Saturday, November 30, 2013

A Romantic day out

May your day be  beautiful.

One more round for the road

If there's one thing men and women both want, it's more sex. It's no surprise: Most of us put sex low on our list of priorities, far below work, sleep, taking care of the kids, and sometimes, we admit, watching the game.And while all of those are important things, so is sex: Getting it on burns calories; reduces your risk of prostate cancer; and releases endorphins, which improves your mood and helps you relax. Perhaps best of all, doing the deed strengthens your relationship—and that leads to more sex.So how do you go from getting some to getting (much) more? The trick is to change up your daily approach. Try these ideas this week. They'll spark your own ideas for what to do next week, and the week after, and . . .

When over cleanliness becomes harmful

Tuberculosis, food poisoning, cholera, pneumonia, strep throat and meningitis: these are just a few of the unsavory diseases caused by bacteria. Hygiene—keeping both home and body clean—is one of the best ways to curb the spread of bacterial infections, but lately consumers are getting the message that washing with regular soap is insufficient. Antibacterial products have never been so popular. Body soaps, household cleaners, sponges, even mattresses and lip glosses are now packing bacteria-killing ingredients, and scientists question what place, if any, these chemicals have in the daily routines of healthy people.Traditionally, people washed bacteria from their bodies and homes using soap and hot water, alcohol, chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide. These substances act nonspecifically, meaning they wipe out almost every type of microbe in sight—fungi, bacteria and some viruses—rather than singling out a particular variety.Soap works by loosening and lifting dirt, oil and microbes from surfaces so they can be easily rinsed away with water, whereas general cleaners such as alcohol inflict sweeping damage to cells by demolishing key structures, then evaporate. "They do their job and are quickly dissipated into the environment," explains microbiologist Stuart Levy of Tufts University School of Medicine.Unlike these traditional cleaners, antibacterial products leave surface residues, creating conditions that may foster the development of resistant bacteria, Levy notes. For example, after spraying and wiping an antibacterial cleaner over a kitchen counter, active chemicals linger behind and continue to kill bacteria, but not necessarily all of them.When a bacterial population is placed under a stressor—such as an antibacterial chemical—a small subpopulation armed with special defense mechanisms can develop. These lineages survive and reproduce as their weaker relatives perish. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is the governing maxim here, as antibacterial chemicals select for bacteria that endure their presence.As bacteria develop a tolerance for these compounds there is potential for also developing a tolerance for certain antibiotics. This phenomenon, called cross-resistance, has already been demonstrated in several laboratory studies using triclosan, one of the most common chemicals found in antibacterial hand cleaners, dishwashing liquids and other wash products. "Triclosan has a specific inhibitory target in bacteria similar to some antibiotics," says epidemiologist Allison Aiello at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.When bacteria are exposed to triclosan for long periods of time, genetic mutations can arise. Some of these mutations endow the bacteria with resistance to isoniazid, an antibiotic used for treating tuberculosis, whereas other microbes can supercharge their efflux pumps—protein machines in the cell membrane that can spit out several types of antibiotics, Aiello explains. These effects have been demonstrated only in the laboratory, not in households and other real world environments, but Aiello believes that the few household studies may not have been long enough. "It's very possible that the emergence of resistant species takes quite some time to occur…; the potential is there," she says.Apart from the potential emergence of drug-resistant bacteria in communities, scientists have other concerns about antibacterial compounds. Both triclosan and its close chemical relative triclocarban (also widely used as an antibacterial), are present in 60 percent of America's streams and rivers, says environmental scientist Rolf Halden, co-founder of the Center for Water and Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Both chemicals are efficiently removed from wastewater in treatment plants but end up getting sequestered in the municipal sludge, which is used as fertilizer for crops, thereby opening a potential pathway for contamination of the food we eat, Halden explains. "We have to realize that the concentrations in agricultural soil are very high," and this, "along with the presence of pathogens from sewage, could be a recipe for breeding antimicrobial resistance" in the environment, he says.

20 things life is too short to tolerate

You don’t have to settle, it’s simply a choice you make every day.  If you feel like you’re running in place there’s a good chance you’re tolerating things you shouldn’t be.  It’s time to reclaim your life.Starting now, stop tolerating…People who bring you down. – Relationships should help you, not hurt you.  Spend time with nice people who are smart, driven and likeminded.A work environment or career field you hate. – Don’t settle on the first or second career field you dabble in.  Keep searching.  Eventually you will find work you love to do.  If you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop.  You’re on to something big.  Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.Your own negativity. – Be aware of your mental self-talk.  We all talk silently to ourselves in our heads, but we aren’t always conscious of what we’re saying or how it’s affecting us.  Start listening to your thoughts.  If you hear negative thoughts, stop and replace them with positive thoughts.Unnecessary miscommunication. – Say what you mean.  Mean what you say.  Speak clearly.  Ask questions.  Clarify things until you understand them.A disorganized living and working space. – Clear the clutter.  Get rid of stuff you don’t use.  Read David Allen’s book Getting Things Done for some practical organizational guidance.Your own tardiness. – Get up 30 minutes earlier so you don’t have to rush around like a mad man.  That 30 minutes will help you avoid speeding tickets, tardiness and other unnecessary headaches.Pressure to fit in with the crowd. – Oftentimes, the only reason others want you to fit in is that once you do they can ignore you and go about their business.  Don’t conform.  Be you, because that’s the only person you can be.An unhealthy body. – Your health is your life.  Don’t let it go.  Eat right, exercise and get an annual physical check-up.  The 4-Hour Body is an insightful and entertaining read on this topic.Fear of change. – Life is change.  Every day is different.  Every day is a new beginning and a new ending.  Embrace it and make the best of it.All work and no play. – Enjoy yourself and have a little fun while you can.  If you’re smiling, you’re doing something right.People or beauty ads that make you feel inadequate. – Good looks attracts the eyes.  Personality attracts the heart.  Be proud to be you.  You are already beautiful.Not getting enough sleep. – A tired mind is rarely productive.Doing the same exact thing over and over again. – You are the sum of your life experiences.  The more you experience, the more interesting your life story gets.Personal greed. – Don’t let greed and deceit get the best of you.  Greed will bury even the lucky eventually.A mounting pile of debt. – Always live well below your means.  Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.  Always sleep on big purchases.  Create a budget and savings plan and stick to them.  Read I Will Teach You To Be Rich.Dishonesty. – Living a life of honesty creates peace of mind, and peace of mind is priceless.  Period.  Don’t be dishonest and don’t put up with people who are.Infidelity. – Intimate relationships are a sacred bond – a circle of trust.  If both parties aren’t 100% onboard the relationship isn’t worth fighting for.An unsafe home. – If you don’t feel safe at home you’ll never feel safe anywhere.  Build a loving household in a safe area that you are proud to call ‘home.’Being unprepared. – Life is unpredictable.  And there’s a big difference between being scared and being prepared.  Always be prepared.Inaction. – Either you’re going to take action and seize new opportunities or someone else will.  You can’t change anything or make any sort of progress by sitting back and thinking about it.And remember, you only live once, but if you live it right once is enough.

10 habits that steal your happiness

You ultimately become what you repeatedly do.  If your habits aren’t helping you, they’re hurting you.  Here are a few examples of the latter that will steal your happiness if you let them:

1.  Focusing on everyone’s story except your own.

Don’t be so satisfied with the success stories of others and how things have gone for them that you forget to write your own.  Unfold your own tale and bring it to life.  You have everything you need to become what you are capable of becoming.  Incredible change happens when you decide to take control.  This means consuming less and creating more.  It means refusing to let others do your thinking, talking, and deciding for you.  It means learning to respect and use your own ideas and instincts to write your passage.If you want your life story to soar to new heights, you’ve got to clear a path, reduce the time-sinks and burdens weighing you down, and pick up the things that give you wings.  Keep your best wishes and your biggest goals close to your heart and dedicate time to them every day.  If you truly care about what you do and you work diligently at it, there’s almost nothing you can’t accomplish.

2.  Waiting for the perfect moment.

Don’t buy into the myth of the perfect moment.  Moments aren’t perfect; they’re what you make them.  So many people wait around for the stars to align to do what they’re here to do.  The perfect moment, the perfect opportunity, the perfect state of being, etc.  Wake up!  These states of perfection are myths.  They do not exist.Your ability to grow to your highest potential is directly related to your willingness to act in the face of imperfection.  You will come to succeed not by finding a perfect moment, but by learning to see and use life’s imperfections perfectly.  Read The Power of Now.

3.  Working for nothing more than a paycheck.

Work without interest is imprisonment.  Even if you aren’t super-passionate about your work, you’ve got to at least be interested in it.  When you design a lifestyle in which your work is something you suffer through daily strictly to pay your bills, you end up spending your entire life wishing you had someone else’s.Think about it.  This is your life; your work will fill a large percentage of it.  It’s not all about the money; it’s about you.  Ignore the propaganda, especially from people who say, “Don’t let your work define you.”  Reverse this message and mediate on it:  “I will do work that defines me.”  When the essence of who you are defines at least some slice of the work you do for a living, that work generates fulfillment.Bottom line:  Interest in your work puts quality in your output and happiness in your mind.  Don’t settle for a paycheck.  Shuffle around until you find work that interests you.

4.  Harboring feelings of hate.

As Martin Luther King Jr. so profoundly said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.  Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”  Truth be told, when we harbor feelings of hate, it eventually gets the best of us.  It takes control of us.  We forget why we hate, what we hate, and whom we hate – we simply hate for the sake of hating.  And then, naturally, we begin to hate ourselves too.Everything and everyone you hate rents permanent space in both your head and heart.  So if you want to eliminate something or someone from your mind, don’t hate.  Instead, disconnect yourself, move on, and don’t look back.  Read The Mastery of Love.

5.  Holding tight to worries and fears.

Someday when you look back over your life you’ll realize that nearly all of your worries and anxious fears never came to fruition – they were completely unfounded.  So why not wake up and realize this right now.  When you look back over the last few years, how many opportunities for joy did you destroy with needless worry and negativity?  Although there’s nothing you can do about these lost joys, there’s plenty you can do about the ones that are still to come.You will find that it’s necessary to let some things go simply for the reason that they’re heavy on your heart and soul.  Let go of them.  Don’t clamp shackles to your own ankles.  It’s incredibly easy to enjoy more of your life right now, no matter what the situation.  It’s just a matter of letting go of the layers of nonsense that are weighing you down.Let go of your worries and fears, of your rage and jealousy, of your need to always be right and control others.  Let go of your pretentiousness and your need to have everything your way.  Underneath all these layers of nonsense there is a happy, productive person.  When you start peeling them off and simply appreciating everything for what it is, life can be wonderfully fulfilling.

6.  Dwelling on difficulties.

A bad day is just a bad day.  Choose not to make it anything more.  Times of adversity will inevitably affect the conditions in which you live and work; yet you don’t have to let it affect who you are and where you’re headed.  Take note of the setbacks and adjust to them, but don’t expand on them by making them a bigger part of your life.Every day brings new lessons and new possibilities.  There is always a way to take the next step forward on the path you’ve chosen.  Events may be terrible and inescapable at times, but you always have choice – if not when, then how, you may endure and proceed onward.

7.  Constantly seeking fleeting contentment.

There are two variations of contentment in life – fleeting and enduring.  The fleeting type is derived from instants of material comfort, while the enduring type is attained through the gradual growth of your mind.  At a glimpse it might be difficult to decipher one from the other, but as time rolls on it becomes vividly obvious that the latter is far superior.Enduring contentment sustains itself through life’s ups and downs, because through them your mind remains confident and at peace.  On the other hand, when life’s fleeting changes have the ability to ruffle your mind into a frenzy, even the most elaborate physical comforts won’t make you any happier for very long.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.

8. Trying to make a big difference all at once.

If you want to make a difference in the world, start with the world around you.  Making a big difference all at once is usually impossible, and the process of trying is extremely stressful.  However, instantly making a difference in a few lives is entirely possible and usually fairly easy.  You just have to focus on one person at a time and start with the one closest to you.Work to make a bunch of small splashes, and let the ripples spread naturally.  If you want to change a person’s mind or mood, sometimes you have to change the minds or moods of the people around them first.  For instance, if you make one person smile, their smile just might make others smile too.  In this subtle way, you can touch the masses with your thoughtfulness without stressing yourself out.

9.  Holding on to someone who hurts you.

Sometimes you have to walk away from people, not because you don’t care, but because they don’t.  When someone hurts you time and time again, accept the fact that they don’t care about you.  It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it’s necessary medicine.  Do NOT strive to impress them any further.  Waste not another second of your time trying to prove something to them.  Nothing needs to be proven.  Do not act with any thought of them ever again.  Read 1,000 Little Things.

10.  Over-amplifying the importance of physical attractiveness.

Infatuating yourself with someone simply for what they look like on the outside is like choosing your favorite food based on color instead of taste.  It makes no sense.  It’s innate, invisible, unquantifiable characteristics that create lasting attraction.Just as some people enjoy the smell of mint, while others prefer the scent of cinnamon, there is an undeniable, magnetic draw that attracts you to the qualities of certain people, places, and things.  Sometimes it’s even the scars your soul shares with them that reels you in and creates the very hinges that hold you together in the long run.

Courtesy Angel Chernoff

10 things you may likely regret in 10 Years

10 Choices You Will Regret in 10 Years

If only…”  These two words paired together create one of the saddest phrases in the English language.Here are ten choices that ultimately lead to this phrase of regret, and how to elude them:Wearing a mask to impress others. – If the face you always show the world is a mask, someday there will be nothing beneath it.  Because when you spend too much time concentrating on everyone else’s perception of you, or who everyone else wants you to be, you eventually forget who you really are.  So don’t fear the judgments of others; you know in your heart who you are and what’s true to you.  You don’t have to be perfect to impress and inspire people.  Let them be impressed and inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.Letting someone else create your dreams for you. – The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are; the second greatest is being happy with what you find.  A big part of this is your decision to stay true to your own goals and dreams.  Do you have people who disagree with you?  Good.  It means you’re standing your ground and walking your own path.  Sometimes you’ll do things considered crazy by others, but when you catch yourself excitedly losing track of time, that’s when you’ll know you’re doing the right thing.  ReadThe 4-Hour Workweek.Keeping negative company. – Don’t let someone who has a bad attitude give it to you.  Don’t let them get to you.  They can’t pull the trigger if you don’t hand them the gun.  When you remember that keeping the company of negative people is a choice, instead of an obligation, you free yourself to keep the company of compassion instead of anger, generosity instead of greed, and patience instead of anxiety.Being selfish and egotistical. – A life filled with loving deeds and good character is the best tombstone.  Those who you inspired and shared your love with will remember how you made them feel long after your time has expired.  So carve your name on hearts, not stone.  What you have done for yourself alone dies with you; what you have done for others and the world remains.Avoiding change and growth. – If you want to know your past look into your present conditions.  If you want to know your future look into your present actions.  You must let go of the old to make way for the new; the old way is gone, never to come back.  If you acknowledge this right now and take steps to address it, you will position yourself for lasting success.  Read The Power of Habit.Giving up when the going gets tough. – There are no failures, just results.  Even if things don’t unfold the way you had expected, don’t be disheartened or give up.  Learn what you can and move on.  The one who continues to advance one step at a time will win in the end.  Because the battle is always won far away and long before the final victory.  It’s a process that occurs with small steps, decisions, and actions that gradually build upon each other and eventually lead to that glorious moment of triumph.Trying to micromanage every little thing. – Life should be touched, not strangled.  Sometimes you’ve got to relax and let life happen without incessant worry and micromanagement.  Learn to let go a little before you squeeze too tight.  Take a deep breath.  When the dust settles and you can once again see the forest for the trees, take the next step forward.  You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going to be headed somewhere great.  Everything in life is in perfect order whether you understand it yet or not.  It just takes some time to connect all the dots.Settling for less than you deserve. – Be strong enough to let go and wise enough to wait for what you deserve.  Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been to stand up taller than you ever were before.  Sometimes your eyes need to be washed by your tears so you can see the possibilities in front of you with a clearer vision again.  Don’t settle.Endlessly waiting until tomorrow. – The trouble is, you always think you have more time than you do.  But one day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to work on the things you’ve always wanted to do.  And at that point you either will have achieved the goals you set for yourself, or you will have a list of excuses for why you haven’t.  Read The Last Lecture.Being lazy and wishy-washy. – The world doesn’t owe you anything, you owe the world something.  So stop daydreaming and start DOING.  Develop a backbone, not a wishbone.  Take full responsibility for your life – take control.  You are important and you are needed.  It’s too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday.  Someday is now; the somebody the world needs is YOU.

Courtesy Angel Chernoff

Loving made easy.

Love-test' predicts marriage success
29 November 2013 02:58
By Pallab Ghosh

Science correspondent, BBC News

Scientists have devised a new "love test" that they believe is a better guide to the success of a relationship than the good intentions of newly-weds.

The research suggests that a subconscious response to an image of a partner could be a useful predictor of marriage outcomes.

Those who had a negative gut reaction were more likely be unhappy several years later.

The study is published in the Journal Science.

The lead author, Prof James McNulty from Florida State University, says that the new test gauges the true feelings of newly-weds towards each other, rather than what they say to other people or even admit to themselves.

"These immediate gut level responses seem to be pretty powerful in predicting whether people stay happy," he told BBC News.

His team interviewed 135 newly-wed couples just after their nuptials.

The researchers asked them to evaluate their marriage related to positive and negative adjectives such as "good", "bad", "satisfying" and "dissatisfying".

They then measured their gut reaction to each other using their intriguing "love test".

This involved showing one partner a photograph of the other for a fleeting third of a second. They then had to answer as quickly as possible, whether certain words such as "great", "awesome", "horrible" and "scary" were positive or negative words.

The speed with which they answered was an indication of their true feelings, say the researchers.

The test is based on the psychological principle of association. The theory is that after fleetingly seeing a picture of their partner, the newlywed is in a positive or negative state of mind.

Awesome or scary?

If they are in a positive state of mind they will identify positive words such as "great" or "awesome" more quickly than negative words such as "scary and horrible" and vice versa.

Prof McNulty and his team found that the conscious answers of the newly-weds were all positive and very happy about their relationships, as you might imagine.

But the gut reactions from the love test varied considerably.

The researchers interviewed the couples every six months for the next four years.

They found that on average, those who had negative gut reactions were more likely to say that they were unhappy as the marriage wore on. Some even divorced.

"Everyone wants to believe they are in a good relationship and people can convince themselves that they are - but these gut-level reactions are more indicative of how people feel immediately about their relationships," he said.

The test, according to the authors, measures the presence or absence of negative emotions.

"People can have love and negative emotions at the same time and this test probably taps into both of those," said Prof McNulty.

However, he was at pains to state that the research was not developed enough to be able to offer it to people before they tie the knot.

He pointed out that overall the scientists found a trend, but some of those who had a negative response stayed happy, while others who had a positive gut reaction became unhappy.

For those about to take the leap, Prof McNulty said that gut reaction could be something they listen to.

"I think the best advice would be to attend to your gut level responses about how you think about seeing your partner. I don't think that should be the only factor people should consider, but it should be one of them"

Girls held Captives by Step-Dad.

Arizona couple 'held girls captive'
Police in Arizona say three sisters were held captive in filthy conditions for up to two years by their mother and stepfather in the city of Tucson.

Investigators say two of the girls, aged 12 and 13, escaped and alerted a neighbour after their stepfather tried to attack them with a knife.

Officers then found a 17-year-old locked in her bedroom.

The girls were malnourished and dirty and told the police they had not taken a bath in up to six months.

"They were kept in filthy living conditions separately and told patrol officers that they had not seen each other in almost two years," Tucson police captain Mike Gilooly told reporters.

Loud music

Stepfather Fernando Richter, 34 , and mother Sophia Richter, 32, have been charged with emotional and physical abuse and three counts of kidnapping. The stepfather was also charged with sex abuse.

The girls were allegedly held under 24-hour surveillance, with an elaborate alarm system and soundproofing of rooms.

"Their movements were controlled - when, where and how they went to the bathroom, when they were fed," said Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor.

Loud music was continuously played in the girls' bedrooms and towels had been stuffed into ducts and under the doors in an apparent attempt to muffle sound, Police Chief Villasenor told a news conference.

The girls have been removed from the house and are under the care of child protection services.

The two younger girls escaped through a window on Tuesday after their stepfather tried to break down a door while brandishing a knife, police said.

Investigators are examining a diary kept by the older sister during her alleged captivity.

They are also trying to establish if and where the girls went to school.

During a brief court appearances on Wednesday, neither parent entered a pl

Pix from Metro open Mic

Metro open mic 2.0

First edition was a success while this second edtion promises a better presentation and atmosphere. It takes place at Broadcasting House,  ikoyi, lagos by 3pm, Sat 30th November,  2013. The list of performing act is rich and interesting.  We ll keep you posted.

Death in Copter crash

Three dead' in pub crash
At least three people have died after a police helicopter crashed into a busy pub in Glasgow, the BBC has been told.

A source close to the investigation said the final number of fatalities would almost certainly be higher.

The crash happened at The Clutha in Stockwell Street at 22:25 on Friday. People are still thought to be trapped.

There were three people on board the helicopter - two officers and a civilian pilot. Thirty-two people have been taken to local hospitals.

A senior fire officer said they had made contact with some people trapped inside the pub but the building was unsafe and they were taking a "methodical" approach to the rescue.

The emergency services could be seen on the pub's roof trying to rescue people from inside.

It has been reported that about 120 people were in the pub at the time of the crash. Many were rescued or escaped but others have been trapped by a collapse on the left-hand side of the building.

Has Oshiomole's Khaki lost its fittings?

The one time labour leader became very famous for his stance and unequivocal support and leanings towards the masses. There were cases where he risked his life for his belief that the people' wish be respected and factored into government's policies etc. Wherever he went he was humbly decked in his khaki attire, which was seen as a symbol of the struggle by many. That khaki had human face, feelings and was touched by the weaknesses of the masses. That khaki fitted the then labour leader. I wonder if that is still the same of the khaki he wears today as the Chief Executive of Edo state in view of some of his recent actions, one of which is the case where he openly asked a lady who seemingly violated an environmental responsibility to go and die. Haba, Oshiobaba, you need return to your comrade nature or drop the Khaki.

Win free Professional photo session

Sholacreatives Photo is giving out some free sessions this yuletide. Simply tell us the year it was established and you might be the winner whose pictures would be displayed here too. The quiz is on.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Sexual frustration; Shorter life?

Could Sexual Frustration Lead To A Shorter Life? http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIwl_ug_w0

Zuma under Fire

The improvements at Nkandla included a swimming pool and cattle enclosure
South Africa's top corruption fighter has condemned a newspaper for publishing extracts from her report, which allegedly says President Zuma should repay some of the $20m (£12m) spend on upgrades to his rural home.

Thuli Madonsela said it was "unethical and unlawful" to publish her report.

According to the Mail and Guardian, she said Mr Zuma had derived "substantial benefits" from the upgrade.

The government says the improvements were needed for national security.

It has gone to court to block publication of Ms Madonsela's report.

Jacob Zuma says he has done nothing wrong
Last week, several newspapers defied a government warning not to publish photographs of the residence in Nkandla.

The BBC's Pumza Fihlani in Johannesburg says the row is one of the biggest issues in South Africa at the moment, ahead of elections due early next year.

Opposition parties have condemned it as a waste of public money, while the governing ANC says it believes he has done nothing wrong.

Mr Zuma's office has declined to comment on the Mail and Guardian article.

The newspaper says it has had "direct access" to the provisional report by Ms Madonsela, the public protector.

It said the upgrades included a visitors' lounge, amphitheatre, cattle enclosure, swimming pool and houses for the president's relatives.

It estimates the cost of those additions to be about 20m rand ($2m: £1.2m).

The newspaper said it published the article because "all the evidence points to a systematic attempt by the government to shield disclosures about the scandal from public view".

"There are good reasons for fearing that the security ministers who tried to interdict Madonsela earlier this month may be planning further litigation to block its release," it said.

Ms Madonsela has distanced herself from the article and the quotes that have been attributed to her.

She said recently that her final report would be released in about a month.

Lawmaker arrested

Police arraign lawmaker, 29 others

The police in Zamfara on Friday filed criminal charges against Sen. Yarima Bakura and 29 others at a Zamfara High Court over alleged conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The police took the men to the Zamfara High Cour in Gusau on alleged conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Counsel to the police, Mr  Oloye Torugbene,  sought the leave of the court to hear the case, pursuant to the Criminal Procedure, to prosecute the case. He told the court that all relevant documents, including affidavits, exhibits, names and addresses of accused persons, as well as written statements of witnesses and the accused persons, had been submitted to the court. He therefore urged the court to proffer a criminal charge based on the evidence provided for prosecution. He said already, the accused persons who had been served arraignment notice, were released through police administrative bail and pleaded with the court to fix a date for hearing. In her ruling on the application, the judge, who is also the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kulu Aliyu, said the court was competent to handle the case. Aliyu urged the prosecutor to serve the accused persons with all the relevant documents and fixed Jan. 13, 2014 for hearing. It will be recalled that that Rep. Ibrahim Shehu, representing Gusau/Tsafe constituency, had in June alleged that some people  mobilised some thugs to kill him. He alleged that during the incident, the attackers removed large sum of money from his vehicle. He, however, reported the case to the Inspector-General of Police, who set up an investigation that led to the court case. The post Police arraign lawmaker, 29 others appeared first on The Nation .Read complete article from content source:Police arraign lawmaker, 29 others

Helicopter crash reported...BBC

Police helicopter crash: 'Multiple injuries' at The Clutha pub in Glasgow


In pictures: Clutha helicopter crashA police helicopter has crashed into a pub on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow.The crash happened at The Clutha in Stockwell Street at 22:25.Police Scotland confirmed their service helicopter had crashed. There have been multiple casualties but it is not known if anyone has died.First Minister Alex Salmond said: "Given an incident of this scale we must all prepare ourselves for the likelihood of fatalities".Images of the crash showed the dark blue helicopter on the roof with a yellow "POLICE" insignia on part of the wreckage.Continue reading the main story

A major incident has been declared after the Eurocopter EC135 T2 - with a crew of three consisting of two police officers and a civilian pilot - came down on the roof of a pub”Police ScotlandA police spokesman said: "Police Scotland can confirm that the service helicopter crashed earlier this evening in Glasgow city centre."A major incident has been declared after the Eurocopter EC135 T2 - with a crew of three consisting of two police officers and a civilian pilot - came down on the roof of a pub in Stockwell Street at 10.25pm."Emergency services responded immediately and remain at the scene at the present time."Cordons have been put in place to allow the rescue operation to take place."At present Police Scotland is not in a position to confirm any details regarding injuries".The Police Roll of Honour Trust tweeted "Our thoughts are with the crew of @policescotland SP99 helicopter that has crashed in Glasgow - hoping everyone is alright."BJim Murphy MP, the shadow development secretary, said he ran into the pub to help before the emergency services arrived on the scene.He said he seen multiple casualties, including people unconscious, and a "pile of people" clambering out of the pub.Eyewitness Fraser Gibson, 34, was inside the pub with his brother to see his former band, Esperanza."Midway through their set it sounded like a giant explosion," he told BBC Scotland."Part of the room was covered in dust. We didn't know what had happened. We froze for a second; there was panic and then people trying to get out the door."Gordon Smart of the Scottish Sun: "I saw the whole thing happen"Mr Gibson said that immediately following the incident there was a suggestion that a helicopter had crashed into the roof of the pub."There was no obvious sign of that," he said. "I couldn't hear of any rotors or anything like that before the event happened or any sign when we came out of the pub.""I would say there was maybe 120 people inside the pub. A lot of people managed to get out straight away, but it was hard to tell how many were actually trapped in the other half of the bar."We wanted to get out of the way and let the emergency services get in there to help."I spoke to one of my former band members and he's as much in the dark over the situation as me.Emergency services vehicles at the scene"We checked that each other was safe and the rest of the band were safe. The immediate group I was with are all safe."We're obviously very concerned about what casualties have been sustained in the incident.Continue reading the main story

Eyewitness

Gordon Smart, editor the Scottish Sun, told the BBC:I can't really believe what's happened. I was on the phone at the time and I heard a misfiring engine. Looked above me, couldn't work out where it was coming from, it got louder and louder and I just spotted a helicopter falling from the sky.It was falling at great speed. It looked like the rotors weren't spinning but the helicopter was sort of turning in a strange position and dropping at great speed. Oddly enough there was no explosion no fire ball.It's a busy Friday night, a lot of people have been out in the pubs, there are a lot of pubs in that area. I do fear… I would be staggered if there weren't fatalities from the area it's landed."There were no signs (of a helicopter) at all. The roof had just totally collapsed, there were shards of wood sticking out the top but nothing that said there had been a helicopter crash."A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "I can confirm that we have people at the scene."It is obviously a major incident. There are numerous fire engines there; 15 fire engines at the moment along with specialist services."I cannot confirm if there have been any injuries."Claire Morris, who lives near the Clutha bar, told BBC News: "We heard this bang. We didn't really know what had happened and then we heard people coming out and screaming."I wasn't sure whether there had been an explosion. My daughter said to me it was a helicopter that had hit the roof."Police are everywhere. We are just very shaken."She added the pub was very popular and would have been busy on a Friday night.Mr Murphy said there were about 40 fire brigade staff at the scene and said passers-by had helped at the scene.The crash happened at a pub in the centre of GlasgowMr Murphy told the BBC: "It's a well established Glasgow pub. It's a horrible, horrible scene, but well done to the folk who were here. Everyone formed a chain of people from inside the pub to outside, and the fire brigade and everyone were here very quickly."First Minister Alex Salmond tweeted: "The emergency services are in full operation. Our thoughts are with everyone involved. Scottish resilience operation now mobilised."Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was "absolutely awful news"."My thoughts are with everyone involved and the emergency services," she tweeted.Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "My thoughts are with everyone affected by the helicopter crash in Glasgow - and the emergency services working tonight."Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said it was "shocking news from Glasgow. All my thoughts are with those who have been injured."

Thursday, November 28, 2013

We men and women

Women Can Now Lockup Their Men’s ‘man-hood’ In Willy Jail With Padlocks. Hehehehehehe…..Men are in serious trouble! In case you are yet to fathom the image in the pictures, it’s ehmm p*nis jail. lol! The device serves/help women in padlocking their husbands/boyfriends organs. It’s called ‘Male Chastity’ and it gives the keyholder absolute control over the joystick.Here is how it’s been advertised:“Male chastity devices restrict a man from touching his génitals for séxual pleasure. The male chastity device gives the keyholder control over the séxual fulfillment of both partners by denying the wearer the touch he has had all of his life.His focus is now on when he can experience s*xual gratification, and the keyholder has complete control over the wearer’s pleasure.This denied access means the wearer must please the keyholder in order to receive the pleasure he craves.”Although, it’s harsh but i hear it’s very effective and comes in different sizes. lolllzzz. You can get the willy jail at CB-X.com for $150. Except the men that like kinky stuff, i’m sure no normal man who can’t control his willy will agree to this.

We men and women

Women Can Now Lockup Their Men’s ‘man-hood’ In Willy Jail With Padlocks. Hehehehehehe…..Men are in serious trouble! In case you are yet to fathom the image in the pictures, it’s ehmm p*nis jail. lol! The device serves/help women in padlocking their husbands/boyfriends organs. It’s called ‘Male Chastity’ and it gives the keyholder absolute control over the joystick.Here is how it’s been advertised:“Male chastity devices restrict a man from touching his génitals for séxual pleasure. The male chastity device gives the keyholder control over the séxual fulfillment of both partners by denying the wearer the touch he has had all of his life.His focus is now on when he can experience s*xual gratification, and the keyholder has complete control over the wearer’s pleasure.This denied access means the wearer must please the keyholder in order to receive the pleasure he craves.”Although, it’s harsh but i hear it’s very effective and comes in different sizes. lolllzzz. You can get the willy jail at CB-X.com for $150. Except the men that like kinky stuff, i’m sure no normal man who can’t control his willy will agree to this. lol. See Gombe! No more excuse!!!!!!!! lmaoHow many of you will like to experiment this? lol

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

UGIE CARNIVAL SETS FOR DECEMBER IN BENIN

The Preparation Begins! The preparation for The Benin Ugie Carnival, December, 2013 has begun. This years event will feature a host of fun-filled activities and it promises to be a good time for relaxation and fun. Make Plans to attend

UGIE CARNIVAL SETS FOR DECEMBER IN BENIN

The Preparation Begins! The preparation for The Benin Ugie Carnival, December, 2013 has begun. This years event will feature a host of fun-filled activities and it promises to be a good time for relaxation and fun. Make Plans to attend

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

FROM THE CLOSET.....WASTED YEARS

Never wish to be whom or what you are not until you have the opportunity to get there. My name is Godswill and last son in the family of eight. Three boys and five girls I was told that my parents wanted to have only three children but in their search for a male child, they ended up having eight of us. My brothers and I were the last three. My parents were not too well to do, I guess they would have managed well enough if they had only three children they wanted to have but not. Their hunger for a male child over took them as a result, life was a struggle for us. I love my parents and siblings but I refused to accept why we lived the way we were living, managing in every situation, I felt even worse when my friends seem to have it all I felt so ashamed of myself each time we gathered and I seem to be the only one that don’t have excited stories to tell about family outings holidays and celebrations. At times I cursed life for bringing me into a family of mine haaa..Those people that seem to enjoy life better don’t have two heads naaaah or do they? So rather than being contented with the little life has offered me, I buried myself in envy of others I couldn’t lay my hands on.My brothers and sisters were doing lot better than me. They accepted life and things seem to be moving well for them. Anybody seeing them would think they were faced with better circumstances. I couldn’t understand how they could be so relaxed and contended with the very very little. I fell out with them not minding that they were all older than me, they ignored me , other times they taught me the lesson of my life , sometimes they allow me calm down ,sat me down and advised me on the better parts of life and being content with what I had . At times I get very sober for all the advice but two or three days afterwards however I went back to usual self, my parents and siblings kept on trying to make make me a better person but all fell on deaf ears so they gave up on me . I became the black sheep of the family .I joined bad gangs in school and did all manner of bad things I never believed I could do , in attempt to be seen as the happening guy it somehow worked out for me back then I got any girl I set out to get and owned a lot of things i never imagined I could have, now, don’t even begin to ask me how I managed. The climax was my part three in school, I was convinced by one of our gang members to drop out of school and travel out of the country that it would be a lot better for us. The thought of leaving the country excited me so much I didn’t give it a thought, all that matters to me was that I would also tell stories about going abroad as my friends from rich families’did way back. The guy that deceived me was from a rich family, he managed to prepare our document , I didn’t bother to tell my parents and siblings because I knew they would discourage me . However as soon as I arrived the united states and settled down , I called home , they were shocked to hear what I did, I hung up on them before y the last thing I heard was my mum screaming at the background I regretted calling them so I vowed never ever to called them again until I made it big in the USA. Did I make it? hahahaha of course not , we wasted six years of our lives out there, we couldn’t get a decent job , we couldn’t even live the kind of reckless life we lived back in Nigeria. My friend didn’t seem to mind but by the time we spent an additional two years , I gave my life a thought ,I then realized that all my parents and siblings told me were true and done out of love . I strayed, missing home, I told my friend that it was time to go back home and start all over again but he wouldn’t hear of it. We started having series of dis agreement, eventually we parted ways. I did all kinds of menial jobs to save up to go back home , when I finally came back to Nigeria my parents and siblings were all excited and surprised to see me they already lost hope of my coming again. My mum was gradually turning into a vegetable because of me. I was told that she has a weak heart and high blood pressure; I fell on my knees and begged for forgiveness, however I couldn’t bring myself together to tell them that the 8 years I spent abroad was a wasted. I made them believe that I was done with school I then needed a good job. My brother asked for my certificate to see how he could help but I told him that I forget my certificate in the USA but that my friend would bring it while coming back home. He has been disturbing me ever since and I have giving him series of excuses, I can’t think of telling them the truth now because they are all so proud of what I made them believe I had become. I planned on forging a certificate and do whatever it takes to make them believe that I am their lost but found brother. The truth is, honestly I am so confused right now. How do I handle the situation where do I start from, where do I go from here?






Monday, November 25, 2013

With love from LA...The Man Oriri sets for a Comeback

My name is oriri, And I play Pop music, my secondary genre will be R&B world and folk music.  I started my solo career with my first demo in 1999, but I basically really got into it in 2003 the year before that was when I wrote a lot of my materials. I started to share my music with friends in college and also  started going into the studio to record some of them. My voice I think is the most unique thing about me coupled with my song writing. I like to write songs that I can use. I want the song to be relevant and useful to me first before I record it. Every material I write must first meet a need for me. I have really focused on the theme of true love in my writing, I don't know why I have been very drawn to singing about the goodness of love, I guess that is my calling to heal people's hearts. Yea its like I cannot run away from Sisi Eko as the defining song of my career, I was 22 when I wrote it finally recorded when I turned 23. Sisi Eko is one of those songs that dropped straight up in my spirit, I remember I wanted to write a big song that every one could relate to and that's how that song came. My life has been quite an amazing journey, so many things I have been involved in, from spending 8years on the road with my Dad from when I was 15 till I turned 23, that was work and pain all together, but i think it prepared me for all my other journeys. I got out of school played with a jazz band a little and moved to Lagos and started producing radio commercials and doing sound design for TV. As an artiste, we are problem solvers in the society, we use our imagination assisted by our surrounding and enhance life, we make it more intense in our product and we sell it back to the society and they buy into it because they want to go to that creative depth every time. As an artiste, I am constantly evolving, going to the point when I have improved on my art to a new and better place.I have put out one album, one of those albums you put out to test the waters. I mean I have been through different phases of my career already. I feel I am yet to be heard though. I just finished working on another set of songs in LA. but right now I want to really come out there and put myself out there, I feel like I have been hiding away and not coming out to share my gift and message with the world, If you ask me why I would not have an answer for you, I dont know, its just been one thing leading to another, but better late than never like they say, if I have a voice that is worth hearing, it will still be received.There are 8 songs I have recorded now in LA. I went to choose my producer because of a certain distinction and quality I wanted to have on the record. We did a great job in bringing the final product to its present quality and I am very happy with the job.We have songs like Slow and Steady which captures the emotion of a young man in love with a woman he would like to one day start a family with. Of course i brought Sisi Eko back, gave it a new production and made is better, I also recorded an Edo Pop song, I wanted to put an edo song in a world context, that's what I did with that one. There is See your face again which deals with reconciliation in a relationship and of course I made another marriage classic, Be my bride. My expectations are high going forward, but like i said, i just want to go out there and compete for my spot, don't want to cut corners. Just want to be honest and go out there and fight for my spot like everyone else. I can only get better, going forward from there.I am at the moment just cleaning up my packaging here in atlanta, I cant wait to be back in lagos.


MARRIED AT FOUR DIVORCE AT EIGHT


An Indian girl of eight is believed to have become the world's youngest divorcee after leaving her 14-year-old husband.Fatima Mangre was married off at the age of four by her father in Nakhi village, in the Shravasti district of India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh.But the marriage was annulled four years later after dad Anil said he realised it was wrong to force her to marry at such a young age.When the youngster's in-laws came to collect her to live with them and her teenage husband, Anil told them he wanted his daughter to wait until she was 18.He told local media: "I finally realised that this practice of marrying off daughters so young was wrong and that she should have a childhood, and that it was my duty to provide that."But the decision sparked a huge row with the boy's father, Dipak Bakridi, which resulted in Fatima's father announcing his daughter would divorce.The annulment was arranged the following week.The state government of India's northern Uttar Pradesh state has called for an inquiry into the incident.Officials ordered a probe after  Nirmala Samant, a member of the New Delhi-based National Commission for Women, sent a letter demanding details of the divorce and threatening action against the parents of the girl and the boy.Samat said: "This is a scandal, we need more details before taking action."The girl's father must answer why he married her off at 4 years old and the boy's father must answer why he agreed to such a marriage and then went to demand the girl when she is barely 8 years old."This is insensitive, controversial and objectionable," she said.Samat added that the NCW's attention had been drawn to an UNICEF report that found growing cases of child marriages in one of India's most populous states.According to UNICEF, over 32.9 percent of the girls are married against the national average of 22.1 percent below the legally permissible age of 18 in the state.The Shravasti district accounts for the majority of underage weddings in India, where the female literacy is just 19 per cent.Fatima's father has already written to NCW, saying he should be pardoned because he stopped his daughter from being taken away by her in-laws.He wrote: "I have already admitted my mistake. Social pressures are high in our village. But the marriage has been annulled. I have admitted it was wrong to marry her off so early."I now want to make things right. I want to give my daughter a good childhood. I will do everything to protect her."The Bakridi family had no comment to make on the incident

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Mr and Mrs Onyeike at their wedding reception

                               With Friends and Colleague                    With Brides parents

                                                               Wedding hall

Mr and Mrs Onyeike at their wedding reception

                                           With Friends and Colleagues
                                  .         With Brides parents
3

                                       Wedding hall

PixSpeak
















Everyevery.com: I could have been a Teacher-Banky W

Everyevery.com: I could have been a Teacher-Banky W: Popular Naija  R n B crooner Bankole Wellington AKA Banky W has said he so versatile that he could have been a teacher if he wasn't Sing...

Everyevery.com: I could have been a Teacher-Banky W

Everyevery.com: I could have been a Teacher-Banky W: Popular Naija  R n B crooner Bankole Wellington AKA Banky W has said he so versatile that he could have been a teacher if he wasn't Sing...

I could have been a Teacher-Banky W

Popular Naija  R n B crooner Bankole Wellington AKA Banky W has said he so versatile that he could have been a teacher if he wasn't Singing. Wow, just wondering how well he would have done as a teacher or an artist or even an engineer. He also revealed that the song Strong thing was a fallout of a bad experience he had with robbers just after a new year's service. He recalled how he was locked up in the trunk of his car by the robbers who went ahead to rob other vehicles and victims.Today he is grateful God spared his life and how much the dark moment of his life has brought about his present status. Who says challenges kill?Big ups Banky.!

Banky W lounges at Metro97.7fm

Its time out with Naija's RnB king Banky W. Hear stuff from the horse's mouth, things you never knew of him before. Why hasnt he got married? How did the song Strong thing come about? What more do you want to know about him? Tune in to Metro 97.7fm and stay here for details.

Banky W lounges at Metro977.fm

Saturday, November 23, 2013

MARRIED AT FOUR DIVORCED AT EIGHT

An Indian girl of eight is believed to have become the world's youngest divorcee after leaving her 14-year-old husband.Fatima Mangre was married off at the age of four by her father in Nakhi village, in the Shravasti district of India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh.But the marriage was annulled four years later after dad Anil said he realised it was wrong to force her to marry at such a young age.When the youngster's in-laws came to collect her to live with them and her teenage husband, Anil told them he wanted his daughter to wait until she was 18.He told local media: "I finally realised that this practice of marrying off daughters so young was wrong and that she should have a childhood, and that it was my duty to provide that."But the decision sparked a huge row with the boy's father, Dipak Bakridi, which resulted in Fatima's father announcing his daughter would divorce.The annulment was arranged the following week.The state government of India's northern Uttar Pradesh state has called for an inquiry into the incident.Officials ordered a probe after  Nirmala Samant, a member of the New Delhi-based National Commission for Women, sent a letter demanding details of the divorce and threatening action against the parents of the girl and the boy.Samat said: "This is a scandal, we need more details before taking action."The girl's father must answer why he married her off at 4 years old and the boy's father must answer why he agreed to such a marriage and then went to demand the girl when she is barely 8 years old."This is insensitive, controversial and objectionable," she said.Samat added that the NCW's attention had been drawn to an UNICEF report that found growing cases of child marriages in one of India's most populous states.According to UNICEF, over 32.9 percent of the girls are married against the national average of 22.1 percent below the legally permissible age of 18 in the state.The Shravasti district accounts for the majority of underage weddings in India, where the female literacy is just 19 per cent.Fatima's father has already written to NCW, saying he should be pardoned because he stopped his daughter from being taken away by her in-laws.He wrote: "I have already admitted my mistake. Social pressures are high in our village. But the marriage has been annulled. I have admitted it was wrong to marry her off so early."I now want to make things right. I want to give my daughter a good childhood. I will do everything to protect her."The Bakridi family had no comment to make on the incident.Check out all the latest News, Sport &        An Indian girl of eight is believed to have become the world's youngest divorcee after leaving her 14-year-old husband.Fatima Mangre was married off at the age of four by her father in Nakhi village, in the Shravasti district of India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh.But the marriage was annulled four years later after dad Anil said he realised it was wrong to force her to marry at such a young age.When the youngster's in-laws came to collect her to live with them and her teenage husband, Anil told them he wanted his daughter to wait until she was 18.He told local media: "I finally realised that this practice of marrying off daughters so young was wrong and that she should have a childhood, and that it was my duty to provide that."But the decision sparked a huge row with the boy's father, Dipak Bakridi, which resulted in Fatima's father announcing his daughter would divorce.The annulment was arranged the following week.The state government of India's northern Uttar Pradesh state has called for an inquiry into the incident.Officials ordered a probe after  Nirmala Samant, a member of the New Delhi-based National Commission for Women, sent a letter demanding details of the divorce and threatening action against the parents of the girl and the boy.Samat said: "This is a scandal, we need more details before taking action."The girl's father must answer why he married her off at 4 years old and the boy's father must answer why he agreed to such a marriage and then went to demand the girl when she is barely 8 years old."This is insensitive, controversial and objectionable," she said.Samat added that the NCW's attention had been drawn to an UNICEF report that found growing cases of child marriages in one of India's most populous states.According to UNICEF, over 32.9 percent of the girls are married against the national average of 22.1 percent below the legally permissible age of 18 in the state.The Shravasti district accounts for the majority of underage weddings in India, where the female literacy is just 19 per cent.Fatima's father has already written to NCW, saying he should be pardoned because he stopped his daughter from being taken away by her in-laws.He wrote: "I have already admitted my mistake. Social pressures are high in our village. But the marriage has been annulled. I have admitted it was wrong to marry her off so early."I now want to make things right. I want to give my daughter a good childhood. I will do everything to protect her."The Bakridi family had no comment to make on the incident

FRANCES HOOKS CLIFF ONYEIKE

Thursday, November 21, 2013

UNCOMMON FACTS

A 1,200-pound horse eats about seven times it's own weight each year.
A bird requires more food in proportion to its size than a baby or a cat.
A capon is a castrated rooster.
A chameleon can move its eyes in two directions at the same time.
A chameleon's tongue is twice the length of its body.
A chimpanzee can learn to recognize itself in a mirror, but monkeys can't.
A Cornish game hen is really a young chicken, usually 5 to 6 weeks of age, that weighs no more than 2 pounds.
A cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.
A father Emperor penguin withstands the Antarctic cold for 60 days or more to protect his eggs, which he keeps on his feet, covered with a feathered flap. During this entire time he doesn't eat a thing. Most father penguins lose about 25 pounds while they wait for their babies to hatch. Afterward, they feed the chicks a special liquid from their throats. When the mother penguins return to care for the young, the fathers go to sea to eat and rest.
A father sea catfish keeps the eggs of his young in his mouth until they are ready to hatch. He will not eat until his young are born, which may take several weeks.
A female mackerel lays about 500,000 eggs at one time.
A Hindu temple dedicated to the rat goddess Karni Mata in Deshnoke, India, houses more than 20,000 rats.
A Holstein's spots are like a fingerprint or snowflake. No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.
A leech is a worm that feeds on blood. It will pierce its victim's skin, fill itself with three to four times its own body weight in blood, and will not feed again for months. Leeches were once used by doctors to drain "bad blood" from sick patients.
A newborn kangaroo is about 1 inch in length.
A normal cow's stomach has four compartments: the rumen, the recticulum (storage area), the omasum (where water is absorbed), and the abomasum ( the only compartment with digestive juices).
A polecat is not a cat. It is a nocturnal European weasel.
A quarter of the horses in the US died of a vast virus epidemic in 1872.
A rat can last longer without water than a camel can.
A single little brown bat can catch 1,200 mosquitoes-sized insects in just one hour.
A woodpecker can peck twenty times a second.
A zebra is white with black stripes.
After mating, the male Surinam Toad affixes the female's eggs to her back, where her spongy flesh will swell and envelope them. When the froglets hatch, they leave behind holes in their mother's flesh that they will remain sheltered in until large enough to fend for themselves.
All clams start out as males; some decide to become females at some point in their lives.
All pet hamsters are descended from a single female wild golden hamster found with a litter of 12 young in Syria in 1930.
An adult lion's roar can be heard up to five miles away, and warns off intruders or reunites scattered members of the pride.
An albatross can sleep while it flies. It apparently dozes while cruising at 25 mph.
An electric eel can produce a shock of up to 650 volts.
An iguana can stay under water for 28 minutes.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Ancient Egyptians believed that "Bast" was the mother of all cats on Earth. They also believed that cats were sacred animals.
Animal gestation periods: the shortest is the American opossum, which bears its young 12 to 13 days after conception; the longest is the Asiatic elephant, taking 608 days, or just over 20 months.

The world's largest mammal, the blue whale, weighs 50 tons at birth. Fully grown, it weighs as much as 150 tons.
The world's largest rodent is the Capybara. An Amazon water hog that looks like a guinea pig, it can weigh more than 100 pounds.
The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand, weighing less than a penny.
There are around 2,600 different species of frogs. They live on every continent except Antarctica.
There are more than 100 million dogs and cats in the United States. Americans spend more than 5.4 billion dollars on their pets each year.
There is no single cat called the panther. The name is commonly applied to the leopard, but it is also used to refer to the puma and the jaguar. A black panther is really a black leopard.
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
Turkeys originated in North and Central America, and evidence indicates that they have been around for over 10 million years.
Unlike most fish, electric eels cannot get enough oxygen from water. Approximately every five minutes, they must surface to breathe, or they will drown. Unlike most fish, they can swim both backwards and forwards.
Whales and dolphins can literally fall half asleep. Their brain hemispheres alternate sleeping, so the animals can continue to surface and breathe.
When a female horse and male donkey mate, the offspring is called a mule, but when a male horse and female donkey mate, the offspring is called a hinny.
When the Black Death swept across England one theory was that cats caused the plague. Thousands were slaughtered. Ironically, those that kept their cats were less affected, because they kept their houses clear of the real culprits, rats.
Worldwide, goats provide people with more meat and milk than any other domestic animal.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

SHE STILL MADE IT INSPITE OF HER PAST

I would like to talk about one of the toughest women the world has ever come to know. Despite her past, she still made it. Oprah Winfrey made it.
This lady had a horrific child hood during her time. The whole nightmare began the very day she was born. She was born by her teenage mother who conceived Oprah just after one sexual encounter with her boyfriend. The couple did not last and soon after they were broken up. So Oprah was left with her mother who decided to send her over to her grandmother’s instead.
Moving on, Oprah had spent around 6 years living under poverty with her grandmother. They were so poor that at times Oprah had to wear dresses made out of potato sacks. After those torrid 6 years, she moved back in with her mother. Just when she thought the nightmare was over, there were more problems sparked when she moved back in. Her mother was working as a maid and was always too busy to take care of her. Therefore there was a lot of conflict and fighting always going on in the house.
Her problems aroused even more when she was only 9 years old. She claimed to have been molested by her cousin, her uncle, and a family friend. But when Winfrey brought it up at the age of 24, the family members denied her claim profusely. Personally I believe what Winfrey said because why would she want to make such a false claim? Would it bring more embarrassment than glory? Doesn’t make sense to me that she would lie about it.
Back to when she was 13, she decided that enough is enough after suffering years of abuse. Therefore, she took a bold move by running away from the house. At the age of 14, she found out that she was pregnant but the baby died shortly just after birth. Oprah then started stealing from her mother in search of extra cash leading to the ever growing frustration of her mother towards her. Eventually Winfrey was then sent back to her biological father, Vernon Winfrey.
He was strict towards her but made her education a priority. This was when her whole life was just about to take an ultimate turn! She became an honors student, was voted Most Popular Girl, and joined her high school speech team at East Nashville High School, placing second in the nation in dramatic interpretation. But that was not it. She also went on to win an oratory contest, which secured her a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, where she studied communication.
Shortly after, she then worked for WLAC-TV in Nashville as a news anchor before moving to WJZ-TV. She went on to work for various companies before obviously, setting up her own cable network show that will stun the world. The Oprah Winfrey Show is the highest rated program in its history and was nationally syndicated. As of right now, Oprah Winfrey has an estimated net worth of 2.7 Billion!

Honestly, I was never a big fan of her show. The only thing I’m interested about is her story. Hardly anyone who goes through the hardship she has will have the mental strength to be successful. Forget even becoming as successful as Oprah, if I was in her shoes I probably won’t even have a job. She has seen it all and done it all. Whatever hardships there was, she managed to overcome it. She was brave enough to become somebody who can change the world. She is not ashamed of her history, but she embraces it as it has gotten her to where she is today.