Leadership news

SATURDAY No. 463

N300

Inferno Kills Family Of 7 In Benue

NEWS, PAGE 68

Just About Everything Makes Me Cry – Zainab Salihijo Ahmad

SEcrEt lifE, PAGE 4

Most Incredible Verbal Gaffes Of 2014 PAGE 62

20.12.14

FOR GOD AND COUNTRY

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Chibok Diary DAY

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Okotie Urges More Efforts In > Page 2 Rescue Of Chibok Girls

Why We Voted Against LG Autonomy – Speakers 5

A young Indian hawker selling Santa Claus hats and masks at a traffic junction in Bangalore, India yesterday.

PHOTO BY AFP

Boko Haram Massacres Aged Persons In Gwoza

> Page 5

chibok diary 249 DAY

Leadership weeKeNd Saturday, December 20, 2014 CHibok tweets @TheLoulette Because #BringBackOurGirls is still something we need to keep saying, half a year later.

@opialampsy8 U gt time”@ Bukkyshonibare: Day 249 of abduction 6 days to Christmas 13 days to New Year.

Members of #Bring Back Our Girls group during one of their meetings at the Unity Fountain, Abuja.

@heavyde65 Take Action: Free Lina Khattab, imprisoned student and folkloric dancer.

PHOTO BY OYEDELE OMOKAGBO

@OkePetersBlog “For Chibok, may the tears cease.” @Abu_Aaid Day249 No rescue No update. @obyezeks DAY249 of OUR#ChibokGirls Only the irrepressible Grace of God keeps us DEMANDING #BringBackOurGirls when another 185 have joined them. Haaa!

@Abu_Aaid When will Nigeria #BringBackOurGirls and #StopBokoHaram?

Day249 @Gidi_Traffic “@Austynzogs: The #BringBackOurGirls group yesterday condemned the abduction of another set of about 200 girls,women & children from Gumsiru.

@thisisheffner Did you forget about #BringBackOurGirls?

Nigeria — and their parents — haven’t Just a...

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Okotie Urges More Efforts In Rescue Of Chibok Girls

By DAVID ADUGE-ANI, Abuja

The founder of Household of God International Ministries, Rev Chris Okotie has reminded Nigerians of the plight of the Chibok girls who have been in captivity for over 200 days now.

Speaking during this year’s popular charity outreach programme, G.R.A.C.E. 2014)/Karis Award ceremony of the church in Lagos, Okotie called for more efforts to rescue the kidnapped girls.

Also speaking, the Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji congratulated Okotie and members of the Household of God International Ministries for the brilliant concept of the programme, describing him as a visionary leader and a perfectionist.

The event started with a short skit, highlighting the capture of the Chibok girls. Mid-way into the event, the lights of the auditorium were turned off and hundreds of battery-powered lanterns were lit by the attendees as symbolic lights

to search for the missing girls.

LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that the church’s annual national G.R.A.C.E event is meant to give back to the society while the Karis Award honours a Nigerians (living or dead) whose distinguished service to the nation has been unheralded.

This year’s Karis Award went to the late Mrs Beatrice Ibeneme (nee Okebugwu); the first female police woman with enlistment No.001, who rose from the rank of cadet to Woman Police Inspector.

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our stand Saturday, December 20, 2014

Enfranchising IDPs In North East

T

he Senate has just passed a resolution directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to establish polling units in camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North East geopolitical zone of the country. The motion was adopted after a bill seeking to grant voting powers to the IDPs came up for second reading in the chamber. For this set of Nigerians and others, it must be cheering news from the people’s representatives.

Before this development, many political analysts and the IDPs themselves had been clamouring for an arrangement that would enable them play their role in the electoral process. A report by the Internally Displaced Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) indicates that Nigeria is leading the list of African nations with persons displaced by conflict, with the number of its IDPs pegged at 3.3 million. This is obvious, in our view, considering the recent increase in acts of violence by insurgents in the country, as well as inter-ethnic clashes between farmers and cattle herders.

These conflicts, which have since assumed a crisis dimension, are responsible for the increasing number of IDPs, unarguably the highest in the country’s recent history. These IDPs, we need point out, constitute a sizeable percentage of eligible voters and having been uprooted from their homes and electoral enclaves, now live in camps, some set up by the government.

The challenge of ensuring that this category of Nigerians is adequately taken care of and given a voice in the election, in our opinion, should be a priority for the electoral body. INEC must accept that being displaced from their homes is bad enough.

Disenfranchising them would be

Ag. Editor Catherine Agbo Deputy Editor Kazeem Akintunde Editorial Board Safiya M. Adamu, Chairman Christian Ochiama, Deputy Chairman Standards ’Lara Olugbemi, Assistant Director

Founder Sam Nda-Isaiah

stretching misfortune too far.

This underscores why INEC must take the Senate resolution seriously, but how the electoral umpire will achieve this is also a concern, given the not so palatable tales from the distribution of permanent voter’s cards across the country. This becomes even more disconcerting with earlier reports that INEC may have resolved to conduct elections in areas where people have already been displaced. The commission is actually said to have engaged the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) to advise it on how to ensure Nigerians who have moved from their original locations to other places vote during the elections.

The IDPs, though out of their home environment, must not be denied the opportunity to exercise their constitutional right. Every eligible and registered Nigerian voter, and this includes IDPs, must be given a chance to participate in the electoral exercise that will produce the country’s leaders.

We insist that the vote of every Nigerian is his or her power and it will be a disservice to deny anyone the right to exercise that power, internally displaced or not.

Group Managing Director Azubuike Ishiekwene Group Executive Directors Michael Okpere Dr Kazeem Durodoye Divisional Directors Iyobosa Uwugiaren Salisu Alhassan Bichi General Managers Aminu Abubakar Sule Abdulmumin Balogun Zipporah D. Tanko

Leadership Holdings

Managing Director Abraham Nda-Isaiah Executive Director Nnamdi Samuel New York Office Mohammed Bello Shehu London Office Dr Bello Salihu Johannesburg Office Abiodun Oguntuase

LEADERSHIP is a national paper symbolically embedded in the nation’s capital.

We shall stand up for good governance. We shall defend the interest of Nigerian people even against their rulers, and we shall raise our pen at all times in defence of what is right. These are the values by which we intend to be assessed.

We shall never, ever for any reason forget the noble reason of our coming into being: For God and country!

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my secret life

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Just About Everything Makes Me Cry– Zainab Salihijo Ahmad-Fashion Designer My parents... My father is the late Alh Salihijo Ahmad.

Though late, I want to make him proud. I heard about how amazing he was and I’m trying to attain even a quarter of how remarkable he was. And my mother is Bilkisu Ahmad, who is a great supporter and a great inspiration to me. She’s been encouraging me to go for what I want. She has managed to step in the shoes of my father; she’s now both a father and a mother.

I grew up in a household... filled with people and laughter.

It was family – my father, mother, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters and all our friends. It was a household that was a watering hole for many families.

Favorite childhood memories... I remember when our father would treat us with trips to a shopping mall (Levels Stores) and how I would get teased about saying how cold it was at the store.

I also remember my older brother and I playing outside with our toys.

Craziest thing I’ve ever done...

Recently on location for a photo shot, I went aboard a flimsylooking canoe with no life jacket on. We kept swaying and water kept entering the canoe. It was very crazy.

My biggest regret... I have discovered that all my experiences that started out as regrets have always turned out as lessons learnt. So, no, I have no regrets.

As a child I wanted to be... at first a soldier, then a doctor. In my late teens, I accompanied my aunt, a public health worker on a field visit to Kwali and fell in love with public health and social work in general.

Fashion idea... I like looking good. I remember shopping at the beginning of the school year, making and matching outfit choices and having a growing sense of control over what I wear. Very soon I was designing my own clothes, looking for the right tailor to interpret my ideas and getting people to start trusting me to get the fabrics and make outfits for them.

People who motivate me...

Those who seek fashion advice

Raised

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over the antics of an unnamed political party that has allegedly engaged in buying Permanent Voter's Cards (PVCs) with a view to disenfranchising the owners of such cards.

A statement issued in Lagos by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed noted that while such purchased PVCs may not be transferable, those who are buying them are doing so to reduce the votes in the opposition strongholds.

Expressed

The Ogun State government has expressed its sympathy and understanding with labour leaders in the state who have been agitated by the delayed payment of November salary to some of the workers.

The government reminded the workers that despite the dwindling revenue allocation from the Federal Government, the state has kept faith with workers through prompt and regular payment of salaries, pensions and gratuities.

Zainab

and assistance – my sisters, family, friends and clients.

My older brother also always encourages me to keep going.

He gives me the best advice and whenever I have any ideas, my husband encourages me to go for it and tells me I can do it. I would like to thank him especially for his patience and support.

When I look in the mirror...

I don’t think I can find the words to describe it but I am always growing. I would simply describe myself as multitasky, positive-driven, growth-seeking growth and explorative.

One thing I could change about myself... Maybe my cheeks because people think I’m still a teenager.

You might not know it but I’m...an introvert but can be very funny. My ideal Friday is to be alone watching TV shows.

Fashion to me means... everyday life. I basically find inspiration in everything around me. I like clothes that make women look beautiful and fully covered while still looking extremely fashionable.

I like to make bold statements in all the outfits I make.

The last time I cried...I’m a crybaby. I cry about everything. So

maybe even an hour ago, who knows?

I’m afraid of...cockroaches.

Why do they have to fly?

You may call it my weakness but...I love sweets, chocolates and cakes.

Life has taught me...gratitude; Alhamdulillah (thank God) in every situation. I’m grateful to God for everything.

I used to be...very shy.

Where I see myself/business in five years’ time... I would like to start Pink Fleur Homme – a male clothing line and tailoring service. I would like to see a bigger and better Pink Fleur and Zainab Salihijo.

A Life In brief Zainab Salihijo Ahmad holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Biotechnology. She began her primary education at Essence International School and Kaduna International School. She also attended British School of Lome, Togo for her O-level and United World College, Atlantic College in Wales for her A-Level. She obtained her degree at UCSI University, Malaysia. The CEO of Pink Fleur, a fashion clothing line in Abuja for women and girls, is also a producer of traditional cosmetics and works as a public health officer with special interest in HIV programmes.

Interview By Amina Alhassan Ahman

Photo By Zainab SALIHIJO AhmAd

Distributed

The T. Y Danjuma Foundation has distributed relief materials worth millions of naira to hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) taking refuge in Taraba State.

Distributing the items in Jalingo, the executive director of the foundation, Dr Florence Etta Akin-Aina explained that the materials were to support the on-going efforts to bring humanitarian assistance to those affected by the insurgency.

Condemned

The United States has condemned in strong terms last Sunday’s attack on the village of Gumsuri by the Boko Haram sect.

In a release, the US said it was aware of reports from persons who fled the scene of the attack that suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnapped more than 100 women and children and killed 35 people during a Sunday raid on the remote village.

NEWS 5

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Why We Voted Against LG Autonomy – Speakers

By Adesuwa Tsan, Jonathan Nda-Isaiah, EDEGBE ODEMWINGIE AND BODE GBADEBO, Abuja; Abubakar Salihi, Kano, Joshua Dada, Osun, ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, PORT HARCOURT, Bernard Tolani Dada, Uyo, HUSSAINI JIRGI, DAMATURU and Andrew Ojih, Jalingo

Indications yesterday emerged that the proposal by the National Assembly for granting of financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country, in the ongoing constitution amendment through concurrence of at least 24 of the 36 states Houses of Assembly, has been rejected.

At least 23 states, namely Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, Rivers, CrossRiver, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Imo states voted against local government autonomy.

However, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Ebonyi, Anambra, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger, Kogi, Benue, Kwara and Abia voted for local government autonomy.

Leaders of some states Houses of Assembly have advanced irregularities in the Local Government Autonomy Bill, lack of sustainability of the proposed autonomy and immaturity of the local governments to be left unchecked by the state legislature as some of the reasons why they voted against local government autonomy in the proposed constitution amendment.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the National Assembly had in October 2014, transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly, 23 items it had amended in the constitution which required concurrence of 2/3 out of the 36 states Houses of Assembly in line with constitutional provisions.

Among the items forwarded to the state Houses of Assembly for the required concurrence were proposals for financial autonomy for local government councils as against joint account stipulated by the 1999 constitution, financial autonomy for state Houses of Assembly, separation of the office of Attorney General of the Federal from that of the Minister of Justice, ditto for offices of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice at the state level, among others.

Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Dr. Mark Usani Bakko yesterday told LEADERSHIP Weekend that the majority of lawmakers in the state parliament were not favourably disposed to allowing local government autonomy, hence the decision to vote against it.

The speaker, in a telephone interview, said teachers had in the past suffered the effects of local government autonomy

Ikon and if they voted for it, some local government chairmen in the country would take undue advantage of it.

He emphasised that the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) had consistently kicked against local government autonomy, stressing that it would be of disadvantage to some local government workers in the country if granted.

His position however contradicts the position of the General Secretary of NULGE, Joshua Irapakop who reportedly said the refusal of states to support local government autonomy had killed democracy at the local government level in the country and advised NULGE members not to vote in the forthcoming general election or to vote out the ruling parties in states that voted against the autonomy.

Also speaking on the issue, the Director Press, Kano State House of Assembly, Malam Kabiru Salisu Koki, said members of the state assembly cited irregularities in the Local Government Autonomy Bill as reason for their decision to vote against the Bill.

According to him, the legislators on December 17, 2014 during their sitting deliberated on the LG autonomy Bill, where the reason was advanced. He however said the specific irregularities were not elaborated on by the lawmakers.

In Osun State where lawmakers also voted against the local government autonomy, Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Najeem Folasayo Salam said the parliament voted against it because it is not sustainable.

Speaking on its opposition to the local government amendment Bill to the 1999 constitution, the Speaker said local government administration is supposed to be subjected to the state House of Assembly’s legislation.

According to Salam, state governments are supposed to be involved in the total development of the local governments under them as the local governments are an integral part of state administration and for all round development of a particular state, the state government must be involved in the administration of its local governments.

In Rivers State, the House of Assembly said it opposed autonomy for local governments because it believes the third tier of government is not yet matured to be left unchecked by the state legislature.

Leader of the House, Hon. Chidi Julius Lloyd, who disclosed this in a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Port Harcourt, said the 1999 Constitution gave the House of Assembly power to oversee the functions of local government administration.

Lloyd, who represents Emohua Constituency in the House, said the immaturity of the local government administration could be traced to its inability to pay salaries of primary school teachers and personnel of the primary health care system as well as frequent squabbles between the legislative and executive arms of the third tier of government.

He said, “we voted against local government autonomy because the constitution gives us the power to oversee them. The local governments are not yet mature.

The salaries of teachers were owed for years and the legislature at the local government level is threatened.

“They elect councillors who do not know why they are elected.

It is not better to allow salaries of primary school teachers and primary health care in the hands of the local government administration. There is still need for the State House of Assembly to oversight the local government system. Besides, it is also in the interest of the chairmen and vicechairmen that the State House of Assembly oversights the local governments in order to ward off impeachments and removal from office by the legislative arm. So, we are also doing that to help them.

“They may not understand, but the State House of Assembly does not have anything directly to gain from voting against local government autonomy.”

In Akwa Ibom State, at the plenary held within the House of Assembly Chamber, the lawmakers were unanimous in voting against autonomy for the local governments, scrapping of the state independent electoral commission and other contentious provisions in the ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

LIVING TO BE 100

One health tip daily Greener Grass May Not Be Better Weed killers contain chemicals that are toxic to our nervous systems and have even been confirmed to cause cancer. If you want to live a long life, stop using chemical herbicides and artificial fertilizers on your lawns. Instead, fertilize with organic compost or manure, pull weeds regularly, and reseed areas that are overgrown. Do not cut the grass too short, as this will expose the root system and leave the grass vulnerable to disease. Also avoid lingering on the golf course too long, especially under a hot sun: extreme heat can strengthen herbicides’ noxious effects.

Boko Haram Massacres Aged Persons In Gwoza

By Kareem Haruna, Maiduguri

Boko Haram terrorists in control of Gwoza town in Borno State have in the last 48 hours engaged in a massacre of aged men and women in the beleaguered town just as men of the Nigeria Army celebrate the death of 75 terrorists killed in a fierce battle in a village near Maiduguri, according to security sources and witnesses.

An official of the Nigeria Vigilante who also is a native of Gwoza told LEADERSHIP Weekend in Maiduguri that the gunmen apparently irked by their defeat in the towns of Adamawa State have turned their vexed rifles on hapless aged men and women who could not flee from the town.

“What they are doing now is to assemble the aged persons - both men and women - who are still trapped in the town and villages around Gwoza at the Government Day Secondary School (GDSS) Gwoza, near Gadamayo and then they would just open fire on some of them…we are worried because some of our aged parents are there in Gwoza,” the source who preferred not to be named for fear that he could put his aged parents in harm’s way said.

“One of the residents of Bayan-Dutse who has the Cameroonian telephone line called to inform me of this sad development. He said over 50 persons may have been killed in GDSS Gwoza. Other residents of Dhimankara, Ville, Kuranabasa, Gudugum and

some other nearby villages are being taken to Uvaghe Central Primary school where they are being shot at after assembling them. We have been afflicted with this unfortunate malady called Boko Haram and only God will liberate us from their shackles,” he added.

Meanwhile, soldiers of the 7 Division Nigeria Army, Maiduguri yesterday recorded a major success with the effective repulsion of an attack by Boko Haram on Bulabulin village in Damboa local government area of Borno state.

Bulabulin, which is about 40km away from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital had suffered similar attacks in the past. But on Friday morning when the Boko Haram terrorists came driving in several trucks with the intent to run over the village, soldiers stationed near the area gave them a shocker as they engaged them in a deadly duel that left at least 75 of them dead and several others seriously injured.

An electricity company worker who was part of the engineering team deployed to Damboa axis to fix the electricity installations that were vandalised by the insurgents which led to over five months of total darkness in Maiduguri, said he saw a large number of the insurgents advancing towards the village before the soldiers engaged them.

A junior ranking soldier who confirmed the development to ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

6 NEWS

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Why We Voted Against LG Autonomy – Speakers ➔ FROM PAGE 5

constitution.

The lawmakers, it was learnt had endorsed over 60 clauses in the document forwarded to them by the National Assembly, but kicked against the independence of the councils and others, arguing that local governments should remain under the purview of states.

According to the member representing Nsit Ubium, Hon. Onofiok Luke who also chairs the assembly’s Budget and Appropriation Committee, “the local governments have always been under the control of the state governments,” arguing that the Federal Government has no jurisdiction over the third tier of government.

At the end of the plenary session presided over by the outgoing Speaker, Elder Samuel Ikon (Etinan), the House was dissolved into committees to further deliberate on other issues in the document.

In Yobe State, the House of Assembly based its decision to vote against local government autonomy on the recommendations of its ad hoc committee which scrutinised the proposed amendment.

Speaking to LEADERSHIP Weekend in his office Speaker of the House, Hon Adamu Dala Dogo said the decision to reject it was as a result of the position paper received from the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT).

According to him the NUT had called on all houses of assembly to shun the idea because local governments lack the financial strength to cater for basic education or capital projects.

He recalled that the NUT said that history had shown that education was in shambles under local government administration in the past and that any attempt to re-invitent it would impede educational development in the country.

Dogo said the members through a voice vote, voted against full autonomy for local governments.

Also commenting, the member representing Tarmuwa constituency, Hon Usman Adamu Kabarma said that, “we do not support autonomy for local governments. We have rejected the proposed autonomy and urge the people and the National Assembly to consider its effect if granted.”

In Delta, the Special Adviser to Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan on Labour Matters, Comrade Mike Okeme described the vote against local government autonomy as a ploy to sustain looting of the councils’ allocation.

He described it as total disregard for constituted process.

“The autonomy empowers the councils’ authority to be independent. I see the vote against it as endorsement of fraud,” Okeme added.

Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the constitution review committee; Senator Ike Ekweremadu had stated that constitution amendment has always been a leading democratic convention predicated on the fact that no law of any kind stands the test of eternity.

He argued that because laws are made for man, and not man for laws, Nigerians elected to take yet another look at their constitution to further address some salient shortfalls and contradictions in order to deepen democracy and strengthen federalism adding that, “this is a task the legislature has confronted with dogged determination and an unwavering commitment.”

He said, “today we are gathered here on what is the ultimate stage of a challenging, but a most fulfilling process – challenging because of the myriad of obstacles we had to surmount and fulfilling because of the successes thus far as a result of shared commitments and collective contributions. It is therefore fitting to once more use this opportunity to convey our thanks to the people of Nigeria in your various constituencies, especially those who made submissions to the Senate and House Committees on the Review of the Constitution or participated in consultations organised by the committees, for their overwhelming response to the review process.

“The Bill you have transmitted to us today is a culmination of the will of the people of Nigeria. The legislature has long recognised that to secure the future of Nigeria, it must produce a constitution that would meet the aspirations and needs of Nigerians and that which will facilitate national development in an equitable manner. Durability of constitutions depend on public support as citizens and the public are less inclined to support a constitution without their input.

There is no doubt that broad citizens’ participation, which was the mainstay of the review process has added value to the democratic process and improved the quality of governance.”

He also added that, “it can be gleaned from the resolutions you have transmitted to the National Assembly today that the amendments set out institutional and legal reforms, which together with sufficient political will, may

help to provide for constitutional and other legal guarantees for the practice of true federalism; provide for accountability and transparency in governance; and, create an independent judicial system that would ensure the proper administration of justice in Nigeria.

“In conclusion, we hope and pray that the outcome of this amendment, which is a major contribution of the parliament in deepening our democracy, will be fully operationalised for the good of our people.”

However during the presentation of the reports of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly on the constitution alteration Bill yesterday, while the chairman of the conference of speakers, Hon Samuel Ikon, loudly declared that the state legislators had this time around concurred to financial autonomy for the state assemblies, he was silent on what happened to the proposal on local government autonomy.

Ikon who is the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly added that the required concurrence from at least 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly was also given to the constitution amendment proposal for separation of offices of Attorney General and that of the Minister or Commissioner of Justice at both the federal and state level but was not forthcoming in any way on what they did to the one for local government autonomy.

According to him, “few weeks back, we the speakers of the State Houses of Assembly were here to receive the resolutions of the conference committee of the National Assembly on Constitution Review containing 23 items for concurrence from us and I assured then on behalf of other speakers that we shall stand on the side of the people and democracy as far the proposed items for amendments were concerned.

“Today, I am happy to inform you all that with these resolutions of ours we are transmitting to the National Assembly, we have stood on the side of the people and acted to further deepen democracy in our country.”

He also revealed that they had specifically concurred to the need for financial autonomy for state Houses of Assembly, separation of the office of Attorney General and that of Minister of Justice at both the federal and state levels etc In a subtle confirmation that the request for local government autonomy had been jettisoned by the state legislators by way of non concurrence in the report they

Mark submitted, the Senate President, David Mark in his remarks after receiving the report, though commended the state speakers for concurring to financial autonomy for state assemblies, said if the local government autonomy is not achieved this time, it could be re-presented in future through similar process.

He said, “I appreciate the fact that we have amended some aspects of the constitution and that we are going to amend some aspects of the constitution based on what we have drafted but let me make one point clear, it doesn’t matter how many times we amend the constitution, it doesn’t matter how often we rewrite the constitution, unless the operators are prepared to go by the constitution.

“So, the exercise is not just a matter of amendment but we the operators, Nigerians must also be prepared to adhere strictly to the constitution. That is the critical aspect of it. It is not a constitution amended to serve any particular section or a constitution to be obeyed by a section of this country or any group of Nigerians. It is a constitution that is binding on all of us irrespective of our positions in the society. So, we the operators are very important and we are key in the working of the constitution.”

Speaking further, Mark said, “I have not read the areas that you have gotten more than the required percentage so I can’t make comments on it but the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State said that the one of state legislature has passed the required test, in other words, the financial autonomy of the state legislature.

I think that was one of the areas where in the first amendments, the state assemblies did not have the courage to agree to but I must

congratulate you for your courage.

“One of the areas which I think we asked you to approve also is the local government autonomy. I don’t know if you had the courage to do that but if you have not concurred to it now, no problem, it is a continuous exercise, it shall be re-presented in subsequent exercises.”

Apart from the rejected local government autonomy, it was not clear whether the State Assemblies concurred to other salient items like independent candidacy, conferment of immunity on lawmakers in respect of words spoken or written in the exercise of their legislative duties through amendment of Section 4 and also amended Section 9 of the constitution which if it had been concurred to, there would be no need for presidential to assent to the already finished alteration exercise.

Ihedioha Assures Due Diligence By NASS The chairman of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review and deputy speaker of the House, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has promised that the collation of resolutions by the 36 state assemblies on clauses for amendment of the 1999 constitution will be thoroughly carried out by the National Assembly in order to achieve a desired end result of the exercise.

Speaking during the submission of resolutions on the constitution amendment by the state assemblies at the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday, Ihedioha said, “we are justifiably proud of the work done by the National Assembly contained in the proposals sent to the state Houses of Assembly for their approval or rejection as the case may be.

“Whatever the outcome of the returns from the states, we will accept it as the inevitable consequences of running a federation where the input of the states is a critical requirement.

Indeed the process of amending or altering the constitution is a continuous one. It does not end with this exercise,” he said.

Ihedioha added that he felt a personal sense of satisfaction at the way the collective views and aspirations of Nigerians from all walks of life had been reflected largely in the amendment exercise especially at the level of the National Assembly and therefore assured that the National Assembly would carry out the final step of the exercise with dispatch given the limited time left for the current 7th Assembly.

Boko Haram Massacres Aged Persons In Gwoza ➔ FROM PAGE 5

journalists in Maiduguri said the attack was forewarned and “that

was why it was very successful because the soldiers prepared for them and dealt with them while the remaining others who

could not stand the superiority of our men had to abandon their vehicles, motorcycles and weapons at the scene and flee.”

Similarly, the insurgents yesterday afternoon also attacked Konduga town, 35km away from Maiduguri, killing

three persons before soldiers and operatives of the CivilianJTF repelled them killing several.

7

Saturday, December 20, 2014

M

A BIG NO TO POLITICS OF BLACKMAIL IN KATSINA STATE

y attention has been drawn to a petition which emanated from the Law Chambers of the irrepressible Festus Keyamo, esq. and addressed to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) The petition titled: “PRESENTATION OF FORGED CERTIFICATE TO INEC BY AMINU BELLO MASARI CONTRARY TO SECTION 182 (1) (J) OF THE 1999 CONSTITUTION” was written on behalf of some ve members of the Katsina State APC and published as advertorial in the Leadership Newspapers of Thursday, December 18, 2014, page 22.

At the core of the petition is the allegation that Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, who is currently the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State forged a Diploma in Water Quality Control and Management Certicate of the Middlesex Polytechnic, United Kingdom and submitted to INEC when he contested for the ofce of Governor of Katsina State under the defunct Congress for progressive Change (CPC) in 2011.

The petition contends that upon inquiry to ascertain Alhaji Masari’s claims, the Polytechnic responded by e-mail that “no such course was offered by the school in the said year”, as claimed by Alhaji Masari.

This development according to the petition is “likely to disqualify him from contesting for the said position or if he does contest at all and is victorious, may be ground to remove him as Governor if the pre-election matter concerning him is not determined timeously.” As a way out, the petition calls on the National leadership of the APC to substitute Alhaji Masari, failing which the lawyers threatened to proceed to court on the matter.

I go this length to recount the basic contention of the petition, painful as it is, in order to enable me respond to the points raised and put the issues in their proper perspective. But before I do that, and so that I am not misunderstood, I wish to, from the outset make some clarications for the record.

First, I am a bonade member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kur local Government and in Katsina State. I have played PDP politics at both the national and local levels since its formative stage in 1998 up to the time it formed government in 1999. I however, wish to state that whatever I say here is without prejudice to whatever any member of the APC wishes to do within his party. I must respect, as a democrat, the constitutional rights of individuals and groups to agitate and seek redress within the connes of the law and decency.

Secondly, as a citizen of Katsina State and as a politician, I think the time has come to begin to look at issues more from the broader stakeholder perspective rather than overt narrow partisan considerations. As a stakeholder in Katsina State, who has come of age, so to say (I will be celebrating my Golden Jubilee here on earth on December 25, 2014), Insha Allahu I have developed the requisite maturity to look at issues from a bi-partisan, objective focals, since at the end of the day we are all Katsinawa’s and Nigerian citizens.

Thirdly, and more importantly, as a public analyst and commentator for over two decades, I do not intend to join issues with the political actors and political leaders behind the petition, nor with their legal representative, the well-respected Festus Keyamo. I however, feel compelled to tell the truth and be damned, look at the issues more dispassionately and also bear positive witness at all times. Yes, I do not belong to same political platform with Alhaji Masari; he is in APC and I am in PDP, but that does not vitiate my responsibility to God, the people of Katsina State, and Alhaji Masari himself whom I know closely for years. Any one

conversant with my public interventions in the media since 1999 will attest to the fact that I have always played politics of issues and development, and not of personalities and blackmail.

Now to the main point of my intervention: I knew Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari right from my days in the 1990s at the KSTA while he was then Honourable Commissioner for Works in Katsina State. As my boss then we interacted well. I came to regard him highly for his honesty, maturity, simplicity and sense of purpose. Subsequently, we forged a political relationship within the PDP and the wider Katsina State canvass, while he was member of the House of Representatives. When he eventually became the Speaker of the House of Representatives, I doubled as his Legislative Consultant and Honourary Aide.

Interestingly, this same spurious allegation that is now given a garb of respectability by getting a lawyer to parrot it in a petition was ying in the air as far back as 2003, that is over 10 years ago, when all indicators were pointing to the possibility of Alhaji Masari becoming the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This allegation which was the only one that it’s authours could hold on to and keeps repeating was thoroughly investigated at different levels and was found out to be outright lies and fabrication; it was without basis and was peddled about in bad faith.

President Umaru Musa Yar’adua of blessed memory, then Governor of Katsina State, a stickler for details and the truth cross-checked the facts to ensure that the position, which was zoned to Katsina State, was not lost because of the allegation. He found out that there was no iota of truth in the allegation. Ditto former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He did his checks and gave Alhaji Masari a clean bill of health and went ahead lend support to his bid for the position of the Speakership of the House of Representatives. In September 2005, the House of Representatives on their own, in response to orchestrated pressure by the media also launched its own investigation in respect of the same allegation of certicate forgery and subsequently returned a verdict of condence in Alhaji Masari, then Speaker. Through a motion

by Hon. Abdul Ningi, then Leader of the House, 320 other members prayed the House to resolve that: “there is no substance in any of the allegations made against the person and ofce of the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari.” All these are veriable and can be cross checked.

Alhaji Masari came out of the controversy with his name intact, served his term, as the third Speaker of the Fourth Republic, with honesty, maturity, level headedness, diligence and high sense of responsibility, and set a record of leading the most harmonious House in the Legislative history of Nigeria, without compromising the integrity of the House.

In view of the above, all right thinking Nigerians feel that this over ogged and over recycled allegation should have been laid to rest permanently by now. It is, however, inexplicable why politicians will still want to keep whipping a dead horse without any derivable political value to Katsina State or to the political actors behind it.

Without equivocation, I wish to submit at this juncture that the subject matter of the petition has been patently over blown and clearly orchestrated.

It is a cheap blackmail, a kind of politics that I am convinced serves no useful purpose and we should all agree to put an end to it. In my own reckoning, any effort to engage in litigation would also end up without much benet. Litigation never resolves any issue, particularly when that issue border on the frivolous. You go through the motion and end up

with what economists call a “winner’s curse”, a situation in which the winner becomes worst off than anticipated.

Rather we should all resolve to put all hands on deck to reposition Katsina State as a foremost state politically, economically, and culturally not only in Nigeria but across the African continent. Rather than enmeshing our politics and undermining the integrity of innocent men and women just to achieve political goals, we should all work towards a win-win solution, so that we are ALL WINNERS. It is against this background that I would like to call on Alhaji Masari not to be distracted by this kind of backward politics being woven around him. His contribution to the aforementioned aspirations of our Katsina citizens is to proceed with issue based campaigns and reach out to grassroots with a clear agenda of development, so that it will serve as a demonstration effect for all political actors to play politics of decency and ideas, as bequeathed by great Katsina intellectuals like the late Yusuf Bala Usman and political actors like the late General Shehu Musa Yaradua, and several others.

As economist and someone passionate about development, I wish to see our political campaigns elevated and placed squarely within the developmental and contextual challenges facing the Nigerian economy. Katsina is blessed with enormous resources and a very enlightened citizenry. The plummeting of oil prices in the world market in the last three months from about $90 per barrel to $60 per barrel had validated my earlier position which was published widely some years ago, about the need to diversify the Nigerian economy to non-oil sources of growth and industrialization as the only panacea to long term growth. I had also argued that we have face the development of agriculture and human capital development squarely in order to address the crisis of unemployment being faced by the country.

Unfortunately, we have not done that, even the 2015 Federal Budget recently presented to the National Assembly is very decient in terms of critically embodying the right policies that will redirect the economy away from chronic dependence on oil like a cocaine addict and put it on the path of sustainable growth.

In the context of Katsina State, we can begin to seize this opportunity of scal crisis of the state brought about by fall in oil prices and chart the way forward. We must reduce our dependence on Federal Allocation by exploiting our underutilized dams and water resource s and extensively developing commercial agriculture in all its branches. This also would include building our livestock industry for milk, meat and hides, and targeting the export market (middle-eastern markets, particularly Saudi Arabia during Hajj season), a market that is now scandalously taken over by Niger and far away Australia. By expanding the productive base of Katsina State, we will easily become the economic hub of the North-west zone of Nigeria and the West African Sahel.

This is my wish for my birthday coming on the 25th of December, 2014 Insha Allahu. And as Almighty Allah gives me good health and long life, I will continue to insist on the need for seeing Katsina State from a Stakeholder perspective and not a narrow partisan vision, a Katsina State where we all respect each other, and where politics of blackmail has no place at all, only holding each other’s hand for the betterment of all.

AMINU BALELE KURFI (DAN -AREWA) KURFI LOCAL GOVERNMENT, KATSINA STATE

8 news

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Increase Of IDPs, Threat To Nigeria’s Security – Report

By Ruth Tene Natsa, Abuja

A non-governmental organisation, Yellow Jerrycan, Save A Child Foundation, has said the increasing spate of bombings and effects of insurgency resulting in the increasing number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) are becoming a threat to Nigeria’s security.

To this end, the founder of the organisation, Mrs Adaora Onyechere has called on the federal government to create a reliable database that would help in the support of

IDPs in the country.

She said that research and experiences by her organisation have shown that the growth rate of IDPs as a result of Boko Haram onslaught in the country is perhaps one of the worst experiences since the civil war in 1967 and poses a great risk to the security of the country.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, she said, “the crisis has resulted in many Nigerians moving across the border and the danger this portends is a growing number of angry and dissatisfied Nigerians will-

ing and desperately agitating for any form of sustainability.

“The creation of a viable database will enable better distribution and access to relief materials, ensure better support services and promote better planning by the government.”

She lamented that some of the IDPs were drafted and lobbied into parallel camps, strained to either join the camp of terrorists or become intelligence machinery, emphasising that such dilemma has encouraged young male children

in the north east to join the group.

She said that it is imperative for relevant agencies such as the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to partner with other concerned NGOs to jointly address the situation before the 2015 general elections and recommended that some of the victims be provided rehabilitation or relief centres such that they could be empowered, trained and sheltered, adding that the relevant agencies and development partners should look beyond the provision of staple foods and re-

short news Investment: Association Wants Commodity Market In Nigeria Commodity Brokers’ Association of Nigeria (CBAN) has called on the federal government to set up an organised commodity market in the country to encourage more investment in the agriculture sector.

Speaking during a press briefing cum induction of new members in Abuja yesterday, the president of the association, Shehu Altine Kajiji noted that the absence of commodity markets in the country has denied Nigerian farmers the value for their efforts.

“Nigeria is blessed with fertile farmland. We also know that about 80 per cent of the population are farmers,” he said.

By David Aduge-Ani, Abuja

2015: Fulanis Urge INEC To Extend Polling Units To Their Domain Ahead of the 2015 general election, the Fulani soci-cultural organisation, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to create polling units in some Fulani settlements across the country.

The national president of the group, Alh Bello Abdullahi Bodejo made the call shortly after meeting with Fulani communities in Tudun Wada, the headquarters of the association in Karu, Nasarawa State.

He said the need for additional polling units for Fulani ‘Ardos’ is more important as most of them cannot leave their ‘Ruga’ to the main town to cast votes during election.

According to him, the security situation in the country will hinder some of their members from trekking to the main town, hence the need for the government to make security agencies available for their safety during the elections.

Bodejo urged the Fulanis to come out enmassé and cast their votes during the election, urging them to be law-abiding and shun vices that could soil their good names.

By Isaiah Benjamin, Kaduna

Nigeria Ranked Least Prosperous Nation In The World

Durbar at the 2014 Rivers State Carnival in Port Harcourt, yesterday. PHOTO BY NAN

Ughelli-Asaba Road Dualisation: Uduaghan Seeks N45bn Refund

BY Kola Eke-Ogiugo, Asaba

Delta State governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has again called on the federal government to refund the N45 billion spent on the dualisation of the Ughelli-Asaba Expressway Uduaghan, rather than wait endlessly for the federal government to award and execute deteriorating federal projects in the state believe in intervening with state government fund to bring the socio-economic benefits of the projects to the door steps of the people.

The governor is however unhappy that the federal government is yet to re-

spond positively to his request. The governor has made several presentations to the federal government for reimbursement of the said N45 billion in respect of federal projects executed by the state.

Speaking to our correspondent in Asaba, the governor appealed to the minster of works, Arch Mike Onolememe, to assist the state in facilitating the request.

Some unconfirmed sources said that the state is indebted to the tune of N60 billion, money expended for what was described as frivolous projects.

The 149-kilometre Ughelli-Asaba road dualisation project was awarded on

November 14, 2008 to three contracting firms at the cost of N44.7 billion.

The project is the most ambitious project ever embarked upon by any administration since the creation of the state.

The governor said the state has committed over N440 billion to the road sector since rehabilitation came on board in 2007.

He said since his administration came on stream, over 1,618km of roads and 514km of bridges have been completed adding that in Asaba alone, over 65km road have been completed.

Tension In Benue PDP Over Deputy Governorship Slot

By SOLOMON AYADO, Makurdi

In a bid to name the running mate to the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Benue State, Terhemen Tarzoor, serious tension has ensued between the party caucus in the state.

The slot is being contested by the Idoma and Igede blocs of the Benue South Senatorial Zone who are lobbying Governor Gabriel Suswam to

favour either of the ethnic groups.

The potential deputy governorship candidates to Tarzoor are the former minister of state for Niger Delta, Mr Sam Ode; former member of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Barr Paul Harris Ogbole and former medical director of the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Dr Mathias Oyigeya, as well as commissioner for works and transport, Mr John Ng-

bede.

Ode and Ogbole are from Otukpo local government; Oyigeya is from Ogbadibo while Ngbede is from Agatu. For the Igedes, the stakeholders are insisting that a former deputy governor of the state, the Late Chief Ogiri Ajene had occupied the seat.

At the moment, various political stakeholders and support groups from the Idoma and Igede communities are convening various secret

meetings, clamouring for their desired candidates to be named as the running mate.

However, it is argued that Ode and Ogbole are from Otukpo where the senate president, David Mark comes from, just as Oyigeya, an Ogbadibo indigene, is from the same place as the present deputy governor, Chief Steven Lawani and cannot be a running mate to the governor.

In spite of the new found status of Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa, the country has been ranked not only as one of the world’s least prosperous countries in 2014, but also one of Africa’s poorest nation beaten by smaller countries like Niger, Benin, Mali and Cameroun, an annual global prosperity survey released this week has said.

According to a report released by a UK based Legatum Institute, a research organization that documents annual prosperity indicators around the world, listed Nigeria as the 125th out of 142 countries surveyed.

Despite Nigeria’s acclaimed $510bn economy, the nation failed to make the list of Africa’s top 10 most prosperous countries, a league dominated hitherto by Botswana and South Africa.

Other countries in that bracket according to the report listed from third and below, are Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia, Algeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, and Senegal.

Nigeria was said to have fell to 27 in Africa in 2014, nose-diving 22 places from its ranking in 2011, the report said.

In between the top 10 countries and Nigeria are Benin, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Egypt, Tanzania, Malawi, Djibouti, Mozambique, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo Republic, Zimbabwe, and Mauritania.

Agbo-Paul Augustine, Abuja With Agency Report

Saturday, December 20, 2014

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Insurgency: Unusual Christmas For Christians In IDPs Camps As Christians look forward to the Christmas celebration with enthusiasm, the situation can’t be said to be the same for the many Christians who are among those currently taking refuge in camps at various locations across the country after they were ejected from their homesteads by insurgents.

MOHAMMED ISMAIL, Yola, HUSSEINE JIRGI, Damaturu, ANDREW OJIH, Jalingo and ACHOR ABIMAJE, Jos, write

T

“The Christmas for us promises to be dull as we have no good clothes; no decent accommodation to call ours and foremost, we have no freedom.

Therefore, we can only thank God for sparing us till this moment.”

here was palpable anxiety at the Damare NYSC internally displaced persons’ camp as it became glaring that many Christians especially those from Madagali and Michika local governments of the state who were displaced about six months ago would celebrate Christmas in the facility.

Many of the IDPs interviewed expressed displeasure over government’s failure to bring the insurgency to an end as a result of which they have been rendered beggars in their home land.

Recall that the insurgency forced many Muslims to observe the last Sallah celebration in the facility in miserable and pathetic conditions as they said the feeling of being confined to a specific location even on special occasions was enough trauma for them.

Since the last Sallah celebration, the situation of the teeming IDPs has not improved and their hopes of returning to their homes where they are 'kings’ has been dashed.

An IDP, Kwaghe Zira, who lamented his continued stay in the facility said, “there is no way anybody in the facility will tell you that he is happy with the situation.

“You can never imagine the misery we are going through here; Christmas or no Christmas, our freedom should be paramount and sacrosanct.”

Zira noted that it is only God can address the myriad of problems they are facing, adding that he is not satisfied with the so-called efforts of the government in feeding them because they were not beggars and if not because they are displaced, they could even feed others.

“All what the government is doing to us amounts to nullity. We

Children at an IDP camp in Yola. photo by mohammed ismail

are farmers and have enough food to eat and even feed others. We are not happy that the government is saying that it is feeding us. We can equally feed ourselves if we are in our land,” he noted.

While responding to a question on preparations being made for them as the yuletide approaches, Zira noted that the most important thing for them is their freedom. “We have no clothes; no good shelter and as you can see, the congestion here is enough source for concern.

“There is nothing you will bring here that will go round and satisfy everybody because of our size. So the most important thing is that the government should make our relocation to our home towns a top priority,” he stated.

Another IDP in the facility, Dauda Ishaya, noted that they are looking forward to the Christmas but without much enthusiasm adding that, “since we were dispersed months ago, I never had the privilege of meeting my wife and children only to be camped here by the government.

“The Christmas for us promises to be dull as we have no good clothes; no decent accommodation to call ours and foremost, we have no freedom. Therefore, we can only thank God for sparing us till this moment.”

Although authorities in charge of the camp said they were doing all humanly possible to ensure that the displaced persons feel at home at the camp they noted that anything short of total freedom

for them was unacceptable as they said they have overstayed their welcome in the facility.

The women leader of the IDPs camp, Mrs Fidelia Joseph said the authorities were doing their best to ensure sanity, safety and the general wellbeing of the people even as she urged the people to persevere more, adding that soon, their travails would be a thing of the past.

Mrs Joseph said that in order to checkmate outbreak of an epidemic, the centre has been administering vaccination to the children at the camp while the management of the camp provides disinfeactants and detergents to the IDPs for proper sanitation.

She added that pregnant women are also provided antenatal care to ensure safe delivery, adding that with the situation, many pregnant women had safe deliveries and the children were living in healthy conditions.

Joseph added that the facility also provides drugs to IDPs with common illnesses such as malaria fever, catarrh and cough stressing that the measure has helped a lot in preventing diseases in the camp.

She explained that sufficient food was also being provided as they eat three times a day under strict supervision to ensure that cases of food poisoning are reduced to the barest minimum.

In his remark, the chairman of the Damare IDPs camp, Alh Modu Mohammad said though someone in their situation could not boast of having a comfortable life, they

were making arrangements to ensure that the Christmas is enjoyed by all the IDPs. Mohammed said that the IDPs were adequately being fed as they were daily given three square meals while they kill cows after every two days in order to improve the quality of the food they consume adding that they also compliment the diet in some days with fish as many especially the elderly prefer fish to meat, adding that the effort has helped tremendously in keeping diseases at bay.

He also disclosed that the availability of a clinic where those having health challenges are attended has helped significantly in preventing the advent of epidemics in the camp.

In Taraba State, no fewer than 15,000 IDPs are currently camping in different locations across four local government areas.

In Bali local government area where LEADERSHIP Weekend visited, IDPs numbering over 10,000, some of who spoke to our correspondent said they have been in the camps for the past eight months.

Spokesman of the IDPS in the camp, Mr Gideon Chum lamented that they were facing difficulties including poor feeding, clothing, and inadequate healthcare among others.

"We have been depending on government and other people all this while, we can't continue like this. We are very hard working ➔ CONTINUES ON PAGE 12

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Saturday, December 20,

Insurgency: Unusual Christmas For Christians In IDPs Camps

Inside Zang commercial Secondary School camp, Bukuru. photo by achor Abimaje

➔ CONTINUES FROM PAGE 11

We cannot say anything to you. Many people have been coming asking different questions yet not much has been done.

We still live in difficulty

people and can provide for ourselves. We want the federal government to provide security so that we can go back to our homes to celebrate Christmas with our loved ones," he said.

Chum lamented that their children had missed school for two consecutive terms, adding that after Christmas, they have no means to take them back to new schools.

"In fact, this kind of experience is not an experience you will wish your worst enemy. We are not conformable with this place; we can’t continue living here. We are eager to go back to our respective homes," he stated.

Also, some of the IDPs who narrated their experiences to our correspondent said they were not only rendered homeless but hungry, oppressed and their fundamental human rights denied in terms of freedom and social security.

At the Muslim Council Secretariat, Jalingo where LEADERSHIP Weekend visited, one of the IDPs, Babangida Adamu, who narrated their experiences said that nothing could be as painful as being driven away from their ancestral homes by insurgents.

Also at the NKST Church, Jalingo where thousands of IDPs are currently camping, the pastor in charge of the church, Rev Othniel Amah who spoke to LEADERSHIP Weekend said the Taraba State government which is said to have given relief materials to some of the Muslim victims taking refuge in different camps in Jalingo was yet to do the same for those in the church premises.

Meanwhile, the executive secretary of the Taraba State Emergency Management Agency

(SEMA), Mr Nuvalga Dan Abuh told our correspondent that government would do everything within its powers to ensure that the basic needs of the IDPS were provided.

In Yobe State, the IDPs said there is nothing to celebrate at Christmas because of their predicaments.

Following their displacement, camps were set up for them in Damaturu, Fika, Ngalda and others places.

Many displaced persons have also moved to neighbouring states such as Gombe, Bauchi, Kano and others places, all in search of safety.

Our correspondent observed that about 20 IDPs sleep together in one room with the entire camp environment looking unkempt.

“It is God that has been keeping us. We killed two snakes here recently,” one of the IDPs told LEADERSHIP Weekend.

Mallam Audu Dan Bulawa who said he was displaced from his home over five months ago said, "it has not been easy staying in this place or somewhere else but we appreciate the effort of the state government and most especially the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

“All of them have been coming here to provide constant food items to make sure that we don't go hungry.

"However, we have been idle since we came here. All we do every day is to eat and gist under the trees; it is sad that we have been cut off from our source of livelihood.

"We want the government to provide us with other means of earning our livelihood so that we can take care of our families.

We are tired of idleness; we want to go back to our homes and the government should provide us with something to be doing because we have lost all that we had.”

On his part, the leader of Damaturu at the camp, Mallam Mai Baji said, “we don't know when the government will retake our territory from the insurgents and allow us to go back to our homes because there is no place like home.

We are farmers, we want to go back and continue with our normal life.”

When our correspondent went round Damaturu metropolis, groups of IDPs were found occupying abandoned or incomplete buildings in the town, although many of them refused to share their experiences.

"We cannot say anything to you.

Many people have been coming asking different questions yet not much has been done. We still live in difficulty. We were all landlords in our towns but turned tenants in another man's land,” one of them said.

He said their greatest challenge is living in an area they could not source a penny to meet their needs as one cannot even get a menial job to find some money.

Those who spoke to our correspondent described the situation as worse as they think of how to celebrate Christmas at an IDPs camp.

The executive secretary, Yobe State Emergency Management Agency, Alh Musa Idi Jidawa said that the state government took a deliberate action not to operate IDPs camps to avoid attack by the insurgents.

"However, we traced the (IDPs) locations, house to house and distributed relief materials to them,” he said.

He said that the state government through state Emergency Relief Agency had procured food items worth millions of naira and distributed them to the IDPs. At the Zang Commercial Secondary School Bukuru in Jos South local government council

of Plateau State which served as an IDPs camp, the atmosphere was calmed as the IDPs were seen moving around the camp doing some chores.

The camp is a residence to over 700 displaced persons from the three states of Bornu, Adamawa and Yobe.

Some of the IDPs were seen sitting in groups discussing their fate, wearing mournful looks apparently because of the situation they have found themselves in.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, a 43-year-old farmer, Bitrus Dawa said he came from Goza, Borno State.

He disclosed that it is their intention to go back home to meet their aged parents who cannot walk not to talk of running away to safer places.

Dawa who spoke on behalf of other youths in the camp added that though people were assisting them in the camp to cope with their challenges, it is not enough and wished that the federal and state governments would rid their home states of insurgents to enable them return home.

"We are here doing nothing; some of us are farmers, cattle rearers and businessmen; we left all we had to run for our dear lives. We left over 100 aged parents who we do not know their fate for now. We want to be engaged here or else we should be reunited with our families over there.

"Christmas is fast approaching; we will miss this year's celebration outside our place of birth," he stated.

For 55-year-old Daniel Kwama also from Goza who moved into the Jos camp with eight family members, they sit idly daily, with no befitting place to lay their heads.

He said some of them fled their homes without anything to Jos and good Samaritans feed them at the camp with the support of Stephanos Foundation, a Jos-based non-governmental organisation.

He added that, though some good-spirited individuals and NGOs had been assisting them, it was grossly inadequate, hence the need for government to do something urgently to enable them go back to their homes.

Speaking with LEADERSHIP Weekend, the programme coordinator of Stehanos Foundation, Mark Lipdo said the NGO registered 186 families and accommodated in the first instance over 1,100 persons.

According to him, 90 families out of the 186 have been successfully integrated into various host communities adding that the current 96 families with about 550 persons comprised over 50 men, 80 women and 300 children and dependants.

He added that 47 people tested positive to hepatitis and are in need of urgent treatment which will cost about N250,000 for treatment.

Saturday December 20, 2014 ISSUE 99

Women’s Health Home Remedies For Strengthening Birth Canal

Plantain As Food And Medicine Ayurvedic Medicine:

Pancreatitis

Alcohol: Check Your Consumption This Yuletide Season

14

December 20, 2014

KIDS- HEALTH

R’S EDITO

NOTE

Nutrition Guidelines For Healthy Kids

Why Regular Check-ups are Important Do you have an annual health check? Most of us don’t because we assume we are healthy whereas we are not.

Regular health exams and tests can help find problems before they start. Regular medical check ups are necessary because they also can help detect problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better.

Also, by getting the right health services, screenings, and treatments, you are taking steps that help your chances for living a longer, healthier life. Your age, health and family history, lifestyle choices (i.e. what you eat, how active you are, whether you smoke), and other important factors impact what and how often you need healthcare.

For women, screening tests, such as mammograms, Pap smears, and colorectal cancer tests, are usually recommended as they can find diseases and conditions early when they are easier to treat.

Men should also have regular health checks not just for the sake of staying healthy but to help pick up early warning signs of disease or illness. Doctors can detect many diseases in their early stages such as cardiovascular (heart) disease, diabetes, abdominal aortic aneurysm, colorectal cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure and prostate.

It’s time to take charge of your health! Schedule an appointment with your doctor today to discuss what screenings and exams you need and when you need them.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a prosperous New year.

E-mail: miminaija@yahoo.com 08075300560(text only)

EDITOR: Raliat Ahmed-Yusuf Ag. GM CREATIVE DESIGNS: Chukwudi J. Nwabueze GRAphICS DESIGNER: Iniobong Ekong

AG. EDITOR: Catherine Agbo

FOUNDER: Sam Nda-Isaiah GROUp MANAGING DIRECTOR: Azubuike Ishiekwene GROUp EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Okpere Dr. Kazeem Durodoye

You want your child to eat healthy foods, but do you know which nutrients are necessary and in what amounts? Here’s a quick overview of nutrition for kids.

Nutrition for kids is based on the same principles as nutrition for adults. Everyone needs the same types of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein and fat.

Children, however, need different amounts of specific nutrients at different ages.

So what’s the best formula to fuel your child’s growth and development? Check out these nutrition basics for girls and boys at various ages, based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Consider these nutrient-dense foods: •Protein. Choose seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds.

•Fruits. Encourage your child to eat a variety of fresh, canned, frozen or dried fruits — rather than fruit juice. If your child drinks juice,

make sure it’s 100 per cent juice and limit his or her servings.

•Vegetables. Serve a variety of fresh, canned or frozen vegetables — especially dark green, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas.

•Grains. Choose whole grains, such as wholewheat bread, oatmeal, popcorn, quinoa, or brown or wild rice.

•Dairy. Encourage your child to eat and drink fat-free or low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese or fortified soy beverages.

Aim to limit your child’s calories from solid fats and added sugar, such as butter, cake and soda. Look for ways to replace solid fats with vegetable and nut oils, which provide essential fatty acids and vitamin E. Oils are naturally present in olives, nuts, avocados and seafood.

If you have questions about nutrition for kids or specific concerns about your child’s diet, talk to your child’s doctor or a registered dietician.

Most of the food allergies die under garlic and onion… Martin H. Fischer

15

December 20, 2014

Plantain As Food And Medicine Plantain also known as ‘’Musa Paradisiaca’’ has been used throughout the world as food and medicine. It has been tested scientifically for the treatment of diarrhoea, diabetes, dysentry, injuries, malaria, and ulcer. Plantains are famed to be diuretic and also can help prevent kidney and bladder problems. TUNDE OGUNTOLA writes on the health benefits of plantain.

Plantain is basically cooked and served in many dishes as the chief carbohydrate source in most parts of the world. The fruit can be roasted or fried as food. In Nigerian it is called bole when roasted and dodo in some Nigerian languages. The ripe fruit can also be eaten raw as fast food.

This plant known as ogede or ogede agbagba in Yoruba, Oghede in Benin, Ayaba in Hausa, while it is known as abereka, ojioko and ogbadejieko in Igbo, is rich in vital vitamins and minerals, it has soft trunk with lots of fluid.

Plantains are rich in certain vitamins and minerals that contribute to good health. Plantains are available at most local markets, large grocery stores and can add new flavours and recipes to

your healthy-eating plan.

Research shows that, plantain relatively has more calories weight for weight than that in the fruit bananas. 100 g plantain holds of 122 calories, while dessert banana has only 89 calories. Indeed, they are very reliable sources of starch and energy; ensuring food security for millions of inhabitants worldwide.

It has more vitamin C than bananas.

100 g provide 18.4 mg or 31 per cent of daily required levels of this vitamin. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.

Plantains have more vitamin A than

Benefits Of Abdominal Work In Pregnancy Not only is it safe to do abdominal workouts during pregnancy, experts say abdominal workouts can provide many benefits.

Your abdominals and your entire core, including your pelvic floor, should be strengthened throughout pregnancy, and doing so will help not only during pregnancy, but also aid in labour and delivery -- and recovery.

Moreover, it’s going to help with posture problems which will also benefit you after baby is born.

Because you should avoid any exercises that you have to do on your back after the first trimester, Fleming suggests gentle standing pelvic tilts, seated belly breathing, or tightening abs, holding, then releasing, as good ways to keep abs muscles in top condition.

bananas. In addition to being a powerful antioxidant, vitamin A plays a vital role in the visual cycle, maintaining healthy mucus membranes, and enhancing skin complexion. 100 g fresh ripe plantains contain 1127 IU or 37.5 per cent of daily required levels of this vitamin. Besides being a powerful antioxidant. Vitamin A is involved in numerous bodily functions including reproduction, immunity and communication between the cells.

Experts asserts that plantain has vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), in which pyridoxine is an important B-complex vitamin that has a beneficial role in the treatment of neuritis, anaemia, and to decrease homocystine (one of the causative factors for coronary artery

disease (CHD) and stroke episodes) levels in the body.

For healthy living, men need between 30 and 38 grams of fiber a day and women need between 21 and 25. Getting these adequate amounts of fiber promote an efficient digestive system, which can prevent constipation, haemorrhoids and diverticular disease. Eating plenty of fiber can lower your cholesterol level, which might reduce your risk of heart disease.

Plantains also provide adequate levels of minerals such as iron, magnesium, and phosphorous. Magnesium is essential for bone strengthening and has a cardiac-protective role as well.

16

December 20, 2014

Basic Tips for Healthier Life

Fitness Beauty Wellness

Home Remedies For Strengthening Birth Canal

Don’t bend the legs, rather keep them straight as you raise and lower them alternatively There can be several reasons for a woman to have a loose birth canal . While some ladies have it as a trait from birth, others tend to develop it after giving birth. Whatever be the case, a loose vagina can potentially lead to lack of interest in sex and could with time spoil the intimacy between couples.

How Does A Birth Canal Become Loose?

A woman’s vagina is said to be loose when either the vaginal walls are not tight enough or when the vaginal opening becomes very large. Here are some of the more common reasons as to why women develop this trait.

• Giving Birth • Motherhood is the essence of a woman’s life and they say a woman is complete only after giving birth to a child.

• During labour, the vaginal and cervical muscles contract and expand repeatedly. This action coupled with the arrival of the baby through the vaginal opening would lead to slackened vaginal muscles.

• Frequent Masturbation And Sexual Activity • Basically, the vagina contracts and expands every time you have sex with your partner or masturbate.

How to Find Out If You Have a Loose Birth Canal • Inserting more than two fingers into the vagina without any resistance or pain can signify a loose vagina.

• If your partner starts complaining about not enjoying sex anymore.

• If you masturbate frequently and find the need to insert larger objects to achieve sexual stimulation and satisfaction, chances are your vaginal opening might have become bigger and your vaginal walls may have slackened.

Natural Treatments There is no need to visit a doctor or opt for any kind of surgical treatments to get your vagina back to form. You can follow some simple, natural and very effective remedies that can tighten the vaginal muscles and reduce the size of the vaginal opening to a great extent.

• Kegel Exercises

One of the most popular ways to tighten the vagina would be to opt for Kegel exercises on a regular basis. Often recommended to ladies post-delivery, the exercise involves a woman contracting the muscles of her groin and then relaxing them after 10 seconds.

Keep contracting and relaxing the groin muscles for at least 15 times and follow up with 4 sets of the same every day.

Alternatively, you can try contracting your groin muscles while you urinate and hold back the urine for about 5 seconds before continuing. Do the same till you finish urinating. Repeat the procedure every time you need to urinate.

Vaginal Cone Another very common method to tighten the vaginal muscles employs the use of a vaginal cone which looks like a regular tampon, but has weights attached to it. You need to insert the cone (with the weights hanging off the end) into the vagina and try to hold it in with the help of your vaginal muscles for a couple of minutes before releasing it. Repeat the procedure at least 5 times a day and add more weights as you progress.

Legs Ups This simple exercise requires you to lie down on your back on the floor and raise your legs upwards one after the other for about 10 minutes and do the same at least 5 times. Don’t bend the legs, rather keep them straight as you raise and lower them alternatively.

Herbal Creams There are plenty of herbal creams that are used for tightening a loose vagina. They can be applied over the vaginal opening and inside the vagina for effective results.

Only opt for a cream only after consulting with a physician.

Home Remedy, Gooseberries Here is a simple, home based remedy to help you tighten your vaginal muscles. Boil some gooseberries in water and store the resultant solution in a bottle. Apply some over your vagina when you take a bath every day. The solution would restore the elasticity and suppleness of your vagina in no time at all.

• Drink Plenty of Water Human body is made up of 60 per cent water and day-to-day routines deplete this valuable resource which needs to be replenished.

Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water every day – more is obviously better. Having adequate water content in the body will keep your internal organs hydrated as well as in good working condition.

Additionally, it can help your digestive system run smoothly and stop bowel irregularity. Last but not least, it’ll help your actual skin look flexible, vibrant and supple by keeping it hydrated and flushing out wastes from the body.

• Reduce Stress Every person has stress in their life, and if you learn to manage it, then you’ll find your life is a way better.

Researches reveal that mental stress speeds up the aging process. When you’re stressed out, you lose the body’s natural balance which in turn causes damage to bodily hormone secretion, cell-repair, and collagen generation.

• Sugar-coated Millions of people suffer from type 2 diabetes, and the incidence is increasing – with new patients getting younger. New studies show this type of diabetes is often part of a metabolic syndrome (X Syndrome), which includes high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease. More than 80 per cent of type 2 diabetics die of heart disease, so make sure you control your glucose levels, and watch your blood pressure and cholesterol counts.

• Relax, it’s only sex Stress and sex make bad bedfellows, it seems. A research survey shows that stress, kids and work are main factors to dampen libido. With the advent of technology that allows us to work from home, the lines between our jobs and our personal lives have become blurred. People work longer hours, commutes are longer and work pervades all aspects of our lives, including our sexual relationships Good night, sweetheart Rest heals the body and has been shown to lessen the risk of heart trouble and psychological problems.

close up 17

Saturday, December 20, 2014

The Controversial Things I did Were Deliberate – Timaya The self-styled Egberi Papa 1 of Bayelsa, Timaya, is a journalist’s delight any day. SAMUEL ABULUDE caught up with him at the HEADIES on Sunday and the talented singer opened up on his new look, controversy around him and other issues.

Why did you name your new album Epiphany?

Epiphany is a re-invention of me. I have been in the industry for some years now and I know what sells. It is a consolidation of my previous works and a re-direction of what Timaya is now up to.

Are you aware Epiphany is being used by another artiste, an American?

Yes; it was after I pushed my work out and named my album Epiphany that I found out that T-Pain also used it. It’s like ‘you come buy new car and you come see say other people get the kind car wey you buy’. It’s a coincidence. My own Epiphany redefines a new, bigger and better Timaya.

There is a notion that you are arrogant, are you?

That is old news. As you can see, I’m not. It’s just like you journalists coming to ask me about my relationship with Empress Njamah. That is crap.

I expect more from you journalists.

It’s the season of politics, will you be singing the praises of any politician?

No! I no longer sing praises to men; I sing praises to God. If they want me to perform at an event, I’ll go and do my thing; not to go and sing the praises of a politician. Our politics leaves much to be desired and I’m not planning to vote. Maybe if things change, I’ll change my mind too.

Your song Sankho is currently trending, how did that happen?

Yea, I give thanks to God for the success. Sankho is a dance hall song and it shows that Timaya is still very much relevant and my spirit is hungry.

I’m still an upcoming artiste.

I’ve so much energy to give and fans should watch out for the rebranded Timaya.

Why did you change your hairstyle?

It was deliberate. The face of music is changing and you must change with the times or you’ll be left behind. I used to carry dreadlocks because I wanted to be known and dif-

Timaya

ferent. So I made myself look crazy at a point in my life by wearing dreads. The controversial things I did then were deliberate, so the media would report them, because I was just an unknown artiste from Bayelsa. Now, with my new look, folks say I look different. Well, that is what is called rebranding.

Now that you seem to be financially stable, any nuptial plans?

I don’t know about that. You people want me to marry in 2015 and I’m not ready for that. So, no Timaya Junior yet. The reason why I post my daughter’s picture on Instagram is because I love her a lot. She means a lot to me.

Marriage is not all about money. Do you think artistes have all the money in the world? It is a lie and we just put up a front.

Marriage is not it for now. I

mean, I’m still young and have a big career and tasks to do.

Your music has really evolved, how did you do it?

Yeah, it’s all about hardwork.

No Nigerian musician has ever rebranded 100% and changed his music. I have done that. I realised that what brought us this far in the music industry are those classic songs that impacted the society and enhanced our cultural values, not the kind of noise that we hear today Though, that is what the people want to hear; it is what puts food on our table and generates megabucks. The Shake Up your Bumbum remix with Sean Paul generated 13 million views and it was loved by everybody. That is the kind of song that people love; club songs with women.

It’s no one’s fault. That is part of the pop culture that we find ourselves in. I did those kinds

of songs, but I’m now tuned to doing better music..

So what should we expect from you in 2015?

I’m praying to God for a better life. I went to Shiloh to pray and dedicate my life and career to Him. Let the wind blow me in the right direction. I have committed my 2015 into God’s hands. I don’t want to struggle for things any more. When God blesses your work, a little labour brings much fruits. At this level of my stay in the industry, I don’t want to struggle for what is mine. I’ll do my stuff, perform my gigs and count the mega bucks. One time, I was urged to get more people to follow me on Twitter. Why should I pay to be verified? Whatever is mine will be mine. My true fans will support me and rally round my cause. I’m still Timaya, the Egberi Papa No.1 of Bayelsa.

Marriage is not it for now. I mean, I’m still young and have a big career and tasks to do

18 e-FEATURE

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Best Collabos Of 2014 As 2014 draws to a close, we look back at collaborations that hit the airwaves during the year. ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM and SAMUEL ABULUDE profile the biggest musical collaborations of 2014, with the help of some prominent DJs and presenters.

M

u s i c a l collaborations the world over are designed to bring balance and richer song recording to music fans. The blend of musical dexterity from two or more artistes from the same or different backgrounds has made collabos what they are today. The Nigerian Hiphop music scene is influenced by the American pop culture and with collaborations being a major trend in the industry, Nigerian artistes have taken a cue.

The 2013 collabos that shone include Baby Mi DaVictor Olaiya ft Tuface Idibia; Jaiyejaiye- Wizkid Ft Femi Kuti; Eminado- Tiwa Savage ft Don Jazzy and Pull OverKcee ft Wizkid, which won the Channel O Music award for duo, group or featuring.

Since the trends in the music industry during 2013 led to the buzz and hype of musicians and the hit songs of 2014, it can be said that the music scene is heading for greater heights in 2015, as we see more songs and collaborations among artistes.

Artistes like Davido, Wizkid, D'banj, J Martins, Tiwa Savage, Patoranking and Don Jazzy, were some of those that had lots of collaboration that shook the music scene this outgoing year.

Daddy Mi talks about our fathers and praises them for being mentors and guides of one’s destiny. I like it because it has better lyrics of love and admiration for one’s fath

2014 Best Collabo Songs DJ Topherz is one of Abuja's best DJs and an in-house DJ for Rhythm FM who runs Topherz Gang Ent. He believes that the 2014 collaborations saw the old and new coming together to do one of the greatest things in the music industry.

Davido’s most anticipated new single, Tchelete ft Mafikizolo, hit the airwaves with the already established artistes breaking grounds within and outside the shores of the nation.

The undisputed man of the year also released the video for his previously dropped

Patoranking and Tiwa Savage

hot joint, Naughty featuring Ivory Coast’s very own DJ Arafat. Directed by Sesan, it has a fitting loud party theme with an army of sexy ladies bursting with energy to match the thumping rhythm of the audio, with Davido and DJ Arafat thrown right smack in the middle of it all. It is unarguably one of the best collaborations of the year.

Daddy Mi- Reminisce ft Davido The song established indigenous rapper, Reminisce on the music scene. Having being on the sidelines in the rap genre dominated by OLAMIDE, Reminisce has burst onto the scene with his own flair and is garnering accolades.

Daddy Mi by the Samsung brand ambassador, Reminisce, featuring award winning and 2014 trailblazer, Davido, is the best collabo of the year, according to DJ Mewsic. his reason being that other collaborations had not-sogood lyrics that did not have mass appeal.

"I love Daddy Mi by Reminisce ft Davido because it is a good song with a good video- a live performance shooting. Daddy Mi talks about our fathers and praises them for being mentors and guides of one's destiny.

I like it because it has better

lyrics of love and admiration for one's father; cleaner than other collabos," says the Disc Jockey DJ Mewsic.

Emergency- Wizzy Pro ft Skales, Patorankin and Runtown DJ mewsic's second favourite collabo is the wave making Emergency. The song is not just a club banger but interestingly got the Best Collabo at HEADIES 2014. Owned by Wizzy Pro, Emergency brought one of the best young singers into the mix. The quartet of Skales, Patoranking , Runtown and Wizzy Pro gave a wonderful live performance of the song at the award ceremony.

Girlie O Remix- Patorankin ft Tiwa Savage Based on massive approval and popular voting, Patoranking's Girlie O remix was one of the songs that fetched more than one award notably the Best Reggae/ Dance Hall Song at the HEADIES held last Sunday.

The song did it for Patoranking in 2014 and bringing the talented diva, Tiwa Savage to endorse the song in a remix ensured that Girlie O is one of the hit songs and best collabos of 2014.

Double

Wahala

Remix-

OritseFemi ft D'Banj Off the success of his hit song, Double Wahala, the street singer possessing a unique voice texture released its video weeks ago.

The song, featuring Banga Lee master, D'Banj, has made OritseFemi richer and more popular. He has won not less than four awards in 2014.

The remix video, before and after its official release, is a testament to the success of a singer who was on the sidelines for so long and is now in the spotlight; touring, doing shows and also being employed to add his voice to musical collaborations. Watch out for Oritse Femi in bigger collabos.

Shake Your Bumbum RemixTimaya ft Sean Paul Timaya's music has stood the test of time. His collabo with Jamaican reggae star, Sean Paul is a club banger. Although controversial because of its risqué nature, no DJ could put Timaya's remix, Shake Your Bumbum, aside. Apart from its international collaborative effort, the melody is tight and loved by many.

Other great collabos of 2014 include Pass You By- Black Magic ft Oritse Femi; Oya Now- Joe El ft Oritse Femi; Dorobucci- Mavins Crew and dozens of others.

scoop 19

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Solomon Nda–Isaiah Entertainment Ricochet

08116759802

nda_is@yahoo.co.uk

Davido It Is ...

2014 has indeed been a wonderful and memorable year for the entertainment industry.

Today, the 20th day of December happens to be the second to the last Saturday of the year and this column which promotes the good ideals of the entertainment industry and I, being the `head of the entertainment crew of LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group and my entire crew, having observed the entertainment industry from the first day of this year till date, will today announce to our numerous esteemed readers, our entertainer of the year 2014.

As you must have observed, in the last four weeks, in every edition, we have profiled a musician and a movie star in our E-FEATURE page who have really made a mark in the entertainment industry this year and as we promised, after three weeks of thorough research, vox pop, inquiries, deliberations and investigations, we present to you our entertainer of the year; someone who has made serious waves in the entertainment industry this year.

We have chosen no other person than rave of the moment, David Adedeji Adeleke, popularly known as DAVIDO, as our entertainer of the year 2014. He passed all tests beyond reasonable doubt.

He is indeed the entertainer of the year, not only for us at LEADERSHIP entertainment, but also for Nigeria at large.

He has indeed proved himself a worthy entertainer in all ramifications in this great year.

Davido has done some lovely songs which have really made waves in the entrainment industry. These include: Singles and Videos • Aye on February 2 • Tchelete featuring MafikizoloGoodlife on April 30 • Owo Ni Koko on November 21 • Naughty featuring Dj Arafat on October 31 Davido also received local and international applause in the form of awards this year including the following: • BET Awards: Best International Act: Africa • African Muzik Magazine Awards: Best Male West Africa and Artist of the Year • MTV Africa Music Awards: Best Male and Artist of the Year

• Ghana Music Awards: African Artist of the Year • City People Entertainment Awards: Musician of the Year (Male) • Nigeria Entertainment Awards: Aye (Hottest Single of the Year), • Male Artist of the Year, Runtown featuring Davido – Gallardo (Best Collaboration) Below are pending or just nominated awards for him: • Soul Train Awards: Aye- Best International Performance (Nominated) • The Future Africa Awards: African Young Person of the Year (Pending) • Kora Awards: Artist of the Year (Pending) • MOBO Awards: Best African Act (Nominated) • MTV Europe Music Awards: Best African Act (Nominated) • World Music Awards: World's Best Entertainer of the Year (Nominated) • Channel O Awards: Most Gifted Male and several others.

He has also embarked on several tours this year including his first US/Canada tour, African Unplugged concert in London, MAMA Awards in Durban and Kampala Concert.

In an interview recently, he mentioned his upcoming concert this December, saying he will bring to America, entertainment acts that shake the music scene.

From the beginning of 2014, the Skelewu crooner has achieved a lot; travelling round the world with his crew to make evergreen hits and club bangers like Aye and releasing sensational videos. Davido has been regarded as a superstar from 2011 when he entered the music scene fully, till date.

Hopefully, he is not ready to slow down the train.

Davido, you have really made us proud. Entertainment Ricochet and the entire LEADERSHIP entertainment crew congratulate you for achieving this great feat in the entertainment industry this year and for also being our entertainer of the year; more grease to your elbow. This is just the beginning. We hope you achieve more and surpass this year's record. Ride on brother!

I wish all our esteemed readers a lovely weekend and a happy Christmas in advance.

Compliments of the season.

Cheerio!

Toke Makinwa Survives Near Fatal Accident

By Catherine Agbo, Abuja

Looking all resplendent and bubbly in her three outfits as she co-hosted the hip hop world awards popularly called the Headies, not many knew that famous on-air personality and Tv presenter, Toke Makinwa narrowly survived a near fatal accident while the show was going on.

The awards host had a fall backstage while the show lasted and all thanks to her dress and comedian, TeeA, she would by now be in stitches, in a hospital.

According to Makinwa on her Instagram page a day after the show, it happened just after she had changed

Makinwa

into another outfit for the evening, when she fell over.

"This dress saved my life, and also my good friend @teeacomedian. I fell backstage, like literarily fell over. I looked down and there was metal and glass. TeeA held on to the bottom part of my skirt and got his trousers ripped in the process of not letting me off the edge. Thank God there was something to hold onto.

Thank God I didn't wake up in the hospital.”

We join Toke in thanking God. We sure would have missed seeing her pretty face on Tv and hearing her voice on radio had the worst happened.

Seyi Law Becomes 'Pastor'

By Catherine Agbo, Abuja

The event was “Laughter Doeth Good”, organised by the Lighthouse Church Abuja and one of the comedians who was supposed to entertain guests was ace comedian, Seyi Law. When he took to the stage to do his craft, not many expected what happened next.

Rather than go into the business of the night, he took a few minutes to minister to the congregation on the need to live every moment of their lives like it were their last, noting that eternity is just a snap of the finger away.

According to him, the events of the last few days had caused him to rededicate his life to God.

Giving an insight into what informed the short sermon, he explained that penultimate Thursday, he got home from a show at about 1am and the guard, Shehu, opened the gate for him and even brought his phones which he had left outside to him in the house and barely 15 minutes later, he was called out - Shehu had slumped and died.

Seyi Law also took advantage of the opportunity to thank God for sparing his life as he travels around doing his job, following which he got in his element and sent people roaring with laughter at his rib cracking jokes.

Benue comedian, Pst Nicodemus also got a standing ovation at the end of his performance, which was capped with a mock martial fight and an adaptation of Michael Jackson's Heal The

Seyi Law

World.

There were also performances by Mc Osas and Bros Jay, among others.

First Cut To Hit Cinemas

By SOLOMON NDA-ISAIAH, Abuja

Come January, First Cut, an emotionally charged movie, produced and directed by delectable actress, Lisa Omorodion will hit cinemas across the nation.

First Cut is an educative, captivating and thrilling movie

by Lisa Henry Omorodion, which delivers a theatrical blend of morals, fashion, education, information and professionalism in film-making and production. It was directed by Chico Ejiro.

The movie lines its plot with a collection of suspense, emotions, neglect, sex, insecurity, parenting, abuse, trauma and other psychological colours that throw the movie on the highway of creative suspense.

First Cut narrates the story of KC Morgan as the central character, which is played by Lisa Henry Omorodion; a character with a talent respected by many yet suppressed by trauma.

The plot however, thickens when the central character finds herself being oppressed by loved ones even as a painful secret threatens to shatter the new life she has created for herself.

Ejiro

This brings viewers to the point in the movie where the question surfaces: 'Can she face her demons and let go of the past, which has hounded her for so long?'

First Cut is a movie that revolves around the theme of rape, a treacherous love-triangle and conflicting family ties.

Produced by Nollywood's curvy actress, Lisa Henry Omorodion, the movie is directed by award-winning

director, Chico Ejiro, with a stellar cast that boasts of prominent names within the Nigerian movie industry and beyond - some of whom include Monalisa Chinda, Joseph Benjamin and Bobby Obodo.

Omorodion's movie was first shown to a select few at the Eko Hotel and Suites where it was unveiled after which a final edit was made. The actress is taking her cinematic game a couple of notches higher by taking it to the cinema.

Born with a silver spoon, Omorodion has proven over and over again that her interest in movies, acting and now movie production are all fueled by her undying passion for the world of make-believe.

"Having come from a wealthy background has helped me in a way. I don’t have to source for funds before embarking on a film project. I am not in the industry because of what I’m going to make out of it. I can decide to star in a movie without demanding a fee.

I will tell the producer, I love to feature in your movie and you don’t have to pay me. I don’t see acting as a profession; rather, I see it as a hobby," Omorodion enthused.

20 BLITZ

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Patoranking, Timi Dakolo Wizkid, Seyi Shay, Steal Show At HEADIES 2014 Others For Music Meets Runway

By SAMUEL ABULUDE, Lagos

Despite delays, the HEADIES 2014, an award night which gathered the creme de la creme of the music and entertainment industry in Nigeria, lived up to its hype. Hosted by Basket Mouth and on-air-personalty, Toke Makinwa, the event eventually started at 11:30pm.

Rookies of the Year, an award category initiated by OAP, Toolz, opened the stage. The category for newest artistes was pruned down to three out of several artistes and people were asked to vote after performances by Sly, YunGreyc from Naija Ninja group and Rekardo Banks from Mavin Crew.

Lil Kesh, the artiste signed under YBNL, gave the first live performance after the rookie artistes’ display. As expected, Lil kesh and his dancers performed Shoki. For the younger generation, Shoki is the dance of 2014. Harry Song dished out his song, Beta Pikin afterwards.

Nikki Laoye and her dance group gave an energetic performance of 123. Skales came on stage and belted out his wavemaking song, Shake Body.

Patoranking lighted up the stage with his Girlie O remix with Tiwa Savage. They gave an

By SOLOMON NDA-ISAIAH, Abuja

Timi Dakolo

Olamide

electrifying performance.

Yemi Alade also entertained with her dancers. Dr Sid and Don Jazzy did it with the Surulere hit.

TuFace Idibia was the first to win an award. He clinched the best R&B Single. His wife, Annie Idibia, collected the award on his behalf. The award most looked forward to, Next Rated went to Patoranking, who disclosed joyously how he once sold rat poison and did bricklaying menial jobs while living at the EbuteMetta area of Lagos. The award winner encouraged young artistes and the audience never to despise the lean days. Patoranking had earlier won the Best Ragga/Dance

Hall Song award category.

Mavin Crew's Dorobucci won the Best Pop Single award category.

Phyno with his song, Parcel clinched the Best Rap Single, defeating Olamide, illbliss, Eva, Posly and others. Sean Tizzle won the Best Pop Album award.

Oritsefemi came with his whole crew, including injured driver-manager to collect the Best Vocal Performance Male and EME first lady, Niyola got the Best Vocal Performance Female, surprisingly. Olamide again won the Best Rap Album award which signposts the Bariga-Boy as the Best Rapper in 2014.

Funke Akindele, Jimmy Jatt Star In T.W.O’s Omonsa

By SOLOMON NDA-ISAIAH, Abuja

Nigerian music power couple, Tunde and Wunmi Obe (T.W.O) has released a video and a single from their forthcoming album T.W.O Plus.

The video, titled Omonsa, meaning 'Dance' in the Ghanaian twi dialect, was directed by popular music director, Clarence Peters and features the very versatile and talented actress, Funke Akindele, DJ Jimmy Jatt, Don T Anifite, and more.

In the video, the couple plays the roles of secret agents on a mission to burst out 5 former dance champions-now senior citizens-from an old people's home, to enable them engage in a dance-off against a group of youngsters, the 'Gang-X'.

T.W.O also released Bianu, the fourth single from their forthcoming album, T.W.O PLUS. Bianu is a passionate plea for respite from a broken heart, rendered in both English and Igbo languages.

Finally, the organisers of Music Meets Runway (MMR) have announced the artistes that will headline this year’s edition of the popular music and fashion show.

Wizkid will lead a host of stars which include; Mpumi from South Africa, Sauti Sol from Kenya and Efya from Ghana. Other Nigerian stars to join Wizkid in gracing the stage with musical performances are Girlie O crooner, Patoranking, foremost female DJ, DJ Cuppy, Irawo crooner and Seyi Shay.

Music Meets Runway is an annual fashion and music event which Wizkid features fashion collections presented alongside live performances by popular Iyanya, Basketmouth, Dr Sid, music acts. Music Meets D’Prince, Femi Kuti have all Runway was established graced Music Meet Runway to create awareness for stage within the last four new talent and upcoming years. Of particular mention fashion designers, musicians, is Davido, who performed models, stylists and make- publicly for the first time up artists to emerge and in Nigeria on the stage of be fostered toward a future Music Meets Runway. Ever that otherwise may be out of since then he has risen to reach. become a global export from 2face Idibia, Neacto C, the Nigerian entertainment DBanj, Davido, Tiwa Savage, industry to the world.

Revamped Agodi Gardens Opens Today In Ibadan

By SOLOMON NDA-ISAIAH, Abuja

Akindele

Produced by B.Jay Productions, it features YSG's talented new act, FLOSS a.k.a Mazii, who does ample justice to the track with his melodious and indigenous rhymes.

No doubt, Bianu is one track that will be enjoyed not only in the east, but amongst T.W.O fans and

those who appreciate good music.

The duo recently dropped two hit singles from the album which will be released early next year: Green White Green featuring TuFace Idibia and Wedding Day, which won Best Use of Costume at the Nigerian Music Video Awards.

The city of Ibadan comes alive this weekend as Agodi Gardens, now known as Agodi Resorts and Conferences, opens to the public in a spectacular way.

The famous landmark and one of the city of Ibadan’s treasures is now under new management, to ensure that it becomes a destination of choice internationally and also as an eco friendly resort.

This Saturday, it will be home to the first installment of what will be known as the ARC Series, a music concert with a difference! Featuring some of Nigeria’s finest music acts like P-Square and Sir Shina Peters to thrill the crowd in the splendour of the surroundings. The event will be hosted by award winning Nigerian actress, Bimbo Akintola and Gbenga Adeyinka the First.

It promises to be an

unforgettable entertainment experience. According to the governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, at the lighting of the Christmas tree at the venue recently, the facility has the potential to generate no less than N500million for the state government annually.

Ajimobi said that his administration was motivated to embark on the reconstruction of the Gardens, in view of its long years of neglect by successive administrations which had left the hitherto popular zoological gardens in a sorry state.

"Agodi Gardens was in a sorry state when we first visited the place. It was desolate and empty.

It had deteriorated so much and it was very shameful to us in Oyo State,’’ he said.

With this concert and more, JD Capital is set to restore the glory of the former Agodi Gardens and actualise the dream of the present Oyo State administration.

21

Saturday, December 20, 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

sation’s achievements alo2,ngHenry Ubimago: 08068640944, ni ga or e th le pi m co y pl Sim 314390 7 Iyobosa Uwugiaren: 08:03 6, Tosin Allen: 0805211670wspaper 76 52 45 06 07 in am nj Be ne Adebayo nt Abuja resident a in m o d e th in it Show and tell

22

Saturday, December 20, 2014

THE

ELECTABLES On December 30th, 2014

Who

Makes The List?

The best among Nigeria’s politicians; the best among those who aspire for political and elective office; the most popular candidates; the traiblazers; Nigeria ‘s most presentable candidates and those who have the vision and sense of mission to lead.

This is a must read!

LANRE

A

ADEGBOYE

08034098480

JOSHUA WAHEED

08032083633 08033705561

08130077135

SPECIAL PROJECTS PUBLI CATION

23

Saturday, December 20, 2014

HIP S R E D A you r LE e u r e o y h t w e y G r ever hones e p a p s le p New i b o m per a r p u s o y w e n go o ile N b o M N with MT Service is currently available only to MTN subscribers

WORLD NEWS

EDUCATION

POLITICS

SPORTS

WEEKLY MONTHLY

Text LDW to 4900 to get daily news for 1 Week Text LDM to 4900 to get daily news for 1 Month

N30 N120

only be s n a c e c i v Ser omer . t s u c y b enjoyed enable phones S with MMsetting to 388 Text TN to get Mtings Data Set

24 feature

Saturday, December 20, 2014

If We Could Have Our Way, We Wouldn’t Be On The Streets – Child Hawkers Despite the Child Rights Act, many children of school age still hawk on some busy streets, while their mates are in school, a development often blamed on the economic downturn in the country. These children are often at the mercy of kidnappers and are also at risk of accidents and sexual abuse. AMINA ALHASSAN AHMAN; GEORGE OKOJIE, Lagos, ABU NMODU, Minna and ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto, spoke with some childhawkers

A girl hawking groundnuts

L

ami jumped from where she was seated among other hawkers and quickly approached the vehicle that had stopped to buy some petroleum products at the filling station. She stylishly balanced her tray of groundnuts and a local delicacy called ‘kuli kuli’, popular in Northern Nigeria on her head as she peeped through the car window saying, “a saya geda. Ga kuli kuli” urging her potential customers to buy some groundnuts and ‘kuli kuli.’ From a distance, LEADERSHIP Weekend watched the girl whose age should be about 10 or 12, dressed neatly in her Ankara gown and head covering (hijab).

A customer picked and paid for the commodity and she moved on to another vehicle, hoping to make enough sales before Magrib time, the evening prayers.

Speaking with Lami in Nupe language, LEADERSHIP Weekend learnt that she is the third child and the only daughter among the five children of her parents. She lives with her paternal grandmother who is also her namesake. For now, her dreams of returning to school have been put on hold because her parents can’t afford it at the moment as her elder brothers are al-

ready in school. Besides, her old and frail grandmother needed her to help out with household chores and hawking to sustain them.

The pretty Lami told LEADERSHIP Weekend the dangers hawkers like her are daily exposed to.

“Nothing has happened to me but one of the girls I move around with told me that her elder sister nearly had a bad experience last year when a man wanted to buy groundnuts from her and called her into one empty building where he said he worked and had kept his money. When she went in, he wanted to force himself on her but she was lucky to escape. She had to run and leave her tray there,” said Lami.

“Since then, we have been stopped from moving alone. We are urged to always go in groups,” she added.

Her story is no different from what many girls of her age and even older ones have actually gone through as some lewd-minded men are said to be fond of taking advantage of them.

‘Money tempts us to sell our bodies’ Close to 90 per cent of children who hawk, especially the female folk, are from relatively poor backgrounds. However, one thing that

remains shocking is why their parents allow them to hawk despite the known dangers.

Most parents believe that their daughters are responsible and could not be easily lured into acts considered to be against their faith or moral characters. However, like other parents who are bold enough to call a spade a spade, Ibrahim Kwaoni admitted that the dangers are certain.

He said that as parents, they only pray for Allah’s safety and protection adding that the female folk who hawk are often faced with the issue of rape more than any other crime against humanity.

Confirming the development to LEADERSHIP Weekend, one of the female hawkers within the Sokoto metropolis who refused to mention her name for fear of victimisation said they are oftentimes lured with money into doing things against their will, including having carnal knowledge of them at hidden places.

The 14-year-old girl said sometimes they involve themselves in commercial sex to complete the money they are expected to take home from their sales should they record any unexpected shortage.

A widow and mother of seven who pleaded anonymity, admitted that the attitude of most parents, guardians or step mothers is directly responsible for a good number of the nonsense being committed by these children, adding that they actually know what their children pass through including sexual harassment.

She said, “they have to keep mute at times because the need to survive against all odds is more important. Besides, nobody cares for widows or orphans anymore in this present generation.”

When LEADERSHIP Weekend went into town to monitor activities of night hawking, mostly of food sellers, it was discovered that most of the ladies who engage in it are those in their early 20s. Their concern is not really about selling food per se but they hide behind that as a camouflage for their ‘other businesses.’ They have a special way of meeting their clients in a coded manner.

LEADERSHIP Weekend further gathered that nearly 50 per cent of ladies in that line of business are from neighbouring Niger Republic, Ghana and Togo as well as Burkina Faso and Benin Republic. They are brought into Nigeria with the assurance of getting them gainfully employed but end up being given out as housemaids to influential people in the city and often fall victim of sexual abuse when their spouses are not around.

Narrating her ordeal to LEADERSHIP Weekend, one of the ladies who had faced such sexual

harassment from her supposed master said, it was “a horrible experience because any attempt to refuse his advances could lead to long term transfer of aggression.”

While pleading that her name should not be mentioned, she emphatically said a good number of them are in the houses of these big men in Sokoto and other nearby states undergoing what she called ‘slavery’ because they were deceived into coming to Nigeria in search of greener pastures.

Asked if she could remember who actually brought her and the rest to Nigeria, the light-skinned Togolese lady who appeared to be in her 20s, said it would not be necessary to mention the name.

“All I want you to note is that we are many here. And we are either from Togo, Ghana, Niger Republic, Benin Republic or Burkina Faso, among others. Some of us sell food in the day time but go out to sell our bodies at night because what we are paid cannot keep us going, not to talk of saving something, “she revealed.

In Lagos, it is a case of different strokes for different folks. While some said they took to hawking because their parents could not afford to pay for their education and so they dropped out of school, others said they desire to go into commerce and learn the rudiments of trading early in life since white collar jobs are now difficult to get.

A 10-year-old boy, Akin Amodu, who hawks groundnuts in the New Garage at Ikeja area of Lagos dropped out of school because his parents allegedly refused to let him continue schooling. He said, “I stopped going to school three years ago. My father said he can only send four of my brothers and sisters to school, that I will learn a trade but he has not taken me to the place that is why I am still selling roasted groundnuts for my mother here.” On dangers he faces selling on the street, he said, “there is no danger sir. I leave the road if I see motor or okada. Before I cross the road, I watch many times.”

Seun Ganiyu, 12, who was busy hawking sachet water popularly called ‘pure water’ between Ikpodo Market and under the bridge in Ikeja, said she would have loved to be in school but her aunt had not approved of her going to school.

“I live with my aunt; she says she does not have money to send me to school; no money to buy books, buy this or buy that and that I should go and sell pure water for her,” she said.

When asked of dangers inherent in hawking, she said, “Which danger? No danger. It’s only once KAI arrested me and my aunt came to bring me back. My aunt’s shop is along Kodesho Street.

Her story is no different from what many girls of her age and even older ones have actually gone through, as some lewdminded men are said to be fond of taking advantage of them

ISSUE 164 DEcEmbEr 20, 2014.

Seen & OVerHeard Great cHrISMaS QUOteS >48

ceLeB ScandaLS BrUce OnOBrakpeYa

Artiste in a class of his own

QUeen ranIa OF JOrdan

Champion for women and children's rights One of the most visible first ladies in the Arab world has become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to women and children

trended

StUFF

LIFeStYLed

IndULGe

Justin Bieber to sleep on the streets to raise awareness for homeless youths

Intriguing lost cities around the world

Internet acronyms every parent needs to look out for

Thailand's $22m tropical island

26

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Know-all

THAT'S inSide THiS iSSue

32 sTuff

BELIEVE THIS! Sea otters hold hands while they are sleeping so they don’t drift away from each other.

28 TRENDED

31 wONDERs Of ThE wORLD

35 LIfEsTYLED

30 whAT's up?

29 TOp TEN STarTIng BLockS 27 PROUdlY nIGeRIa

• Bruce Onobrakpeya Artist in a class of his own

28 TRended

• Justin Bieber to sleep on the streets to raise awareness for homeless youths

29 TOP Ten

• Soaring Chinese entrepreneurs, 2014

30 WHaT's UP

• Who loses if Russia implodes?

STuFF

THE BIg STorY

31 WOndeRs Of THe WORld • Northern Lights, Poles

32 sTUff

• Intriguing lost cities around the world

33 aCHIevInG THe IMPOssIble • Find the Holy Grail

34 aRTICUlaTe

• Human canvas

35 lIfesTYled

• Internet acronyms every parent needs to look out for

36 dOeRs

• Libby Lane First woman bishop

37 Celeb sCandals

THE rEguLarS

43 TEChLIfE

44 DREss sENsE BoXED

• Believe this • Fact Box, Do You Remember • Alleged serial rapist, Bill When? Strictly For JJCs 44 CUlTURed! Cosby • Shocking Foodfacts • Donald Sterling’s racial gaffe • Etiquettewise, Superstitions, • Psychology Ideas, Useless Proverbs, Excusez moi • Ray Rice’s violent knock-out Information, Business 45 desIRables • Earl Hayes and the murderBlunder, Quick Quiz, 46 MIndfUl suicide drama • Espionage, Discovered • Crossword, WordSearch, • Hollywood mental case, • Sounding Clever, Sudoku, Homework, Amanda Bynes Sounding Great, Spotlights, Bookshelf • Out of control Michael Jace • Know Why, 47 a la CaRTe • Columbus Short’s outrage • Celeb Info, Teeny • Crazy Tricks, Gentleman's • Stephen Collins’ molestation • Fascinating Facts, Words, Laugh-Out-Loud leak • Keepsakes, 48 bOnUs PaCk • Tag team scandal of Teresa • Just Unbelievable, Fast • Seen & Overhead, English Forward and Joe Giudice Phrases, Keepsakes

43 TeCHlIfe

• Click Click,

Buzzstop Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit this weekend, authorities are cracking down on illicit fund flows into Macau from the mainland, reports said Thursday.

On Tuesday, militants stormed a militaryrun school in northwest Pakistan, killing more than 140 people, most of them children, and injuring more than 100 people.

According to a Thursday report, Irish health authorities are seeking legal advice on whether they can switch off the life-support machine of a pregnant woman who is brain dead.

Prince William made one of the most nonsensical comments in British history when during a charity event in London, Will she suggested a trainee hairdresser should style Kate Middleton’s “nightmare” hair, reports said Wednesday.

President Vladimir Putin vowed on Thursday that Russia would rapidly recover from its financial crisis and said his grip on power was firm, even as new Western sanctions and a run on the rubble pile on the pressure Cameroon’s army killed 116 Boko Haram militants on Wednesday when they attacked a base in the Far North region of the country, said defence ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Didier Badjeck.

Sony Pictures made official Thursday that the studio has officially scrapped its release plans for The Interview.

The Jews began the eight-day festival of Hanukkah on Tuesday celebrating with traditions that commemorate ancient miracles and symbolise triumph over oppression.

A Toronto man who made headlines last month by offering a free round-the-world air ticket to a woman with the same name as his ex-girlfriend has found Ms Right, reports said Thursday.

The Curiosity rover has found and analysed the first definitively identified piece of organic matter on the surface of Mars, reports said Wednesday. The team responsible for Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite have several hypotheses.

President Barack Obama’s new plan to ease the threat of deportation for 4.7 million undocumented immigrants violates the US Constitution, a federal judge found on Tuesday, handing down the first legal ruling against the plan.

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

27

Saturday, December 20, 2014

StartingBlocks

THE PACESETTING PAGES

South Africa was the first African country to host the African cup of nations, FIFA Confederations cup and the FIFA World CUP.

africanFacts

The world’s largest open air fossil museum is in Morocco.

aina OnaBOLu

pioneer art teacher

Proudly Nigeria Bruce OnOBrakpeya

artist in a class of his own Bruce Onobrakpeya needs very little introduction in the arts circle both within and outside the country. A noble man in a class of his own, he is no doubt one of the most successful artists to have emerged in West Africa during in the 20th century.

With numerous works that speak quality in every ramification of the word, Bruce Onobrakpeya is unarguably the most celebrated printmaker in the country. Born on August 30, 1938, Onobrakpeya was a pioneering graduate of the Zaria Art School. His solo exhibition began more than four decades ago and still showcase his artistic product of rare duplication both in the country ane the world over.

Many years ago when he was just 24, the Duke of Edinburg, husband of Queen Elizabeth, recognised his uncommon talent and bought two of his works. He has since been honoured by the Pope, rulers and institutions.

Great institutions across the globe such as the Vatican City museum, Murtala Mohammed International Airport, and the Smithsonian Institute in the US boast of ownership of his work.

Very early in life, Onobrakpeya became interested in creative activities. At his Agbara-Otor Delta State home town, he carved designs on thorns from the giant silk cotton tree as well as on flat rubber pieces which he sold to his peers. Of the Urhobo extract, he describes his heritage as Edoic. Edoism is his invented word for describing the artistic heritage of the peoples of Edo and nearby civilisations that had for centuries developed advanced artistic methods. Onobrakpeya was also inspired by the watercolour paintings of Emmanuel Erabor. After leaving high school, Onobrakpeya was hired as an art teacher at the Western Boys

Onobrakpeya

High School (1953–1956). In 1956 he left for Ondo, where he taught at the Ondo Boys High School for a year.

For many years he also taught at St. Gregory's College, Lagos.

The Zaria Arts Society, later called the Zaria Rebels, was formed on 9 October 1958 by a group of art students at the college led by Uche Okeke with the aim of ‘decolonizing’ the visual arts as taught by expatriate Europeans. Onobrakpeya has said that the college gave him technical skills but the Zaria Arts Society, a discussion group, shaped his perspectives as a professional artist.

The society gave him the confidence to seek a personal expressive idiom.

Onobrakpeya created the Bruce

Onobrakpeya Foundation, of which he is President, and which organises the annual Harmattan workshop in his home town of Agbara Otor, Delta State. The foundation is an artist-led Non-Governmental Organization formed in 1999. It aims to encourage the growth of art and culture by giving artists opportunities to gain skills, while increasing public awareness of African art and its benefits to society.

While many delve into business or chose careers mostly to make it big, Professor Onobrakpeya remains an exception. He persevered in his chosen career until arts became a money spinner due to the emerging auction tradition.

Going back memory lane, he recounted how bad the journey to stardom started: “as an artist, we live from day to day. We live from hand to mouth. We don’t have the nerve of putting money away in the bank and letting it grow up to become something that gives you joy. So, money is not the essential thing to the artist. The most essential thing to the artist is that you are able to create, you have new innovations, and you are able to talk about the society as it affects the people within.”

Interestingly, Onobrakpeya’s immense contributions to the development of Nigerian art have not gone unnoticed. For instance, in 2010, he became the second recipient of the government’s Creativity Award, trailing behind Nigeria’s literary icon, Professor Chinua Achebe.

STricTLy fOr JJcs Avoid falling victim to ‘work from home scams’ Work-from-home scams are often conducted through spam emails, or advertisements on noticeboards.

Most of these ads are not real job offers. Many of them are actually fronts for a money-laundering scam, an upfront payment scam or a pyramid scheme.

You might receive an email offering a job where you use your bank account to receive and pass on payments for a foreign company.

These ‘job offers’ promise that you will receive a percentage commission for each payment you pass on. Transferring money for someone might be money laundering and you could wind up in trouble yourself for taking part in these ‘jobs’. Sometimes, these

scammers are just after your bank account details so they can clear out your account.

Another type of work from home scam involves a job putting together or assembling a product using materials that you have to buy from the ‘employer’. After they pocket the money you pay for materials, they may refuse to pay you for some or all of you work because they claim it is not of a high quality. To avoid falling a victim, it is wise to remember that there are no getrich-quick schemes: the only people who make money are the scammers.

And also beware of products or schemes that claim to guarantee income or winnings. Before you respond to a job advertisement,

try to find out if the company is reputable and well-known. If the job offer involves transferring money for someone else, ask yourself if you really want to get involved in something that is likely to be money-laundering and is likely to attract police attention. Another way of figuring out if the company or job is real is to ask for references from other people who have done the work and make the effort to speak to these people. Remember that most people find it difficult to make lots of money working from home, despite whatever promises are made. Make sure you have given a lot of thought to the issue before signing up or sending a payment off for a work from home opportunity.

Chief Aina Onabolu was born at Ijebu Ode in the year 1882. He is a pioneer Nigerian modern Arts teacher and painter who was an important figure in the introduction of arts into the curriculum of Secondary schools in the country. He had no formal training in art at the beginning of his career. He started to practice art in 1890 during which he mastered the subjects of painting landscapes and portraits. In 1920, he went to England and Paris to study art and returned with more knowledge of painting. At the completion of his training, he was awarded a diploma in Fine arts. He was the first Nigerian trained artist to teach art in school.

Onabolu’s philosophical belief was that art as a universal human language which goes beyond ethnic and cultural barriers.

He was also the major figure in Nigeria that promoted the drawing of environmental forms in a verisimilitudinous style and was known for his early modern work in portraiture. Onabolu also encouraged the adoption of European teachers in art instruction in the country. His effort led to the hiring of a foreign art teacher named Kenneth Murray.

Murray led a gradual re-awakening of traditional handicraft and arts.

Onabolu's major art works were portraits. His portrait of Mrs Spencer Savage in 1906 is sometimes credited as one of the earliest outstanding work of art that used a western and modern style and technique. The major figures in his work were Lagos elites who were successful professionals in their field of work, and his work usually depicted a countenance of respect, achievement and status of his clients. However, his work was not limited to portraiture. In the 1930s, he worked with the Church of Christ in designing the pews of a new cathedral to be built in Lagos. He later produced pastel compositions and studies in the 1940s. Several of his portraits are held in the National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos. Chief Aina Onabolu died in 1963.

28

Saturday, December 20, 2014

StartingBlocks

7,000,000 Number of prisoners in American jails as at December 2006.

264,000,000 Number of records the Beatles sold worldwide in the course of their career.

The BuzzworThy sTuff oNLINe

Trended Justin Bieber to sleep on the streets to raise awareness for homeless youths Justin Bieber is reportedly going to sleep rough to raise awareness for the homeless.

The Canadian pop star, 20, is expected to spend a night on the streets of California at the urging of his manager Scooter Braun, according to the Daily Star. They claim Scooter is trying to find a way to rehabilitate Justin’s profile to show a compassionate side many believe has yet to be seen. ‘Scooter has been trying to come up with a plan to give Justin’s career some longevity,’ a source said. ‘As soon as Justin’s fans grow up, it’s a worry that he’ll fall off the map. This seems like a solution.’ Braun himself is a big supporter of homeless charities, as is his father Ervin Braun who recently slept rough in New York to raise awareness for the cause.

Mel B and husband break up following series of blazing row Mel B has reportedly walked out on her husband of seven years, Stephen Belafonte.

According to reports, the X Factor judge, 39, packed up and left the home the couple have been sharing in London after their furious arguing became too much to bear.

And now pals are urging the former Spice Girl to formally break away from Stephen, reports the newspaper. Mel B’s husband has slammed speculation that he was responsible for her scratched and bruised appearance on The X Factor recently. A furious Stephen, 39, hit back, saying: ‘I don’t usually respond to Twitter messages but I will respond to comments of hitting my wife which I think are quite disgusting un true! When contacted by MailOnline, a representative for Mel B declined to comment.

Funny web Texas plumber’s pick-up truck end shown in use

by Islamic fighters on the front lines of Syria

Mark Oberholtzer isn’t an Islamic fighter in Syria. He’s never been to Syria. And the plumber from Texas City, Texas, says he certainly would never willingly aid fundamentalist rebels. So it’s hard for him to understand how his Ford F-250 pickup truck - including his logo for Mark-1 Plumbing and his phone number - wound up being in a photo posted on Twitter by the extremist Ansar al-Deen Front from the front lines of the war in Syria. Mr Oberholtzer says he’s been getting hundreds of phone calls and faxes since the Ansar al-Deen Front tweeted a picture of what appeared to be his old truck with an anti-aircraft gun in the back, according to the Galveston County Daily News.

Sharon Osborne loses tooth on live television Anything can happen on live TV. And on Tuesday, things went unexpectedly wrong for Sharon Osbourne when her front tooth fell out during a live taping of her show, The Talk. The 62-year-old was discussing the news topics of the day with her co-stars and noticed her implant was loose, shouting: ‘Oh s***! My tooth is falling off!’ The mother of 3 was in the middle of gushing about her rocker husband Ozzy at the beginning of the programme when she felt that her front right tooth was surprisingly loosened. ‘Oh no problem it’s one of those implants. It’s an implant!’

Sharon explained as she pulled out her fake tooth. Hilariously adding: ‘And I spent a bloody fortune on this f***ing thing is falling out! What do I do?

No seriously has anyone got any glue? We have to take an emergency tooth break.’

Viral Charming video shows delight of two children as they open terrible Christmas gifts If you think children only appreciate the latest, greatest, all-singing, all-dancing toys for Christmas, this YouTube video will make for surprising, and comforting, viewing.

The clip shows Louie and Connie Cocker, three and two at the time, eagerly opening early Christmas presents, which turn out to be an onion and a banana. But far from being disappointed, the hilarious clip, which has now attracted over half a million YouTube views, shows Louie and Connie being genuinely happy by their bizarre edible gifts - if momentarily slightly bemused.

Their father, and XFM Manchester presenter, Tim Cocker, 33, who lives in Chorlton with Louie and Connie’s mother Kate, can be heard behind the camera telling the children: ‘Because you’ve been really good, I’m going to let you open one present early.’

Despite believing they are about to receive exciting toys - Connie predicts she’s getting a ‘Barbie Princess and King Ken’ and Louie, a Ben Ten watch

- the onion and banana induce much excitement in their new owners.

Louie delightedly declares: ‘I’ve got a banana Daddy!’ before Connie chimes in thanking her dad for the ‘pumpkin’. ‘‘I was really proud,’ Tim says of his kids’ reaction. ‘It was a cheeky prank on my part and I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out. It was pure childhood innocence at its best.’’

Man has a spectacular treadmill fall while ogling a pretty girl A man recently tried to recover from his treadmill fall by turning it into a set of push ups. It appears the accident was triggered by an attractive woman with fiery red hair, who’s figure-hugging gym attire caught the attention of the exercising man.

As she walked past him, he became momentarily distracted and turned his head. Unfortunately for the man, his longing gaze was not as subtle as he may have hoped. The woman, who wore high-waisted aqua leggings and a

crop top, was initially oblivious to the man on the treadmill. As she walked behind his exercising machine, the man could not help but watch her by turning his head. However this caused the man to lose his balance and slip off the treadmill. The heavy fall made the woman stop and watch the man who quickly began doing push ups on the ground. Despite the man’s efforts to try and impress the woman, she seemed unfazed and continued to walk away from him.

STrange Kazakhstani villagers hit by mystery sleeping sickness that causes them to doze for days Doctors have been unable to identify the cause of the condition that has affected residents in the remote village of Kalachi, in northern Kazakhstan, for nearly four years. Locals say the strange sleeping disorder is getting worse, with nearly 14 per cent of the town’s 600 residents having been affected. Some in the remote village, which is 444km from the Kazakh capital Astana, now live in fear that they may never wake up from the strange sleeping disorder. Over the summer, 60 people were taken to hospital suffering from the condition, which leaves people feeling dizzy, unable to stand, fatigued and with memory problems. Some have also reported suffering from vivid hallucinations.

Many locals believe the cause may be coming from nearby former Soviet-era uranium mines that are now abandoned.

However, miners who worked down the mine have also not been affected. It

has affected adults and children. Baffled doctors diagnosed the sufferers with encephalopathy, a disorder of the brain, of unclear origin. Scans indicated that many of them have excessive fluid on their brains - known as oedema.

29

Saturday, December 20, 2014

StartingBlocks In Wales, all boys must, by law, learn to play rugby.

DUMBlAWs

10

In Uxbridge Canada, it is against the law to leave your doors and windows open if you are away from your house for more than one week.

OF EVERYTHING THAT'S WORTH ITS SALT

Soaring CHineSe enTrePreneurS, 2014

Ma

Li

Huateng

S/n

name

net worth

origin of wealth

1

Jack Ma

$19.5bn

e-commerce

2

Robin Li

$14.7bn

Internet search

3

Ma Huateng

$14.4bn

Internet media

4 5

Wang Jianlin Li Hejun

$13.2bn $13bn

Real estate Renewable energy

6

Zong Qinghou

$11bn

Beverages

7

Wang Wenyin

$10bn

Metals

8

Lei Jun

$9.1bn

Smartphones

9

He Xiangjian

$7.5bn

Appliances

10

Liu Qiangdong

$7.1bn

e-commerce

HigHeST Hydro-eleCTriCiTy ConSumerS

Canada

China

Brazil

S/n Country

million tons oil equivalent

% of world total

1

China

139.3

18.8

2

Canada

90.2

12.2

3

Brazil

88.5

12.0

4 5

United States Russian Federation

62.2 39.8

8.4 5.4

6

Norway

28.8

3.9

7

India

24.0

3.2

8

Venezuela

19.5

2.6

9

Japan

16.7

2.3

10

Sweden

14.9

2.0

ShOckING

fOODfActs

Adults who are 21-25-years-old in the Philippines still need approval from their parents before they get married.

Turns out Coca-Cola isn’t just any old soft drink; it’s also an all purpose cleaner capable of removing stubborn toilet stains!

ArchitecturAl feAtures – Marrakech, MOrOccO

1. Horseshoe arches Also known as outrépassé arches, these are where the arch curves back inwards after its widest point, to give an effect like a horseshoe or keyhole.

2. Zellij Tiling One of the most striking features of Moroccan architecture is its use of multi-coloured, small tiles laid in complex geometric patterns. This is known as the zellij technique.

3. Tadelakt plaster Walls are treated with a limestone plaster, which is polished with flat stones, then painted with a glaze of egg whites and polished again with the local black soap. The finished surface looks like soft leather.

4. Stucco Plaster Fantastic curvilinear and geometric designs can cover entire walls, the work executed by craftsmen cutting into the plaster while it is still damp.

5. Carved woodwork Though similar designs are used to decorate both plaster and wood, often wood is deployed as a frieze and carries inscriptions in Arabic, usually of a religious nature, praising Allah.

6. Square minarets The design of square Moroccan minarets can be traced to the Umayyad rulers of Islamic Spain, who were of Syrian origin.

Syrians are almost unique in the Middle East for their square minarets.

7. Courtyards A distinctive feature of Islamic architecture is its focus on internal spaces – facades are generally blank window-less walls.

Courtyards serve as airwells into which the cool night air sinks and also act as private outdoor spaces.

8. Fountains Fountains and basins are

Horseshoe arches

Zellij Tiling

Tadelakt plaster

required for ritual ablutions before prayers. Also, in an arid climate, the provision of drinking water is seen as a charitable act.

9. Pise The basic building material used in Morocco, pise is wet earth mixed with straw and gravel, then pounded between two boards and strengthened with lime.

10. Pigeonholes The numerous pigeonholes peppering walls in the city are, in reality, marks left by wooden scaffolding used in the construction process.

30

Saturday, December 20, 2014

StartingBlocks

BY THE NUMBERS RUSSiaN BillioNaiRES loSiNG MoNEY

$8.7

BillioN

Amount of money the chairman of Russian gas producer Novatek Leonid Mikhelson has lost. That’s equivalent to a loss of nearly 50%.

$7

CELEBINFO

Angelina Jolie purchased 60,000 hectares of land in Cambodia that had active poachers and turned it into a wildlife reserve named after her son.

WHAT'S UP

IN-THE-NOW HappENINgS arOuNd uS

Who loses if Russia implodes?

No one wins if Russia’s economy falls apart. Its trading partner’s countries and businesses are watching with concern as Russia scrambles to tackle a deepening economic crisis, sparked by plunging oil prices and punishing international sanctions.

The rouble has been in free fall and is already hurting earnings at global companies with operations in Russia.

Here are some of the biggest victims of Russia’s deteriorating economy:

BillioN

Germany Europe’s largest economy is most exposed to Russia. Last year, Germany’s trade relationship with Russia was worth more than $95.4 bn. Tough Western economic sanctions over the Ukraine crisis have already taken a toll on exports and companies have put the brakes on investment.

$6.4

Rest of Europe Russia buys plenty of goods from other European countries. Moscow retaliated against Western sanctions in August by banning imports of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, milk and dairy products from Europe, as well as the United States, Australia and Canada. It was unwelcome news for European producers who export a great deal of fruit, cheese and pork to Russia. Some 10% of EU food exports worth about $15bn were delivered to Russia last year, making it Europe’s second biggest customer.

Amount of money the chairman and largest shareholder of Novolipetsk Steel Vladimir Lisin has lost, also nearly 50% of his wealth.

BillioN

Amount of money metals magnate and shareholder of Arsenal FC Alisher Usmanov has lost.

$5.8

BillioN

Amount of money self-made coal and minerals magnate Andrey Melnichenko has lost.

He has lost nearly 40% of his wealth.

$5

BillioN

Amount of money the founder and owner of Russia’s biggest food retailer Magnit Sergey Galitsky has lost.

$4.9

BillioN

Amount of money the chairman of Russian oil giant Lukoil Vagit Alekperov has lost. His wealth has fallen by or about 40% so far this year.

BOXOFFICESTATS

Sony Pictures movie ‘The Interview’ had been predicted to gross around $30m in its opening weekend. But due to the hack of Sony’s servers, plans for its release has been shelved.

Energy companies The deteriorating rouble has taken a chunk out of earnings at companies that do business with Russia. BP has warned that the tough sanctions would hurt. BP owns a large stake in Rosneft, Russia’s biggest oil company, which is subject to U.S. trade restrictions. Shares of the company are down 25% this year as crumbling oil prices slug profits. France’s Total shelved plans for a shale exploration joint venture with Russia’s Lukoil due to Western sanctions, crimping possible future earnings for the company. Other energy companies like Exxon Mobil (XOM) also have significant ties with Russia.

Automakers U.S. auto giant Ford is one of the biggest carmakers in Russia and it has warned that the weaker rouble is hurting sales.

Volkswagen blamed political tensions for an 8% drop in car sales in Russia in the first six months of the year. The German automaker’s shares are down more than 12% this year. France’s Renault too said that sales in Russia were suffering, while Peugeot Citroen warned in October that the sagging rouble was hurting the company.

Banks Societé Generale’s second quarter profits from its Russian unit fell 36%. Other banks that have sizeable exposures are Dutch lender Rabobank and Italy’s

Usmanov

Potanin

Alekperov

Putin

Unicredit.

McDonald’s, Adidas and other brands Frosty relations between the U.S. and Russia is believed to be behind a crackdown on McDonald’s in the country. Regulatory authorities forced the temporary closure of 12 restaurants over accusations of sanitary violations. But the move was widely believed to have been politically motivated. German sportswear company Adidas is shutting stores and scaling back expansion in Russia as tensions in the region hit consumer spending and the decline in the rouble dented profitability. Adidas slashed its 2014 earnings forecast by 20% to 30%, partly because of Russia. Carlsberg, the Danish beer maker has issued two profit warnings this year on slowing Russian demand. Coca-Cola too has suffered.

Shares of Coca-Cola HBC, which bottles and distributes beverages in Russia, have tanked 32% this year.

Hearing all the problems Russia is facing now, one is forced to ask, how did it come to this?

Fragile foundations Forecasts for Russian growth were being downgraded well before the Ukraine crisis sent investors running for the exits. Putin had left the Russian economy overly reliant on exports of oil and gas. Calls for greater action to scale back government involvement in the economy, tackle corruption and stimulate local investment had largely gone unheeded.

Meddling in Ukraine Russia’s decision to back separatist rebels following the removal of Ukraine’s pro-

Moscow government had markets worried before Moscow formally annexed Crimea in March. Worried by rising tension between Moscow and the West, the rouble and Russian stocks hit the skids in late January. The flight of capital accelerated.

The West acts After months of largely symbolic sanctions aimed at Russian officials including asset freezes and travel bans first the U.S., then Europe, were stung into serious action by the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine in June, and Moscow’s continued support for rebels blamed for the crash. They took measures to prevent Russia’s biggest banks and companies raising funds in the West, and targeted the country’s key energy and weapons industries with restrictions.

Russia retaliates Moscow responded by banning various food imports from Europe and the U.S. That hurt European food exporters, and dealt another blow to investor sentiment.

But it also drove up food prices in Russia, further fuelling inflation that was already on the rise due to the devaluation of the rouble.

Oil collapses At about the same time global energy prices started to fall, completing the perfect storm for Russia. The oil crash accelerated last month when OPEC decided not to cut its production target.

Assuming oil holds at current levels and that’s far from certain Russia’s economy will contract by about 5% next year.

That’s as bad as it got during the country’s financial crisis of 1998.

31

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Stuff

p32

IntrIguIng lost cItIes The world over, there were cities in existence many years ago that are only heard of today.

Internet acronyms Teenagers’ internet acronyms are evolving daily to cover everything.

p35

p36

reverend lIbby lane In a historic step, she became the first woman bishop for The Church of England.

that will tickle your fancy

eCONOMIC IdeAs

wONders Of the wOrLd

Boom and bust Boom and bust are inevitable

Business circles Different parts of the economy ebb and flow from boom to bust in their own time and, from these, economists have devised a variety of classifications for cycles: • Kitchin cycle (3-5 years) This refers to the rate at which businesses build up their inventories of goods, which in turn can make a country’s economy speed up or slow down .

• Juglar cycle (7-11 years) This relates to how the amount companies spend on investment in their factories and services ebbs and flows - typically over roughly double the period of a Kitchin cycle. The Juglar cycle is what most economists are referring to when they talk about business cycles.

Northern Lights, Poles The earliest accounts of northern lights date to more than 2,000 years ago. Many tribal peoples believed them to be messages from gods and spirits. For medieval Europeans they were bad omens warning of coming disasters.

Which planet has the smothest surface in the Solar System?

Answer:

QUICKQUIZ

middle latitudes of Europe and the continental United States. Northern Lights are not difficult to identify. They are active, shimmering and moving through the sky. They cannot be mistaken for the Milky Way, constellations, or any other heavenly body. Each appearance is one of a kind, with its own distinct form, colour, and intensity. Many times the lights fall within a clearly delineated area; other times they appear as glowing rays.

Their colours span the entire spectrum. Green lights come from oxygen atoms activated by the solar particles some 60 miles above the earth’s surface; the lights are red when the oxygen is absorbed at 201 kilometres or higher. Nitrogen atoms produce a soft, violet light. Tribal peoples of North America and Europe were happy to see the Northern Lights, which they interpreted as messages from gods, spirits, or ancestors. In other cultures, though, they are viewed as omens of impending disaster. The warlike Vikings of Scandinavia and the Highland clans of Scotland thought the lights meant that a huge battle was taking place somewhere in the world. Many of the names for the Northern Lights from later medieval and modern periods are charmingly descriptive. In Scandinavia they are called the Herring Flash, because the flickering lights resemble a school of fish swimming by. Finns call them Fox Fires, relating the arcs of colour to the burning tails of folklore foxes made of fire. Modern science first began to understand the Northern Lights in the eighteenth century.

The connection to the earth’s magnetic field was elaborated over the next hundred years. The theory connecting Northern Lights to solar winds and geomagnetic storms was first developed in the early twentieth century and confirmed by data gathered during the first space flights fifty years later.

Jupiter's large icy moon Europa has the smoothest surface of any solid body in the Solar System.

The Northern Lights are brilliant, colourful illuminations in the sky caused when particles swept along by solar winds impact the earth’s atmosphere. They occur primarily in Polar Regions. In the northern Polar Regions they are also called Aurora Borealis, while near the South Pole, where they are slightly less common, they are known as Aurora Australis. The further from the poles one travels, the less likely it is that Northern Lights will appear in the sky.

This means that they are extraordinarily rare over most of Europe and the continental United States. The Northern Lights result from the constant give and take between the Sun and the Earth. Particles, some of them large and heavy, are released by eruptions that take place on the surface of the sun. These particle storms set off what are known as solar winds. The particles take the form of electrons, protons, and ions. When these particles collide with the upper layer of the earth’s atmosphere, the earth’s magnetic field redirects the charged particles toward the poles, where they continue to move down through the atmosphere, illuminating air molecules along the way. The majority of Northern Lights displays appear between 64 and 402 kilometres above the earth’s surface.

Solar winds propel the particles at great speed, as much as 2.5 million kilometres per hour. It only takes the particles four days to travel 149 million kilometres from the sun to the earth. The frequency, duration, and visibility of the Northern Lights depend on the strength of the solar winds and activity on the surface of the sun. An active cycle, also known as a sunspot cycle, can last for eleven years. It is during these phases that Northern Lights are most commonly observed.

During periods of maximum activity it may even be possible to observe Northern Lights in the

• Kuznets cycle (15-25 years) This is the length of time between booms in company or government spending on infrastructural investment, such as roads or railways.

• Kondratiev wave or cycle (45-60 years) Also known as a super-cycle, this refers more generally to phases of capitalism.

The implication is that every 45 or 60 years there is a crisis of capitalism that leads people to question the way the economy is structured and the way it functions.

BUsINess BLUNder

Reinhardt Rogoff spreadsheet error In the years after the financial crisis, government leaders across the political spectrum have been focused on the question of government debt. To argue against government spending, debt-phobic politicians relied on a study from economists Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart which showed that countries with high debt grow at a slower rate. A simple spreadsheet error made by the economists in their calculations, however, greatly skewed their findings. It turns out there isn’t much of a correlation between debt and growth levels, after all.

32

Stuff

Saturday, December 20, 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.

The tidal forces of the Moon (and the Sun) don’t only act on the oceans; they act on land as well.

Intriguing lost cities around the world Skara Brae, Scotland More a village than a city, this prehistoric set of ruins in Orkney is of a small farming settlement over 5000 years old. It was discovered in 1850 after a wild storm revealed the stone remnants. Excavations (and more storms) showed the village had at least eight stone cottages, complete with beds, hearths and shelves.

Babylon, Iraq Babylon, settled around 2500 BC, became a great centre of the Mesopotamian world 500 years later, when Hammurabi, the king of the Babylon Empire, made it his capital. It was destroyed in the 6th century BC by the Assyrians, and then left to fall into ruin in the 2nd century BC, following the death of Alexander the Great.

Taxila, Pakistan Founded by an ancient Indian King sometime around the 7th century BC, Taxila (or Takshashila) is a tale of three lost cities. The first was built on a hill, later known as Bhir Mound. In an Old Testament-style confusion of begats and political intrigue, the city was lost to a new Taxila, known as Sirkap, built

by Greek invaders. It enjoyed a period of significance in the world of philosophy and the arts, which continued under the Kushans, who took over and refounded Taxil as Sirsukh. Eventually, the city was lost to the Huns in the 6th century, who destroyed it and left it in ruins.

Dunwich, England Here was a town basking in glory, a major seaport and one of the largest cities in medieval Britain, said to have been the capital of East Anglia - but all built on sand. In the late 13th century a storm blew in,

demolishing a good part of the town.

Coastal erosion chipped in and before you could say ‘cursed city’, only a few cottages remained. Tales of haunted beaches abound, and at low tide you might well hear the muted tolling of church bells beneath the waves.

Palenque, Mexico At the foot of the Chiapas Mountains in south-western Mexico, Palenque is an archaeologist’s treasure trove.

The city appears to have existed at least since 100 years BC. Five hundred years later it became a major population centre of Classic Mayan civilisation, complete with myth and legend: child kings, invasions, decapitations, court intrigue and finally the abandonment of the city.

Angkor, Cambodia Crumbling stone temples in the python grip of jungle vines, a flash of turmeric-Colored robes disappearing into the alcoves of ancient temples.

Angkor has its fair share of tourists, but its size means you’ll easily find a place to get lost in the distant past. The great city was enormous, new research suggesting it covered 3000 sq. km. Built by a succession of Khmer god-kings from AD 900 to 1200; it had a population close to one million, and was the capital of the Khmer empire. It’s been suggested that climate change caused the city to be abandoned some 500 years ago.

Wittenoom, Australia Way out west, in the desertdominated state of Western Australia, you’ll find a town if not fully lost, so close to being a ghost as makes no difference. Officially no longer a town, and not receiving government services, this place supported an asbestos-mining industry until the mid-1960s, when health concerns over the lungclogging stuff spelt its demise.

Bodie, California In the Sierra Nevada Mountains east of Yosemite National Park, California’s largest ghost town, Bodie, stands in an intentional state of arrested decay. As you walk down the empty main streets past the skeletal remains of banks, boarding houses and brothels, you might get the impression that the hurly-burly gold miners and red-light madams just packed up and caught the last stagecoach out yesterday. A national historic landmark, Bodie now harbours over 200 buildings and historic structures that could take you all day to explore.

Herculaneum, Italy Like nearby Pompeii, Herculaneum was lost to a river of Vesuvian lava and ash in AD 79. An upper-class town, home to members of the imperial family, it was uncovered about 250 years ago and remains a treasure trove for archaeologists.

The pyroclastic flow that enveloped the city carbonised organic matter, preserving structures and human bodies. Most enticing, though, are the hundreds of scrolls found in the Valley of the Papyri, text from the only ancient library to have survived into modern times.

Carthage, Tunisia It’s never enough for a great city to be destroyed only once. After 900 years exerting power in North Africa and southern Europe, Carthage succumbed to the wrath of the Roman Empire (needled for so long by the elephant-led armies of Hannibal). Later rebuilt by the Romans and raised to new glory, it once again found itself at the nexus of conflict and was destroyed by Arab Muslims expanding their own sphere of control.

WORlD OF ESPIONaGE

Brae scotland

Dunwich

quESTIONS yOu'll NEvER aSk

Secret document sheds light on North Korean abduction operations A document allegedly acquired from the government of North Korea by Western spy agencies appears to shed light on a top-secret North Korean intelligence programme to kidnap dozens of foreigners in the 1970s and 1980s. That the North Korean regime engaged in systematic abduction of foreign citizens during the Cold War is not new information.

International sources estimate the total number of foreign subjects abducted by North Korean intelligence to be in the dozens. They are said to include 17 citizens of Japan, as well as Chinese, South Korean, Malaysian, Italian, French and Lebanese nationals. In September 2002, during a brief period of rapprochement with Japan, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il admitted that 13 Japanese citizens had been abducted and taken to North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.

They included Megumi Yakota, a 13-yearold schoolgirl who disappeared from Japan 1977 and is believed to have died while in

Angkor

captivity in North Korea. The most famous case of abduction is undoubtedly that of South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee and her husband, the director Shin Sang-ok. The two were abducted by North Korean intelligence operatives in 1978 and taken to Pyongyang.

They were then forced to lead the North Korean government’s efforts to develop its motion-picture industry. The two collaborated with the regime until 1986, when they managed to escape while on a visit to Vienna, Austria. Recently, The Washington Times said it had seen a North Korean document ‘recently obtained’ by Western intelligence agencies, which traces the history of the reclusive regime’s abduction unit and directly implicates its late leader, Kim Jong-il, in its creation. The paper cited ‘diplomatic sources familiar with the discovery’, in claiming that the document shows ‘how and why’ Kim established the unit, called the Investigation Department, in 1977.

Are my labia normal?

Labia are the lip shaped folds of tissue on either side of the vulva (the female external genitalia). There is an outer pair of labia (Labia majora) and within them, on either side of the vaginal opening, is an inner pair of labia (labia minora). Many girls wonder if their labia are normal, or not, because labia can look very different from one girl to the next.

The outer labia are covered with pubic hair and are soft, fatty and can be somewhat plump, while the inner lips are generally thinner. Beyond that, there is a wide range of differences in how labia appear and all are normal.

Labia differ in: -Size (Plump or thin, long or short) -Texture (smooth or bumpy, loose or elastic) -Colour (Darker, pinker, or the same colour as the surrounding skin) -Shape (flat or ruffled, closed or laying further apart) Also, some inner labia protrude through the outer labia and others don’t.

Sometimes too, the labia are asymmetrical and a person has a large tip on one side and almost none on the other.

All of these variations in the appearance of the labia are common and normal.

33

Saturday, December 20, 2014

bRANDeD

spoRTFAct

The Walt Disney company was the world's 41st most valuable brand in 2010, just behind Shell but above Nokia.

Brazilian football club, Coritiba FC, in 2011 set a world record of becoming the first club to have 24 straight victories in a season.

SOUNDINGClEvER autOMatOn a person who seems to behave in a way that is more mechanical than human from the Greek automatos: acting of itself, from autos-: self, and matos: willing. Author Virgina Woolf drowned herself by putting stones into her pockets and walking calmly into a river like an automaton. ePHeMerOn Something that is short-lived from the Greek ephemeros: lasting only a day.

Charlie Chaplin is still well-known today: his fame was no ephemeron. caSSanDra Someone who correctly predicts disaster but whom no one listens to. No one would listen to the few economists who in 2007 warned the world was about to enter a recession; but these cassandras sadly proved only too accurate in their predictions. quieScent Lying still from the Latin quiescere: to be still. Maltreated workers may stay quiescent for years but will eventually mount strike.

SOUNDING GREAT MawkiSH Excessively and objectionably sentimental. I spoke publicly about my sister’s death for the very first time when I accepted the democratic nomination for vice president in 1996, and was suprised that some felt the remarks were mawkish.

AchIevING ThE impossiblE

thinGS you will never do

Find the holy Grail

Stuff

that will tickle your fancy

AprIl 2013 SpOtlIGhtS

grails back-story was developed in the work of Robert de Boron. His tale has Joseph of Arimathea collecting Christ’s blood in the grail as Jesus was being crucified.

Joseph then has the grail sent to Britain for safekeeping, and King Arthur and his knights go in search of it. So how might you succeed where the Knights of the Round Table failed?

The Holy Grail has fascinated us for the best part of a thousand years and provided the object of countless heroic quests from the legends 0f King Arthur to The Da Vinci Code. But despite experts disagreeing even on basics such as what a grail is, there’s no shortage of candidates and possible locations.

The Holy Grail legend is widely thought to be an amalgam of Christian and Celtic traditions, and first took form in an epic poem written by Frenchman Chretien de Troyes in the late 12th century. It tells the story of Perceval, a Welsh knight, who comes upon the grail when dining at the castle of the mysterious Fisher King. It contains a single communion wafer that miraculously provides sustenance for the Fisher King’s sick father. A little later, the

Firstly, you will need to establish in your own mind just what the grail is.

Traditionally, it was a vessel (some say a cup, others a plate or bowl) used by Christ at the Last Supper. In more recent times, some have seen the grail as a metaphor. For instance, (spoiler alert!) The Da Vinci Code reworks the idea that Mary Magdalene is the grail- recipient of the holy bloodline after marrying and having children with Jesus. Whatever your choice, it will be based on faith and instinct rather than concrete evidence. Most legends suggest the true grail can only be recognised and found by a wise, heroic figure, so if that sounds like you, decide where you’re going to start your search. Famous grail candidates’ include: • The Antioch Chalice, found in Antioch in modern-day Turkey in 1911 and now in the possession of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. • The Jerusalem Chalice, a silver cup described by an Anglo-Saxon pilgrim in the seventh century but never found.

• The Genoa Chalice, located in Genoa Cathedral, and crafted in Egyptian glass.

• The Valencia Chalice, a red agate vessel displayed in Valencia Cathedral.

• Other theories have it buried beneath Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, while Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, southwest England, is yet another possibility.

Walk on water Ever since the gospel tales of Jesus Christ miraculously walking on water, it has been a metaphor for virtually any apparently impossible act. Though the internet is awash with clips of humans seemingly defying the laws of physics to traverse lakes and rivers, none has so far proved anything more than a hoax. But with a little bit of science, you too could at least appear to achieve the impossible.

The idea of being able to walk on water has long fascinated humans, with the concept appearing in a number of classical and religious texts. Even Leonardo da Vinci sketched out an idea for a system of floats that could be worn on the feet to allow travel across the water’s surface. Sadly, though, the brutal facts of biology mediate against us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid – we simply weigh too much, and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that ensures we get that sinking feeling. Nevertheless, there are several animal species that can walk on water.

One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus, a lizard hailing from Central and South America that is somewhat irreverently

nicknamed the Jesus lizard. It can run across water for distance of several metres, avoiding the wet stuff by rapidly slapping its feet on the water’s surface, to provide lift and create air cavities which they have moved on from before they can close up. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep up momentum. For humans to replicate this, we’d need giant feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create sufficient ‘slap’. But fortunately there is an alternative: corn flour. By adding sufficient amounts of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a ‘non-Newtonian’ liquid that doesn’t behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles in the water group together momentarily to make the surface hard.

Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step and you really can walk across the surface of a sufficiently dense corn flour solution. If you have a sweet tooth, then you could achieve a similar effect using custard. Fun though all this may sound, it’s still rather messy and better read about in theory than demonstrated in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink- and have a shower afterwards!

FILM Pain and Gain

A trio of bodybuilders in Florida get caught up in an axtortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.

MUSIC Snoop Dogg No Guns Allowed is a song by American recording artist Snoop Dogg, from his 12th studio album Reincarnated.

TELEVISION Da Vinci's Demons

The untold story of Leonardo Da Vinci: the genius during his early years as a 25-year-old artist, inventor in Renaissance Florence.

EVENT Building collapse

In what became the deadliest non-terrorist structural collapse in modern times, on the 24th, a building collapsed near Bangladeshi, leaving 1,129 dead and 2,500 injured.

BIRTHDAY Hugh Masekela

South African trumpeter, Hugh Ramopolo Masekela who is also a composer and singer celebrated his 74 birthday on the 4th.

DEATH Funmilayo Olayinka Nigerian banker and politician, Funmilayo Olayinka, who served as deputy governor of Ekiti State died on the 6th at age 53.

34

Stuff

that will tickle your fancy

12 metres

ARTICULATE Human canvas

There is more to the animal portraits painted by Floridabased artist Shannon Holt, who is known for her ability to transform the human body into a canvas for beautiful art. The expert body-painter spends between 6 and 12 hours instructing the models to adopt the right stance and painstakingly painting every little detail of the animal she brings to life through her art. After experimenting with various mediums, Holt decided the skin was the perfect medium to express her talent. Shannon Holt was working as a mural painter and managing an Ormond Beach gallery in 2009. Where for a Day of the Dead event at the Museum of Art – DeLand, Orange City body painter, she turned a model, as well as patrons, into living sugar skulls. While earning her art degree from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in the mid-1990s, Holt had studied not only painting but also metal-smiting, glass-blowing, wood shop, fibre art, soft sculpture and graphic design. But the Orange City artist didn’t turn to any of those artistic pursuits for added cash flow. Instead she recalled her two brief forays into body painting. One was a sweet project of her own design that had included painting orchids on the backs of mothers and daughters, she also painted skulls, devils and eagles on burly bikers during bike week. She painted the bellies of expectant moms at baby showers, and women at bachelorette parties.

She uses hypoallergenic theatrical makeup to create the body painting work at major festivals and fairs, charity events and auctions, clubs, black tie and high end art events. The models often will be body painted for portfolio pieces to exemplify their versatility. My subject matter varies but I can say that I deal with the female figure and animal imagery in my work. Her style is very fluid, with strength in the line work. Also, she likes to use contrasting urban dirt colours and texture next to her delicate canvases, which she creates with charcoal and oil paint and she also likes to use resin. Since then, body painting has become Holt’s passion.

She still paints traditional art works on canvases, but on weekends the body paints come out.

KNOW WHY... …only some substances are magnetic For all its familiarity, magnetism is a manifestation of very fundamental physics, ultimately linked to the orbital motion and spin of the electrons in atoms.

Certain arrangements of these spins – such as those in iron atoms – create intensely magnetic materials but as all substances contain spinning electrons, everything is magnetic: water, wood – even frogs. The reason we don’t think of them as magnetic is because the effect is pretty feeble, around a billion times weaker than in metals like iron. Thus, while it is possible to pick up a toothpick using a magnet, it requires an intense magnetic field – around 200,000 times stronger than the earth’s. It can be done: the German physicist Werner Braunbeck levitated small bits of apparently nonmagnetic graphite in 1939, while French physicist did the same with blobs of water in 1991. The most spectacular achievement so far came in 1997, when a team led by Dr Andre Geim at the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands succeeded in levitating a frog. And yes, humans could also be levitated – at least in principle.

Saturday, December 20, 2014 The length of the longest snake ever recorded. A green anaconda from South America.

7

The only number of times that a piece of paper cannot be folded into.

Do air fresheners do more than merely mask smells?

As well as masking scents, like pine and lemon, commercial air fresheners include compound’s called malodour counteractants, which specifically blocks unpleasant smells.

Discovered by scientists at Monsanto in the mid-1970s, exactly how they work is unclear. According to Professor Tim Jacob, an expert on scent perception at Cardiff University, these volatile organic chemicals may act like an anaesthetic, preventing the scent receptors in our nose from reacting to substances such as sulphur, often found in foul smells. Alternatively, they may block the transmission of the signals back to the brain; no one knows.

Who blew the nose of the sphinx?

The sphinx, which means ‘strangler’ in Greek, was a mythical beast with the head of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. The giant 6,500 year-old statue beside the pyramid has no nose. Over the centuries, many armies and individuals – British, German and Arab – have been accuses of deliberately blowing it off for various reasons, but Napoleon generally gets the blame.

Almost none of this accusations is true. In fact, the only person that we can definitely say damaged it at all was an Islamic cleric named Sa’im al-dahr, who was lynched for vandalism in 1378. Egyptian guides at the pyramid still tell tourists that the sphinx’s nose was stolen by Napoleon and taken back to the Louvre in Paris. The most likely reason for the missing organ is the action of 6,000 years of wind and weather on the soft limestone.

How do moths feel about flames?

They are not attracted to them because they are disoriented by them. Apart from the odd forest fire, artificial light sources have been in existence for an extremely short time in comparison with the age of the relationship between moths, the sun and moon. Many insect’s use these light sources to navigate by day and night. Because the moon and sun are a long way away, the insects have evolved to expect the light from them to strike their eyes in the same place at different times of day or night, enabling them to calculate how to fly in a straight line. When people come along with their portable miniature suns and moons, a moth flies pass because the light confuses it.

Who was the victor at the battle of kadesh?

The battle of kadesh, fought around 1274BC, was one of the greatest battles of history, and was said to have involved more chariots than any other battle, before or since. The battle was fought betwwen the armies of the Pharoah Ramses ii of Egypt and Muwatallis, king of the Hittites. After misjudging the closeness of the Hittite forces, Ramses allowed his troops to split leaving him vulnerable to a sudden ambush by the Hittites. By his own account, he was on the verge of defeat when reinforcements arrived and drove off the enemy. Both sides then retreated and a truce was signed shortly thereafter. For the rest of his long reign, Ramses proclaimed kadesh as a great Egyptian victory, while the Hittites were firmly convinced they had won the battle. Archaeological investigations have failed to produce evidence to support either side’s claim.

Did the hanging garden of Babylon ever exist?

According to legend, the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, were built around 600BC by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon for his wife, Amytis of Media, in Iran, who was pining for the trees and plants of her homeland. The garden were written about and highly praised by Greek historians of the first century BC, which was about a hundred years after they were said to have been destroyed in an earthquake. The earlier Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the fifth century BC, is said to have included the hanging gardens in his own list of the seven wonders, but this list has not survived and there is no definite reference to the garden in any of his known writings. Curiously, neither is there any known reference to them in Babylonian writings of the time. Since the site of Babylon was rediscovered in the 19th century, archaeological excavations have produced some evidence that match parts of some descriptions of the hanging gardens, but none of this evidence is sufficient to confirm their existence.

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Stuff

Lifestyled

internet acronyms every parent needs to look out for If you thought you had teenage internet speak cracked by getting to grips with acronyms such as ‘LOL’ (for ‘laugh out loud’) and ‘LMK’ (for ‘let me know’), think again. Do you know the meaning of ‘IWSN’ or ‘GNOC’? Considering these are acronyms for ‘I want sex now’ and ‘get naked on camera’ used by youngsters, it’s probably a good idea that parents do.

If a teen wants to hide something from their parents, they usually manage to.

Often teenagers have a Facebook page that their parents know about and then another one for their real friends

These shorthands are just some of the 28 online abbreviations that feature in a new report about teenagers’ secret online language.

The list, collated by Kelly Wallace with the help of Internet safety expert Katie Greer, also contains slang such as ‘420’ for ‘marijuana’, ‘POS’ for ‘parent over shoulder’ and the phrase every parent dreads their teenager reading ‘(L)MIRL’ for ‘let’s meet in real life’. Greer’s research has found the majority of teens think their parents are trying to keep tabs on them online, so these acronyms are used to hide certain parts of their conversations. ‘Acronyms used for this purpose could potentially raise some red flags for parents,’ she warns Renowned parenting expert and author of Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting, Noël Janis-Norton, believes it’s useful to have a good understanding of your child’s online language but warns, ‘Teens will always stay one step ahead’.

‘If a teen wants to hide something from their parents, they usually manage to,’ Janis-Norton said.

‘Often teenagers have a Facebook page that their parents know about and then another one for their real friends. So the most important thing is to keep lines of communication open and to create opportunities for them to absorb your values.’ Not understanding the boundaries and repercussions of appropriate online behaviour can lead to problems in the real world. Explicit pictures or video footage can be used by peers to bully, threaten and blackmail or can end up in the hands of sexual predators. As Claire Lilley, head of child safety online at the NSPCC explains: ‘Offenders with a sexual interest in children can be extremely manipulative and devious, lying about who they are and creating fake profiles on the social networks young people use.

Full lIst OF 28 Internet acrOnyms used by teenagers 1. IWSN - I want sex now 2. GNOC - Get naked on camera 3. NIFOC - Naked in front of computer 4. PIR - Parent in room 5 CU46 - See you for sex 6. 53X - Sex 7. 9 - Parent watching 8. 99 - Parent gone 9. 1174 - Party meeting place 10. THOT - That hoe over there 11. CID - Acid (the drug) 12. Broken - Hungover from alcohol 13. 420 - Marijuana 14. POS - Parent over shoulder 15. SUGARPIC - Suggestive or erotic photo 16. KOTL - Kiss on the lips 17. (L)MIRL - Let’s meet in real life 18. PRON - Porn 19. TDTM - Talk dirty to me 20. 8 - Oral sex 21. CD9 - Parents around/Code 9 22. IPN - I’m posting naked 23. LH6 - Let’s have sex 24. WTTP - Want to trade pictures?

25. DOC - Drug of choice 26. TWD - Texting while driving 27. GYPO - Get your pants off 28. KPC- Keeping parents clueless

‘Some offenders are interested in meeting and sexually abusing children offline and may use the online exchanges to try to groom a child into a meeting. ‘For others getting a child to perform sexually over webcam is their only objective, but this can be equally devastating for victims.’ Janis-Norton agrees that the dangers are very real: ‘Studies have shown that even if you put children who think they’re very media savvy in front of a computer, they can be lured into chat rooms with people posing as teenagers within a few clicks.’ If parents do become aware that their teenager is in trouble online, Janis-Norton advises talking seriously while taking care not to appear shocked. ‘Shock has the flavour of disapproval,’ she says. ‘So will discourage teenagers from sharing anything they’re doing. ‘As parents we need to be coming with an understanding attitude - that it is easy for teenagers to be sucked in online. ‘Start a conversation by saying “I’m worried” rather than using words such as “angry” or “disgusted”. ‘If parents can be sensitive to what their teenager is feeling, it will be easier for the teenager to share what their own feelings, which is often that they are in over their heads.’ But if the conversation seems like a lecture, Janis-Norton warns teens are likely to tune-out. ‘They’ll think, “They’re such fuddy-duddies. They don’t understand.” And just decide to do whatever they want instead.

‘Lecturing, threatening and nagging are ineffective ways of getting kids to pay attention,’ she adds. ‘Take the conversation slowly – it’s not just a one-off and will need to be revisited frequently.’

Jonathan Baggaley, Head of Education at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, agrees that the best way to protect teenagers from the dangers online is to keep up a conversation about their online lives.

that will tickle your fancy

teeNy ideas for truth or dare questions When trying to come up with truth or dare questions, it is important to figure out what type of questions you are looking for. Whether you want something embarrassing or just want to know more about the participants, there are a few basic questions that you can use. These fun questions are sure to make for a good, harmless time: Friendship questions What were your first impressions of me?

What personality traits would cause you to end a friendship?

Would you go behind a friend’s back with a crush?

Have you ever lied to your best friend?

If you were stuck on a deserted island, which friend would you want with you?

Embarrassing questions How long have you gone without showering?

What don’t you want anyone in this group to ask you?

Have you ever told a lie during a game of Truth or Dare? What was it and why?

Have you ever had a crush on anyone here?

What’s your scariest nightmare?

What do you think is your biggest physical flaw?

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done on a dare?

Have you ever peed in the swimming pool?

Life questions Are you scared of dying? Why? What is your biggest fear?

What happened on the worst day of your life?

If you could be a superhero, what would your power be?

What would you do if you were invisible for a day?

If your life were made into a movie, who would play you?

What is your special talent?

What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?

What’s your favourite Disney movie and why?

What would you do with a million dollars if you ever won the lottery?

Dares For dares, ask the person requesting the dare to do something. Remember that you should never dare a friend to break the law or do something dangerous. The game is supposed to be fun and the entertaining. Consider asking the participants to perform these dares.

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Stuff

Saturday, December 20, 2014 that will tickle your fancy

SHOPAHOLIC

For your Christmas special this year, get one of Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bras in your favourite colour for just $2m.

LADYLIKE

A lady does not give out business cards at personal parties like weddings. If someone asks her for her card at such an outing, she fulfills his or her request.

fitnessdorm Balance your diet

The five key food groups All the food we eat can be divided into five groups. For a healthy diet, you need to eat the right balance of these groups: Fruit and vegetables Starchy foods, such as rice, pasta, bread and potatoes. Choose whole grain varieties whenever you can.

Meat, fish, eggs and beans.

Libby Lane

Milk and dairy foods.

First woman bishop The Church of England on Wednesday named Libby Lane, as her first woman bishop. In a historic step that follows years of sometimes contentious debate, Lane is to be the next Bishop of Stockport in Greater Manchester.

Two decades ago Libby Lane became one of the first wave of women to join the clergy, after the Church of England allowed the ordination of female priests following years of campaigning.

Now she has found herself at the centre of the Church of England’s move, 20 years on, to allow women to reach the highest echelons of its hierarchy. The choice of the Rev Libby Lane as the Church’s first female bishop, however, came as a surprise to many observers. Unlike the most prominent names previously thought of as frontrunners for the honour, she was not a cathedral dean, nor a regular contributor to Thought for the Day or chaplain to the House of Commons. Instead, Lane, 48, is a parish priest who born half an hour away from the area she will now serve as bishop of Stockport, and went to school down the road at Manchester High School for Girls. She went on to study theology at St Peter’s College Oxford, studied for the priesthood at Cranmer Hall in Durham, where she was a contemporary of Justin Welby, now the Archbishop of Canterbury. She has served in a number of roles across northern England, in the dioceses of Blackburn, York and Chester, both as a chaplain and parish priest. Before joining her current church in Hale, south west of Manchester, she was a vicar in

Stockport and assistant director of ordains in the Diocese of Chester, helping to advise and support aspiring priests. She continues to act as an advisor to the Bishop of Chester on selecting candidates for ordination. She is also a school governor.

Her other roles have included working as a hospital chaplain in the Diocese of York. For the past eight years she has served as vicar of St. Peter’s in Hale and St. Elizabeth’s in nearby Ashley.

There parishioners said the news of their vicar’s appointment as the Church’s first female bishop came as no surprise.

One said that she was “proud of our vicar” but “sad to lose her from the parish”. The Rev Georgina Watmore, the curate at St Peter’s, said she had known of Lane’s appointment for some time but was finally able to tell parishioners after their regular service on Wednesday morning - as the announcement was made by Downing Street.

“There was sheer delight,” she said. “Everyone was absolutely thrilled.” “Everyone has speculated since Synod agreed women could become bishops that she could be chosen because we know she is such a fine candidate. It is hard losing a vicar you are fond of and who has done good work, but the wonderful situation is that we are losing a vicar but gaining a bishop because she will be our

suffragan so will have oversight over the parishes. It is win win for us”. She described Lane as a “magnificent woman” who “leads by example”. “She has done wonders for these parishes and I think she will be an outstanding bishop. “She would never ask anyone to do anything she isn’t prepared to do herself and she is a wonderful role model. “She is insightful, compassionate and has a great sense of humour. She is ordinary, and I mean that in a complimentary way. Her feet are on the ground.”

At home Mrs Lane, who has two adult children, will find an understanding ear when it comes to the pressures of her role in her husband, George.

Her husband, Mr Lane is also a priest, currently serving as a chaplain at Manchester Airport, and the pair, who met at Oxford, were the first married couple in the Church to be ordained together in 1994. When the tortuous process to introduce women bishops came to an end this summer, many who had previously stood in the way of the development signalled that they would accept the move, having been comforted by the special provisions offered by the Church to traditionalists. However, Lane may yet prove controversial in her new role as Bishop of Stockport for other reasons, serving in an area divided by football. She is a Manchester United fan.

Foods containing fat and sugar Many people eat too much fat, sugar and salt, and not enough fruit, vegetables and fibre.

Fibre from fruit and vegetables Fruits and vegetables are a vital source of vitamins and minerals. Ideally, you should eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.

There is evidence that people who eat at least five portions a day are at lower risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers.

Energy from starch Starchy foods such as bread, cereals, potatoes, pasta and maize are an important part of a healthy diet. They are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. Starchy foods are fuel for your body. Starchy foods should make up around one third of everything you eat.

Protein from meat, fish, eggs and beans These foods are all good sources of protein, which is essential for growth and repair of the body. They are also good sources of a range of vitamins and minerals. Around 15 per cent of the calories that we eat each day should come from protein.

Milk and dairy foods for calcium and protein Cheese and yoghurt are good sources of protein. They also contain calcium, which helps to keep your bones healthy and strong. However, some dairy products are high in saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.

Fat and sugar in moderation Many people eat too much fat and too much sugar, and this is one of the fastest ways to accelerate the ageing process.

Fats and sugar are both good sources of energy for the body, but if you eat too much of them you will consume more energy than you burn. This generally means that you will put on weight. This can lead to obesity, which will increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

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that will tickle your fancy

FASCINATING FACTS AmAzING TAleS oF SurvIvAl Stranded on a deserted island Juan Fernandez Archipelago / 1704-1709 Sailor Alexander Selkirk elected to stay behind on a deserted island with only a musket, gunpowder, a few carpenter’s tools, a knife, a bible, some clothing, and rope. He was rescued by a British privateer; his story probably inspired Daniel Deoe’s Robinson Crusoe.

Adrift in a hurricane South pacific / 1983 A boat carrying Tami Oldham Ashcroft and her boyfriend was hit by a category 4 hurricane. He was lost at sea; she was knocked unconscious. She woke to a broken mainmast, a dead motor, and no radio. With a makeshift sail and few supplies, she headed to Hawaii, 2,414km away, and arrived 41 days later.

Escaping the Nazis Germany / 1943 A Norwegian commando in World War II, Jan Baalsrud was on a mission when Nazis discovered and sunk his boat. He swam ashore, shot a Gestapo officer, cut off nine of his own toes to avoid gangrene, and travelled two months in the snow to neutral Sweden.

Attacked by a bear and left for dead US / 1823 After a female grizzly mauled fur trapper Hugh Glass, his companion left him for dead, taking his knife and gun. He awoke unable to walk due to a broken leg and suffering from serious wounds, 321km from safety. He set his leg, cleaned his wounds, and six months later crawled into the nearest settlement.

Stranded in Antarctica Antarctica / 1912-1913 When half their dog team fell into a crevasse, explorer Douglas Mawson and another surviving team member headed for base, eating their dogs to survive. Poisoned by dog liver, his friend died, but Mawson made it – but had to wait a year for rescue boat.

Dropped off a mountain Peru / 1985 During a never- before – achieved ascent, British mountaineer Joe Simpson broke his leg; his partner tried to lower him by ropes, but accidently dropped him and assumed that he was dead. Days later, Simpson crawled into base camp as his partner prepared to leave.

Shot nine times Mexico / 1915 A soldier in the Mexican revolution, Wenseslao Moguel was captured and set before a firing squad. He was shot nine times – including a coup de grace to the head from the officer in charge. He survived, escaped after they left him to die, and lived for decades afterwards.

Crashed in the jungle Peru / 1971 The only survivor of a plane crash, 17-year-old German Juliane Kopcke was on the way to visit her father, a zoologist. She remembered his survival tips and – despite suffering from a broken collarbone and having no shoes – followed a stream for 10 days until she found a hunter’s hut.

Lost in the desert Morocco / 1994 During a233km race in the Sahara, Italian runner Mauro Prosperi got lost in a sandstorm.

After days without water, he caught bats and drank their blood. Suicidal, he tried to slit his wrist but was so dehydrated that his blood did not flow. He was rescued five day later.

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THE BIG STORY

CELEBs

SCANDALS It doesn’t take long for media outlets to learn about anything happening in the life of a celebrity especially if the story is a bad one. This year, many in this group had such stories and helped keep us a little fixed on the news. Here are some of the celebrities that made news this year for one or more bad side abruptly revealed.

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Celeb sCandals

Donald Sterling’s racial gaffe During his 33 seasons as owner of the LA Clippers, Donald Sterling never received the kind of publicity that he received in April this year. Sterling was forced to sell his team after a ridiculous racism scandal, involving his 31-year-old girlfriend who taped the old man saying incredibly bigoted comments.

He was accused of using racist language when talking privately to his girlfriend.

In a recording of the conversation, a male voice said to be Mr Sterling questions his girlfriend’s association with what he calls minorities. Mr Sterling purportedly goes on to demand his girlfriend should not bring black people to games played by his team and added that his said girlfriend, who is of mixed black and Hispanic ancestry, she should not post pictures of herself with black people, including NBA legend Magic Johnson, on social media site Instagram. The comments unleashed a torrent of condemnations from celebrities and politicians including President Obama, as well as an intense focus

on Sterling and his past. The NBA retaliated by slapping Sterling with a lifetime ban plus a levied $2.5m fine.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also said he would do everything in his power to force the sale of the team.

In addition, a stream of corporations withdrew their sponsorship of the team to protest Sterling’s comments and his involvement in the team. According to more reports on the incident, Sterling is emphatic that what is reflected on the said recording is not consistent with, nor does it reflect his views, beliefs or feelings. It is the antithesis of who he is, what he believes and how he has lived his life. He feels terrible that such sentiments are being attributed to him and apologizes to anyone who might have been hurt by them. He is also upset and apologizes for sentiments attributed to him about Earvin Johnson. He has long considered Magic a friend and has only the utmost respect and admiration for him–both in terms of who he is and what he has achieved.

We are investigating this matter.

Ray Rice’s violent knock-out On Valentine’s Day this year, professional American footballer, Baltimore Raven’s running back, Ray Rice, was exposed for the domestic abuser that he really is, thanks to an elevator camera that showed the sports man knock his then fiancée, Janay Palmer unconscious.

The camera footage from that night also showed Rice dragging his wife’s unconscious body from the elevator.

Rice was immediately arrested and subsequently indicted for third-degree aggravated assault on March 27, 2014.

The incident became a prominent controversy after the video was released of the encounter, which led to an NFL policy change regarding how it handles domestic violence cases. Rice’s contract was terminated by the Ravens on September 8, following the release of an additional video of the incident. Rice appealed his indefinite suspension by

the NFL in Federal Court, and won.

As of December 1, 2014, Rice is again eligible to play in the NFL and the same woman stood with all the way. In one of his outings since the incidence, Rice accompanied by his now wife, Janay Palmer, his mother and his daughter were seen together during a press conference where she too apologised for her role in that night’s drama. The simple assault charges brought against her were eventually dropped. Both Ray and Janay Rice expressed their gratitude for the help they received in the months after the incident. Until the incidence, Rice was ranked as the Ravens’ second all-time leading rusher behind Jamal Lewis (7,801) with 6,180 yards, and also second in rushing attempts (1,430) and rushing touchdowns (37), and third in combined touchdowns (43).

Other celeb scandals Celebrity Nude Photo Leak

In a scandal that rocked dozens of female celebs, online hackers released several nude photos of the world’s most famous ladies. Images originated on a 4chan thread that featured naked photos of Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande, Victoria Justice, and Kate Upton among others. The massive leak was not expected as at the time it came, so it stared heads up.

Bryan Singer

Though the alleged incident happened 15 years ago, director Bryan Singer is accused of sexually assaulting Michael Egan. Singer, along with three other Hollywood big shots, were named in a law suit filed by Egan in Hawaii, which took place in the Aloha State in 1999. Singer’s official response to the

accusations is that they are fiction. Bryan never acted inappropriately toward Egan.

The lawyer’s statements have consistently addressed just the specific claims in the lawsuit, neither confirming no denying that Singer and Egan had sex or knew each other; he did not return messages for this story.

Kim Kardashian

American television and social media personality, Kim Kardashian gained media attention through her friendship with Paris Hilton, but she received wider notice what was supposed to be a scandal. Kim’s sex tape with her former boyfriend Ray J was leaked in 2007 and later that year, she and her family were commissioned to star in the reality television series Keeping Up

with the Kardashians. Its success has led to the creation of spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Kourtney and Kim Take Miami. In 2010, Kardashian was reported to be the highest-paid reality television personality, with estimated earnings of $6m.

Lena Dunham

In the fall of 2014, Lena Dunham released a memoir called Not That Kind of Girl and in it, she described curiously opening her sister’s genitals when they were both little kids. This led to a barrage of accusations from critics that she had molested her sister, which caused Dunham to go on an outraged Twitter rant. She was not remorseful about the reports and even went on to claim that if any little girl was not engaged in

the sort of thing she did while she was still little, then it’s too bad for them. Lena later apologised after going on a self-proclaimed spiral of rage in response to the allegations.

Miley Cyrus

Disney star, Miley Cyrus is known for posting completely-naked-and-completely-wrong pictures of herself from Myspace-friendly 45degree angles and pouting at the camera. Just this year, she posted two new Instagram photos. In the first one, she was nude save for a small pair of underpants.

The second photo featured Cyrus lying on some sort of bed, this time with a brassiere on, displaying several of her tattoos. Fewer people will be exposed to it, but also because, sadly for Miley, she has lost some ability to shock.

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Celeb sCandals

Earl Hayes and the murder-suicide drama Earl Hayes, the man who shot his famous wife to death on December 8, and then killed himself, was haunted by her infidelity ... in particular what he said was a fling she had with singer, Trey Songz.

Hayes, an actor known for starring in movies like 2005’s The Exonerated and Rock the Paint, as well as 2013’s 30 Days in May and Stephanie Moseley – the star of VH1’s Hit the Floor, were married in 2008 and his friends say he loved her and tried rationalising staying together despite the cheating rumours.

But the episode kept playing out especially because Hayes kept bringing back the Songz’s affair.

Apart from Songz, Hayes accused Moseley of having multiple affairs with various other entertainers. She was a backup dancer who worked with numerous famous singers,

including Chris Brown and Usher, but he never mentioned them as a source of conflict. And on this fateful day, sources say Hayes was on the phone with his professional boxer friend, Floyd Mayweather when he committed the act that sent him and his wife to the great beyond. According to the report, when Hayes said he was going to kill his wife, Mayweather pleaded with him not to - but to no avail. The shooting happened at a swanky Los Angeles apartment block called The Grove, located at West 3rd Street in the 6000 block. After the gun was fired, the cops entered the couple’s apartment, the bodies of Moseley and Hayes were found on the floor, and both had been shot. Neighbours of their apartment reported that they heard a woman screaming before the shot of the gun.

Hollywood mental case, Amanda Bynes On October 10 this year, child star, Amanda Bynes was hospitalised in Pasadena, California and placed on a temporary psychiatric hold following her new accusations, via Twitter, that her father sexually abused her repeatedly as a child. To counter the claims, Bynes’ mother issued a statement through her attorney denying the claims before Amanda herself came out to say the same. In a statement Amanda said: “My dad never did any of those things, the microchip in my brain made me say those things but he’s the one that ordered them to microchip me.’’

Amanda shot to fame at the age of 10 in 1996 with role in hit TV show All That and Nickelodeon’s Figure It Out. At 13, touted as America’s rising star in both comedy and acting, she was given

her own sketch show: The Amanda Show. The next 10 years were a roaring success for Amanda, who made a smooth transition into movies, notably starring in She’s The Man and Hairspray.

In 2003, she made it onto the cover of Vanity Fair - a feat even for Hollywood stars. Amanda’s troubles began in 2010, then aged 24, after she announced she was retiring from acting and appeared in a racy photo shoot for Maxim magazine, insisting ‘this is me’. It was an apparent bid to break from her child-star image.

In the following four years, she was arrested for DUI, accused of crashing into a police car and another motorist, pictured taking drugs, allegedly banned from a number of establishments for ‘erratic behaviour’, and in 2013 placed in involuntary psychiatric care.

InternatIonal polItIcal scandals The Teapot Dome scandal

The Teapot Dome Scandal was the largest of numerous scandals in the United States during the presidency of Warren Harding.

Teapot Dome is an oil field located on public land in Wyoming reserved for emergency use by the US Navy. Oil companies and politicians claimed the reserve was not necessary and that the oil companies alone could supply the Navy in the event of shortages. In 1922, Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall accepted $404,000 in gifts and loans from oil company executives in return for leasing the rights to the oil at Teapot Dome to Mammoth Oil and Pan American Petroleum without asking for competitive bids. The leases were legal, but the gifts were not.

The Profumo affair

This scandal had everything: sex, spies, state

secrets and embarrassing revelations about the British upper crust. It erupted in 1963, when British nobleman Lord Astor invited osteopath Stephen Ward to a party at his country estate. Ward brought along a friend, 19-year-old Christine Keeler, and some other young women. Keeler attracted the eye of another guest at the party, John Profumo, who started an affair with Keeler, who was also dating Eugene Ivanov, a Russian naval attaché and possible Soviet spy. Later, when one of Keeler’s other boyfriends caused a violent ruckus, reporters got interested, and the story began to come out.

Kennedy and Chappaquiddick

After being elected to the US Senate in 1962, Edward Kennedy was known as a liberal who championed causes ranging from education to health care, but he was less successful in

his personal life. On July 18, 1969, Kennedy attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts and left the party with 29-yearold Mary Jo Kopechne, who had campaigned for Ted’s late brother Robert. Soon afterward, Kennedy’s car veered off a bridge and Kopechne drowned. Kennedy tried to rescue her but the tide was too strong. He swam to shore, went back to the party, and returned with two other men. Their rescue efforts also failed, but Kennedy waited until the next day to report the accident, calling his lawyer and Kopechne’s parents first, claiming the crash had dazed him. There was speculation that he tried to cover up that he was driving under the influence, but nothing was ever proven.

Bunga bunga

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was accused of tax fraud, bribery and

paying for sex with an underage girl. He had befriended a teenage runaway from Morocco named Karima El Mahroug, who was also known as Ruby Heart stealer. She worked as a nightclub belly dancer and attended Berlusconi’s wild parties. Although she and Berlusconi both denied a sexual relationship, Berlusconi used his influence to get her out of jail for theft in 2010, an act of chivalry that authorities saw as an abuse of power.

The Moshe Katsav rape scandal

Moshe Katsav’s troubles began in 2006, when he complained to the attorney general that he was being blackmailed by an employee who had worked for him when he was minister of tourism in the late 1990s in Israel. An investigation concluded that the woman’s charges were true: Katsav had twice forced her to have sex with him.

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Celeb sCandals

Alleged serial rapist, Bill Cosby Ace comedian, Bill Cosby has a history of rape accusations spanning many years. From a paternity scandal, where a young woman named Autumn Jackson claimed that he was her father, and tried to blackmail him for $40m even threatening him, to many others that involved settling at some point, they all were there. But this year’s especially considering the number of women that have come out to say that he raped them, has caused the public to review what Cosby was really doing all those years behind closed doors.

The accusations began in November when a campaign by his public relations team to create

a CosbyMeme sparked an online storm of rape-themed images accusing the Cosby Show star of sexually assaulting women. So far, over 20 women have publicly accused Cosby of sexual abuse, 12 of whom have accused him of drugging them to facilitate the abuse. Some of those women may be among 13 anonymous ‘Jane Doe’ accusers who agreed to testify against Cosby in a 2005 lawsuit that was settled out of court. Taken together, the accusations span the length of Cosby’s long career in the public eye as a beloved actor and comedian, from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000. They were given new light last month by a comedian’s stand-up

routine that caught fire on social media, and new accusers coming forward has led to a dripdrip effect of even more coming forward. Cosby and his legal team have at various times issued wide-ranging, categorical denials or refused to discuss individual cases, with Cosby saying at some point that “a guy doesn’t have to answer to innuendos.” In many ways the story has evolved beyond what Cosby did or didn’t do, morphing into an all-out debate about why some accusers are only now coming forward, why others weren’t taken seriously before, how Cosby might have been able to keep doing this for so long, and what it might mean for his legacy.

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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Celeb sCandals

Out of control Michael Jace A month after they celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on May 19 this year, Michael Jace’s role as Andre Tibbs came to play in reality when he was arrested and charged with lethally shooting his wife April Jace. The actor who is best known for his role as Detective Lowe on The Shield shot his wife to death in front of their two children then called the police around 8:30pm to report the crime. “I shot my wife,” he told police dispatchers. April was found dead by police when they arrived at the couple’s Hyde Park neighbourhood home. The motive of the murder was believed to be domestic violence. The couple’s two children were immediately handed over to California’s Department of Children Services, and Michael was booked on a homicide charge. Jace pleaded not guilty to the murder charges brought against him in the case. Jace was ordered by the judge in the case to

stay away from his children while his bail was set at $2m.

Until this incidence, no domestic violence reports were ever filed against Jace who was formerly wed to a woman named Jennifer Bitterman before their 2002 divorce. Although there are reports that the divorce led to a vicious custody battle in which Jace admitted both he and his ex “were both guilty of overstepping physical boundaries.” Jace’s The Shield co-stars commented on the incidence on social media. One of them, David Marciano appeared on The Insider, speculating how the actor’s dry spell of roles, after a multi-year run on a successful series, might have put him under extra financial and psychological pressures.

Marciano said that if he had a message to give Jace’s children when they’re older, he’d tell them their father “was a good man, and don’t judge him by this one act.”

Columbus Short’s outrageous bust Scandal star, Columbus Short was involved in his own reality scandal in April when his wife threw him out of their house and filed for divorce ... after he allegedly put a knife to her throat and threatened to kill her and himself. According to a reports, Short’s wife claimed he came into her room intoxicated with a wine bottle in hand, acted like he was going to hit her with the bottle and then unloaded the wine on her.

Tanee Short claims Columbus then ran to the kitchen for a knife, pinned her to the couch and began choking her. She says he then demanded they play a game he called ‘Truth or Truth.’ He allegedly said if she lied he would stab her in the leg. She says he then started naming men he believed she was having affairs with.

She denied them all but he allegedly

then put the knife to her throat and threatened murder/suicide. As she tried escaping she says he slashed her tire. In the divorce papers, Tanee cited irreconcilable differences and asked for sole custody of their 2-year-old daughter. This was not the first time the actor was accused of domestic violence and it was not the last time he would be arrested for an offence. He also was arrested on July 5 in Texas for public intoxication after an alleged shouting match with a security guard and a scuffle with off-duty Dallas police officers.

As a result of the battery charges brought by his wife for which he pleaded not guilty, Shorts was fired from continuing as Harrison in the TV series, Scandal where he stars alongside Kerry Washington.

InternatIonal polItIcal scandals Watergate

On May 27, 1972, concerned that Nixon’s bid for re-election was in jeopardy, former CIA agent E. Howard Hunt Jr., former New York assistant district attorney G. Gordon Liddy, former CIA operative James W. McCord Jr., and six other men broke into the Democratic headquarters in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. They wire-tapped phones, stole some documents and photographed others. When they broke in again on June 17 to fix a bug that wasn’t working, a suspicious security guard called the Washington police, who arrested McCord and four other burglars.

Wilbur Mills

During the Great Depression, Wilbur Mills served as a county judge in Arkansas and initiated government-funded programmes to pay medical and prescription drug bills for the

poor. But he’s probably best known for one of Washington’s juiciest scandals. On October 7, 1974, Mills’ car was stopped by police in West Potomac Park near the Jefferson Memorial.

Mills was drunk and in the back seat of the car with an Argentine stripper named Fanne Foxe.

When the police approached, Foxe fled the car.

The Iran-Contra affair

On July 8, 1985, President Ronald Reagan told the American Bar Association that Iran was part of a confederation of terrorist states.

He failed to mention that members of his administration were secretly planning to sell weapons to Iran to facilitate the release of US hostages held in Lebanon by pro-Iranian terrorist groups. Profits from the arms sales were secretly sent to Nicaragua to aid rebel forces, in their attempt to overthrow the

country’s democratically elected government.

The incident became known as the Iran-Contra Affair and was the biggest scandal of Reagan’s administration.

The Keating five

After the US banking industry was deregulated in the 1980s, savings and loan banks were allowed to invest deposits in commercial, not just residential, real estate. Many savings banks began making risky investments, and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board (FHLBB) tried to stop them, against the wishes of the Reagan administration, which was against government interference with business. In 1989, when the Lincoln Savings and Loan Association of Irvine collapsed, its chairman, Charles H. Keating Jr., accused the FHLBB and its former head Edwin J. Gray of conspiring

against him. Gray testified that five senators had asked him to back off on the Lincoln investigation. He and the senators became known as the Keating Five, after it was revealed that they received a total of $1.3m in campaign contributions from Keating.

The Chen Shui-bian Scandals

Chen Shui-bian was a Taiwanese politician who was involved in a series of scandals in 2006. First, his son-in-law was accused of insider trading. The same year, his wife was charged with corruption and forgery. It was proven that she had wired $21m in campaign funds to banks in Singapore, Switzerland and the Cayman Islands. There were charges that Chen himself had misused his authority; his opposition tried unsuccessfully to mount an effort to recall him from position.