nigeria adopted the international laws prohibiting child labour over a decade ago, millions of children in the country still engage in child labour.

DAVID ADUGE-ANI writes that the practice appears more prevalent in the artisan sector of the economy Child labour remains a major source of concern in Nigeria in spite of legislative measures.

Child labour is defined as work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children and deprives them of opportunities for schooling and development.

According to the International Labour Organisation, the number of working children under the age of 14 in Nigeria is estimated at 15 million. The high level of diverse and tedious jobs that children execute in dangerous circumstances is particularly worrying. These jobs include working as street vendors, beggars, car washers or watchers and shoe shiners. Many others work as apprentice-mechanics, hairdressers and bus conductors while a large number work as domestic servants, especially household cleaning.

A further investigation revealed that many Nigerian children under the age of 14 are engaged in mechanic apprenticeship even in the federal capital territory.

The above is the case of Tunde, a 14-year-old child who works as an apprentice in one of the mechanic workshops in Lugbe-Abuja. His father died in 2010. As the only child of his father, his mother remarried another man in 2012 and it was not possible for her to take him along into her new home.

Tunde was therefore handed over to his present boss to train as a motor mechanic. He has abandoned

school since then.

“Since the death of my father, I have not attended school. What I do is this job of learning how to repair vehicles. Initially when I started this job, I would cry anytime I saw some of my schoolmates going to school because I would feel like joining them but I couldn’t since there was nobody to pay my school fees. So, I have learnt to cope with my new assignment,” he told LEADERSHIP Weekend.

For Nnamdi, another apprentice working with his uncle at a carpentry workshop at Dei-Dei in Abuja, he was taken from his village to join his uncle in the city. Although he goes to school, he has to cope with learning carpentry alongside. “I often wake up as early as 5 o’clock in the morning to enable me do my morning jobs at home and in the workshop before going to school. I have to sweep my uncle’s house, wash the plates and pots before going to the workshop to clean the place after which I prepare for school. Most times, I get to school late and in most cases I receive punishment for coming late to school,” he said Available statistics show that these working children lose out on education because they have no time, money or energy to go to school. It also showed that about six million children comprising of boys and girls, do not attend school at all while about one million children are forced to drop out of school due to poverty or because

their parents want them to contribute to the family’s income. Also, over eight million children manage to stay in school and work at their spare time to pay school fees. Due to high demand at work, these children normally skip classes. Missing out on education makes it impossible to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation and prevents them from having a better life and a safer future.

Major causes of child labour are widespread poverty, rapid urbanisation, breakdown in extended family affiliations, high school dropout rates and lack of enforcement of legal instruments meant to protect children. Traditionally, children have worked with their families but today children are forced to work for themselves and their family’s survival.

Recently, a Nigerian-based League of Democratic Women, which has become a key campaigner to end child labour in the country noted that children subjected to child labour are under the control and mercy of their masters as they rarely have access to education and are subjected to physical, sexual and psychological abuse.

In 2003, Nigeria passed the child’s rights law that was designed to incorporate into its laws all the rights guaranteed in the United Nations’ Convention on the rights of the child. The UN convention adopted in 1959 states that: “The child shall be protected against all forms of neglect, cruelty and ex-

ploitation. He shall not be admitted to employment before an appropriate minimum age; he shall in no case be caused or permitted to engage in any occupation or employment which would prejudice his health or education or interfere with his physical, mental or moral development.”

Though the UN convention was signed by Nigeria as member-state and its provisions incorporated into national law, the child rights law has not been incorporated by the 36 states of the federation. For the law to be incorporated in the states, the House of Assembly of each state must pass it into law.

Presently, 24 of the 36 states have done so. All but one of the states that have not incorporated the UN convention into its local laws is in northern Nigeria where child labour is common.

In a meeting held in Kaduna recently by the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), it was revealed that three years after the Child Rights Act was introduced and passed by virtually all the 17 southern states in Nigeria, only three out of the 19 northern states have passed the Child Rights Act. “The law seeks to promote the rights of children to better life and protect them against the vagaries of exploitation, abuse and exploitation,” Rabiu Musa, UNICEF’s communications officer stated. “Kogi, Kwara and Niger states have passed the law while Sokoto and Katsina are almost sealing it,” he said.

He explained that the states were amending the Act to suit their local peculiarities in terms of religion, culture and environment. Musa said that about 10 million children were not in school in the country and called on stakeholders to collaborate in reversing the trend as it was becoming a serious social problem. According to him, UNICEF is engaging parents, the three tiers of government and institutions, including NGOs, to address issues of child labour and trafficking.

Major causes of child labour are widespread poverty, rapid urbanisation, breakdown in extended family affiliations, high school dropout rates and lack of enforcement of legal instruments meant to protect children

56 OPINION

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Pastor T. O. Banso Faith 08155744752

cedarministryintl@yahoo.com, cedarministryng@gmail.com

God Will See To It! (1)

I Your journey of destiny shall not be aborted in Jesus’ name.

You’ll get there

n Gen 22:1-19, Abraham stepped out in faith to go to do the unthinkable – sacrifice his beloved son that took him 25 years to get. God didn’t even tell him the specific place he would do the sacrifice –there were more than one mountain in the land of Moriah that God told him to go.

He promised to show him the exact mountain only as he went.

God doesn’t tell you everything about your future or tell you all the details of the assignment He wants to give you or He’s given you. You must step out in faith based on what He’s told you and keep going by faith as He gives you further instructions.

Seeing from afar It wasn’t until the third day that Abraham saw afar off the place he was to offer the sacrifice. (Verse 4) May be you’re at a stage in your life where you’re following God but you can’t see anything about where God has promised to take you to or you can’t see what God is doing in your life. Don’t give up; keep going forward by faith. Abraham could have turned back the first or the second day when he couldn’t catch a glimpse of where God was taking

him to for the sacrifice but he continued. However, on the third day, he saw the place from afar.

It is also possible that where you’re now, you’ve started seeing from afar the place God is taking you to. If this is your present condition, don’t let it enter your head.

Seeing from afar is not the same as getting there. Moses was only allowed to see the land of Canaan, the Promised Land, but he didn’t enter the land. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I told them I would give it to their descendants. I have now allowed you to see it, but you will not enter the land.’” (Deut 34:4 NLT) Your journey of destiny shall not be aborted in Jesus’ name. You’ll get there.

Protect your faith As Abraham and Isaac continued, they got to a place where Abraham asked his servants to stay back leaving himself and Isaac to continue with the journey. Abraham who was going to sacrifice his son told his servants they both would return after the sacrifice. How would that be possible? Faith! There is a time you must separate from some

people even if just for some time for you to be able to do what God has asked you to do. If you don’t, they may hinder your faith. This was what Jesus did in the house of the ruler of the synagogue whose 12 year old daughter had died. He didn’t permit anyone to follow him to the ruler’s house except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. (Mark 5:37) And Matt 9:23-26 says, “When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, ‘Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.’ And they ridiculed Him. But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all that land.” (NKJV) It’s not everybody that you take along on your journey of destiny. Be careful who you take along.

When Isaac asked his father for the animal for the sacrifice, an important ingredient that was missing (which shows Isaac was old enough to understand what sacrifice meant) Abraham said, “Son, God will see to it that there’s a sheep for the burnt offering.”(Gen

22:8 The Message) And they kept on walking together.

What is missing in your life now?

What is that thing that you’ve been praying to God concerning? God will see to it. God will see to it that the answer to your prayer is delivered to you. God will see to it that your miracle appears.

I believe you’ve heard from God today. I’ll continue this message next week.

TAKE ACTION! If you are not born again, kindly say this prayer now: “0 Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I repent of and confess my sins. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today.

I invite Jesus into my heart today.

By this prayer, I know I am saved.

Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God” I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations!

You will need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus.

Friday Ebinyi Impactful View impactfulview@gmail.com

Tel: 08150741383 (text only)

Marriage That Makes Better Society CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

As they have obviously deviated by their teachings and counselling given to potential husbands and wives.

Religious leaders are now matchmakers, who hurriedly put men and women together as husband and wives for selfish purposes. Unfortunately, some religious leaders teach and encourage divorce without recourse to what God said about divorce, and the consequences it brings upon the society, because He (God) clearly condemned divorce as He said “…. I hate putting away….be careful with your temper that you do not deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.”

It is important to mention that marriage should be seen as God’s project and programme, and man or woman, including family, friends and religious leaders should not alter it.

Intending persons who wants to go through the institution of mar-

riage should properly understand the demands and sacrifice inherent. Seek proper counsel, and if at all they should embark on this life-long journey of marriage they should fulfil the following criteria of being physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually matured, which enables them to be ready in bearing the responsibility that comes with marriage on the altar of love, self discipline and forgiveness.

For a family to be fulfilled and make a better society, all they do should evolve around God’s laid down standard on marriage. Also they should avoid man’s opinion and personal principles capable of derailing the union from God’s original plan of peaceful co-existence, love, protection and provision that positively impacts on the society.

It was not a mistake for the Master-planner, God to institute mar-

riage upon which an adult man and woman agreeing to live together for the rest of their life after obtaining their parents conceit establish their home and family.

The initiator (God) of marriage had an amazing motive before He went on to create the woman for the man, in order for their joy to be fulfilled, have strong dominion over other creatures, therefore gave them power for procreation, protection and prosperity.

The purpose of multiplication ordered by God was to ensure that the world will be a safer and better place for human habitation. It was to make things easier for the family and between other families.

It is imperative to state that a marriage established upon the fear of God will translate to a secured, peaceful and egalitarian society free of rancour and all vices that hurts the peaceful co-existence in that society.

It is not gainsaying that our society is sick due to the unhealthy marriage practices that are now a common place across borders, tribes, geographical location, religion and race. The factors behind these abominations in the marriage system are traceable to sheer negligence of values and tenets surrounding marriage in most places.

The problems plaguing the society are as a result of deviation from God’s original plan for marriage.

Many people who claim to stay together do not cleave to each other rather call it contractual agreement for temporal pleasure and selfish benefits they could derive from their makeshift relationship and union.

It is painful to see marriage being handled with levity and therefore, makes worse the divorce rate on daily basis.

CONCLUDED

For a family to be fulfilled and make a better society, all they do should evolve around God’s laid down standard on marriage

58 INTERVIEW

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Investment Opportunities Still Abound In The North – Onwe

The chairman of Top Galaxy Hotels, Kaduna, Chief John Onwe, in this interview with OIBOH PETER, explains what it takes to do business in the north as well as the secret behind every successful business.

How did you begin as an entrepreneur?

I had a mentor whom I served for years before he settled me; the late Chief Boniface Eze. He has one of the best hotels in Kaduna. After my apprenticeship with him, I started my own business first with motor spare parts. From that, I started to produce fibre materials until I started importing from China and today, I execute a whole lot of varied contract jobs. For instance, I supplied the bitumen to CGC, the company that handled the construction of the eight-lane dualisation of Dutse-Alhaji – Asokoro road in Abuja.

You’ve just delved into the hospitality industry and invariably have one of the best hotels in Kaduna and indeed in the north.

What is motivated you; are you not bothered by the state of insecurity?

That is how some people are thinking. As for me, I came to the north with nothing. And I’ve lived all my adult-life in the north; I started my businesses in the north and made all my money in the north.

So there is no law against my investing in the north after all we are all one Nigeria. So, even with the threat of insecurity, that does not mean we’re not one. We are to disagree to agree. I’m sure even in Syria, some Nigerians have property there. And if that’s the case, what

It’s always been huge. There is no doubt that it’s being affected by the present state of things as regards insurgency but to me it’s temporary and I pray that the issues be resolved soon.

with they should ensure stable power, improve on water supply.

We don’t have water to serve us here, not even water board connection. The one we had has failed, so we have to try to provide those things ourselves. But the cost of maintaining generator for instance is very high and this will affect our business somehow. They should also look at taxes and all that relates to them. They need to compensate us, knowing that we have so many expenses to take care of, so we can take care of our staff.

They should also provide adequate security not just for my hotel and me but also for the public. This way everybody can work freely and do what they need to do without any distraction.

So, what gave you the courage to delve into hospitality business?

What will you say is the secret of your success?

more can you say of Nigeria? That’s the way I see it and that’s the motivation for me.

How would you describe the economic potential of the north in general?

Like I said earlier, my mentor has a big hotel here in Kaduna. So, I’ve always had a passion for it, added to the fact that I wanted to follow in the footsteps of my mentor. So, that’s how I got here and I hope to go beyond here.

Your hotel seems one of the best in Kaduna for now. What should people expect when they enter your hotel? What difference are you bringing to the business?

I like exclusive things. I like space and I don’t like copying others’ works. For instance, if you look at all the hotels in Kaduna, you’ll see that they all look alike. But for this hotel, we’ve decided not to copy any one whether in style, service delivery and unique style of clientele satisfaction and comfort. We’ve started this and we’ll try to make it exclusive. We try to

Onwe

start where we think that others have stopped and this is not just a mission statement for us but a law here, so to speak.

What is your best selling point?

As you can see, we have almost all the facilities in terms of hospitality. We have a banquet hall that can take up to 1,000 people. We have a seminar hall that can take 600 to 700, a conference hall that can take up to 100 people. We have two swimming pools to cater for everybody; one is exclusive and reserved since all fingers are not equal. We decided to have an exclusive one for exclusivity and personal interests and we still have the open one.

Our bar is about the best too with rooms of different categories to

fit the public. We adhere to all levels especially the top level. It’s one stop place that you can’t easily get here in the north.

What will be your message for other would-be investors in the north?

What I would tell anybody in the north and Nigerians in general is that they should have courage, focus and be sure of what they want to do to achieve their dream. Don’t let anybody discourage you. Nigeria is Nigeria; no matter what we’re passing through we believe that it will end.

What will you like to see governments do to encourage entrepreneurs?

It’s not something much, to start

The secret of any good success comes from God. There’s a proverb in my place which when interpreted means: “your hard work can only feed you but riches come from God”. And I believe it. To me since I didn’t create myself and God it is who knows all things, I’ve been doing this project with God and praying, and God has been providing.

So I appreciate God for what he has done for me and my family and I maintain that riches come from God. Tell us about your family.

My family is here with me in Kaduna. I have 4 children all boys.

Will you still pray for a female?

My prayer is that God should give to those who need them. I think I’m okay with what He has given me.

‘Muslims, Christians Can Live Together In Peace’ A prominent cleric, Evengelist Jude Asogwa, in this interview with Ruth Choji outlines his life’s path and how adherents of both religions can live in peace How were you called into ministry and what are you doing presently for the Kingdom of God?

I thought of becoming a priest. Usually priests don’t marry. I thought of the challenges because it is a high price to pay. After prayerful consideration, I decided to marry, but before then I had a conviction that God wanted to use me. I also knew that I had the option to do the work either as a clergy or a married man. I decided to marry. Ordinarily I don’t like standing in the public and speaking with people. But there was a burden in my heart. I also had divine revelations showing that God wanted to use me. Some other people also knew that God wanted to use me and they told me. So all I did was to make myself available to Him in my own little way. I remember preaching in a car in 1992 in a 10 kilometer journey. After every passenger had alighted, the driver said to me as I was about to disembark, ‘do you know that the great men of God you hear about, this is how they started? If you keep doing what you are doing, you will go far.’ At another time, a prominent preacher in the Charismatic circle who works with NTA, came to give a talk and as I was about to help him take his bag out of

the hall, he looked at me and said, ‘Jesus was once a boy like you.’ I said to myself if Jesus was once a boy like me and he became great; let me follow in his footsteps. That became my aspiration. Jesus remains my model.

Politics is by the corner. We know that righteousness exalts a nation but we are not seeing many Christians showing interest in governance. How do you reconcile this?

I fully encourage Christians to seek for political offices. It is not really that they are not doing this. They are. The truth of the matter however is that most of them are not really Christians even though they bear Christian names. They do not bear divine mandates. I know a governorship aspirant that came to my office seeking support. But the first thing I told him was to go and bring a commitment letter, a manifesto. He came back with a nine point manifesto. Of that I keep reminding him. I also know some legislative aspirants. I pray for them when they come but I ask what their commitment is. Every Christian politician should see it as an opportunity to serve God by serving humanity. Our faith does not preclude us from contesting for elective posi-

tions otherwise you should not complain when the wrong person gets elected.

Looking at the security situation in the country, how do you think Christians and Muslims can live together as one.

We are all brothers and sisters. And because we are brothers and sisters, there is no need to kill ourselves on the platform of religion.

We both believe in one God. If that is the case I do not see a God that will tell a group of people to kill and another group not to kill. We all have a duty to ensure peace. The problem however is that selfish politicians hijack the religious platform to further their political ambition. The crisis in Nigeria if you look closely you will find out that it is not just based on religion but selfish political interest and motivation. If you trace the history of terrorist organizations you will find out that they started with a political motivation that either failed or culminated in the formation of something else that spiraled out of control. We have seen where Muslim processions were attacked. So who is saying it is simply religious conflict. It is not. Muslims and Christians should unite to end the crisis. If a Christian does something wrong, we should all condemn it, equally if a Muslim does same. We should know that we are not perfect but we should strive to handle the imperfections with maturity. For my

Asogwa

birthday, I thank God. My life is a testimony, full of challenges of course. By the age of 26 I was already involved in leadership. By 32, I was already retiring from active service which amazed some people. I see all these as an act of God. I believe that the best is yet to come. For me at forty, it is a starting phase. The area of discipleship and family projects is what I am prayerfully focusing on at present. The area of family life is disintegrating and I want to handle projects to address this. Life they say begins at 40!

59

Saturday, December 6, 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC)

His exCellenCy governor rAbi’u MusA KwAnKwAso, Fnse Executive Governor, Kano State

THe KwAnKwAso For PresiDenT nATionAl CAMPAign CoMMiTTee is hereby inviting friends, well-wishers and the general public to a

FunD rAising Dinner

in support of engr. Dr. rAbiu MusA KwAnKwAso’s PresiDenTiAl AMbiTion.

venue: Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja TiMe: 8:00pm DATe: Today Saturday, December 6, 2014 Signed: NATIONAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

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December 6, 2014

Major Causes Of Drastic Weight Loss

Think Yourself Thin With Zahra Bakari - Imam

08183666800 (text only) thinkyourselfthin@yahoo.com, twitter@thinkurselfthin

Jennifer Hudson’s Top Weight Loss Tips

Diseases Drastic weight loss is an indicator of some underlying health condition. Cancer, tuberculosis, HIV infection, kidney disease, etc. are some of the diseases that can cause drastic weight loss Dehydration Dehydration due to persistent vomiting and diarrhea can also result in drastic weight loss. Intestinal parasites could also be the reason behind your drastic weight loss as these eat away all the nutrients from the food you have eaten.

Extreme Dietary Changes Crash diets are adopted by some people in order to lose weight quickly. These crazy new fad diets and exercising plans can cause extreme weight loss which is very harmful for your body.

Eating Disorders Certain eating disorders can affect your eating habits and result in drastic weight loss.

Anorexia and bulimia are

two such eating disorders that affect women who are too obsessed with weight loss in order to maintain their figures.

Anorexia It can be a very dangerous situation, and if you are suffering from these disorders that have caused drastic weight loss, it’s best to seek some medical help.

Hyperthyroidism When the normal metabolic process in your body gets affected, it can result in drastic weight loss. Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are two such metabolic disorders that are a result of over or under production of thyroid hormones, and result in drastic weight loss in affected individuals at times.

Medications Certain medications such as amphetamines, chemotherapeutic agents and thyroid medicines can cause sudden and drastic weight loss in individuals.

JOKE • Because he works in construction, my husband thinks he can figure out pretty much any home repair himself. So after a wheel broke off the foot of our bed, I was surprised when he asked, “Can you get me that fix-it book you bought?”

The next day, I looked down to where the broken wheel had been. In its place, propping up the bed, was the book.

• Snail mail is really dead. Before I left on a trip to

Abuja, I promised my fiveyear-old grandson, “I’ll write you a letter when I get there.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’d like an A.” • It was a hot morning in Tulsa when I drove past a house with a sad-looking guy sitting in front surrounded by a pile of stuff. A poster read “Garage Sale: 7 a.m. to 100 degrees.”

Singer Jennifer Hudson dishes on her inspiring weight loss success in her new book, ‘I Got This,’ and offers a few of her top tips to help you slim down like a star.

“Are you insecure about being a big girl in Hollywood?” Jennifer Hudson was asked, just when she thought she’d made it big on American Idol.

The story the singer and actress, 30, recounts in her new memoir I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down is heart-wrenching to any woman who has ever worried about being too curvy.

“Surely, she wasn’t addressing me that way,” Hudson writes. “I had the height of a supermodel, breasts that were naturally big and real, and a God-given shape. Why would I feel insecure about that?”

But as it turned out, the question was directed at her. And Hudson, a Grammy award-winning singer and Oscar-winning actress who got her start on season three of American Idol, was in for a surprise. Throughout her blossoming career, she was constantly hounded about her weight, a struggle she candidly details on every page of I Got This. A chronic yo-yo dieter, Hudson reveals that she actually gained twenty pounds for her Oscar-winning role in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls. When it came time to lose it and get back to what she calls her “comfortable size 10,” she did what she always did whenever she wanted to lose a few — she followed a strict plan of nothing but brown rice, broccoli, and grilled chicken and two running workouts a day. But time after time, Hudson’s restrictive crash diet didn’t transfer into long-term weight loss — or health.

“That way of eating is effective for quick weight loss,” Hudson writes.

“It’s a total setup for failure because eating that way forever just isn’t realistic.”

After the birth of her son in 2009, Hudson says she tipped the scales at 237 pounds and knew it was time to make a change: “It was time to think about how I was going to lose the excess baby weight and then put that plan into action.”

And of course, we all know how that story ends: A few months later, she signed as a spokesperson for a named diet and has since shed 80 pounds on the plan, inspiring hundreds or even thousands of men and women to attempt the same. Throughout her book, her signature warm tone shines through, making readers feel like they are really getting a behind-thescenes look at her life.

Here, we share some of that Hudson’s very relatable advice: 1. Find a diet buddy. Hudson’s Weight coach, Liz Josefsberg, has been essential to her success. “Liz lost 50 pounds and had kept it off, which gave me a tremendous amount of confidence in her,” Hudson writes.

“She knew what it was like to lose that much weight, so I could really open up to her along the way.”

Whether your weight loss buddy is a coach like Liz or a friend who wants to slim down, sharing your experience with someone who can relate is key. Plus, you’ll be more likely to stay on track if a friend is holding you accountable.

2. Create a flexible plan. “I had been so brainwashed into believing that dieting meant excruciating limitations that I had rejected the principles of any program,” Hudson writes.

Whatever pla or system you’re on it’s important to create a plan that will work for your lifestyle — and allow a little indulgence from time to time.

3. Watch your portions. Hudson says before she started her Weight plan, she was a pretty healthy eater for the most part. “What I didn’t realize was the amount I was eating was actually detrimental,” she says. Now, she knows what a portion really looks like, and that helps keep her on track.

4. Get your family on board. Hudson’s family quite literally joined her weight loss efforts — inspired by her success, her sister, aunt, and cousin have all shed weight, too. Hudson’s husband has also been a huge support. “It’s such a blessing to have a partner who shares your same beliefs in getting healthy, as opposed to sabotaging your efforts,” Hudson reveals about her husband, pro wrestler David Otunga.

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Pulkit Alloy & Steel Nigeria Limited

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Saturday, December 6, 2014

Jonas Agwu

Khadija Abdu Iya

Road Safety Column

Searching Inward

08077690055 122 FRSC Toll-free emergency number jonasagwu@yahoo.com

Between Ebola, Hiv/AidS And Road Traffic Crashes

A

In Nigeria, deaths through road traffic crashes before the establishment of the Commission in 1988 stood at 25,792 crashes and 9,077 deaths

lthough road traffic injuries is projected to become the fifth leading cause of death by2030, if nothing concrete is done, corporate and individual engagement is still not in the magnitude with which we all become sanitizers distributors in the fight against Ebola.

The African region has the highest road fatality rates with 37 of the 44 countries surveyed having death rates well above the global average of 18.0 deaths per 100,000population.

While the region accounts for 2% of the worlds vehicles, it contributes 16% to the global deaths with young men as the most vulnerable. Most countries lack policies for protecting vulnerable road users. And most are yet to enact comprehensive laws concerning the major risk factors such as speed, drink driving, helmet use, seat belt use and child restraint. Post crash is either inadequate or lacking while law enforcement is weak or ineffective.

In Nigeria, deaths through road traffic crashes before the establishment of the Commission in 1988 stood at 25,792 crashes and 9,077 deaths.

The figure for 2012 stood at 6,269crashes with 4,260 deaths with an average of 12 deaths daily. Road crashes figure for counties within the West Africa sub region just like other countries in Africa is equally worrisome despite the Regional strategy through the West African Road Safety Organisation.

As at April 2014 when the WARSO executive/technical session held in Freetown, Sierra Leone worries were expressed over the slow pace of effective strategies in the sub region with the exception of Nigeria’s giant strides through the FRSC and select number of countries within the sub region .

Health Organisation (WHO) remains the most reliable authority on these killers, I will therefore rely mostly on facts provided by them to guide you in your conclusions. Before I reel out the fact sheet from WHO on these three killers, let me first remind you that the three epidemic remains a black man’s burden as they are more pronounced in Africa or better

still in low and middle income countries.

As I commence this series which hopefully would run for about two or three weeks, let me commend us all for the WHO clean bill for kicking Ebola out of our shores. But while we celebrate this great feat, let me express my self centred worry since the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease.

This worry was first borne by the damage caused by Ebola.

Secondly, rather than being excited over the immediate change in our health habits which was no doubt commendable, I was worried at the extent at which hand sanitisers had become a vogue at a time when our appeal to motorist to stay off their phones while driving and drive by the approved speed limits among other traffic infractions were falling into deaf ears. I was ironically worried also at the extent of mobilisation, including financial mobilisation by corporate organisations over the new killer which according to a serious joke by a close friend had only killed less than ten people compared to road traffic crashes which daily kills more. Now that we have collectively sent Ebola packing, I believe this is the right time to write this piece which has been in the cooler since the outbreak of the Ebola virus disease for the fear of being misrepresented.

According to The Global status report on road safety 2013 from 182 countries, accounting for almost 99% of the world’s population, including Nigeria, road traffic deaths remains 1.24 million per year.

As at 2014, the figure stands at 1.3 million. Only 28 countries, covering 7% of the world’s population, have comprehensive road safety laws on five key risk factors: drinking and driving, speeding, and failing to use motorcycle helmets, seatbelts, and child restraints. Nigeria through the activities of the Federal Road Safety Corps is among these countries.

The report further states that another 20 to 50 million sustain non- fatal injuries. These injuries and deaths have an immeasurable impact on the families affected and their communities.

CONCLUDED

07033726351 (Text only) searchinwards@yahoo.com 0708 370 1955 cedarministriesintl@yahoo.com

The Levels Of Loneliness…

CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK

Dear readers thank you for all your comments last week. We will publish the responses in due course.

Same bed “My sister told me that some married women are the loneliest in their marriages,” Cynthia said, jolting me back to the present.

“Yes, I have had women, especially when they read the Searching Inward book, send in text messages wanting to meet me and talk. Most of these women confess being overwhelmingly lonely in their marriages even though they sleep in the same room or on the same bed with their spouses and despite the presence of children in the house. Cynthy, loneliness for some of these women is what thrust them into the arms of other men, seeking some sort of companionship which they lack. Most men lack the knowhow to keep their women company.”

Wallpaper “One lady told me that she feels like a piece of furniture to her husband. He is always at home but he only seeks her when he needs something.” “Khadijah,” Cynthia cut in, “I would give anything to have someone to even depend on me! I don’t care if he treats me like wallpaper so far he’s there when I need water to drink when I can’t get up from bed. He would at least look my way and won’t be too callous to get it for me.”

Desperate Reading this article, one of my team members at S.I Magazine commented. “Now I understand how some women become desperate to the point that they lose themselves, the woman in them and their values because they are holding onto a man that hardly deserves or even possesses the capacity to be worthy of them.

Most of these men do not understand or would never care to rationalise that these women are pushed due to circumstances beyond their control to want them to be part of their lives. In many cases they take it for granted or end up making fools of them and hurting them so much they die inside. . Look what that lady (Cynthy) said in last week’s article; how desperate she gets to the point of losing her self dignity!”

“Nna” I told him, “It is sad. I didn’t even know how bad the situation was. It was an eye opener! The rate many readers sent text messages last week was amazing! It resonated with so many people. Allah in His infinite wisdom, like I always say, has programmed us to depend on each other, that is why He created the concept of family, community and friends. He, in his many words, encourages us to watch out for one another and to seek to be there for one another, not oppress or kill each other or be part of weapons that destroy the divine concepts of community; peaceful co-existence, love and harmony. He threatens to deal with every being that destroys that concept, urging us that our prayers and entreaties wouldn’t be complete if we abandon our kith and kin; promising to reward those that keep in touch often, help and promotes every attempt to enhance co-existence with their relations. In sum, if we follow His cardinal rules and programing, these overwhelming doses of loneliness and all other threats sweeping through us like a gale to uproot our existence as a people, would be resolved...

Effect I am one of the people that crave my meee time but more often than we may like to admit, we get lonely sometimes. According to a researcher, John Cacioppo of the University of Chicago, 20 percent of all people are unhappy because of social isolation at any given moment [source: Seligman]. For decades now, researchers have tracked the effects of loneliness and isolation on our physical health. One study with mice subjects found that isolation could increase cancerous tumor growth [source: University of Chicago Medical Center].

Another study found that isolation is a risk factor for disease on par with smoking and obesity [source: Goleman]. Loneliness often leads to stress, which is a risk factor for many conditions in its own right. If you have someone in your life; a husband, wife, a child or family, consider yourself lucky; don’t take it for granted… keep in touch with people you care about, family friends and avoid the plague of loneliness...Keep searching.

CONCLUDED

If you have someone in your life; a husband, wife, a child or family, consider yourself lucky; don’t take it for granted… keep in touch with people you care about, family friends and avoid the plague of loneliness

66 news

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Suspension: I Am Ready To Face PDP Disciplinary Committee – Tukur The former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Bamanga Tukur, yesterday said he is ready to face the PDP disciplinary committee even as he remains a loyal party member and staunch supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan. He added that he was ready to abide by the decision of the party with regards to his suspension.

The national leadership of the PDP on Thursday slammed a one-month suspension on Tukur and Aliyu Abuba Gurin over a case seeking to remove his successor, Dr Adamu Mu’azu from office.

The case which was filed by Gurin was however thrown out of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The party nonetheless referred Tukur and Gurin to the national disciplinary committee for infringing on section 58(1) (a)( b)(h)(l) of the PDP Constitution 2012 ( as amended).

Tukur who spoke with journalist over his suspension hinted that he was ready to face the disciplinary committee if the party so decides but regretted that the party took such action without hearing from him as a founding member of the party.

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

Nigerian Ebola Volunteers Arrive Liberia, Sierra Leone More than 175 Nigerian doctors yesterday arrived Liberia and Sierra Leone to join the fight against Ebola, the first of 600 volunteers promised by the regional giant who contained its own outbreak earlier this year.

The doctors are expected to boost weak local health systems that are also struggling to contain other preventable diseases as Ebola discourages people from going to clinics for fear of contracting the disease.

The worst outbreak of Ebola on record has killed at least 6,187 people in the three worst-affected countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – according to the latest data from the World Health Organisation.

Welcoming the volunteers, Nigeria’s ambassador to Liberia, Chigozie Obi-Nnadozie, noted that “this is the African spirit you are showing, this is the Nigerian spirit.” Seventy-six Nigerian medics were sent to Liberia while another 100 volunteers have also arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

David Aduge-Ani With Agency Report

Students watching School of Basic and Remedial Studies, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Funtua burning yesterday.

PHOTO BY NAN

Nwobodo’s Son’s Corpse Missing, Burial Postponed

BY MIKE UBANI, Enugu

The burial of the late Dr Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, the first son of former civilian governor of old Anambra State, Chief Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, scheduled to hold yesterday in Enugu State was aborted following the disappearance of the deceased’s corpse, LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered.

It was gathered that the two younger brothers of the deceased (Chukwudi and Uso) kept the corpse away from the

reach of anybody when it became apparent that the former governor wanted the remains of his late son to be interred within the compound of a new bungalow he built in honour of his first son who died on November 14, 2014.

It was also gathered that Chukwudi and Uso, Jim’s surviving two sons from Mukosolu, his first wife, argued that if their elder brother was buried outside their father’s expansive house at Amaechi Awkunanaw, they would be denied the right

to inherit the family house.

Several dignitaries including the deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Gil Nnaji, Dr Nnia Nwodo and former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, who came to commiserate with Chief Nwobodo left after failing to broker peace between the chief mourner and his two sons.

As at the time of filing in this report late yesterday, the duo of Chukwudi and Uso were yet to resolve the nagging issue of the appropriate place to inter

Borno APC Primaries: 4,520 Delegates Affirm Shettima As Governorship Candidate ...28 Assembly candidates

emerge

By Abdulkareem haruna, Maiduguri

Four thousand five hundred and twenty delegates on Friday night affirmed Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2015 Governorship poll in the state after a primary election held on Friday evening at the Elkanemi Sports Centre in Maiduguri.

The 4,520 delegates who took part in the primaries, represent-

ed all the wards across the 27 local government areas of the state at the primaries that was monitored by a team from the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, led Professor Tukur Sa’ad, the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Borno State.

Four officials from the APC national headquarters, led by the former National Secretary of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, Alhaji Sani Elkatuzu, chaired the team for Borno State Governorship primaries.

The delegates began arriving the sports centre at about 2pm while the election was held for

about two hours, from 6pm to 8pm.

Shettima was the sole candidate of the party as other aspirants had stepped down for him days before the primaries after National and State Assembly members purchased re-election forms and presented to Shettima about two weeks ago with party leaders and members endorsing him at a mini ceremony.

The event was held at the multi-purpose hall of the Government House in Maiduguri, for presentation of the nomination and expression of interest forms to the governor.

Court Invites AGF Over Ogwuche’s Suit

By Kunle Olasanmi Abuja

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has invited the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) or any of his officers to come and address the court on the constitutionality of Section 27 of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013 vis-à-vis Section 35 (4) and (7) of the 1999 Constitution.

The court made the order while hearing the enforcement of funda-

mental rights suit filed by the suspected mastermind of the April 14, Nyanya bomb blast, Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, challenging his arrest and continuous detention by the State Security Service.

Ogwuche currently in the custody of the SSS was accused of masterminding the Nyanya bomb blast, where over 75 people were feared dead.

Earlier, the court had struck-out a two-count criminal charge which the police filed against Ogwuche for

lack of diligent prosecution.

Ogwuche through his counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), approached the court challenging his continuous detention, adding that such is a breach of Section 35(4) of the Constitution.

Section 35 (4) opines that no accused person should be detained beyond 20 days.

In his response, counsel to the SSS, Clifford Osagie contended that the security agents did not breach any law by detaining Ogwuche.

the remains of the late Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo jnr.

It was gathered that before yesterday’s incident, concerned elders of Amaechi Awkunanaw community had pleaded with the Nwobodos to resolve their differences to no avail.

When Chief Nwobodo reportedly concluded plans to bury his late son outside the family compound, Chukwudi and Uso drove to the mortuary and removed the corpse of their late brother to an unknown place.

Jonathan sacks Prison boss President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday sacked the Comptroller General of Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Alhaji Aminu Suley and appointed Dr. Peter Ekpendu as his replacement.

Jonathan’s removal of Suley might not be unconnected to the recent incessant jailbreaks across the country.

Before his new appointment as the prison boss, Ekpendu was the deputy controller general (Administration).

A native of Ibeku, Okwuato in Mbaise Local Government area of Imo State, Ekpendu has also served in various capacities in the NPS as deputy commandant, Prisons Training College, Lagos, officer-incharge of Umuahia, officer in charge of Owerri Prisons, and deputy controller of Prisons Training, Prisons Headquarters 1999 several other top postings.

Ekpendu is a graduate of University of Nigeria, and an alumni of the Prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategy Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos. He is also a PhD holder.

By Christiana Nwaogu, Abuja

Saturday, December 6, 2014

APC To DSS: You Used Torture To Obtain Confessions From Data Centre Workers

By George Okojie, Lagos

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Department of State Security (DSS) of resorting to the use of torture to obtain forced confessions from the workers who were arrested during the first raid on the party’s data centre in Ikeja, calling it a contravention of the UN convention against torture, to which Nigeria is a signatory, and a violation of the citizens’ fundamental human rights.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Friday by its national publicity

secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said for the avoidance of doubt, it is necessary to quote a relevant section of the UN Convention to put the DSS on notice that it may be treading on dangerous ground, as it continues in its efforts to intimidate, harass and weaken the opposition to give the PDP an undue advantage ahead of next year’s polls.

It quoted Part 1 Article 1 of the UN Convention as saying in part: ‘’For the purpose of this convention, torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering,

whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession......’’

The APC said the DSS personnel shackled the hands and legs of the arrested workers and blindfolded them while they were being taken to Abuja. ‘’The workers remained in chains even in the dark detention cells where they were made to sleep on the bare floor for the 10 days they were detained illegally, while none of their family members knew

their whereabouts all through their ordeal. Guns were pointed at their heads by DSS personnel who threatened to shoot them, while verbal insults were hauled at them as if they were common criminals. It is simply incredible that Nigerians can be treated like this under a democratic dispensation,’’ it said.

APC also said a pregnant woman among those who were arrested was denied access to her drugs even when she started bleeding due to the torture which she was subjected to by the DSS.

short news Kwara PDP Aspirants Seek Fresh Assembly Primaries

A coalition of House of Assembly aspirants under the banner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State have called on the national leadership of the party to conduct fresh primaries to select the party’s candidates for 2015 polls in the state.

They said that the party’s primaries slated for November 29 at Pacific Hotels for Ilorin West Central (Magajin Geri constituency) and Yebumot Hotels for Ilorin North West (Ajikobi Alanamu constituency) did not hold as stipulated.

Addressing journalists at a press conference in Ilorin yesterday, one of the aggrieved aspirants, Alhjaji Fasasi Olokonla, urged the national leaders of the party to disregard the names submitted to them as the party’s candidates because “they were handpicked by some chieftains of the party”.

By Abdullahi Olesin, Ilorin

news 67 Imo APC Governorship Primaries Suspended Because Of Me – Ihedioha Deputy speaker, Federal House of Representatives, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha has attributed the suspension of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries in Imo State, which was slated to hold Wednesday, to fears by the party that he was a strong contender for the governorship seat of the state.

Ihedioha who stated this yesterday at the closing ceremony of a 3 day workshop organised for journalists in the state, averred that the opposition party see him as the most popular and acceptable aspirant among others in the race.

The deputy speaker, who expressed optimism that he would be victorious in the forthcoming governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), added that he is the most qualified for the position following his track record of achievements for the party as well as the goodwill of residents of the state.

“I will win the PDP governorship primaries, because I am the most prepared. Today, I am the reason why APC is not having their governorship primaries.

By Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri

APAAC Honours Ewuga, Zwingina L-R: Brand Manager, Baileys, Udjoh Ufuoma; popular Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele and Head of Spirits, Marketing and Ready-to-Drink (RTD) for Diageo Brands Nigeria, Liz Ashdown, during the ELOY Award 2014 sponsored by Baileys in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO BY BENEDICT UWALAKA

Ebonyi PDP Crisis: Youths Foil Attempt To Kidnap Govt Functionaries

BY Obinna Ogbonnaya, Abakaliki

There was pandemonium and tension this morning in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital as suspected hoodlums numbering over 20 invaded a 3 star hotel along Onwe Road and attempted to abduct some government functionaries who were waiting to receive the former minister for Health and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu.

According to an eyewitness, the hoodlums invaded the hotel, chased the staff away, and took hostage one

of the government functionaries present. However, when they attempted to zoom off, luck ran out on them as the vehicle they came with refused to start.

“While, they were struggling to start the car, some youths also invaded the hotel, rescued the abductee and chased them away. In fact it was a worrisome situation, how would youths invade a hotel where people were waiting to receive a governorship aspirant? it is the highest level of desperation.”

“The perpetrators of the act openly displayed the poster of the governor-

ship candidate they are supporting and from all indications, they must have acted on his instructions. The plot is to disrupt the grand reception of the former minister. The Police must be up to its responsibility and arrest the perpetrators of the act,” the eye witness said.

Similarly, another group of thugs suspected to be loyal to a faction of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at about 10am invaded the state’s judicial headquarters and chased off judges, magistrates, lawyers and other judicial workers from the court premises.

Struggle For Better Kaduna Begins Now – el-Rufai

By MIDAT JOSEPH, Kaduna

The gubernatorial flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir ElRufai yesterday pleaded with all who contested with him in the just concluded governorship primaries of his party to join hands with him in rebuilding the state.

In his acceptance speech on his nomination as the APC candidate

for the governorship of Kaduna State, el-Rufai said that the time has come to rebuild Kaduna again.

“After months of hectic campaigning, our party, the APC, has made its choice regarding its candidate for the governorship of Kaduna State in the 2015 elections.

It is a choice I accept with gratitude and humility.

“Let me pay heartfelt tribute to the distinguished party men who

also aspired for and campaigned to be chosen as the APC governorship candidate.

“Your energetic campaigns have helped to build and strengthen our party; and the party, its members and supporters would continue to expect your leadership and worthy contributions. It is now time to pull all our energies and talents together to elect an APC govern-

ment in Kaduna State. This is a mission to fulfil the aspirations of the people, and a mighty task that duty demands we successfully achieve,” He also said that the APC team “must become “Team Kaduna” as we work hard across this state, to enthuse the people and to unite them in a common quest to enthrone good governance, human security and fairness.”

Senator Solomon Ewuga and Mrs Christy Zwingina have been honoured as patron and matron respectively, of Advertising Practitioners’ Association, Abuja Chapter (APAAC).

The award took place Thursday night at the ‘2014 Lecture/Dinner, Investiture of Patrons and Professionals’ Handbook Presentation’ which took place in Abuja.

Speaking to newsmen at the event, the registrar/CEO, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Alhaji Garba Bello Kankarofi, warned that the council would not spare quacks and intruders who invade the profession without statutory licensing and accreditation.

Giving an indication that the party was over for unlicensed practitioners, Kankarofi promised that the council would take strict measures against illegal practitioners in 2015 as a way of maintaining professionalism among practitioners.

“Right now, with the absence of a council, the statutory committees are not functional, so we can’t take people to court. But by 2015, when we have our council in place and working legitimately, of course, any illegal person will go to court and get prosecuted,” he stated.

By Paul Chiama, Abuja

68 news

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Police To Restore Tambuwal’s Security Detail

By Reuben Buhari, Abuja

Police authorities are set to restore the security details of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, weeks after it was withdrawn in the wake of his defection from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress.

Reports from the Police headquarters in Abuja indicate that the Police is hinging its decision on the emergence of Tambuwal as the governorship candidate for the APC in the forthcoming general election.

The speaker defeated four other contestants to emerge Sokoto APC governorship flag-bearer and will now slug it out with candidates from other parties at the February 2015 gubernatorial elections.

A Police source revealed that, “we still believe the speaker is not entitled to security based on his decision to defect. The constitution is very clear on that and we are defending our position well in court.

“However, since Tambuwal is now a candidate of a major political party in Sokoto, convention requires that he is protected by the Police. The federal government takes the security of leading candidates very seriously and as such, we will restore security to Tambuwal and at the same time provide same for all the leading candidates in all states of the federation.

“If the Police feel at any given time that the security of candidates is under threat, we are bound by law to come in and provide security. If you recall really well, the governorship candidate of the then ruling ANPP was murdered in Borno very close to the election, since then we reviewed our internal security arrangements and decided to notch security around candidates a bit high,” the source added.

When asked if the same number of men earlier withdrawn from Tambuwal will be restored, the source declined comments, saying that such a decision would only be determined by the Police high command.

Reports indicate that the federal government has directed all security agencies to ensure zero casualties especially of candidates for the forthcoming elections. The directive is said to be boosted by recent success of the government troops in their fight against insurgency in the Northeastern part of the country.

However, Tambuwal’s office could not be reached for comments as at the time of filing in this report.

When LEADERSHIP Weekend sought police reaction, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, said he was not aware of the development, but he added that the police usually provide police protection to every candidate of a political party..

L-R: MD/CEO, Bank of Industry, Mr Rasheed Olaoluwa; deputy governor of Anambra State, Dr Nkem Okeke; minister of trade and investment, Dr Olusegun Aganga; MD/chairman, Innoson Industries, Mr Innocent Chukwuma and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, during the unveiling ceremony of Innoson made in Nigeria cars at the company’s factory, Nnewi, Anambra State.

Suspension: Aliyu Gubrin Vows To Sue PDP

By Kunle Olasanmi, Abuja

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Aliyu Gubrin, who was suspended alongside former chairman of the party, Alh Bamanga Tukur, has vowed to challenge his suspension in court.

Gubrin who spoke through his counsel, Barr Lilian Ojimma, described his suspension as strange saying that he was not given a fair hearing before his suspension.

He also debunked the claim that Bamanga Tukur had anything to do with the suit he filed seeking to oust Alh Adamu Mu’azu as the party’s national chairman.

Gubrin had dragged the par-

ty before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to challenge the appointment of Mu’azu as the chairman of the party.

Justice Evoh Chukwu of the court dismissed the suit saying that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to file the action.

“When this case was filed, we had difficulties serving Bamanga Tukur personally with the process. It was after the legal adviser of PDP filed a memorandum of appearance that we were able to serve him.

The entire suit is about my client and not Tukur. The court raised an important issue in its judgement that the violation of the PDP constitution by the leadership of the party is not an internal affair. My

client is aggrieved with the suspension. The PDP as the largest party in Africa should learn to respect its constitution.

“I want to put this straight for the record that my client is not concerned with the suspension of Bamanga Tukur; he is more concerned about his unlawful suspension. He was not summoned by any committee of the party before they suspended him. I already have his instructions to challenge it in court.

“You can’t suspend any member of the party without giving him a fair hearing. His suspension is unjustifiable and a disrespect to the court,” Ojima stated.

and the best way to achieve a credible election was to reshuffle the divisional police officers among the 107 police stations in the state.

He said most of the DPOs were close to politicians within their domain.

The state Police command’s spokesperson, DSP Kenneth Nwosu debunked the claim, saying, “what the commissioner of police did is a common police routine. The commissioner has the liberty to deploy a divisional police officer anywhere he deems

necessary to fill the vacant positions left behind by the DPOs who were promoted from the rank of CSP to assistant commissioners of police, recently. The commissioner of police believe in zero crime tolerance. You can bear me witness that crime has reduced drastically since he assumed office as Lagos CP.” LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that 19 CSPs were promoted to assistant commissioners while four assistant commissioners were promoted to deputy commissioners in Lagos.

Court Validates Makinde’s List For Redeployment Of DPOs In Lagos Not Political – Police Oyo PDP Primaries free and fair election in the state fit for the affected officer. It is also

BY MATTHEW DIKE, Lagos

By Adebayo Waheed, Ibadan

The stalemate over the ward delegates’ congress of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was yesterday resolved by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja which ruled that the list of delegates validated by three of the five members of the Dr Aliyu Idi Hong-led adhoc ward congress panel should be used by the party for its primaries.

Giving the ruling yesterday, Justice E.S. Chukwu, ruled on the suit instituted by an aspirant for the House of Assembly in Ibadan Northeast, Mr Ademola Adelowo Aremu, which prayed the court to declare the delegates’ list presented by the three members, Dr Tony Macfoy, Aminu Muhammed and Tayo Omojowogbe of the fiveman electoral committee valid, following the controversy that characterised the delegate congress.

The suit has the PDP national working committee (NWC); national legal adviser, Barr Victor Y. Kwon esq; national organising secretary, Alh Abubakar Mustapha; chairman electoral committee, Dr Aliyu Idi Hong; Barr Ndoma Egodo as well as the Independent Nation-

al Electoral Commission (INEC) as first to sixth defendants respectively. This will puts to rest the crisis over the governorship ticket of the party following the deadlocked meeting between the aspirants and the leadership of the party for days.

He also prayed the court to declare that the fourth and the fifth defendants have no right to submit to the first defendant any list of delegates for use as voters during the first defendant’s primary election in Oyo State for the selection of candidates to run for offices of state House of Assembly, National Assembly and the governor of Oyo State.

In his rulling, Honourable E.S Chukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja declared that the only valid list of the PDP primary election in Oyo State for the selection of any candidate for the 2015 election into offices of the state House of Assembly, National Assembly and governor of Oyo State is the list of candidates who emerged from the ward congresses held on November 24, 2014 in the 351 wards in Oyo State as contained in exhibit ‘G’ of the originating summons.

Lagos State police authority has debunked the claim in some quarters that the redeployment of all divisional police officers in the metropolis have political undertone.

As at yesterday, over 90 per cent of divisional police officers have been redeployed to different police stations in the state.

A senior police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the Lagos State commissioner of police, Mr Cornelius Aderanti was bent on ensuring a

Court Dismisses ‘Igbo Deportees’ Suit Against Lagos Justice Musa Kurya of the Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed a fundamental right enforcement application filed by Incorporated Trustees of Media Rights Agenda against the Lagos State government to challenge the purported deportation of some individuals from Lagos State.

In a judgment yesterday, the judge held that contrary to the allegations of the applicants,

the Lagos State government did not deport the applicants or any other person or group of persons to any place outside the territory of Lagos State.

The case was filed on behalf of 83 Igbos who were allegedly deported from Lagos to Anambra State in 2012 by the state government.

The applicants, Rosemary Nathaniel, Friday Ndukwe, Grace Igbochi, Ugulori Tu-

tua, Chinyere Nicholas, Osondu Mbuto and 77 others are in the suit seeking a declaration that their arrest, remand and alleged forceful transportation from Lagos to Onitsha on the ground that they were non-indigenes of Lagos and against their consent, was a violation of their fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement and freedom from discrimination.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

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70 opinion

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Sokoto 2015: Tambuwal And The Wamakko Factor

BY AMINU MOHAMMED

Although, all the aspirants believe they have what it takes to win, but in the end the people will decide and if by any chance there is a political survey now, Tambuwal would surely be the man to beat

Sokoto State governor Aliyu Wamakko, in his citation read on the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, at the Sokoto State Polytechnic where other five illustrious sons of the state were given merit awards said: “We are also proud that through him (Tambuwal), the sterling human and leadership qualities nurtured by his unique upbringing has once again proven to be not just relevant, but indeed indispensable to the much desired peace, unity, progress and development of Nigeria.”

However, the part that interested me most was when Wamakko summed up his citation on the Speaker this way “Hon Aminu Tambuwal is indeed eminently qualified for Sokoto State government merit award most especially for earning the support and confidence of the diverse people of Nigeria. On our part, we will quite willingly encourage him with prayers, and will continue to support him for the more onerous demands of national service.”

The question here is, could there be a better political endorsement than what Wamakko put across on November 18, 2012? For those who saw October 20, 2014 as a

day of endorsement, it was an extension of what took place on November 18, 2012.

In the political history of Sokoto State, no incumbent has had the privilege of having his anointed choice elected because apart from Bafarawa who tried in 2007 and failed, those before him never had the opportunity to do so. In 1981, Mohammed Shehu Kangiwa died in office and his deputy, Dr Garba Nadama took over and finished that tenure.

Nadama was however elected governor in 1983 but his tenure was short-lived because of a military coup.

In 1991, Malam Yahaya Abdulkarim was elected governor but could not finish his tenure as a result of another military coup that brought Abacha to power.

However, Bafarawa was lucky to complete twoterms in office but his anointed candidate Maigari Dingyadi was floored by Wamakko who had a running battle with Bafarawa when they were deputy and governor respectively.

Although, Wamakko is yet to officially endorse Tambuwal as his preferred candidate, political analysts believe there is no smoke without fire. A careful analysis of the November 18, 2012 citation on Tambuw-

al and recent political events in the state are pointers to the direction and very soon the political climate would be clear for those who predicted this union to be proved right and those who have been opposing it to be told that in politics, nothing is impossible.

Going through the list of governorship aspirants in the APC, Tambuwal who is yet to officially declare appears to be the best of them all. So far, there are a about four aspirants whose posters have been visible at all the major roundabouts in the state capital while same number of aspirants in the PDP coupled with their posters floating at every available nook and cranny in the state but who among them has the qualities of Tambuwal as aptly described by Governor Wamakko?

In the APC, before October 20, 2014 when Tambuwal appeared on the scene, the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Faruku Malami Yabo was at the fore-front while posters of the permanent secretary ministry of education Sokoto, Bello Abubakar Gwiwa and Abubakar Sanyinna who is heading the state Assembly Commission are everywhere.

The PDP also has aspirants like Senator Abdallah Wali, Senator Abubakar Gada, former sports minister, Yusuf Suleiman and the deputy governor of the state Barrister Mukhtari Shagari in contention. These aspirants Tambuwal are so far those praying to succeed Wamakko. Although, all the aspirants believe they have what it takes to win, but in the end the people will decide and if by any chance there is a political survey now, Tambuwal would surely be the man to beat.

In fact, I once stated in an earlier article titled “Who steps into Wamakko’s shoes” that there is no candidate like Tambuwal and that any day he declares for the race will be the end of campaign activities because as Wamakko stated, the speaker does not need any introduction. He does not need any political marketing and in short he does not need any campaign but as a political virtual, his supporters will push him to do so.

It is instructive to note that there are no better candidate for the APC like Tambuwal and governor Wamakko should be commended for his foresight to bring Tambuwal into the APC family.

–Mohammed, a public affairs analyst wrote in from Sokoto.

Grazing Reserves As Panacea For Pastoralists/Farmers Clashes Dr Muhammad L. Yahuza

Between 1989 and 1992, the Federal Department of Livestock and Pest Control Services planned and carried out a livestock resource survey of Nigeria. The overall objective of the survey was to establish a reliable database of livestock numbers that can be used in sub-sector development planning. Hitherto, this was not available and most planning in the sub-sector was based on guesswork. The census also established the distribution and abundance of traditionally-managed livestock and their production parameters. The financing and supervision of the livestock census was undertaken under the World Bank-assisted Second Livestock Development Project ( SLDP) which was implemented by the defunct National Livestock Project Division (NLPD) of the Federal Department of Livestock and Pest Control Services, based in Kaduna.

The outcome of the livestock census showed that there were an estimated 14 million cattle, 34 million goats, 22 million sheep and over 100 million poultry in the country.

Cattle represent the most economically significant group contributing

substantially to the nation agricultural GDP. In addition, the survey also established four distinct livestock production systems each with its own potential and set economic and technical constraints.

The production system that is relevant to these discos is the transhumance pastoralist. It is the production system that is associated with the seasonal movement of cattle by pastoralists from the North to the South in the dry season and from the South to the North in the wet season. This annual migration by mainly Fulanis takes two forms in the dry season. In one, the movement is localised; the herds go short distances to neighbouring river valleys where grass and water can be found. The other form which applies to most transhumance pastoralists consists of a journey covering hundreds of kilometers in search of water and food.

Research carried out by the former International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA) and corroborated by the livestock census mentioned above, has revealed that about 90 per cent of the cattle population in Nigeria, currently estimated at 19.5 million head or 17.55 million head

are controlled by the transhumance pastoralists that are currently engaged in this seasonal movement.

Conservatively put, the current value of these livestock is estimated at N2.632 trillion (using an average price of N150,000 each), that is more than 50 per cent of Nigeria’s annual budget. The annual contribution of pastoralists to the national economy is estimated at N263.2 billion. Meanwhile, about 50 per cent of the 9,652,500 cows in the pastoral herd, produce an estimated 535,713 tons of milk annually, valued at about N34 billion. Thus, the estimated total contribution of pastoralists to the Nigerian economy on annual basis is about N300 billion. These does not take into account other economic benefits associated with cattle trading like transportation, slaughter, and processing of derived products which provide huge employment opportunities for people. These contributions by the pastoralists come with very little support from the government, compared to what has been given to various tree crop farmers in the favored part of the country and whose contribution to the agricultural GDP is far below that of

the livestock industry!

In view of the foregoing, country should ignore these huge contribution to its economy. Any disruption of this economic activity would reflect in form of increase in unemployment with serious social consequences. It is imperative, therefore that a viable solution be found to put a stop or reduce to the barest minimum the unfortunate perennial clashes associated with transhumance pastoralism, which has recently been exacerbated by opportunistic politicians.

Experience over the years has shown that farmer/pastoralist clashes were more frequent at the end of the wet season/early dry season when farm products are harvested and dried prior to evacuation. In 1964, the Northern Nigerian Government enacted he Grazing Reserve Law which sought to identify, develop and protect chunk of land for use as grazing reserve and as an incentive for pastoralist to settle. The overall objective of grazing reserve development is the protection of grazing lands from crop farming, provide easier access to them by pastoralists and also encourage sedenteri-

sation of transhumant pastoralists through legally secure title for grazing land, thereby promoting livestock development. The reserves were also aimed at improving pasture, herd management, providing social welfare amenities to pastoralists thereby increasing herd productivity and eventually national income. Currently, there are 415 of grazing reserves covering an area of 4.3m hectares. In addition, 12,438 km of stock routes have been identified, surveyed and demarcated throughout the country.

In conclusion, federal, state and local governments have roles to play in ensuring that pastoralists that contribute immensely to the economy of the country, are provided with the necessary support to continue to do so. Grazing reserves management committees whose membership comprise of the state and local government staff, including the local community leaders should be revived and strengthened to provide the necessary vehicle for the resolution of conflict, which arise mainly as a result of encroachment into legally designated reserves.

—Yahuza wrote in from Abuja.

SPORTS 71

Saturday, December 6, 2014

YSFON/Shema Cup Final Holds Today As curtain falls on the 4th edition of Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) U-17 boys championship sponsored

by Katsina State governor, Ibrahim Shehu Shema football at the Kastina township Stadium, host/defending champion, Katsina State will take on Zamfara State in a match christened ‘finals of all matches by Katsina fans who have been all there for their boys. To come all this far Katsina defeated Kebbi State by 5-4 penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw at regulation time. Zam-

fara also defeated Taraba State by 4-2 penalty after a goalless full time.

According to both the Main Organizing Committee (MOC) and Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the one week tournament, all is set for His Excellency and sponsor of the tournament, Governor Ibrahim Shema to declare the tournament close alongside the guest of honour, Engineer Musa Nasuni, YSFON President, Dr.Nasiru Gawuna and host of others.

Shema

Mikel To Start Against Newcastle John Obi Mikel is set to start for Chelsea against Newcastle United in the Barclays English Premier League today.

The Blues travel to St. James’ Park without their midfield Trojan, Nemanja Matic who is suspended for the clash after picking up a booking - his fifth for the season - in the 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspurs on Wednesday.

Matic has started all 14 of Chelsea’s Premier League games this season helping the Blues record 11 wins and three draws in their unbeaten start to the season.

Since rejoining the London club in January, Matic has made 44 appearances for the Blues and his record is quite formidable in those games.

Without Matic in the side (nine games), Chelsea have won four, drawn three and lost two of the matches which represents a 44% win rate.

The win rate is much higher (69%) with Matic in the Chelsea side with the Blues winning 24, drawing seven and losing four of the games the Serbian has starred in.

Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea manager however insists the absence of Matic will not harm his side’s chances against Newcastle United.

“Diego Costa (who was suspended for the same reason against Tottenham) is already rested and now Nemanja Matic is suspended for one game so he will be rested,” Mourinho said.

With Mikel now set to deputize for the

Mikel

Serbian on Saturday, Mourinho has moved to underline his trust in the Super Eagles midfielder.

“Not having Mikel is not good for

us, he is always an option,” the Special One said.

Mikel has made seven league appearances for Chelsea this season.

Olanrewaju Linked With Celtic

Sounders Sack Apam Super Eagles defender, Onyekachi Apam will need to find a club for himself yet again having been listed among the eight players released by MLS giants Seattle Sounders for the end of the season.

The injury-plagued defender who was hoping he could relaunch his ailing club career with Sounders will now have to look elsewhere yet again.

Aside Apam, other players on the exit list includes goalkeepers Josh Ford and Marcus Hahnemann, Defender, Djimi Traore, and forwards Tristan Bowen, Sean Okoli, Cam Weaver and Eriq Zavaleta (who is also a defender). It is also noted that defender Jalil Anibaba who is of Nigerian origin is also out of contract.

Sounders co-owner and general manager said it was a difficult decision which was necessary to axe Apam and the rest of the players sent packing.

“In our league it’s a consistent challenge to keep successful teams together, and these types of decisions are always difficult,” Sounders FC co-owner and general manager Adrian Hanauer said.

“Having said that, conversations are ongoing with several players about their respective futures with our club, and as we continue to shape the roster for 2015 we’ll have additional announcements to share.

The next destination for Apam is for now not known even as Sounders stay glued to the other Nigerian on their employ, Oba-

The 27-year-old has however not started a single Premier League game this term with all seven of his appearances coming from the bench.

Apam

femi Martins who has already craved a legendary status for himself at the Century Link field.

Scottish League champions Celtic may be welcoming another Nigerian player to their fold in the January transfer window according to some transfer rumors already popping up.

The Nigerian striker said to be on Celtic’s radar is former Youth International Olanrewaju Kayode who currently stars for Israeli side, Maccabi Netanya.

According to a report on The Scotsman, the 21-year old is said to fit into the Hoops transfer policy which favours buying cheap to sell high in the future.

Olanrewaju has already hit the double digits this season; scoring ten goals for his ambitious Israeli team even though back-toback loses has confined Netanya to 11th spot on the standings in

Olanrewaju

the Israeli top flight.

Currently, Celtic have Super Eagles defender Efe Ambrose on their books and coincidentally the same agent that brokered Ambrose deal, Dudu Dahan is Olarenwaju’s agent.

Meanwhile as the Celtic rumors go on, it is also been suggested that Olarenwaju is also on the wish list of Belgian side Standard Liege who also have a rich history of Nigerian players amongst who is former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo.

AMUSEMENT PARk

SHE GOT HER LOOkS fROM HER fATHER — HE’S A PLASTIc SURGEON

—Groucho Marx

06.12.14

www.leadership.ng

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

No. 461 N300

The Weekend Column

F

The time has come, and whether we like it or not, revenue from oil will not sustain our economy

or those who believe that Nigeria’s oil reserve is everlasting, especially the few delusional individuals in government with large appetite for illicit wealth, it’s time for everyone to think again because, Nigeria’s economy is definitely going down.

The vast oil wells have spelt doom for Nigeria right from the start as our leaders constantly fail to realize that unless we properly invest the revenue from oil in other sectors of our economy, there will be a time when prices of oil will not be able to sustain our economy. Sharing money to state government to use and abuse, at will, without proper accountability will, someday, sum up to nothing. Obviously, the signs are here; and everyone will feel it.

The time has come, and whether we like it or not, revenue from oil will not sustain our economy. The United States will hardly ever buy our oil again, and prices will keep plummeting.

Below is an excerpt from the Economist magazine (November 29th-December 5th).

“When the price of oil tumbles, you should worry about a country that relies on the stuff for 75% of government revenue and 95% of exports. That country is Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy. Earlier this year oil was selling at well over $100 a barrel. It is below $80 now. Nigeria’s currency, the naira, is diving; the central bank is shedding foreign exchange reserves in its defence. On November 25th it hiked interest rates by a percentage point to 13% (the first increase in three years) and said it had reduced its target rate for the naira (against the dollar) by a further 8%.

That will not be the end of the story.

Since 2014 the Nigerian economy has expanded at an average rate of 7% a year – faster than the West African average. High oil prices spurred the boom; Nigeria exports 2m barrels a day, much of it especially prized by refiners for its low sulphur, which makes it easier to meet environmental rules. Unfortunately, most of the extra 3m

Over-reliance On Oil Spells Trouble For Nigeria

Capt Daniel Omale

daniel@leadership.ng

barrels of daily production America has added since 2011 have been low in sulphur too. As a result, low sulphur oil has fallen even more dramatically in price than other sorts.

The Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister company of The Economist, reckons that in 2015 Nigeria’s oil exports will bring in $67 billion, an 18% drop from last year, even though its output is rising.

As oil revenue has dropped, the naira has taken a beating. This year it has fallen by a tenth against the dollar and in recent weeks the slide has grown more rapid. The central bank has tried to stem its fall by selling foreign exchange reserves; these have dropped by nearly 20% in the past year and are now sufficient to cover just six months of imports, compared with 15 months’ worth a few years ago.

Nigeria’s long term economic prospects are good. In recent years industries other than oil, including manufacturing and communications, have begun to thrive. But according to Deutsche Bank, Nigeria needs an oil price of $120 a barrel to balance its budget – far above the current level. Big spending cuts would harm the economy. The likelier outcome, with an election looming in February, is that the government runs ever higher deficits, which will probably stoke inflation, currently 8.3%. That would put the naira under more pressure.”

The oil monarchies of the Gulf, by contrast, had their own depression in the 1980s and they have drawn their lessons from it. While the global downturn and the concomitant fall of oil prices has affected the Gulf states significantly, they have been better prepared to ride out the current crisis than most other countries around the world.

The recent fall in oil prices has by many measures been more spectacular than that of the early 1980s.

Prices collapsed from U.S. $140 per barrel in summer 2008 to below $40 in early 2009, with only a partial recovery since then. The rapidity of the fall caught most market watchers unawares. The 1980s collapse was gentle by comparison,

as prices declined gradually from about $40 per barrel in 1981 to $25 in 1985, reaching a temporary low of $10 only in 1986. It gave governments much more time to adjustor so one would think.

In fact, the 1980s slump led to government panic and private sector collapse in the Gulf, while the reaction to the recent decline has been much more measured. In the 1980s, governments slashed budgets, armies of local contractors went bankrupt, and large family groups found themselves insolvent, setting the stage for slow and painful consolidation and restructuring during the low-growth decade of the 1990s.

This time around, most Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments are actually stepping up spending instead of curtailing it, and private business is growing more slowly rather than collapsing. Private banks and family groups that face trouble do so due to contagion from the international financial system rather than oil price gyrations or fiscal reversals.

According to Ed Cropley - Plunging world oil prices have dealt a blow to Africa far greater - in purely economic terms - than Ebola, setting back investment in exploration and plans to industrialize.

The highest profile victim so far has been Africa’s top producer, Nigeria, which was forced to devalue its naira currency by 8 percent this week after the central bank admitted dwindling reserves were making it hard to defend it.

In dollar terms, the devaluation knocked $40 billion off the value of Nigeria’s economy - considerably more than the $32 billion worst-case scenario the World Bank projected in October for Ebola’s economic impact on the entire sub-Saharan region.

Last week, the bank’s chief Africa economist said the latest assessments of the epidemic suggested the economic fallout might not be as bad as feared, and was likely to be closer to the $3-4 billion end of its projected range.

The same cannot be said for

08054102747 (text only) crude-backed African currencies.

Even after the Nigerian devaluation and a 100 basis point hike in interest rates, the naira came under more pressure, trading at a record low of 178.85 to the dollar.

The result is likely to be sharply reduced spending, a big increase in foreign borrowing, either through Eurobonds or syndicated loans, and possibly even an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, as happened after the 2008 financial crisis.

“If there’s no support for oil prices, the budget deficit could be much larger than 7.6 percent and then you could see an IMF programme,” said Samantha Singh, an African currency strategist at Standard Bank in Johannesburg.

Although they have vast agricultural potential, the likes of Nigeria and Angola import nearly all their food and consumer goods, which will become more expensive, fuelling inflation and even raising the prospect of social and political unrest.

Weakening currencies also make imports of machinery more expensive, hampering Africa’s efforts to capitalise on above average growth rates by building industries to employ the millions of young people entering the labour market each year.

If we don’t learn from this one, Nigeria will never be the same again.

GHANA MUST GO Jonathan overdue for impeachment

— Senators

What are you waiting for?

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