Suspected ritualists have killed an 84-year old hunchback, Olu Esho at his 9, Imalefalaafia residence, Oke Ado, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria.

•The house where Olu Esho was killed on Friday night. Photo:below Right Xray of hunchback ( kyphosis )

P.M.NEWS gathered that the deceased, who occupied the house for many years was living alone without a wife or children around him. He was believed to have inherited the one storey building from his late uncle.

Unknown to the Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State-born hunchback, he was trailed by ritualists who broke into his residence on Friday night. The assailants killed Pa Olu Esho and removed the hunch at his chest and back, his genitals and other organs in his body.

When P.M.NEWS visited the area this morning, all the tenants at the attached spare parts shop on the ground floor had disappeared. The building was also under lock.

It was learnt that all the residents around the house have fled to escape arrest by plain cloth policemen who were around the area to investigate the gruesome murder.

A few residents of the adjacent street who spoke with our correspondent described the late Pa Olu Esho as an easy going, jovial and humble person.

One of them simply called Kehinde, said the deceased was always at Lodge Street to relax adding: “He was a nice old man, very friendly with young and old people. He was a friend to my father who originally owned and run this pools house.”

He confirmed that the murdered septuagenarian was alone in the house.

Kehinde disclosed that the residents learnt Pa Olu Esho was once attacked in Sagamu but he managed to escape and had since relocated to Ibadan for many years before he was murdered on Friday.

An Ibadan-based legal practitioner, Mr. Ranti Ajilete, who said that he had known the deceased for over twenty years described him as a quiet and simple man who does foment trouble.

Ajilete described the murder of such an innocent man as unfortunate, stressing that the killing of the old man was an indication that the nation lacks security.

The Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO of the Oyo State Police Command, SP Olatunji Ajimuda said the police have set in motion machinery to unmask Pa Esho’s killers.

He confirmed that some arrests had been made and the suspects so far arrested were being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department SCID, Iyaganku, Ibadan.

Meanwhile, the corpse of the victim has been deposited at the Oyo State General Hospital mortuary, Adeoyo, Ibadan, for autopsy.

Kyphosis (Greek - kyphos, a hump), also called hunchback, is a common condition of a curvature of

the upper back. It can be either the result of degenerative diseases (such as arthritis), developmental problems (the most common example being Scheuermann's disease),osteoporosis with compression fractures of the vertebrae, and/or trauma.In the sense of a deformity, it is the pathological curving of the spine, where parts of the spinal column lose some or all of their lordoticprofile. This causes a bowing of the back, seen as a slouching back and breathing difficulties. Severe cases can cause great discomfort and even lead to death.

source:wikipedia

1. The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.

2. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.

3. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

4. Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!

5. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.

6. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord."

7. So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.

8. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

9. Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."

10. So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

11. Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'

12. Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

14. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it," says the Lord.' "
(Ezek.37:1-14 NKJV)

Addendum:

Jesus tells the story of a man who asked his two sons to go and work in his vineyard. One agreed but did not go. The other refused but later relented and went. Jesus then points out that it is he who actually obeys the Father that inherits his kingdom (Mt 21:28-32). This shows salvation is earned by works of righteousness and not just through vain confessions.

Moreover, we are saved at the end of our walk with God and not at the beginning (1 Pet 1:9). The seed of the word of God may be planted in us initially. However, it might ultimately be unfruitful if it falls by the wayside, on stony places or among thorns (Mt 13:3-9). Jesus says those who endure to the end will be saved (Mt 24:13).

Just traded in your Blackberry for a shiny new iPhone? Wise choice.

Here's how to transfer contacts from your old Blackberry to your new iPhone, and without buying anything extra along the way (completely free solution).

We'll do this in two main steps:

1. Transfer contacts from the Blackberry address book to Outlook on your computer (or Windows Mail).

2. Sync your iPhone with your computer using iTunes, which will transfer the contacts from Outlook to your iPhone.

Make sure that both the Blackberry Desktop Manager and iTunes are installed on your system, and that your Blackberry is connected to your computer with a usb data cable.

Run the Blackberry Desktop Manager program and click "Synchronize" from the main menu screen. Select "Synchronization" below the Configuration menu option to get to the Synchronization Configuration screen.

There you'll click the "Synchronization" button to configure the synchronization settings.

(that was a mouthfull of synch-related words wasn't it? Hang in there)

You'll be asked to choose the device applications to synchronize. Choose "Address Book", and then choose "Outlook".

If you don't have Outlook on your system, then you can choose "Windows Mail" instead.

Next you'll configure how you want to sync your contacts, either bi-directionally or just from your blackberry to Outlook (which is the option I chose):

Click "Next" and then "Finish" to complete the synchronization settings. This will take you back to the synchronization screen.

Make sure you check the option to "Synchronize organizer data". This is the setting that tells the program to sync your contacts.

Click the "Synchronize" button to copy the contacts from your Blackberry to your Outlook contacts. You can open Outlook after the sync has completed, and you should see your Blackberry addresses in your Outlook contacts folder.

http://www.rickysays.com/themes/garamond/img/circle.gif); background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(94, 178, 234); margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 20px; background-position: 5px 0.32em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; ">Transfer contacts from Outlook to an iPhone

You can import Outlook contacts to your iPhone by syncing your iPhone with iTunes.

Plug your iPhone into your computer and wait for iTunes to automatically launch (or run iTunes from the Start menu if necessary).

Select your iPhone in iTunes, select the Info tab, and then click the checkboxes to sync your contacts. Choose Outlook as the application to sync with. Click Apply, then click Sync.

This will copy the contacts from Outlook over to your iPhone.

Remember however, that you can only sync your iPhone with one computer at a time. If you later decide to sync with another computer, your contacts will be erased.

Our work here is finished, and your Blackberry contacts will now be copied over to your iPhone.

If it were not for that trademark Nose !

The pictures of these two men, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Igwe Okwudili Onyejekwe bear a striking resemblance. Igwe Onyejekwe is the former Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Okwudili Onyejekwe a police officer, who lived in Abeokuta
around 1930s. He died in 1970.

Former presient Obasanjo has procurred a writer from Ghana to do a 50-page book on him and at the launching of the book bragged that he was "100%" from Owu-Egbaland in Ogun State. The question if not where Obasanjo think he comes
from but his real paternity..

closest associate from the north, Hassan Tukur, who appears to have gained his absolute confidence, may be covertly working against his ambition to become President. Our checks reveals that Hassan Tukur, who has been a friend to the President for a very long time and currently works as his principal secretary, may be a “Frenemy” (one who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy).

Mr. Tukur is a diplomat and technocrat par excellence. His friendship with President Jonathan dates back to pre-Aso Villa days. He was President Yar’Adua’s special assistant on Petroleum Resources. Tukur is assumed to be the president’s closest associate from the North and is alleged to have single-handedly picked most of the regime’s political appointees that were employed from the north by Goodluck Jonathan. According to sources who have had contact with him, Tukur does not hesitate to inform you that “he can get the President to do anything”, and really in most cases he delivers; a source added.

However, Hassan Tukur, Huhuonline.com learnt is torn between his loyalty to his boss and his kinsmen from the north, who are vehemently opposed to the President`s 2011 presidential ambition. To this end, Tukur is alleged to have asked the President not to contest the 2011 election. But his advice has not been heeded.

It should be recalled that in his inaugural speech, President Jonathan promised that “the war against corruption will be prosecuted more robustly,” and his aides, particularly Hassan Tukur, pencilled in the name of his bosom friend, Nuhu Ribadu, the country’s former anticorruption czar, to lead the war. Mr Ribadu was considered robust and effective in his position until he was forced out by Yar’Adua’s government.

Mr. Tukur was very instrumental in the return of Nuhu Ribadu, whom he had convinced the president to appoint as his special adviser on anti-corruption and other related matters, but as soon Nuhu returned to Nigeria, the goal posts began to move. Hassan Tukur began to lobby the President to appoint Nuhu Ribadu as vice president, which in itself was not a bad idea as Nuhu Ribadu was viewed as a man of impeccable character, capable bringing credibility to any government. But this was not to be.

However, Nuhu Ribadu and Hassan Tukur, Huhuonline.com gathered were looking beyond the vice presidential position, their eyes were set on the plum job of president. Had President Jonathan given in to the plot, the duo would have covertly disclosed his flaws by releasing embarrassing details of the President to the media, which could portray him as inexperienced and incompetent for the office of President..

Consequently, they would have blackmailed him into resigning and returning to Bayelsa. Nuhu Ribadu is very familiar with this type of operation. Recall that Nuhu Ribadu blackmailed Obasanjo into dropping Peter Odili as running mate to Umaru Yar`adua in 2007.

Having failed in their plot, Nuhu Ribadu abandoned the PDP, and joined AC, where he is a presidential aspirant; While Hassan Tukur stayed put on his job as principal secretary to the president, and is currently amassing stupendous wealth for himself under the guise of raising funds for the Goodluck Jonathan 2011 Presidential campaign. However, it remains to be seen if Hassan Tukur’s loyalty lies with the President or the Northern Oligarchy.

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה‎, literally "head of the year," Israeli: Hebrew pronunciation: [ˈʁoʃ haʃaˈna], Ashkenazic: ˈɾoʃ haʃːɔˈnɔh, Yiddish:[ˈrɔʃəˈʃɔnə]) is a Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the "Jewish New Year." It is observed on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.[1] It is ordained in the Torah as "Zicaron Terua" ("a memorial with the blowing of horns"), in Leviticus 23:24. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holidays or Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), or Asseret Yemei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance) which are days specifically set aside to focus on repentance that conclude with the holiday of Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah is the start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar (one of four "new year" observances that define various legal "years" for different purposes as explained in the Mishnah and Talmud). It is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts. The Mishnah also sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical (shmita) and jubilee (yovel) years. Jews believe Rosh Hashanah represents either analogically or literally the creation of the World, or Universe. However, according to one view in the Talmud, that of R. Eleazar, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of man, which entails that five days earlier, the 25 of Elul, was the first day of creation of the Universe.[2]

The Mishnah, the core text of Judaism's oral Torah, contains the first known reference to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment." In the Talmud tractate on Rosh Hashanah it states that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days, until Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living."[3]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah

For secular Jews

It would happen each fall around the Jewish new year. At the very time when renewal was in the autumn air, Arnold Barnett, an engineer from Moorestown, would go into a mild funk. His wife eventually figured it out: He was less than enamored with high holiday synagogue services.

"He simply wasn't engaged by what went on inside our Reform synagogue, or with the traditional approach to Judaism," said Ellen, 70. "I knew he was struggling. So sometimes, I would just go to services alone."

Then last year, the Barnetts saw a small notice in a local Jewish newspaper about a recently formed group in South Jersey. "We went to a meeting that was focused on Jewish history," Arnold, 71, recalls, "and that was something I could relate to. It was much more appealing."

And so the Barnetts will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which begins Wednesday at sundown, by meeting Sunday with like-minded members of South Jersey Secular Jews - a group of people who may or may not believe in God, but do believe in caring about the world and one another, respecting and understanding Jewish history, and celebrating a culture that has meaning and emotional pull.

"The most important aspect of secularism is the survival and continuity of the Jewish people," said Paul Shane, a native New Yorker now living in Philadelphia and married to the daughter of Holocaust survivors.

Shane, 75, a member of the more established Philadelphia Secular Jewish Organization, believes humans are responsible for what happens on Earth. The here and now is central, and actions speak louder than words.

That philosophy resembles traditional Judaism. But secular Jews and traditional Jews part company when it comes to accepting religious dogma.

If you're secular, God is optional. (Traditional Judaism has "God at its heart. That's not an option," said Rabbi Ethan Franzel of Main Line Reform Temple Beth Elohim in Wynnewood.) Also, life-cycle events are handled individually - for instance, there are no set burial or wedding traditions in secular Judaism.

Of course secularism, in which one adheres to cultural norms rather than religious ones, is hardly new. During the Renaissance, from 1450 to 1600, and the Enlightenment in the 18th century, many Jews shed the God-oriented elements of their Jewishness, according to Shane, a professor of social policy at Rutgers University in Newark. That shedding also continued in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

What's different today is that a growing number of secular Jews are finding one another, forming groups, and practicing the social responsibility Judaism requires - minus the synagogue.

Rifke Feinstein, executive director of the national Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations, says there are approximately 2,000 affiliated secular Jews in the United States. But because seculars typically are unaffiliated, and therefore uncounted, estimates for the entire American secular population range from 8,000 to 40,000.

In the Philadelphia area, there are six such organizations for secular Jews - including the five-year-old South Jersey Secular Jews - all under the local umbrella cooperative venture called Kehilla for Secular Jews.

For many people, discovering that such an organization exists has been a relief.

" 'I thought I was the only one!' is what people often express when they discover that they are not alone in their secular relationship to their Jewishness," said Larry Angert, 59, a member of 11-year-old Shir Shalom: A Havurah for Secular Jews. "The Jewish tent is big, and there's room for all of us in it."

Some local secular groups, like Philadelphia's Sholom Aleichem Club, which started in 1954, and Philadelphia Workmen's Circle, founded nationally in 1900 to aid Jewish immigrant workers and to promote Yiddish, have graying memberships. Bob Kleiner, 85, of Elkins Park, a retired sociology professor at Temple University, and his wife, Frances, a teacher of Yiddish, both long active in the secular movement, lament that younger people are not actively involved in these historic groups.

But the formation of new groups, such as South Jersey Secular Jews, is evidence the movement still has traction.

Credit Naomi Scher, 64, of Cherry Hill, whose children attended the Jewish Children's Folkshul, another Kehilla group, which is a parent-run cooperative held at Springside School in Philadelphia. About 100 children receive their Jewish education, not in a traditional Hebrew school but in classes that nourish social justice and individual responsibility. Bar and bat mitzvah aspirants undertake personally meaningful projects that they ultimately share with the entire Folkshul community.

Although Scher formed relationships with parents of her children's classmates, commuting to Philadelphia became burdensome once her children graduated, and in 2005, the retired social worker decided to start a secular group closer to home.

What began as a gathering of eight to 10 people now regularly attracts 30, meeting monthly with speakers who address social and political concerns, Scher said.

Deborah Chaiken, 74, of Palmyra is delighted to have a group close to home. "In the formal Jewish community, I felt that I didn't really have a voice. Here, I know that I do."

Dues are $25 a year, and participants are asked to bring food for potluck dinners. Meetings are held on the second Sunday of the month at Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill..

South Jersey Secular Jews members Cary and Bilha Hillebrand of Cherry Hill call the group a welcome addition to the local landscape. For Bilha, 54, the philosophy of the group is more in keeping with that of her native Israel, where the majority of the population leads a more secular lifestyle.

"We are not in any way antireligious," says Cary, 60. "We hold the belief that we are responsible for what happens to ourselves and to the world. And to us, that's the essence of what religion is, and should be."

Five months ago, a friend of mine, who edits a national daily, sent me a text message agreeing substantially with my column, ‘The Punch and the rest of us’, except the generalised conclusion that “all (journalists) have sinned and fallen short of the glory of the profession”. There are still some journalists, he submits, who toe the narrow path of integrity. Of course I knew where he was coming from, but I also knew the context in which I had made that statement.

I revisit that statement in light of the stories spewing out of the political beat, specifically on the race for the 2011 presidential elections and how it affects the integrity of news.

As part of the effort to sell his candidature for the presidency, former military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) invited as many as 40 journalists to his Minna home on August 14 for an interview. I have heard questions asked about why he should invite journalists to his home instead of a public place if he didn’t have an ulterior motive, and why he should offer monetary gifts to the journalists in the name of paying for their transportation.

One news medium, which has championed this opposition in the open, is the online agency, Sahara Reporters. According to SR each of the journalists received N10 million for heeding Babangida’s call on his presidential ambition. That is N400 million just for one night’s interview from an aspirant yet to win his party’s nomination if it were true. But it was not. When some of the journalists complained about the fictional sum, SR changed the story on August 19, saying it was just “a paltry N250, 000 each”. Rather than admit its initial error SR simply said, “our accountants have told us that going by the number of 40 journalists in attendance, we are still around the same ballpark of N10 million”. So much for credible reporting!

Three days later, SR followed up with ‘IBB and his Rogue Journalists’, accusing the journalists of roguery and professional misconduct; roguery, because they collected money from two sources—their employers who presumably authorised and funded the trip and their news source, IBB; misconduct because it is unethical for them to demand/receive gratification from news sources for their services.

And on August 23 in ‘IBB Nocturnal Press Parley: Punch fires Editorial board Chairman’, SR stayed on top of the story by reporting that Adebolu Arowolo, editorial board chairman of the Punch, had lost his job for going on that trip without his management’s approval..

The Falconets class of 2010 have made history by beating the USA and qualifying for a first ever semi-final in any FIFA organised women's competition.

The team trailed from a USA goal in the 9th minute but equalised spectacularly through Helen Ukaonu in the 79th minute to drag the match into extra time which did not produce any more goals.

In the ensuing penalty kicks, USA captain, Christine Nairn lost the USA's first kick and Sydney Leroux blazed their fourth kick over the bar to hand the Nigerian girls' victory 5-3. They will meet Colombia in the semi-finals on Thursday, July 29, 2010..

Where there is a will there is a WAY !! With a great percentage of our womenfolk who have embraced Prostitiution and other Vices as a means of survival .The Phrase what a man can do a woman can do even .....Omoyeni is one of the Heroes of This country who face the odds head on and will take No for an Answer.Kudos from us all !

Omoyeni Agbokere is a 35-year-old widow who has taken up a task most women would frown at as a means of survival.

‘First lady’ is what she is fondly called by her colleagues at the motor park, a name which she inscribes on the back of her tricycle (Keke Marwa). Driving a tricycle is not what she ever dreamt of as a career, but her husband’s death forced her to look for a means of survival.

“My husband died two years ago,” she said. “ Before he died, I used to engage in some petty trading because he was the one taking care of most of the family’s needs. When he died, I had to look for a better business to sustain me and my family.”

The mother of two says she has not regretted her decision because she makes enough to take care of her family.

“I have two children, a boy of 12 and a girl of eight. This Keke Marwa business, I see it as something I can use to help my family because it is bringing a daily income. The money I make every day depends on how much I work for the day. I make between N2,000 and N3,000 everyday.”

‘I’m my own boss’

Apart from being lucrative enough to cater for her family’s needs, Mrs Agbokere says she enjoys the flexibility that her work provides. “When I’m tired or when I don’t feel like working again, I can just stop and go home. I have enough time to spend with my children and i can be there for them at any time of the day,” she said.

She plies the Mushin-Oye route several times a day, a task which brings her in contact with different people, some of whom are hesitant to have her drive them because of her gender. “Some passengers who see a woman driving a ‘keke’ for the first time are usually scared. They think that if I drive them, they may fall off the ‘keke’ or even have an accident so they won’t enter. The people who live around here see me driving everyday so they are used to me and don’t get scared.”

With only four months experience in the business, Mrs Agbokere says she is comfortable with it and hopes to continue. “I didn’t buy this ‘keke’ with my money because I can’t afford it. If I had enough money to buy it, I don’t think I would have been driving a ‘keke’. I would have used the money to start another business of my own. But I thank God for what I am doing now. This ‘keke’ is owned by a woman who lives in my area. She gave me to drive and I pay her weekly. By God’s grace, I will soon finish paying for it and the keke would become mine,” says the indigene of Oyo State..

‘The men respect me’

Being the only woman working among so many men, Mrs Agbokere says there are more advantages to it than she thought. “I don’t face as much challenges as I would have expected in this business. The ‘keke’ is quite easy to drive. Also, I am the only woman working among these men and they treat me very well. They respect me a lot. They even pamper me because I am the only woman. The police men I meet on the streets when I am driving my keke are usually very kind to me. Even the Agberos (touts) don’t disturb me when I am working.”

Her husband’s death, she says, has made her stronger and more determined to provide a better future for her children. To women who have had similar losses and setbacks in life, Mrs Agbokere says they should look past their loss and forge ahead. “I advise them not to sit down and fold their hands while waiting for someone to help them. Despite any unfortunate incident in their life, they should not think that is the end of their life.”

Like most business owners, Mrs Agbokere has a dream of expansion for ‘First Lady’. “If I can finish paying the money for this ‘keke’, I will buy another one to give out to someone who will be driving it and paying me daily just like I am doing now, preferably a woman.”

Three British scientists shocked the world when they revealed on May 16th,1985 -25 years ago -that aerosol chemicals, among other factors, hadtorn a pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_0"">hole in the ozone layerover the 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_1"">South Pole.The ozone layer,which protects scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_2"">lifeon Earth from damaging none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_3"">solar radiation, became anovernight sensation. And the hole in the ozone layer became theposter-child for mankind's impact on the planet.

Today, the ozonehole - actually a region of thinned ozone, not actually a pure hole -doesn't make headlines like it used to. The size of the hole hasstabilized, thanks to decades of aerosol-banning legislation. But,scientists warn, some danger still remains.

First, the good news: Since the 1989 dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_5"">Montreal Protocol banned the useof ozone-depleting chemicals worldwide, the ozone hole has stoppedgrowing. Additionally, the ozone layer is blocking more cancer-causingradiation than any time in a decade because its average thickness hasincreased, according to a 2006 United Nations report. Atmospheric levelsof ozone-depleting chemicals have reached their lowest levels sincepeaking in the 1990s, and the hole has begun to shrink.

Now the bad news: The ozone layer has also thinned over the http://www.livescience.com/environment/top10_polar_differences.html">NorthPole. This thinning is predicted to continue for the next 15yearsdue to weather-related phenomena that scientists still cannot fullyexplain, according to the same UN report . And, repairing the ozone holeover the South Pole will take longer than previously expected, andwon't finish until between 2060 and 2075. Scientists now understand thatthe size of the ozone hole varies dramatically from year to year, whichcomplicates attempts to accurately predict the hole's future size.

Interestingly, recent studies have shown that the size of the ozonehole affects the http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/if-global-warming-is-real-why-is-it-still-snowing-0480/">globaltemperature. Closing the ozone hole actually speeds up themeltingof the 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_8"">polar ice caps,according to a 2009 study from ScientificCommittee on Antarctic Research.

So even though environmentally friendly laws have successfullyreversed the trend of repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_9"">ozone depletion, the lingering effects ofaerosoluse, and the link between the ozone hole and pointer; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% transparent;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1273223566_10"">global warming,virtuallyensure that this problem will persist until the end of the century.

All 95 passengers on board an Arik Air aircraft headed en route Abuja from Calabar, yesterday, found themselves in a mad rush as they scrambled to get off the aircraft when a car crashed into the plane shortly before takeoff at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar.

A rickety salon car, painted blue and white, the official colour pattern of registered taxis in Calabar, ran into the aircraft just as the aircraft doors were being shut, a passenger said.

A man, who claimed that he is Jesus Christ, emerged from the car after the collision and declared that he had made the desperate move to save the aircraft from an impending crash.

The man, who carried a huge bible and a huge cross, said he was trying to save the aircraft, a Boeing 737 700, and the passengers departing Calabar for Abuja. The man was promptly arrested by airport officials.

Shakened passengers who scrambled out of the plane after an announcement by the captain, were asked to wait for another aircraft which would ferry them to their destination.

"We were strapping in, they were about to shut the door when we heard a loud bang. And then the captain said ‘everybody rush out', so we all rushed out," a lady who was on board the flight with her baby, said. The passengers, who were scheduled to depart by 2.30pm, finally left around 5.30 pm after the airline provided an alternative aircraft.

Arik blames FAAN

The spokesman of the airline, Ola Adebanji, speaking , confirmed the incident but said that the airline was not to blame for the accident.

"I can confirm to you that a taxi ran into our Boeing 737 700 aircraft, an Abuja-bound flight. Arik is not in charge of security at the airport. All the airports belong to FAAN and they are in charge of security at the airports," Mr. Adebanji said yesterday.

Mr. Adebanji asked all questions on the security of the Margeret Ekpo International Airport, Calabar to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

"You can ask FAAN and airport authorities how the taxi beat airport authorities. We don't provide security at the airports," he said.

The frightened passengers re-boarded the new aircraft provided by the airline, but questioned the seriousness of the airport security officials.

"How the taxi managed to get to the aircraft is what baffles me," a frantic passenger, who gave her name as Candi, said in a telephone interview with NEXT.

FAAN's response

The General Manager for Public Affairs in FAAN, Akin Olukunle, confirmed the incident but denied that there were passengers on board the aircraft.

"Nobody was on board the flight. The passengers were yet to board because the aircraft was just arriving from Lagos," Mr. Olukunle claimed. His claim was debunked by the Arik Air spokesman.

"The passengers were on board. In fact, we were about to shut the doors," Mr. Adebanji of Arik said.

The FAAN spokesman further said that the airport authorities could not deter the taxi driver because he was on top speed and crashed through their barriers..

"The guy was running. He was driving an Audi car. He just slammed into the first and second barriers that were guarded by air force officials. He was on top speed," Mr. Olukunle said.

Mr. Olukunle said he would not blame anyone for the accident, but that the police was now investigating the matter.

"The Air Force men arrested the man and the police is now working with them to investigate the matter," he said.

Pet shop owner fined £1,000 and told to wear an electronic tag... for selling a GOLDFISH to a boy aged 14

Her offence was to unwittingly sell a goldfish to a 14-year-old boy taking part in a trading standards 'sting'.

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At most, pet shop owner Joan Higgins, 66, expected a slap on the wrist for breaking new animal welfare laws which ban the sale of pets to under-16s.

Instead, the great-grandmother was taken to court, fined £1,000, placed under curfew - and ordered to wear an electronic tag for two months.

The punishment is normally handed out to violent thugs and repeat offenders.

The prosecution of Mrs Higgins and her son Mark is estimated to have cost taxpayers £20,000 and has left her with a criminal record.

Mark, 47, was also fined and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Last night, as an MP criticised the magistrates, Mrs Higgins - who has run the pet shop for 28 years - said the family's eight-month ordeal had left them traumatised.

She added: 'It's ridiculous. I mean, what danger am I that I have to wear an electronic tag? These last few months have been a very stressful time.'

The seven-week curfew imposed by the court means she is unable to babysit her great-grandson at his home or go to bingo sessions with her sister, and will be unable to attend a Rod Stewart concert after tickets were bought for her by her nephew, actor Will Mellor.

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Her son said: 'I think it's a farce. What gets me so cross is that they put my Mum on a tag - she's nearly 70, for goodness' sake.

'She's a great-grandma so she won't be able to babysit a newborn baby. You would think they have better things to do with their time and money.'

Mr Higgins claimed the undercover operation was a clear case of entrapment - when a person is encouraged by someone in some official capacity to commit a crime - and said the case should never have gone to court.

He said: 'The council sent the 14-year-old in to us. It is hard to tell how old a lad is these days. He looked much older than 14.'

He added that his mother almost fainted in the dock when magistrates told her she could go to prison for the offence.

'I told her they wouldn't send her to prison but she was still worried,' he said. 'The only other time she has been in court is when she did jury service.'

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Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is illegal to sell pets - including goldfish - to children under the age of 16 unless they are accompanied by an adult. Pet shops must also provide advice on animal welfare to buyers.

The maximum penalty is imprisonment for up to 12 months, or a fine of up to £20,000, or both.

The Higgins family's ordeal began when council officials heard that Majors Pet Shop in Sale, Greater Manchester, was selling animals to children.

They sent the 14-year-old schoolboy into the shop to carry out a test purchase and Mr Higgins sold him the goldfish without questioning his age or providing any information about the care of the fish.

A council officer in the shop at the time also noticed a cockatiel in a cage that appeared to be in a poor state of .health. A vet found the bird had a broken leg and eye problems. It was later put down.

Mrs Higgins and her son were charged with selling the fish to a person aged under 16 and with causing unnecessary suffering to a cockatiel by failing to provide appropriate care and treatment.

Pleading guilty, Mrs Higgins told Trafford magistrates the cockatiel had not been for sale and she had been bathing its eye daily.

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She had intended to take it to the vet but had been distracted and worried because her other son was in hospital.

The court heard that Mrs Higgins had possessed a licence to sell animals for many years and had never had any problems before.

She was fined £1,000 and given a community order with a curfew requiring her to stay home between 6pm and 7am for seven weeks.

Mrs Higgins did not have her licence to sell animals removed, but both she and her son were told that if they ever appeared in court for a similar offence they could face a jail sentence.

David Davies, Tory MP for Monmouth, said: 'You simply couldn't make it up. It is absolutely ludicrous that old ladies should be hounded through the courts and electronically tagged for something like this.

'At a time when courts are being told not to lock up career burglars we have them issuing severe punishments like this on little old ladies.' Mr Davies, who has served as a special constable for three years, said: 'Not only is it traumatic for her but it is a complete waste of time and taxpayers' money. It is ridiculous.

'Instead of getting 14-year-old boys to act in this type of sting they should have them trying to nail people who sell drugs outside our schools.'

Trafford Council said it launched an investigation after an unsubstantiated complaint that the shop had sold a gerbil to a 14-year-old girl with learning disabilities. The council claimed the animal later died after the child placed it in a disposable coffee cup with a plastic lid on top.

But the complaint did not form part of the legal action in court and its truth cannot be verified.

Mrs Higgins said the shop had not stocked gerbils for months before the complaint anyway.

Defending the goldfish case, Iain Veitch, head of public protection at Trafford Council, said: 'The evidence presented for this conviction clearly demonstrates that it is irresponsible to sell animals to those who are not old enough to look after them.

'Let this conviction send out a message that we will not tolerate those who cause unnecessary suffering to animals. The council will always try to support pet and business owners so that they are able to care for their animals properly, but where they continually ignore the advice they are given, we will not hesitate to use our statutory powers.'

The goldfish was later adopted by an animal welfare officer and is in good health.

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