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Exactly three weeks after the murder of Dipo Dina, a former special adviser on mineral resources to the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, was found dead in his Badagary home on Monday, a death suspected to be politically motivated.

Ahmed Onipede, was said to be in the pool of his blood when he was found by his relatives this morning.

The report was confirmed by the Lagos State police commissioner, Marvel Akpoyibo, who promised that the police will unravel the shrouded death of the late engineer. Mr. Akpoyibo however, did not disclose any fact about how Mr. Onipede was killed.

However, it was learnt that Mr. Onipede was murdered shortly after he returned from a political meeting he had attended in Badagary. The meeting was said to have lasted into the early hours of Monday.

Federer States Nadal Lacks Drive & Consistency

World number one tennis player Roger Federer has stated that he has more drive than his main rival, Rafael Nadal. Also mentioning that despite talk of a calendar Grand Slam sweep his main focus for the season was to retain the world number one ranking.

International, the 16^th of February 2010 [PDN]: Since his Australian Open win last month, talk has intensified over the possibility of Federer completing a clean sweep of the Grand Slams this year, especially since his main rival, Nadal, struggles to overcome persistent knee injuries. “I’ll try, that’s for sure,” Federer explained when questioned about the possibility of him completing a sweep of the Grand Slams. “But it’s not even number one on my to-do list. I’ll just try to defend my number one position.”

Federer acknowledged Nadal’s threat to his success, although mentioning that he did not believe the Spaniard had the ambition and drive to be the world number one. “The first moment when I became number one in the world was six years ago now and it was a magical moment in my career,” Federer said. “It was pretty special and I always wanted to get back there. Some people have that drive more than others who’ve been number one. Rafa doesn’t seem like he cares as much for number one, or he doesn’t show it.” Federer stated to an unnamed news agency reporter.

The other players believed to be able to ruin his chances of completing the Grand Slam sweep according to Federer, are: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Porto and Nikolay Davydenko. Federer also mentioned that he thought Briton Murry was now on top of Nadal’s game after the Australian Open failure.

To say Nollywood stars have had their fair share of trials and tribulations in the hand of the media is an understatement. Some have been through the fire and are still smarting from the experience. The latest to be hit is popular Nollywood star and Glo ambassador Uche Jombo.

Some weeks ago a certain media house, News of the People based in Ojodu, circulated a story that the actress had undergone an abortion at the advanced stage of 6months for a certain Okechukwu Uche. Shaken by the news, it was decided to track Uche concerning the matter and the actress who was most upset, denied the allegations vehemently. ‘How can I abort a 6 month pregnancy? It is a bloody lie! I do not know how someone can wake up in the morning and his plan is just to destroy others with his poisonous pen! I can not tell you how this story has affected me emotionally and psychologically but I have handed the matter over to my lawyer and it is in court now! When pressed further Uche said, ‘I have issued a press release to the necessary media houses and have also been advised not to discuss the details of the case but I can tell you that I am suing them (News of the People) for one hundred billion naira!

Further efforts to get her to speak were rebuffed with the actress informing me that she was going for a well deserved rest in the United States in the coming week. She however directed me to her lawyer, Victor Ukutt Esq. who she said will handle the matter from now on.

they tracked him down and he intimated me that the media house had already been written formally to retract and publicly apologize to the Star and failure to do this would result in them being served. When asked if the media house had complied and the lawyer said ‘No! So we have no option but to go ahead, sue them and summon them to court on the matter. We will do so formally on Tuesday 16th February 2010’. ‘And how much are you suing them for?’ He replies; ‘100 billion naira!’! I wonder if the media house can pay and voice that out to which he answers, ‘They should have thought of that when they were writing malicious stories about my client! We intend to pursue this matter to the fullest extent of the law till justice is done’. Meanwhile we at Nollywooduncut.com intend to keep you updated on this saga

Poets, novelists and songwriters have described it in countless turns of phrase, but at the level of biology, love is all about chemicals.

Although the physiology of romantic love has not been extensively studied, scientists can trace the symptoms of deep attraction to their logical sources.

"Part of the whole attraction process is strongly linked to physiological arousal as a whole," said Timothy Loving (his real name), assistant professor of
human ecology at the University of Texas, Austin. "Typically, that's
going to start with things like increased heart rate, sweatiness and so
on,"

When you catch sight of your beloved and your heart starts racing, that's because of an adrenaline rush, said Dr. Reginald Ho, a cardiac electrophysiologist and associate professor of medicine
at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Here's how it works: The brain sends signals to the adrenal gland, which secretes hormones such as adrenaline, epinephrine and norepinephrine.
They flow through the blood and cause the heart to beat faster and
stronger, Ho said.

The response is somewhat similar to a fast heartbeat while running on a treadmill, although exercise has other benefits, he said.

For people with serious heart problems, love could actually be dangerous, Ho said. That's because when the heart rate goes up, the heart uses more oxygen, which can be risky for
an older person with blood vessel blockages or who has had a prior
heart attack. But good medicines such as beta blockers help curb the
adrenaline response, Ho said.

It is also likely that norepinephrine, a stress hormone that governs attention and responding actions, makes you feel weak in the knees, said Helen Fisher, professor
at Rutgers University and author of the book "Why Him? Why Her? Finding
Real Love by Understanding Your Personality Type."

Fisher's research team did brain imaging of people who said they were "madly in love" and found activity in the area of the brain that produces the
neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine and norepinephrine are closely
related.

"What dopamine does is it gives you that focused attention, the craving, the euphoria, the energy and the motivation, in this case the motivation to win life's greatest prize," she said.

This norepinephrine response has never been precisely studied in relation to romantic love, but the system seems to be more activated in people in love, she said..

Also likely involved is the serotonin system, she said. Some data from an Italian study indicate that a drop in serotonin levels is associated with obsessive thinking.

The stress hormone cortisol has also been shown to have implications for love, Loving said. His lab showed study participants who had recently
fallen in love a picture of a romantic partner or friend, and had them
describe or "relive" the moment of falling in love or wanting to be
friends, respectively. Those who recalled falling in love showed an
increase in stress hormones such as cortisol even 30 minutes after they
were asked to think about it.

Generally, there are three brain systems involved in romantic love: sex drive, love and attachment, Fisher said. The sex drive evolved to get you to look for a lot of partners, the "love" portion is for focusing mating energy on one specific person at a time, and
attachment is for allowing you to tolerate the partner -- at least,
long enough to have children with him or her.

These systems are often connected, but can operate separately, she said. That means you can start out with one of them -- casual sex, or an intense feeling of
love, or an emotional connection -- and move on to the others. For
example, what may start out as a one-night stand may feel like more
because the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin, released during orgasm,
make you feel deeply attached to someone. You may feel in love after
that, or instead feel somehow responsible for the person, because of
these hormones.

Fisher's team has found that romantic love doesn't have to die -- they found the same activity in the brains of people who said they were in love after 20 years of marriage as in
people who had just fallen in love. This brain area makes dopamine and
sends it to other areas.

In the days of early humans, in hunting-and-gathering societies, these qualities were especially advantageous for finding a person to bear and raise children with, she
said.

Why, then, do small children fall in love if they are not trying to reproduce? Fisher hypothesizes that kids -- even 4-year-olds -- practice at love and learning more about themselves
before it begins to become important to them.

Love also has health benefits for people who have aged beyond their reproductive years, she said. Being in love makes people feel optimistic, energetic,
focused and motivated, which were all positive for health and societal
contribution in the early days of humans, she said. So, it makes sense
evolutionarily that people can still fall in love after their
childbearing period.

Romance also is good for you. Studies have shown that people who have frequent sex are generally healthier, with a longer life, fewer coronary events and lower blood pressure. A 1995
study in the journal Demography found that marriage adds seven years to
a man's life and two years to a woman's.

Loving's team is studying how people who have recently fallen in love respond to stressful situations. They hypothesize that people for whom the love is
still new will respond to the stress and recover from it quicker than
those who have recently been in a breakup or have been in a relationship for a long time.

"The guess is that when individuals are falling in love, they are walking around with rose-colored glasses," he said.

Germany's multi-year reign as the world's No 1 exporter is officially over, with the crown formally passing to rising China after new figures showed that German exports slid by nearly a fifth in 2009, the biggest decline in 60 years.

Tuesday's German government figures only confirmed an open secret: China's runaway growth and resilience amid the financial crisis put its exports ahead of Germany, which suffered a severe recession before returning to growth in last year's second quarter.

Last month, China's customs reported that total 2009 exports were more than $1.2 trillion, well ahead of the 803.2 billion euro ($1.1 trillion) that Germany reported Tuesday.

For Germany, the figure was a drop of 18.4 percent from 2008, although exports returned to year-on-year growth in December.

"The crisis has accelerated the shift in power in world trade toward the emerging countries," said Anton Boerner, the head of Germany's BGA exporters' association.

However, "the fact that we are passing on the title of world export champion to China doesn't cause us any worries," he added. "The growth of the Chinese economy will also secure our growth and jobs in Germany for long years."

Boerner noted that in December demand for German products from all parts of the world was up on the year.

Declining imports indicate that "large parts of the economy are still in neutral," Boerner said. "Everything must be done to encourage and stabilize the upturn in exports."

Germany took over the top spot in terms of exports in 2003, surpassing the US.

China's newfound status is mostly symbolic but highlights its growing presence as an industrial power, major buyer of oil, iron ore and other commodities and, increasingly, as an investor and key voice in managing the global economy.

Its ability to unseat longtime export leader Germany reflected the ability of agile, low-cost Chinese manufacturers to keep selling abroad even as other exporters have been hammered by a slump in global demand.

The change is the second time in three years Germany has been overtaken by China.

In 2007, China surpassed Germany to become the world's third-largest economy, just behind No. 2 Japan and the United States, which holds the top spot.

China's growth also benefits other companies and countries, particularly those in Germany, because of its voracious demand for raw materials, consumer goods and more.

Germany's leading luxury car makers, Mercedes-Benz, BMW AG and Audi AG, all have reported that their sales in China more than doubled on the year last month, helping them to improve their global performance.

Germany, and Europe, is also noted for quality and craftsmanship.

Nick Reilly, the new chief executive of General Motors Co's German-based European unit, Opel, said Tuesday he believes that "manufacturing must have and will have a bright future in Europe."

"Yes, wage rates are higher here than in other countries, but productivity, production excellence, logistics costs, quality and the work force's outstanding skill base largely offset that cost disadvantage," said Reilly, who was previously the US automaker's Shanghai-based executive vice president of international operations.

He pointed to "Opel's German engineering" as an asset to GM.

As a bartender and trainer at a national restaurant chain, Rebecca Brown earned a couple thousand dollars in a really good week. Now, as a dancer at Chicago’s Pink Monkey gentleman’s club, she makes almost that much in one good night.

The tough job market is prompting a growing number of women across the country to dance in strip clubs, appear in adult movies or pose for magazines like Hustler.

STRIP CLUB HOLDS JOB FAIR

Employers across the adult entertainment industry say they’re seeing an influx of applications from women who, like Brown, are attracted by the promise of flexible schedules and fast cash. Many have college degrees and held white-collar jobs until the economy soured.

“You’re seeing a lot more beautiful women who are eligible to do so many other things,” said Gus Poulos, general manager of New York City’s Sin City gentleman’s club. He said he got 85 responses in just one day to a recent job posting on Craigslist.

The transition to the nightclub scene isn’t always a smooth one – from learning to dance in five-inch heels to dealing with the jeers of some customers.

Some performers said they were initially so nervous that only alcohol could calm their nerves.

“It is like giving a speech, but instead of imagining everyone naked, you’re the one who’s naked,” Brown, 29, said.

Eva Stone, a 25-year-old dancer at the Pink Monkey, said dealing with occasional verbal abuse from patrons requires “a thick skin.”

OPINION: DEADBEAT DADS CREATE STRIPPERS OF TOMORROW

Makers of adult films cautioned that women shouldn’t rush into the decision to make adult movies without considering the effect on their lives.

“Once you decide to be an adult actress, it impacts your relationship with everyone,” said Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of adult film giant Vivid Entertainment Group. “Once you make an adult film, it never goes away.”

The women at the Pink Monkey say dancing at a strip club might not have been their first career choice, but they entered the business with their eyes wide open. The job gives them more control and flexibility than sitting in a cubicle, and “it’s easy, it’s fun and all of us girls … look out for each other,” Brown said.

In this economy, “desperate measures are becoming far more acceptable,” said Jonathan Alpert, a New York City-based psychotherapist who’s had clients who worked in adult entertainment.

For some, dancing is temporary, a way to pay for college loans or other bills. Others say they’ve found their niche.

Dancers at the upscale Rick’s Caberet clubs in New York City and Miami can make $100,000 to $300,000 a year – in cash – even with the economic downturn, club spokesman Allan Priaulx said.

Priaulx said 20 to 30 women a week are applying for jobs at the New York club, double the number of a year ago.

Rhode Island’s Foxy Lady held a job fair Saturday, seeking to fill about 35 positions for dancers, masseuses, bartenders and bouncers. The Providence Journal reported that more than 150 job seekers showed up to apply for work at the strip club. Foxy Lady co-owner Tom Tsoumas said a recent promotion to cut prices helped the club regain business lost due to the bad economy, forcing it to hire more employees.

Still, analysts say, the industry isn’t immune to the economic recession. Business is down an estimated 30 percent across all segments, including adult films, gentleman’s clubs, magazines and novelty shops, said Paul Fishbein, president of AVN Media Network, an adult entertainment company that has a widely distributed trade publication and an award show.

“In the past, people have said this industry is recession-proof,” said Eric Wold, director of research for financial services firm Merriman Curhan Ford. “I definitely don’t see thatmaybe recession-resistant.”

Strip club dancers and managers said they’re drawing in the same number of customers, but fewer high rollers.

“They’re not getting the big spenders,” said Angelina Spencer, executive director of the Association of Club Executives, a trade group for adult nightclubs. “They’re not getting the guys who come in and drop $3,000 to $4,000 a night anymore.”

Still, the clubs’ operating structure leaves them with low overhead and profit margins of up to 50 percent, Wold said.

Dancers are independent contractors, paying clubs a nightly flat fee depending on how long they work. At the Pink Monkey, for example, dancers who arrive at 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday pay a $40 “house fee,” while women who don’t arrive until midnight pay $90. And they keep their tips.

Wold and others say it’s almost impossible to estimate the size of the adult entertainment industry because few companies are publicly traded. He does pay close attention to three that are: Lakewood, Colo.-based VCG Holding and Houston-based Rick’s Caberet, which own clubs, and New Frontier Media, a Boulder, Colo.-based adult film producer and distributor.

All three are profitable.

Rick’s Caberet had $60 million in revenue in its 2008 fiscal year, up from $32 million the year before, Wold said, and he estimates VCG will have $57 million for last year, compared with $40.5 million in FY2007. New Frontier Media generates more than $400 million in consumer buying a year.

Larry Flynt, whose half-billion dollar Hustler empire publishes magazines, produces and distributes films and operates a casino, said he’s continued to do well. But he doesn’t expect those who are solely in the film business to survive.

“A lot of the small studios are out of business now, there’s no doubt about that,” Flynt said.

Adult magazines also are struggling along with the larger publishing industry, and have to cut pages like everyone else.

But the economic realities aren’t keeping jobseekers away.

Vivid Entertainment’s Hirsch said the number of women in his business has doubled in the last couple years, with roughly 800 working as adult actresses. “It is more competitive than I’ve seen it in 25 years,” he said.

That doesn’t mean all the newcomers are planning on lengthy careers in the industry.

Stone, who has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, took up dancing four years ago to help pay her student loans. She plans to go to graduate school this year to pursue a master’s in education.

Brown, meanwhile, has a ready answer for those critical of her career choice.

“I have job security,” she said.