for (290)
Nigeria took a major step towards advancing to the second round of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Japan in Augsburg. The Falconets, who had drawn England 1-1 to open Group C, now have four points and are sure to be in a good position no matter what happens in the later match between England and Mexico..
In a story that has garnered national attention, Aimee L. Sword was sentenced Monday to serve 9-30 years in prison for sexual misconduct with a boy she had given up for adoption as an infant.
In 2008, Sword tracked the boy down through Facebook, after she failed to receive an annual report from the Grand Rapids couple that adopted and raised him. Unfortunately, seeing the boy, then 14, triggered instincts in the biological mother that were not maternal. As her lawyer Mitchell Ribitwer told the New York Daily News: "When she saw the boy, something just touched off in her, and it wasn't a mother-son relationship..."
Unaware that Sword's sexual interest was piqued, the adoptive family permitted the boy to visit her. It seemed safe enough, since Sword was married with five children.
But the artful and insistant Sword seduced the boy, ignoring the maternal link and the fact that the boy had not reached the age of consent, not to mention the 20 year age difference.
According to the boy's testimony at Sword's preliminary examination, Sword had sex with him at a motel, and the Waterford Twp home of one of Sword's relatives. Finally, the boy reported the incidents to a counselor.
Sword ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of first degree criminal sexual conduct in exchange for dismissal of other charges. At Monday's sentencing, she apologized for her actions.
The prosecutor was less than forgiving, characterizing Sword's sexual contact with her biological son, now 16, as a "selfish, cowardly, dispicable act."..
Next is to develop artificial soldiers ! dis oyinbo people na wonder dem dey betta.
Article:
American scientists have developed 'artificial' blood that could soon be used to treat wounded soldiers in battle..
The genetically-engineered blood is created by taking cells from umbilical cords and using a machine to mimic the way bone marrow works to produce mass quantities of usable units of red blood cells.
Known as 'blood pharming' the programme was launched in 2008 by the Pentagon's experimental arm, Darpa, to create blood to treat soldiers in far-flung battlefields.
The firm Arteriocyte, which received $1.95 million for the project, has now sent off its first shipment of O-negative blood to the food and drugs watchdog in the US, the FDA.
U.S. soldiers carry a wounded soldier in Iraq. The breakthrough could help provide enough blood for battlefield transfusions
The blood is made by using hematopoietic cells taken from umbilical cords in a process called ‘pharming’ – using genetically engineered plants or animals to create mass quantities of useful substances.
One umbilical cord can be turned into around 20 units of usable blood. A wounded soldier in the field will require an average of six units during treatment.
Blood cells produced using this method are 'functionally indistinguishable from red blood cells in healthy circulation', the company claims.
‘We’re basically mimicking bone marrow in a lab environment,' Arteriocyte boss Don Brown told Wired magazine.
‘Our model works, but we need to extrapolate our production abilities to make scale.’
If approved it could revolutionise battlefields where a shortage of blood donors can hamper treatment of wounded soldiers.
The process of giving transfusions in war zones is also made more difficult because donated blood has to be transported long distance before it reaches the field hospitals where it is urgently needed.
Enlarge 
Darpa launched a search for a renewable blood supply in 2008
Some blood is already 21 days old before it reaches patients, meaning it only has around a week-long shelf-life before it must be discarded. There are increased risks of infection or organ failure if blood is too old.
Mr Brown said: ‘Until now, the military’s strategy has mainly been contained to basically using stale blood,’
‘And they’ll set up mobile blood banks in a war zone, but even every troop rolling up their sleeve might not be enough when you’ve got a crisis with dozens or more injuries.’
Human trials are not likely until 2013, but the firm predicts the ‘pharmed’ blood could be used by the military within five years if the Pentagon calls for it sooner.
A unit of blood is around a pint and the human body contains between eight and ten pints of blood in total.
Currently, each unit made by Arteriocyte costs $5,000 to produce. If approved, the firm expects to bring this down to around $1,000 per unit by scaling up the production process.
As well as being needed by the military, 'pharmed' blood could also be used in hospitals to make up for shortfalls in blood donations if it is approved.
The 'pharmed' blood is type O negative which is the most sought after variation because it can be used with any patient, regardless of their own blood type.
Last month the US Red Cross issued an urgent appeal for blood donors to come forward after it said that its supply of O Negative blood was hitting 'critically low levels.
Comfort Monday is seven months pregnant and she is an inmate at the Kirikiri Female Prison in Lagos State. Since January 2010, Ms Monday has been locked up for an offence she claims she did not commit, courtesy of the man she says is responsible for her pregnancy. She appears to be paying the price of coming from a poor background.
She recalls how, about 18 months ago, while living with her father and siblings in Port Harcourt, her father told her to accompany to Lagos, their landlord’s friend, one Wintua Nadu, who was in need of a female assistant.
In Lagos, Mr Nadu, whose residence doubles as his shop and is located on Owode Street in Abule Egba, a suburb of Lagos State, enrolled her in a secondary school nearby. But soon after she became his house-help, she said the man she regarded as an ‘uncle’ began sleeping with her, and subsequently stopped her education.
“I came from village and was doing house-girl for him. That is when he started sleeping with me. It has been long. At first I was going to school but after like a month, I stopped. I was in JSS 2 that time. If I am not doing housework, sometimes I will sell in the shop,” said Ms Monday.
The alleged sexual abuse did not stop and she later became pregnant. According to her, when she told him she had missed her period, Mr Nadu, who is about 50 years old, beat her thoroughly. In late January 2010, Ms Monday says, he travelled, after instructing her to sell some compressors worth about N95,000 in the shop, and give the money to his gateman; which she did but the said gateman allegedly disappeared with the money.
Journey to prison
When he returned and was told the gateman had made away with the money, he got police officers from the Oko Oba Police Station to arrest Ms Monday and a neighbour, identified as Kennedy, for theft. He further claimed that Ms Monday stole an additional N200,000 from his safe in the house and accused Kennedy of being responsible for Ms Monday’s pregnancy.
“If I stole that kind of money, why will I still remain in the house? He brought me from village. Where will I even go? Who do I know in Lagos? Nobody! One naira, I don’t have in my pocket. Kennedy is just a neighbour; he has nothing at all to do with this matter. I don’t know why he arrested him. Or is it because he has seen us talking before? I swear, he is innocent,” she said.
Both Ms Monday and Mr kennedy were arraigned at the Abule Egba Magistrate Court on January 26, 2010, where they both pleaded not guilty. But while Kennedy secured bail for himself, Ms Monday could not, and has been languishing in prison since then, even as her due date draws near. At present, she has no legal representation.
A question of age
A twist in Ms Monday’s situation is her age. She says she was 16 when Mr Nadu brought her to Lagos in 2009. If true, she would be 17 years old in 2010. By law, if less than 18, she is a minor and it would be illegal for her to be remanded in prison.
In a telephone conversation, Ms Monday’s father, Ezekiel Monday, who is a farmer in Elele Alimini, Rivers State, confirmed her age, while lamenting the plight of his daughter in the hands of the man he entrusted her to..
“It never reach two years my pikin follow my landlord friend. And that time na 16 years she be. Na because she no dey do anything for village, people talk make I let am follow am go Lagos, that she go school for there,” Mr Monday said.
“I no collect any money from the man. I just tell am make he take care of her. As I come hear say she steal money, I no believe because even for village here, nobody don ever report say she be thief. We know say the man na big man so we dey beg am please make him release my daughter.”
When NEXT contacted Mr Nadu, whose wife and children are said to live abroad, he requested a one-on-one interview. But when a telephone call was made to him one hour after he failed to show up at the agreed place, he threatened not to spare NEXT if this story is published.
“Have you verified your facts? Don’t go and publish anything that will cost your company a lot of money o! Otherwise, I will not spare anybody in this matter because this matter is a very bad matter,” Mr Nadu said.
On another occasion when NEXT called, he handed the phone to a man who did not disclose his full name but who identified himself as a lawyer. The said lawyer stated that he would not make any comments as “it will pre-empt the judgment of the court and influence the outcome of the case” being heard at the Kirikiri Magistrate Court, Apapa..
Ms Monday’s next court date is July 19, 2010 and, according to her, she is praying for a miracle, as she does not want to give birth to her child while in detention. She is desperate and alone. She came to Lagos dreaming of a better life. Now, all she wants is to return to her village, where she knows people and feels safe...
Three men are in police custody for allegedly attempting to dupe a foreigner of millions of naira.
The suspects - Eze Lucky, 48; Afolabi Alabi, 41; and Smart Eze, 51 - were arrested on June 28th at Ikoyi by detectives from the Onikan Police Station, following a tip off from their victim.
The suspects pretended to be powerful clergymen who had the ability to turn water into wine. They accosted their victim, a Zimbabwean, who owns a unisex boutique at Ikoyi, and convinced her to part with a huge sum, which they intended to use to help her get a husband and more patronage from customers.
Luck, however, ran out on them when the victim became suspicious and decided to report the matter to the police. The police officers told her to play along with the scammers who had agreed to collect the money from her at the Ikoyi hotel..
As soon as the suspects collected the money and were about to drive off, the detectives who were positioned in strategic positions, rounded them up and took them to the station.
Narrating her ordeal in the hands of the fake pastors, the victim, who identified herself as Juliana, said: “I was walking along the road at Ikoyi, on June 27th, when a man who was driving in a Mercedes Benz car stopped in front of me and was asking for direction. They said they were going to the Church Assumption at Ikoyi, but I told them that I did not know the church. As we were talking, another man walked up to me and said he will assist, and he looked into the car and started screaming, ‘don’t you know this man? He is a powerful man of God, and he can solve your problem.’ He then asked me if I do not want prayers, and I said ‘yes.’
“I entered their car and they took me to a place where they started praying, telling me that I need to bring money for the prayers to work. To convince me, they brought a canned milk and prayed, and the milk became water. They asked me to go home and get more money. This was after they had collected my phones and the little cash I had. I went home and the next day, the pastor kept calling, asking me not to tell anybody about the money; that if I tell anybody, the prayer will not work. They even asked me to bring their sizes of shoes and clothes from my boutiques. I was able to get N200, 000, but I became suspicious, and told a policeman about it, and he told me that it was a scam,” Miss Juliana narrated.
One of the suspects, Mr. Lucky, from Imo State and a father of four, who was the brain behind the scam, said he became a scammer because he wanted his own share of the national cake.
“I am not a pastor, and I do not have any power to help anybody. I used to sell electronics at Yaba, but the government demolished my shop. Left with nothing to do, I called the other suspects and told them about the idea, of duping rich people. When I met the lady at Ikoyi, I introduced myself as a powerful man of God, and the lady opened up to me. She told me that she had a senator boyfriend in Abuja who helped her to open the boutique at Ikoyi for N5.5 million. So I said, she is enjoying oil money so me too, I should use her brain and collect my share of the national cake. So, that was why I decided to dupe her.”
The police spokesperson, Frank Mba, said Lagosians must be very careful, especially when they are dealing with strangers.
“People should be confident in the police, and report suspicious characters to the nearest police stations. The suspect will be charged to court as soon as we are through with our investigations,” Mr. Mba said.
At least 13, 000 former militants will be sponsored to study at various higher institutions, within and outside the country in batches, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe, has said. Mr. Orubebe disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday, after he inspected the various projects being executed by his ministry and the Niger Delta Development Commission in the oil producing areas of the state.
He said that the involvement of foreign experts in their training, was to give the ex militants the best instructions and knowledge that would stabilise their minds for positive thinking. The minister, however, pointed out that those who staged protests against the slow pace of the amnesty programme of the Federal Government in Abuja recently were not included the plan. According to him, the protesters were not among the 20, 000 youth registered by the federal government before the expiration of the grace period for the submission of arms last year.
Remain calm.
Mr. Orubebe encouraged the former militants to remain calm and allow the government officials handling the project execute programmes that will assist them in becoming a changed person in the society. “The amnesty programme is also on course,” he said. “There are little challenge which are ordinarily expected when one is trying to experiment with a system. Over 20, 000 youths embraced the programme and it is not practical for all of them to be trained at the same time.” He also exonerated President Goodluck Jonathan of politicking at the expense of offering good governance to the people of the country, saying “It is glaring that the mind-set of President Jonathan is not in politics, but wanted everybody to have equal rights, he wants electorate votes to count, Nigeria of his dream is the one where things are done rightly. President Jonathan is interested in obeying the judgment when it is pronounced, politics is out of his thinking, he wants great things for this country and its citizenry.”
THE DEFINITION OF PROVIDENCE
A. THE WORD...
1. The word "provide" (from Latin providere) means etymologically
"to foresee" - ISBE
2. The corresponding Greek word, pronoia, means "forethought"
- ibid.
3. The Greek word is actually found only twice in the Scriptures
a. Translated "foresight" (providence, KJV), and applied to
Felix - Ac 24:2
b. Translated "provision" in Ro 13:14
Photo:City of Providence USA.
B. THE CONCEPT...
1. Forethought and foresight imply a future end, a goal and a
definite purpose and plan for attaining that end - ISBE
2. The word "providence" has come to be used...to signify that
preparation, care, and supervision which are necessary to
secure a desired future result - ibid.
3. Literally means foresight, but is generally used to denote
God's preserving and governing all things by means of second
causes - Easton
4. While miraculous acts of God can be described as providential,
the concept of providence is generally used to describe His
care through natural means
Nomads or Pilgrims ?.
To be on a pilgrimage means that we are not just going anywhere in life. We are not just looking for the place where the grass is greener, but that
we realize there is a destination that is actually beyond life that God is calling us to and part of this pilgrimage means that God is our companion
along the way.
If you are a Nomad you just pick out wherever the next place seems right. Most Fulani Cattle Herdsmen do this they wander around the country in
search of Good grass and water .They also take care to avoid places where disease and predators abound.
. If you are a pilgrim you might have to go through some places that you don't want to go because the destination is beyond. And so we looked at
that and the fact that there is a big choice, a choice of repentance that has to come into our lives.
The primary difference between a nomad and pilgrim, is that you have decided not to listen to the lies around us the quareels,strifes and domestic
attritions we face at home and at work pale in comparison to the singular commandment of God.We should love our neighbour as ourselves, but
instead as we hear God's voice and respond to that by turning from the old ways and turning to His way.There is a saying "It is my way or the
highway" but The law of God says "it is God's way or the Highway to HELL ! "
Now this week we are looking at this issue of providence. This idea of providence is that God has created and controls the world so; therefore, God is
involved in the everyday life to provide and to protect. And so, that is what providence means, is that God is the one who protects in creation, God is
the one who provides for us in creation.
Now Psalm 121 is an amazing Psalm that talks about this issue of providence, of God being involved to watch over us and keep us. So I would like to
look at that verse together, but I would like us to read it together. So if you would pull it up on the screen, I would like us to stand and read the
scripture this morning together.
"I lift my eyes to the hills- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot
slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you- the
Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm- he will watch
over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."
People might tell you that you are going nowhere because they hear about your dreams and aspirations and this is mostly out of thier ignorance as
they have no idea where you are coming from.
John 3:8 says clearly,The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is
with everyone born of the Spirit."
Let's pray: Lord we thank you for this your word and pray that you will open our eyes to whatever we need to know and hear, for we ask it in Jesus'
name. Amen
TEXT: Genesis 39:23 “The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand;
because the LORD was with him (Joseph), and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.”
Our text finds Joseph still in the midst of a great trial of faith. He has been mistreated,
misrepresented, maliciously accused and imprisoned. In the midst of it all Joseph remained patient
and kept his testimony intact.
A glimpse at Joseph’s life reveals the trials he was forced to face...
• He was treated unfairly by his own brothers and sold into slavery.
• He became a slave in a foreign land.
• He was falsely accused of sexual assault and unjustly imprisoned.
HOWEVER – Joseph chose not to be a victim. He understood that “The Lord was with Joseph!” That
truth alone made his prison experience bearable.
As we rejoin Joseph in prison, we see his experience reveals some important lessons for God’s people
today. Chapter 40 finds Joseph shut up in prison, but still believing and serving the Lord. In that prison
he was forgotten by many, but he was never forgotten by the Lord.
The path of life leads us into similar prison situations. We all face hardships and trials. That is the
way of life!
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye
shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Romans 8:38-39 “I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall
be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We may, at times, we feel we are forgoten. We may be forgotten by those around us, but we are
never forgotten by the Lord (Heb 13:5).
#1. JOSEPH’S PRISON DUTY (v 1-4). “And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the
king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was wroth against
two of his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and against the chief of the bakers. 3 And he put
them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was
bound. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them: and they
continued a season in ward.”
While Joseph waits in prison, he receives some new roommates – Pharaoh’s Butler and Baker.
• The Butler was Pharaoh’s Cupbearer. When anything to eat or drink was brought before
Pharaoh, the cupbearer would taste it first to make sure it was safe for Pharaoh. Cupbearers were
close to the rulers they served. They were so close that they had conversations and where some-times
were privy to royal secrets. They were highly trusted servants that literally held Pharaoh’s life in their
hands (Nehemiah 2:1ff).
• The Baker was Pharaoh’s Personal Chef. He was responsible for the food that Pharaoh ate as
well as those that dined at his table. He too would have been a trusted servant in Pharaoh’s
household.
• Apparently, there had been a problem with Pharaoh’s food and these men are in trouble.
They have been cast out of their positions and find themselves locked up in prison.
When these men get to prison, they receive privileged treatment. They were treated like celebrities;
they even have a
servant assigned to minister to their needs. Joseph is picked to be their servant.
• On the surface, this seemed to be just another assignment; but, in reality this was the
providence of a sovereign God at work in Joseph’s life. God had just brought Joseph face to face with
the man God would later use to secure Joseph’s release from prison.
We should never discount the seemingly small twists and turns of this life. God can and does use
small things in great ways.
• The same is true in your life and mine. What we see as a “chance” encounter may be the
meeting of a lifetime. What we see as an “accident” or as “coincidence” may be God at work in your
life.
• God guides through the tiny details of our life! There are no accidents with Him.
Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.”
Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.”
#2. JOSEPH’S PRISON DISCOVERY (v 5-19).
One morning Joseph checks on his charges and they are both sad. They tell him they have had
disturbing dreams and don’t know what they mean. When Joseph hears this he must have thought of
his own dreams (Gen 37:5-11). His dreams seemed as though they had been derailed, or at best
delayed. He encourages the Butler and Baker to tell him their dreams. Joseph knows the God Who can
give them the interpretation.
• The butler tells Joseph his dream and receives good news (v 9-13).
• When the baker hears the butler’s good news, he tells Joseph his dream. His interpretation is
not good, but Joseph humbly tells him the truth anyway (v 16-19).
Try putting yourself in Joseph’s place. He has been given a dream from the Lord. In his dream, he is
going to rule someday. His dream has yet to be fulfilled. In fact, from all appearances, Joseph’s
dreams have all been shattered.
What does Joseph do? Does he get angry and give up on the Lord? Does he say, “I’m finished with all
this dreaming! Just leave me alone!”
Even though He finds himself in an unpleasant situation, he doesn’t lose his hope in those dreams or
in the God who gave them to him (v 8).
What a lesson for us today! There are going to be times when it seems like God has forgotten all
about you. There will be times when it seems that your dreams have been derailed. What you do then
will have an impact on what the Lord will do for you later.
Our duty in the prisons of life is to seek ways to glorify God (1 Cor 10:31).
timers! Joseph, on the other hand is there to stay. Yet, he is not sad! In fact, he’s concerned about
others and reaches out to help the Bulter and Baker get through their prison experience.
What a lesson for us! Most people can see no further than our own need! All they can think about is
how bad they hurt. Most people are petty and self-centered. Did you know that attitude is not what
the Lord wants from His people?
He wants us to lose ourselves in the needs of others (Philippians 2:4).
“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
He wants us to look around for someone that we can help (Galatians 6:1-2).
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of
meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so
fulfil the law of Christ.
He wants us to be like Jesus, who willingly laid down His life so that others might live! That’s not
easy, but it’s Scriptural!
When you and I get our eyes off self and set our heart to the business of helping someone else, we
will find that our own load gets lighter! The Lord wants us to be a blessing, even when we are in the
prison of life!
That is the kind of prison demeanor we need to display when we walk through our own difficulties. May
God help us to learn that He is always God and always good, regardless of how we are treated by
others!
#4. JOSEPH’S PRISON DISAPPOINTMENT (Gen 40:20 – 41:1). “And it came to pass the third day, which
was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he lifted up the head of the
chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief butler unto his
butlership again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand: 22 But he hanged the chief baker: as
Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him. 41:1
And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the
river.”
The dreams of the butler and the baker were fulfilled just as Joseph said they would. The butler was
restored to his office and the baker was executed.
• Joseph had asked the butler to remember him when we was restored (40:14-15), But, that’s
not what happens. We are told, the man “forgot him” (40:23). Surely this must have broken Joseph’s
heart.
• Days turned into weeks; weeks into months and months into two long years, (Gen 41:1). All
the while Joseph is still in his prison, disappointed, but waiting on God to move in his time.
This Prison Disappointment taught Joseph two valuable lessons that we need to learn as well.
• Joseph learned not to put too much confidence in man. Our only reliable help comes from the
Lord. He may use humans as His instruments, but behind the provision is the hand of God.
Psalm 121:1-8 “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh
from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that
keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The
LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day,
nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The
LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
• Joseph learned that God’s unseen hand moves along a divine path of providence. We need to
learn this truth: Our God is never early and never late! He always right on time!
There will be some disappointments in our prison experiences as well. The Lord may not move when
we think He ought and we will get discouraged. We will reach out for human help and find that it falls
short. This too will disappoint us.
• When times of disappointment come, we can become discouraged and look for a place to
pout, or we can do like Joseph and stay the course for the glory of God and serve Him faithfully.
• We should always remember that even though we may feel forgotten, we will never be
forsaken by the Lord. In His time, He will visit our prison and He will set us free!
CONCLUSION: What set Joseph apart from others? He knew the Lord was with him!
v 23 “The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under his hand; because the LORD was
with him (Joseph), and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.”
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Our circumstances may be bad, but God is good! We need to look for ways to point others to Him even
though our own hearts are breaking! If He is the God of the mountain, He is also the God of the valley
(1 Thess 5:16-18).
“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you.”
#3. JOSEPH’S PRISON DEMEANOR (v 6-7). “And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked
upon them, and, behold, they were sad. 7And he asked Pharaoh’s officers that were with him in the
ward of his lord’s house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day?”
As Joseph went about his duties, he saw that these two men were sad. I can understand their
sadness. They have been removed from prestigious position and cast into prison. But, they’re short
The refereeing system will change for the next World Cup with goalline technology and extra officials being considered, FIFA said on Thursday.
“I would say that it is the final World Cup with the current refereeing system,” Jerome Valcke, general secretary of world soccer’s governing body, told the BBC.
FIFA’s past resistance to change appears to be shifting after some wrong calls in the World Cup, most notably Frank Lampard’s disallowed effort for England against Germany that crossed the goalline, and Carlos Tevez’s offside goal for Argentina versus Mexico.
Tevez’s goal was replayed on stadium big screens, heightening fury among Mexican players and fans.
Valcke said the failure to award Lampard’s effort was a “bad day” for organisers.
“We are talking about a single goal not seen by the referee which is why we are talking about new technology,” he said in an interview with the British broadcaster...
“But again let’s see if this system will help or whether giving the referee an additional four eyes will give him the comfort and make duty easier to perform, then why not?” The use of two extra linesmen to check the goalline and penalty area was trialled in the Europa League last season and is to be used in the upcoming Champions League, from the final qualifying round, and Euro 2012 qualifiers.
Blatter’s Apology
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has apologised for the mistakes in South Africa and said it would be a “nonsense” not to look again at the merits of goalline technology such as the Hawk-Eye system used in tennis and cricket.
Valcke said the increased speed of modern soccer had hastened the need for reform.
“The game is different and the referees are older than all the players,” he said.
“The game is so fast, the ball is flying so quickly, we have to help them and we have to do something and that’s why I say it is the last World Cup under the current system.” The FIFA official said soccer’s lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), was unlikely to hold serious discussions on the matter at their next meeting later this month, but rather when they sit again in October.
Tougher times are here for would-be Nigerian immigrants as the United Kingdom has concluded plans to temporarily limit the number of non-European migrant workers into the United Kingdom.
This plan is coming at the heels of a permanent cap which is to take effect from April 2011. The Home Secretary, Theresa May, made this known as she stated that the number of workers would be limited to 24, 100-down around 5%- between now and April 2011. While this may be part of moves to build the economic stay of the United Kingdom, the effects that this plan would have on Nigerians and other non-EU migrants are rather going to be enormous. For instance, many Nigerians who are presently nursing the idea of travelling to the United Kingdom in search of greener pastures are sure to meet stiffer conditions of entry, since the requirement would be purely based on skilled labour..
Ms May, who is expected to announce the move tomorrow, is equally ready to launch a consultation process for deciding the level of the permanent cap. According to the latest immigration figures for the year 2008, about 258,000 EU and returning British came to the UK out of a total of 538,000 immigrants. It is noteworthy that many Nigerians engage in odd jobs in the UK which of course do not constitute the skilled labour being presently sought by the UK government.
While the measures appear a bit tighter, the UK government has insisted that it is a welcomed but painful development for those that would be affected. According to Alp Mehmet of the MigrationWatchUk: "The introduction of a temporary limit was a welcome sign that the government is starting as it means to continue. We need to carefully consider how net immigration will be brought down to tens of thousands-we believe about 40,000 is a realistic target-rather than the hundreds of thousands of the last 10 years, and is therefore good news for all our people, including immigrants and future immigrants. Immigration at the levels of the past decade is in no one's interest."
The demand for highly skilled labour would invariably take its toll on non-EU students, including Nigerian students in that category who engage in after-school jobs to finance their educational undertaking. This would mean that Nigerians seeking admission into higher institutions in the United Kingdom, with the intention of schooling and working, would be unable to do this as skills will be the hallmark for employment.
Also, plans are in top gear to introduce measures requiring that immigrants who intend to marry UK citizens must possess a good command of the English Language. Before now, many Nigerians have travelled to the UK on the pretext of contracting marriage with both UK citizens and long term residents who have gained a permanent stay on the European soil..
By Tony Ubani, in South Africa
FIFA president, Sepp Blatter said at the weekend that Nigeria’s failure to make an impact at the 2010 World Cup did not surprise him.
![FIFA21[1].jpg](http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jul/12/vanguard/images/FIFA21%5B1%5D.jpg)
Blatter added that Nigeria and indeed Cote’d Iovire planned for failure when they chose to make changes to the managements of their teams two month to the World Cup.
“It would have been a miracle if Nigeria and Cote’d Ivoire had gone through.
“You cannot manage a national team when you coach two or three months before the competition,” said Blatter.
Nigeria hired Lars Lagerback, but the Swede coach failed to take Nigeria out of the group prelims, despite making a promise of taking the team to the semi-final..
This result left Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan fuming and he sacked all the national teams from FIFA events. He made a u-turn, but Nigeria Football Federation president Sanni Lulu, his first vice Amanze Uchegbulam and Taiwo Ogunjobi were gone in the aftermath. The Swiss-born Blatter downplayed referees mistake at the World Cup.
“We are bound by the best referees we have,” Blatter said. “We tried to get them on top but naturally referees are human beings and they commit errors like everybody.”
Blatter said it was not possible to judge this World Cup in comparison to others, but described it as “special”.
He said: “It was a World Cup on a new continent with a new culture and therefore it must be analysed on different levels, but if you look at the enthusiasm in Africa and also the repercussion in the world, if you look to the television audiences around the world, if you look to the fan-fests everywhere in the world then I have to say it was a special World Cup.”
Disses Home Team :Cavaliers
Disses good Friend:Jay Z part owner of Nets
Disses money:Chicago Bulls was reputed to have made him a Don Corleone offer he couldnt refuse but he did !
The former king and chosen one GOES FOR FAME & GLORY with Dwyane Wade (The flash) & Chris Bosh (CB4 )
Perhaps the most hysterically-hyped free agent in sports history, James announced Thursday night on national TV that he plans to leave Cleveland to join the Miami Heat for a chance to play with Olympic teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Photos: lebron,bosh & wade
It's a power trio that could rock the league for years to come.
"I can't say it was always in my plans, because I never thought it was possible," said James, who wrestled with his decision for weeks. "But the things that the Miami Heat franchise have done, to free up cap space and be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down.
"Those are two great players, two of the greatest players that we have in this game today."
Add in James, and Miami has a three-headed monster.
Ending weeks of round-the-clock speculation, the two-time MVP said he was uncertain until the eleventh hour before deciding that the only way he could fulfill his dreams of winning multiple championships was to leave his home state and a city that hasn't sprayed championship champagne in 46 years.
See ya, Cleveland.
Sorry, New York, Chicago, New Jersey, Los Angeles and all you other NBA cities who came calling.
Hello, South Beach.
"It's going to give me the best opportunity to win," James said. "We're going to be a real good team."
That's not what Cleveland wanted to hear.
Fans poured out of the same downtown bars and restaurants that have thrived with James around in frustration moments after the announcement. A few set fire to his No. 23 jersey while others threw rocks at the 10-story-tall billboard featuring James with his head tossed back and arms pointing skyward.
"We Are All Witnesses," the mural says.
This was something Cleveland never thought it would see.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert posted an open letter to fans on the team's website ripping James and told The Associated Press he believes James did not play up to his abilities in Cleveland's second-round loss to Boston.
"He quit," Gilbert said. "Not just in Game 5, but in Games 2, 4 and 6. Watch the tape. The Boston series was unlike anything in the history of sports for a superstar. ... People have covered up for him for way too long."
Not Gilbert, not anymore.
"As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier," Gilbert wrote. "This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his 'decision' unlike anything ever 'witnessed' in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment. Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.
"The self-declared former 'King' will be taking the 'curse' with him down south. And until he does 'right' by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
"Just watch."
Olympic teammates four years ago in Beijing, James, Bosh and Wade all helped deliver gold medals while playing for the U.S.
This time, the superstars will pursue another gold prize — an NBA trophy — the one Wade got in 2006, the one that James and Bosh have yet to touch.
"Winning is a huge thing for me," said James, who left more than $30 million on the table by not signing with Cleveland.
It's a huge victory for the Heat, which got Wade and Bosh, a five-time All-Star with the Toronto Raptors, to agree to take less money on Wednesday so James could join them. Heat president Pat Riley was able to corral the top three stars in an unprecedented free-agent class.
So while Miami is building a dynasty, Cleveland is devastated.
In a city scorned for generations by some of sports' biggest letdowns, James' long-awaited words that he is leaving represented a defeat perhaps unlike any other.
"The Decision," the name of the prime-time, hour-long special James and his team of advisers brokered with ESPN, now joins "The Drive," ''The Shot," ''The Fumble," and "The Move" in Cleveland's sports hall of shame.
Cleveland fans, so accustomed to disappointment, have been let down again — this time, by one of their owns sons.
Not long after James' decision was announced, one of his jerseys was shown being burned in the city's streets.
"I can't get involved in that," James said. "I wanted to do what was best for LeBron James ... At the end of the day, I feel awful. I feel even worse that I wasn't able to bring an NBA championship to that city. I never wanted to leave Cleveland. My heart will always be around that area. But I also felt like this is the greatest challenge for me, is to move on."
James' decision ends nearly two years of posturing and positioning by teams hoping to add the 6-foot-8, 260-pound physical force of nature to their roster. He famously announced at New York's Madison Square Garden in November of 2008 that "July 1, 2010, is going to be a big day."
He wasn't kidding. When the clock struck 12:01 a.m. last Thursday, a free-agent frenzy unlike any before it — in any professional sport — got under way with the enough speculation, rumor and second-by-second intrigue to last a lifetime.
March may be madness, but this was a year's drama crammed into eight days.
James, Wade and Bosh were wined and dined by suitors who spared no expense to make them feel special. It was billionaires chasing millionaires, and depending on your view, it was either a shining moment for the NBA or a travesty.
Commissioner David Stern probably didn't mind any of it. The league stayed front and center in newspapers, on the Internet and in the blogosphere, leaving the World Cup, Wimbledon, Major League Baseball and other goings on fighting for scraps.
Last week, the Heat, Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls converged on Cleveland to make their sales pitch to the league's most wanted man. The Cavs only had to drive across town to meet with in the business offices of the local superstar, who grew up in a single-parent home in the Akron projects and has known no other pro basketball home.
The Cavs appealed to James' loyalty, his Buckeye roots and the fact that this is where he is raising his two young sons, to keep him. They hired Byron Scott as their new coach last week.
None of it worked.
"We believe in this team, this organization, this community, and what we will do to compete at the highest level," Cavs general manager Chris Grant said in a statement that did not mention James. "We believe in the new coach and leader we have in Byron Scott, and the world class basketball organization and positive and strong culture we've established."
New York devoted two years to trying to snare James.
"We are disappointed that LeBron James did not pick the New York Knicks, but we respect his decision," Knicks president Donnie Walsh said.
New Jersey couldn't land him despite having rapper Jay-Z, a good friend of James, as a part owner.
"We have a vision of a championship team and need to invest wisely and for the long term," Nets billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov said. "Fortunately, we have more than one plan to reach success, and, as I have found in all areas of my business, that is key to achieving it."
And Bulls general manager Gar Forman said he was convinced his organization "made the strongest of bids to acquire LeBron James during this free agency period."
Wade has shared the spotlight in the Heat locker room before, doing so when O'Neal was there for the 2006 title run. James said that if not for Wade being willing to make this megadeal happen, the trio wouldn't be together.
"D-Wade, he's the unselfish guy here," James said. "To be able to have Chris Bosh and LeBron James, to welcome us to his team, it's not about an individual here.
"It's about a team."
sorry lebron money & fame is not everything what about family ? Remember the fab 5
Today's warp-speed doctors' office visits rarely address all of your Q's, which is why it's more critical than ever to be in tune with your body—it can help yield some important insight.
Here's what to look for:
Photo: Guess ?
Mouth
White tongue coating
Could mean: You have a yeast infection—the oral type, that is. Your mouth maintains a fine yeast-bacteria balance, but when foreign stuff (think: antibiotics) throws that out of whack, the yeast portion grows unchecked and coats your tongue. A prescription antifungal rinse should clear things up. If it doesn't, revisit your doc.
Inflamed gums
Could mean: You're knocked up. "Your dentist is often the first to know,. "Swollen gums are one of the early side effects of the hormonal changes that come with pregnancy." If your gums are puffy or bleed when you floss—and your period is late—it may be time to take a pregnancy test.
Your guide to a perfect smile.
Cracked mouth corners
Could mean: You're vitamin deficient, says a dermatologist . ("Otherwise," , "you're a big lip licker. Stop that!") A lack of B vitamins— specifically, B2, B6, and folic acid—can dry out the sensitive skin on the outer corners of your mouth, causing unseemly cracks on your kisser. Adding nutrient-rich eats such as leafy greens and watermelon to your regular diet should smooth out any rough patches.
Eyes
Sparse outer eyebrows
Could mean: Your thyroid isn't pumping out enough hormones, More than 27 millionpeople have thyroid disorders, and eight out of 10 of those are women. The right prescription meds should get your hormones—and brows—back on track.
Dark under-eye circles
Could mean: You have allergies. Nasal congestion from allergies can dilate and darken the veins around your eyes and nose. Once you pinpoint and treat your allergen culprits—often with OTC meds—your under-eye shadows should fade.
Hair
Thinning hair
Could mean: You have a thyroid issue. If you've been noticing more breakage when you blow-dry, head to your Doctor. for a thyroid test. Brittle hair can also be a sign of malnourishment—specifically, deficiencies in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin A. So for the love of your hair (and your health), steer clear of any lownutrient crash diets.
Skin
Brown splotches
Could mean: You've had a self-tanner mishap... or you have a benign condition called melasma that's often associated with oral contraceptives. Doctors aren't sure why some birth-control pills cause these dark patches on the forehead, cheeks, or upper lip, but they do know UV exposure makes them worse. Your M. D. might recommend a hydroquinone cream.
Small yellow bumps
Could mean: You're looking at fat deposits caused by high cholesterol. The yellowish bulges can appear anywhere (yes, on thin people too) but are most common on the knees, elbows, hands, and feet. Make an appointment with your doc for a simple blood cholesterol test.
A rash on your rump
Could mean: Celiac disease, which is triggered by eating gluten, can manifest itself as an itchy red rash or blisters on your derriere. Ten to 15 percent of people with gluten intolerance get this inflammation, which can also appear on your elbows and knees, says a cosmetic dermatologist . Fortunately, once you cut pasta, wheat bread, and other gluten sources from your diet, you'll kick the butt blisters too.
Build a better backside with this leg and booty-busting workout.
Nails
Brittle nails
Could mean: Your frail nails might indicate nutritional deficiencies like low calcium, vitamin D, or zinc, says a dermatologist . Sporting nude nails more often and maintaining a balanced diet may help. Or you can try soaking your nails in water for five minutes at night before moisturizing them with an alpha hydroxy cream
Lindsay Lohan will spend 90 days in jail and 90 days in rehab forblowing off nine alcohol-education classes, a Beverly Hills judge ruledthis afternoon."It's like someone who cheats but doesn't think it's cheating if they don't get caught," Judge Marsha Revel saidin finding that Lohan had violated the terms of her probation forreckless driving and two DUI charges from 2007. Revel noted severalinstances over the last few years in which the actress lied about takingdrugs and drinking.
A teary Lohan addressed the court before being sentenced.. She said that "as far as I knew I was in compliancewith my programs."
"I wasn't trying to get special treatment," said the actress, whose credits include Mean Girls, FreakyFriday and Herbie Fully Loaded. "I have to provide formyself. I have to work. Having said that, I did everything to balance myjobs and showing up. I'm not taking this as a joke. It's my life. It'smy career. ... I take responsibility for my actions. I've tried to dothe best I can. It's been such a long haul, I don't want you to thinkthat I don't respect you."
After she's out of jail, Lohan must do 90 days in a rehab center. She'll surrender in two weeks.
The United Kingdom ’s foreign office has apologised after Scotland Yard admitted that police raided the home of Ikechukwu Nwokike, a diplomat attached to the Nigerian High Commission in London after the warmth given off from his heating system was mistaken for signs of a cannabis factory..
He is understood to have received an apology from the Foreign Office, Press Association reported yesterday.
Officers searched the house of the High Commission’s deputy head of political affairs, Nwokike, after a helicopter using thermal imaging equipment spotted what appeared to be a higher than normal heat coming from the roof, the Evening Standard reported yesterday.
Drugs farms often use high-powered lights which give off huge amounts of heat to aid the growth of the illegal crop.
Police obtained a search warrant and raided Nwokike's home, apparently not having checked the identity of the occupant.
It is not known if the official was home at the time. Police found no drugs and traced the heat source to the central heating system.
An insider said the raid took place during a cold spell earlier this month and the central heating in the house was turned up to the maximum.
A police spokeswoman said: “We can confirm a warrant to search for cannabis plants was executed at a home in north London on June 17 by officers acting on information from the Met air support unit.
"There were no drugs found and no arrests made. Further inquiries traced the heat source to the heating system.”
A spokesman for the Nigerian High Commission, Damian Ekperendu said that although the operation could have been interpreted as a violation of diplomatic conventions, the High Commission would not be taking the matter to the “extreme”.
He added: “We accept the explanation that the helicopter detected something but that these things don't necessarily work with fine precision.”
He confirmed having received an apology from the foreign office.
Police regularly use the force's helicopter to trace cannabis factories. Last year patrols identified 160 houses as possible cannabis factories, of which 113 were found to be growing the drug under “hydroponic conditions”.
About £13.5 million worth of cannabis was seized in raids on cannabis factories in London .
The Met witnessed a peak in drug farms in 2005/06 when 648 were found in London but since then the number has fallen as organised crime gangs, mainly from south-east Asia, have moved out to the suburbs and Home Counties.
Danjuma gives condition for Jonathan to run in 2011
•North no longer monolithic, says Northern minority group
President Goodluck Jonathan is free to run in 2011, provided he conducts a free and fair poll, former Minister of Defence and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, has said.
Danjuma said there is no law in the land banning Jonathan from contesting for the presidency.
Meanwhile, Northern Minority states of Benue, Taraba, Adamawa and Plateau said yesterday in Abuja that they are no longer ready to be used to attain selfish interests of some people in the North.
The bloc was apparently reacting to the statement of the over 150 Northern leaders, who met last Thursday in Abuja and argued that the North has all it takes to win any election in the country without any zoning arrangement.
Addressing a press conference, the Northern minority states under the aegis of the National Movement for Equality for Change also said there is nothing like a monolithic North.
Danjuma spoke to THISDAY in an exclusive interview over the weekend in Abuja against the backdrop of speculations that he had parted ways with Jonathan over the 2011 election.
The PAC chairman denied that he had any disagreement with the President..
In a rare interview, Danjuma said: “Jonathan, like all other Nigerians is entitled to his franchise. He can aspire to be the nation’s leader. He is not banned by any statue of the nation and as enshrined in our laws. Besides, he is the one who can make that decision to run or not to run. He is free as far as I’m concerned. In fact, he can run for office and for obvious reasons. The laws do not stop him. He can run as president and why not? ”.
The former minister said if he had any issue with the President, he would have since resigned as PAC chairman.
But he stated that all he wants Jonathan to do is organise a poll that will be a reference point in the nation’s history.
He added: “If I have any difference with Jonathan I would have since resigned. I’m not the type to stay with someone I have not endorsed. If I’m not interested in him, I would just resign. I have been approached by people who tell me that Jonathan should not run and I have consistently told them to disappear from my presence.
“My conviction is that there is no constitutional basis for that sort of call. We are a nation with a constitution. We are a nation led by laws and not by whims and caprices. So, no one has told me what the basis is for not allowing him to run.”
On the contentious zoning arrangement of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the move by some Northern leaders to enforce the zoning of the presidency to the North in 2011, Danjuma said: “Well, I’m not even a member of that party. So I don’t feel competent to speak on it and their internal issue.”
Jonathan’s alleged 2011 aspiration has continued to generate controversy in the land, though he has not said categorically he would contest.
He reiterated this stand two days ago during his maiden Presidential Media Chat, saying he would not declare his stand yet on 2011 until the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) releases the time-table for the poll.
Leader of the Northern minority group and former Senate President, Senator Ameh Ebute, who spoke on behalf of the group expressed reservations about the statement of the Northern leaders, describing it as unacceptable.
The Northern leaders had said in a communiqué issued on Sunday that the North can win election on its own numerical strength without zoning
They added, however, that they are not targeting their campaign for zoning at President Goodluck Jonathan, as the North has what it takes to win any election and never demanded for zoning in the first place.
But Ebute said: “We (have) observed with concern some unpatriotic statements by a group in the Northern part of Nigeria intended at emasculating other Nigerians into submission to their sectional views that the presidency must be zoned to the North; we use our numerical strength to win election and so on, and wish to say that we say no to these unacceptable threats.”
The former Senate president added: “This group should be reminded that the minority ethnic nationalities of the North contributed more to keeping this country a united entity and would continue to do so now and in the future.”
Also, he said the group should be “reminded that the numerical strength of numbers and perpetual retaining of power in the North is not possible without a united North (and) that the larger population of the North say no to primitive sectional domination and all divisive tendencies.”
Regretting that “just as the Northern minority ethnic nationalities were in the past ignorantly manipulated into supporting parochial personal and sectional agenda of the few in the North,” he said, “the South-South also allied and partnered with the North ignorantly to promote the parochial agenda of the few.”
Ebute said while the Northern minority ethnic nationalities have not benefited from the partnership, “the South-South minorities are now testing the bitter pill of their support to the North.”
The former Senate President said the political space is open and those who feel they must run in 2011 and have the numerical support may opt for any of the other political parties or decide to run as independent candidates as the yet-to-be fully amended 1999 Constitution permits.
He reminded the Northern leaders that zoning was adopted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 1999 primarily to address the June 12, 1993 saga and should not be seen as “a perpetual rotational item on the PDP menu.”
He observed that the most destabilizing issue in Nigeria today other than the utterances of the so-called Northern leaders is the Niger Delta issue.
Ebute suggested that the same principle of zoning adopted in 1999 should be appropriately applied to stabilize the country by allowing a South-South sitting President to contest on the platform of PDP in 2011, thereby permanently addressing the Niger Delta issue.
The Northern minorities said all Nigerians are free to contest elections through democratic means without intimidation, harassment or coercion.
Example
Noun: IBB is a kaita, so is Ota boy. Verb: Don't kaita what we have been building for 11 yrs in one day." I like that girl, please don't be a Kaita" Or In a Foolish Person's Thought: We are winning 1 - 0, let me kaita this game, so that I can get a red card and my opponent can win.
BODO, Nigeria — Big oil spills are no longer news in this vast, tropical land. The Niger Delta, where the wealth underground is out of all proportion with the poverty on the surface, has endured the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez spill every year for 50 years by some estimates. The oil pours out nearly every week, and some swamps are long since lifeless.
Perhaps no place on earth has been as battered by oil, experts say, leaving residents here astonished at the nonstop attention paid to the gusher half a world away in the Gulf of Mexico. It was only a few weeks ago, they say, that a burst pipe belonging to Royal Dutch Shell in the mangroves was finally shut after flowing for two months: now nothing living moves in a black-and-brown world once teeming with shrimp and crab.
Not far away, there is still black crude on Gio Creek from an April spill, and just across the state line in Akwa Ibom the fishermen curse their oil-blackened nets, doubly useless in a barren sea buffeted by a spill from an offshore Exxon Mobil pipe in May that lasted for weeks.
The oil spews from rusted and aging pipes, unchecked by what analysts say is ineffectual or collusive regulation, and abetted by deficient maintenance and sabotage. In the face of this black tide is an infrequent protest — soldiers guarding an Exxon Mobil site beat women who were demonstrating last month, according to witnesses — but mostly resentful resignation.
Small children swim in the polluted estuary here, fishermen take their skiffs out ever farther — “There’s nothing we can catch here,” said Pius Doron, perched anxiously over his boat — and market women trudge through oily streams. “There is Shell oil on my body,” said Hannah Baage, emerging from Gio Creek with a machete to cut the cassava stalks balanced on her head.
That the Gulf of Mexico disaster has transfixed a country and president they so admire is a matter of wonder for people here, living among the palm-fringed estuaries in conditions as abject as any in Nigeria, according to the United Nations. Though their region contributes nearly 80 percent of the government’s revenue, they have hardly benefited from it; life expectancy is the lowest in Nigeria.
“President Obama is worried about that one,” Claytus Kanyie, a local official, said of the gulf spill, standing among dead mangroves in the soft oily muck outside Bodo. “Nobody is worried about this one. The aquatic life of our people is dying off. There used be shrimp. There are no longer any shrimp.”
In the distance, smoke rose from what Mr. Kanyie and environmental activists said was an illegal refining business run by local oil thieves and protected, they said, by Nigerian security forces. The swamp was deserted and quiet, without even bird song; before the spills, Mr. Kanyie said, women from Bodo earned a living gathering mollusks and shellfish among the mangroves.
With new estimates that as many as 2.5 million gallons of oil could be spilling into the Gulf of Mexico each day, the Niger Delta has suddenly become a cautionary tale for the United States.
As many as 546 million gallons of oil spilled into the Niger Delta over the last five decades, or nearly 11 million gallons a year, a team of experts for the Nigerian government and international and local environmental groups concluded in a 2006 report. By comparison, the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 dumped an estimated 10.8 million gallons of oil into the waters off Alaska.
So the people here cast a jaundiced, if sympathetic, eye at the spill in the gulf. “We’re sorry for them, but it’s what’s been happening to us for 50 years,” said Emman Mbong, an official in Eket.
The spills here are all the more devastating because this ecologically sensitive wetlands region, the source of 10 percent of American oil imports, has most of Africa’s mangroves and, like the Louisiana coast, has fed the interior for generations with its abundance of fish, shellfish, wildlife and crops.
Local environmentalists have been denouncing the spoliation for years, with little effect. “It’s a dead environment,” said Patrick Naagbanton of the Center for Environment, Human Rights and Development in Port Harcourt, the leading city of the oil region.
Though much here has been destroyed, much remains, with large expanses of vibrant green. Environmentalists say that with intensive restoration, the Niger Delta could again be what it once was.
Nigeria produced more than two million barrels of oil a day last year, and in over 50 years thousands of miles of pipes have been laid through the swamps. Shell, the major player, has operations on thousands of square miles of territory, according to Amnesty International. Aging columns of oil-well valves, known as Christmas trees, pop up improbably in clearings among the palm trees. Oil sometimes shoots out of them, even if the wells are defunct.
“The oil was just shooting up in the air, and it goes up in the sky,” said Amstel M. Gbarakpor, youth president in Kegbara Dere, recalling the spill in April at Gio Creek. “It took them three weeks to secure this well.”
How much of the spillage is due to oil thieves or to sabotage linked to the militant movement active in the Niger Delta, and how much stems from poorly maintained and aging pipes, is a matter of fierce dispute among communities, environmentalists and the oil companies.
Caroline Wittgen, a spokeswoman for Shell in Lagos, said, “We don’t discuss individual spills,” but argued that the “vast majority” were caused by sabotage or theft, with only 2 percent due to equipment failure or human error.
“We do not believe that we behave irresponsibly, but we do operate in a unique environment where security and lawlessness are major problems,” Ms. Wittgen said.
Oil companies also contend that they clean up much of what is lost. A spokesman for Exxon Mobil in Lagos, Nigel A. Cookey-Gam, said that the company’s recent offshore spill leaked only about 8,400 gallons and that “this was effectively cleaned up.”
But many experts and local officials say the companies attribute too much to sabotage, to lessen their culpability. Richard Steiner, a consultant on oil spills, concluded in a 2008 report that historically “the pipeline failure rate in Nigeria is many times that found elsewhere in the world,” and he noted that even Shell acknowledged “almost every year” a spill due to a corroded pipeline.
On the beach at Ibeno, the few fishermen were glum. Far out to sea oil had spilled for weeks from the Exxon Mobil pipe. “We can’t see where to fish; oil is in the sea,” Patrick Okoni said.
“We don’t have an international media to cover us, so nobody cares about it,” said Mr. Mbong, in nearby Eket. “Whatever cry we cry is not heard outside of here.”
He dropped from 214 pounds to an astonishing 160 with a liquid diet and three-hour-a-day treadmill walks for nine weeks.
"I was starving." Now he's back on tour and says, "I've been eating. I'll be back in shape in no time!"
These shocking pictures look like a homeless man who has not eaten for weeks.
But they are actually photos of multi-millionaire rapper 50 cent, who lost a staggering 54lbs in just nine weeks for a film role.
The hip-hop star went on a liquid-only diet and worked out for three hours a day to achieve the staggering weight loss.
He is due to play a cancer-stricken American football player in a forthcoming film and wanted to look authentic for the part..
In the past 50 cent has made much of his muscular body, often appearing topless in videos and showing off his huge frame.
The 34-year-old is starring and co-producing 'Things Fall Apart', which will also feature Ray Liotta and is directed by Mario van Peebles.
Soon after the dramatic weight loss pictures were posted on his website, 50cent.com, rumours swept the internet they were a hoax.
But in a statement the star, real name Curtis Jackson, said they were true.
'I was starving,' he said, adding that now he is back on tour, 'I've been eating. I'll be back in shape in no time!'
'50 Cent lost a lot of weight for his upcoming movie Things Fall Apart,' said the text between the pictures of him.
'In the movie 50 Cent plays a football player diagnosed with cancer.
He dropped from 214 pounds to an astonishing 160 with a liquid diet and three-hour-a-day treadmill walks for nine weeks.'
The rapper's achievement still does not top that of Christian Bale, who lost 63lbs for his role in the dark mystery film 'The Machinist'.
Bale went from 185lbs to 122lbs to look like he 'had not slept for a year' and did it by cutting out most foods and relentlessly exercising.
Edo monarch arrested for human trafficking
An Edo monarch, Chief Dogwo Ebiredelu, and the Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, are bickering over an alleged attempt by the monarch to traffic two ladies to Turkey.
Ebiredelu was intercepted at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, on Friday with two ladies, Mrs. Queen Ebiredelu and Miss Egharevba Omozuwa, both 22 year-old, whom he claimed were his wife and maid respectively.
On one hand, the monarch, who is the Ebiredelu of Emuhi in Esan West Local Government, Edo State, said his wife and maid needed to travel with him so as to attend to his need in Turkey..
"They said they will deal with me because I refused to settle them. As a traditional ruler, I travel with my wife and maid to take care of my needs," he said.
But on the other hand, the NIS said the monarch gave a similar reason when he was intercepted on a similar journey with two ladies on their way to Switzerland in January 2009.
Ebiredelu carried a genuine diplomatic and a valid Turkish visa, while the ladies had their visas on Nigerian e-passport.
Parading the suspects before newsmen in Lagos on Tuesday, Comptroller of the Lagos State Command of the NIS, Mr. Lasun Olaitan, said in the course of routine investigation at the airport, NIS officials discovered that the Edo monarch could not give any genuine reasons why he was travelling with the two ladies.
Olaitan said, "We did not allow him to continue with his journey because he could not give genuine reasons why he was travelling with the two ladies. The monarch was also using a diplomatic passport, which is strictly meant for top government officials. This passport is only owned and used by government officials who have official duties to perform for the federal or state government outside the country.
"But the chief said he is going for seven-day holiday in Turkey and you know, the issue of human trafficking has become rampant and we are trying to curb it.
"The situation also became worse when we discovered that the monarch was interrogated in January 2009 for also attempting to carry two ladies abroad and he gave the same reasons."
Olaitan said that while investigations continued, Ebiredelu and the suspected victims of human trafficking would be handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Offences for further questioning.
Speaking angrily however, the monarch said he obtained his diplomatic passport from the Federal Government, adding that it was the sixth that he was using.
He blamed the Immigration for not carrying out proper investigation on the authenticity of his passport and visa before going to the press.
Ebiredelu also clarified that the ladies and not him were intercepted, adding that it became incumbent on him to intervene since they were travelling with him.
When asked if he had any document to show one of the ladies was his wife, he said there was no document, adding that he had three wives and eight children.
The alleged wife, Queen, who appeared weak, said they had been married since 2005, adding that there was no document to show that they were married because they had traditional wedding.
She also claimed to possess an Ordinary National Diploma certificate from Edo State Polytechnic, Usen.
The maid, who said she stopped schooling after obtaining Junior Secondary School Certificate in 2004, but spoke eloquent English Language, also corroborated her master's claim that she was a maid going to Turkey to tend to the monarch.
Naija Etuhu,England coach Fabio Capello calls jabulani ball fake
The "former hand of God" or "la mano de Dios." Diego Maradona made stinging comments
about fellow soccer greats Pele and Michel Platini on Wednesday after thepair criticized Maradona's performance as Argentina coach.
Maradona said he was not surprised by their comments and that "Pele has to goback to the museum."
As for Platini, "I always had a very distant relationship with him -- hello and goodbye. Weknow how the French are and Platini is French and he thinks of himselfas being more than the rest of the world. I've never paid him anyattention and I won't do it now."
Earlier, Maradona had criticized Pele, who led Brazil to three World Cup titles, for doubting Africa'sability to organize a World Cup.
Asked about Brazil, Maradona said Argentina's fierce South American rival was not tested by North Koreain the 2-1 win on Tuesday.
"Brazil played a relaxed game, too relaxed," Maradona said. "Korea never challenged them. For [goalkeeper] Julio Cesar,it would have been the same to shower or not after the game.
"Brazil is Brazil ... and Dunga has done a good job. When more will be demandedof them, they will play better for sure."
Maradona said the general lack of scoring so far at the World Cup could be blamed partlyon the teams' initial cautiousness.
"I'm not worried about the lack of goals. The goals will come and there are players here to makethat happen," Maradona said. "Of course, in the first matches one ismore careful than maybe one should be. The teams are studying theiropponents, which is why there are fewer goals."
Maradona also assigned some of the blame to the much-maligned 2010 World Cup ball,saying the Jabulani was having "a large influence" on the low scores. Healso asked the sport's authorities to pay more attention to the qualityof the ball.
One fact about pele:
In 1967, the two factions involved in the Nigerian Civil War agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire so they could watch Pelé play an exhibition game inLagos.[22]
Some Facts & Legends of El Diego
Ever since 1986, it is common for Argentines abroad to hear Maradona's name as a token of recognition, even in remote places.[8] The Tartan Army sing a version of the Hokey Cokey in honour of the Hand of God goal against England.[58] In Argentina, Maradona is often talked about in terms reserved for legends. In the Argentine film El Hijo de la Novia ("Son of the Bride"), somebody who impersonates a Catholic priest says to a bar patron: "they idolized him and then crucified him". When a friend scolds him for taking the prank too far, the fake priest retorts: "But I was talking about Maradona".
Maradona was included in many cameos in the Argentine comic book El Cazador de Aventuras. After the closing of it, the authors started a new short-lived comic book titled "El Die", using Maradona as the main character.
In Rosario, Argentina, fans organized the "Church of Maradona." Maradona's 43rd birthday in 2003 marked the start of the Year 43 D.D. - "Después de Diego" or After Diego - for its founding 200 members. Tens of thousands more[59] have become members via the church's official web site.
A television commercial[60] for Brazilian soft drink Guaraná Antarctica portrayed Maradona as a member of the Brazilian national football team, including wearing the yellow jersey and singing the Brazilian national anthem with Brazilian caps Kaká and Ronaldo. Later on in the commercial he wakes up realizing it was nightmare after having drunk too much of the Brazilian soft drink. This generated some controversy in the Argentine media after its release (although the commercial was not supposed to air on the Argentine market, fans could see it via internet). Maradona replied that he has no problem in wearing the Brazilian national squad jersey, but that he would refuse to wear the shirt of River Plate, Boca Juniors' traditional rival.[61]
Pele Vs Maradona vs Zidane vs Kaka vs Messi vs both Ronaldo who is the greatest
