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One of the most memorable works of fiction I read as a pre-teen is a children’s story by Washington 12166327681?profile=originalIrving titled Rip Van Winkle. I still remember my excitement watching the cartoon version of the story on Lagos Weekend Television (LTV) in the 80’s. Seeing one of my favorite tales come to life before my eyes was a joy unparalleled! For those of you who’ve never heard of this classic fiction, I’ll do you the honour of summarizing the tale:


The story is set in the pre- American Revolution War. Its central character is a man, Rip Van Winkle, who lives in a village at the foot of the Kaatskill Mountains along with his kids and nagging wife (Dame Van Winkle). He is well loved by the kids in the village because he often gives toys and entertains them with stories. He enjoys solitude and has a penchant for idleness which often incurs the wrath of his nagging wife. She complains incessantly about his lack of industry and neglect for his farm land which is constantly in disarray.


On one fateful autumn day, Rip escapes into the mountains with his dog, Wolf, to escape a barrage of nagging from his wife. As he wanders along he hears someone calling his name. On proceeding towards the direction of the voice, he comes in contact with a man dressed in old fashioned Dutch clothing. The man asks Rip for help and without hesitation, he assists the stranger in carrying a keg of rum all the way into a hollow-like Amphitheatre in the mountain. There he meets other men similarly dressed like the stranger, playing ninepins and drinking rum boisterously. He soon joins them in their drinking and revelry and before long, falls into a deep sleep.


He awakens and it is morning. He skin is wrinkled, his beard is long, his gun is old and rusted and Wolf is nowhere to be found. He returns to the village to find out that he has been asleep for 20 long years; his wife is now late, the American Revolution has taken place and his close friends have all died in the war. Someone calls out to a man called Rip Van Winkle who turns out to be his son, now a grown man. He is eventually taken in by his daughter who’s also now a full grown adult.

Such was Rip Van Winkle’s fate; missed out on every detail of life for 2 decades. The last he remembered, he was a young man wandering into the mountains. And now he awakens an old man unable to account for the past 20 years of his life.

I can relate to Rip Van Winkles experience because I too feel like I have been in a coma for that long; I can’t really account for the past 20 years of my life. The last I remembered I was an enthusiastic youth looking forward to an exciting future, but I am now in a future far different from what I had anticipated. There are lot of things I ought to have accomplished by now which just didn’t matter to me. Why didn’t they matter until now? Why has my mind been oblivious to the opportunities of the day? What did I do with all that time? How did the grey hairs sneak up on me undetected? Why did I never have a strong desire to get married until now? Why am I living far less than my potential while others who had far less potential at the beginning have gone far ahead? Why was I so comfortable with my self-imposed limitations? What was it that put me to sleep? Why am I suddenly waking up to the harsh reality that the time is short? Why now and not earlier? Just wondering if I am the reincarnated Rip Van Winkle.


This reminds me of Sharru Nada’s account in the all-time classic, The Richest man in Babylon. 40 years ago he arrived at Babylon a slave, and saw some labourers toiling by the gateway leading into the city. 40 years later he returns to Babylon a wealthy free man and notices the same men still toiling by the same spot; they’d had made no progress for 40 years.  God forbid that should be my testimony!


I talked this over with a friend and told him of my painful awakening and he said to me, “anytime a man wakes up, that is morning for him. No need to wallow in regrets. Forge ahead! I have decided from this point on not to allow the latter part of my life become a reflection of my past.


I am going to redeem the time!


(For other inspiring articles on my blog you can visit: http://nigerianphilosopher.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/i-feel-like-rip-van-winkle/ )

 

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time-and-season.jpg?w=474&h=316

I had a conversation with my dad recently. And somewhere n the middle of the conversation, he told me of  a former collegue of  his who is now in his 60′s, and retired. He said he met the old man on his way to pick up his toddler kids from school.  ”At a time when this old man should be resting”, said my old man, “he is punishing himself with school-runs”. My dad felt so sorry for the old man.

He told me how this man had chased away his wife of over 15 years and remarried a young woman. Of course you know most women are never secure in a marriage until they have a child for their husband. It’s usually a way to guarantee a portion of the man’s inheritance in his death. So the old man pleased his wife by agreeing to have kids from her in his old age. But that came with a huge price; working extra hard to pay fees, chasing little kids around, dropping them off at school- the whole works!

My dad concluded by saying, ” there is time for everything in this life o! There are some things that are meant to be done in your youth. Once that time passes, it becomes a huge struggle”.

I thought back on that statement and realized how true it was and suddenly I  had a flashback to a scene in a supermarket years ago. LL Cool J was rapping on the radio,”it’s never too late to chase your dreams”. I said yeah , you’re right “LL”!  The guy beside me said, “wrong my brother,It can be too late to chase your dream”. I said, how do you mean? He says,” if you have a dream to build masts, I’d like to see you climb one in your old age”. That’s true, I thought.That makes sense! There is really a limit to what we can do at a certain age.

Being a “talented” latecomer in everything, that really hit me hard. I realized I had missed out on a lot of stuff I should have done 5 to 10 years ago. I keep wondering what I had done with all those years. I still can’t account for them. It’s almost like I had been in a coma for that length of time. I now find I don’t have the energy that I used to have and I am probably not as daring as I used to be. Truly, there is a time and a season for everything.

Shakespeare says in Julius Caesar,

” there is a tide in the affairs of men.Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat and we must take the current when it serves,or lose our ventures.” 

 We must seize the moment and do what we ought to do at the right time so that life becomes less of a burden. We must never be like the man who begins to have children in his old age, or the man who starts to chase his dreams when he is too old, or the mature lady by the side of the road who tries to recapture her wasted youth by dressing up like a teenager with the hope of enticing a prospective husband. A season lost can never be regained.

A word is enough for the wise!

 

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capt.8dea4b5833bb49c4a7ab276280efab26-8dea4b5833bb49c4a7ab276280efab26-0.jpg?x=213&y=141&xc=2&yc=1&wc=408&hc=270&q=85&sig=5khb_0BGFxeHs29lPhn.4w--&width=213BOSTON – The nation's first full face transplant recipient said the first thing his young daughter told him when she saw him after the operation was "Daddy, you're so handsome."

Dallas Wiens, sporting a goatee and dark sunglasses, joined surgeons Monday at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston in his first public appearance since the 15-hour procedure in March.

"It feels natural," said the 25-year-old Fort Worth, Texas, man, who received a new nose, lips, skin, muscle and nerves from an anonymous donor. The operation was paid for by the U.S. military, which hopes to use findings from the procedure to help soldiers with severe facial wounds.

Wiens' features were all but burned away and he was left blind after hitting a power line while painting a church in November 2008.

On Monday, Wiens appeared before a packed room of reporters and photographers with a new, somewhat swollen face and a new head of hair.capt.13cbaa5aba5f40ed8086b7fda1835273-13cbaa5aba5f40ed8086b7fda1835273-0.jpg?x=247&y=345&q=85&sig=3t2uzjIok1YHYulT3GnSNA--capt.009ed3f72aaf4d0a9934b05b1404cf9e-009ed3f72aaf4d0a9934b05b1404cf9e-0.jpg?x=400&y=253&q=85&sig=bjiY2FdHZs6Eo6W8EwwK7Q--&width=399

"I adapted to it very quickly," Wiens told reporters. "As time went on ... I was able to smell again and breathe through my nose. Every step of the way was amazing."

The first thing Wiens' nose was able to detect after months of having no smell? Hospital lasagna.

"You wouldn't imagine it, but it smelled delicious," Wiens said.

Surgeons said the transplant was not able to restore his sight, and some nerves were so badly damaged from his injury that he will probably have only partial sensation on his left cheek and the left side of his forehead.

Plastic surgeon Bohdan Pomahac, who performed the operation on Wiens, said the transplant's results were better than he expected.

"The most fun part is to see the next six to nine months when the function will start to come back and when Dallas will start to feel a light touch on his face," Pomahac said. "To me, that's really exciting."

In an Associated Press story and a YouTube video last fall, Wiens spoke poignantly about why he wanted a transplant and how he wanted to smile again and feel kisses from his 4-year-old daughter, Scarlette. Face transplants give horribly disfigured people hope of an option other than "looking in the mirror and hating what they see," he said.

He told the AP that his daughter and his faith have kept him motivated. He repeated that Monday. "Even though I'm in amazing hands here," Wiens said, "I'm also in God's hands."

The surgery was paid for by the Department of Defense, which gave the hospital a $3.4 million research grant for five transplants.

About a dozen face transplants have been done worldwide, in the U.S., France, Spain and China.

 

 

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12166298090?profile=originalwhat if my girl was called aharit instead of arit



My girl has always been my closest friend but not one day has she ever told me her

real name . She said her name is arit and many times i go Aight ? and she says Right

. Not one day has she dared to put it all together and say AHARIT !

I wondered why she would never tell me her real name . I wondered not for long as I

asked her to marry me . to which she immediately agreed . She had been waiting for

this for ages .


Now we are about to get married it is just a few days or even weeks away .



And I asked her for the last time What is your name Arit

And she said AHARIT and I looked at her and understood . AHA RIGHT !


He sold his birthright for a meal of porridge He ignored the 'Aharit' . That which

comes After . Show me Temptations and I will ask for the AHARIT .

Now we shall soon be together for ever even after the AHARIT !

 

Happy Valentine

 

Ephesians 4:2


Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
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Mark Zuckerberg Is Time's Person of the Year

The guy with more friends than anybody has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year: Mark Zuckerberg, the controversial, 26-year-old founder of Facebook, the newsweekly announced Wednesday morning.

Winning the honor over such short-listed names as WikiLeak's Julian Assange (the favorite in a readers' poll), the Tea Party, the Chilean Miners, Apple's Steve Jobs and Afghanistan leader Hamid Karzai, Zuckerberg on his own Facebook page describes his personal interests as "openness, making things that help people connect and share what's important to them, revolutions, information flow, minimalism."

As Time tagged Zuckerberg's on the Web site of the Today showTime editor Rick Stengel made the announcement of Zuckerberg's selection on the NBC morning program – "More than half a billion people on the planet live in a world created by Mark Zuckerberg. The good news is, their friends all live there too. Zuckerberg founded the social networking site Facebook in his college dorm six years ago, but 2010 was the year that Facebook reached critical mass, both in sheer quantity of users and in its presence (through its 'connect' features) all over the Web."

The profile continued, "Zuckerberg spent much of the year fighting privacy concerns, and this fall he had to shake off a movie that depicted him as an alienated loner, hacking to get girls. But the world's youngest billionaire has no plans to slow Facebook's growth, nor does it show any sign of stopping."



That movie is The Social Network, which, besides doing well at the box office, is an Oscar Best Picture frontrunner. In the past week it's been honored, too – having been named Best Picture of the Year by the National Board of Review, the New York Film Critics Circle and critics' groups in Toronto, Boston and Los Angeles. In addition, the movie and its leading man, Jesse Eisenberg, who plays a hard-boiled Zuckerman, received Golden Globe nominations. .

Time's Person of the Year tradition harkens back to 1927, the year the magazine (which, like PEOPLE, is today part of Time Inc.) was launched. The first Person was aviator Charles Lindbergh. Others named throughout the decades have included Franklin D. Roosevelt (1932, 1934 and 1941), Adolf Hitler (1936), the American Fighting Man (1950), the Generation Under 25 (1966), American Women (1975), and, during their terms in office, Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, both Bushes, Clinton and Obama.

Photo: Mark,AAssange, Chilean Miners

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Tuface D'banj in Collabo ist time ever !

It is no longer hush-hush among insiders in the
entertainment industry. Since late last week, it had become official; two of Nigeria's foremost singers, Tuface Idibia and D'banj have, for the first time, featured on the same song.

Curiously, it took newcomer, Kas, of the Fimile fame to achieve this rare feat. The two music stars were paired in the remix of Kas' chart-topping song, Fimile. Noteworthy is that aside typically chanting his File! refrain without restraint, D'banj, rediscovers his famous harmonica which had not featured in his songs in recent time while Tuface adds spice and intensity to an otherwise intense song.

In a chat with E-Punch, Kas says it was a big honour and privilege for him to have pulled this off because "both of them are stars. Tuface is a legend; one of the biggest musicians in Africa. I respect him so much. He is humble and down-to-earth. D'banj is also very big; a force to be reckoned with and doesn't take nonsense but equally very humble."

Describing how the idea of a remix began, Kas said he met Tuface and broached the idea to him which he welcomed gladly. D'banj did not prove any hard to get either. Thus, the remix.

Like he sings in Fimile, Kas, real names, Kas Jonathan Shobayo, is indeed a Yoruba native from Ogun State though his first visit to Nigeria was in 2005.

In his short, eventful stint in the industry, Kas who fondly calls himself Kas beats, has emerged as one of the fastest rising singers and beat makers with an increasing catalogue of hit songs...
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P-Square’s dad visits sons in Lagos for the first time • ‘He apologized for not supporting our musical career’
By Samuel Olatunji

For the first time in 20 years, the father of the popular singing duo, Peter and Paul Okoye, popularly known as P-Square, has visited his superstar sons in Lagos last week Tuesday to felicitate with them in their new mansion at the Omole, Ogba area.

P-Square

The man, who came with his wife and mother of his six children from Jos was pleasantly surprised to see how far his sons have come. He was said to be skeptical initially towards the choice of musical career of his twin sons, P-Squar

Though he visited Lagos about 20 years ago, he has never been to Lagos since his sons disobeyed him and relocated to Lagos in 2005 to pursue their dreams.

Mr. Okoye was skeptical at the choice of musical career of his four sons, Jude, Tony, Peter and Paul while in the university. Jude was in UNIJOS, Tony was in University of Maiduguri, while Peter and Paul were in UNIABUJA..

Jude initially started as a musician; he even went on to wax two albums while Tony was the dancer among the brothers. It was he who taught P-Square how to dance, while Peter and Paul were dancing and singing.

Their dad stopped paying their school fees and warned them sternly not to call home for any assistance if they relocated to Lagos for music..

‘It was tough initially, but we knew this is what we wanted then, so we decided to move on’, Peter said. Did their father not feel bad after they started enjoying initial success? ‘Our dad apologized to us years ago when we were still at Jude’s house in Maryland. He called and told us that he was uncomfortable that four of his sons left home without asking after him. Then, we weren’t even that successful. He called us to say he was sorry. He wanted the best for us then, but we also knew what we wanted’, he said.

P-Square is a pop duo of twin brothers Peter and Paul and unarguably one of the most success music brands out of Africa. The group recently won KORA’s Africa Musician of the Year Award and the coveted N1 million-prize money. The group was recently signed on as Glocacom ambassadors in a deal that was reportedly worth of N200 million. With hit tracks like Ifunnaya, Busy Body, E no easy, Danger, Game Over, P-Square is definitely a top brand out of Africa.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission said yesterday that it will need more time to conduct next year’s elections. The Commission has for a while bemoaned the fact that the new electoral act does not give it adequate time to arrange for credible polls.Photo:Inec Boss

After a two-day retreat in Calabar, Cross River State, the commission said it shall explore legal ways to get the additional time it required. A statement by Paul Kaigama, the Commission’s secretary said, “Having examined the Commission’s detailed Action Plan for the voter registration and elections, the Retreat noted that the timeline for the implementation of this Plan is very tight.”

A plea for more time

He said, “Consequently, the commission shall endeavour to engage all the relevant stakeholders with a view to exploring all legal avenues for extension of time to enable the commission to deliver on the aspirations of Nigerians for a credible voters’ register and free, fair and credible elections.” Attahiru Jega, the commission’s chairman has repeatedly harped on the ardous task of conducting a vital voters’ registration exercise and general elections within six months of his taking office.

The task was made harder by the late release of approved funds by the federal government. President Goodluck Jonathan also took many weeks to assent to the new Electoral Act which the commission needs to conduct the election.

The commission appealed to all political parties to adhere to the Electoral Act and conduct their congresses and primaries within the law.

Barely six weeks to the commencement of the voters’ registration, as stipulated in the timetable released, the commission is yet to officially name the IT firms that are to provide the 120,000 units of Direct Data Capture Machines, needed for the exercise.

Mr. Jega’s aide, Kayode Idowu, told NEXT yesterday that the companies will be announced by the chairman “when the time is ripe,” further fuelling concerns about the ability of the body to conduct successful polls in the face of obvious time constraint.

At several fora, Mr. Jega himself has said the commission would prefer an extension of the election timetable, which is time-bound by the electoral law. The more time available to the commission, the better its chances of doing a good job, he had argued.

However, the commission said if it succeeds in getting more time, although it will affect key dates in the elections timetable, the inauguration date of May 29, 2011, will remain “sacrosanct”, the commission said.

In the other decisions arrived at the retreat, the commission urged the National Assembly to enact a law for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Tribunal, in the hope that “there is the need to severely punish electoral offenders to serve as deterrent to others.” The Commission also said it has developed a software which will be field-tested before the commencement of the voters’ registration, and vowed to ensure strict compliance to legal provisions governing the conduct of congresses, conventions and primaries by political parties.
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today It’s do or die time, Bafana!

It’s do or die time, Bafana!

steveToday, Wednesday, is a special day with a special moment when Bafana Bafana take on Uruguay in a Group AWorld Cup match at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria at 8.30pm, writesMonwabisi Jimlongo..

It is the 34th anniversary of the June 16 uprisings, when schoolchildren in Soweto revolted against the use of Afrikaans as amedium of instruction at school in 1976.

But all eyes will be fixed on Bafana as they seek to make history by advancing to the second round of the World Cup finals since their firstattempt during the 1998 tournament, hosted and won by France.

The air in Pretoria is thick with anticipation as fans in South Africa’s administrative capital gather for do-or-die match for coachCarlos Alberto Parreira’s men.

After failing to make it to the knockout stages during the 1998 and 2002 World Cup tournaments, Bafana are being willed by fans to advancefurther in this tournament.

The interest shown in Bafana’s training sessions this week says one thing – do us proud when you face Uruguay.

“Uruguay are a very good team and they showed that when they played against France last week,” Parreira said “It’s very clear that we needto win one game, but that won’t mean that we have qualified for the last16.

“Our approach will be a little bit different to the one we used against Mexico. Uruguay have a different approach to the game and thisis going to be a more challenging match for us.”

The Brazilian-born coach has indicated he might change his team for the Uruguay showdown.
Parreira was forced to pull out Lucas Thwala for Tsepo Masilela afterthe Orlando Pirates player struggled to contain the Mexicans.

Meanwhile, Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena has agreed with Parreira that Bafana must make South Africans proud tonight.

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Fiberesima: Appeal court grants Lagos extension of time

The Court of Appeal in Lagos on Monday granted the Lagos State Government extension of time to file its brief of argument in an appeal filed by a convicted Nollywood actress, Ibinabo Fiberesima.


Ibinabo Fibresima


The appellate court presided over by Justice Clara-Bata Ogunbiyi, however, wondered why it took the state government so long to file its brief of argument and warned against a recurrence of the development.

Lawyer to the state government, Mrs. Rotimi Odutola, pleaded with the court to grant the extension of time, saying that the delay was due to circumstances beyond her control.

But the lawyer to Fiberesima, Mr. Nnaemeka Amaechina, did not raise an objection just as the appellate court struck out his application seeking a date for the hearing of the appeal.

Fiberesima was convicted by Justice Deborah Oluwayemi of Lagos High Court for dangerous and reckless driving which allegedly led to the death of a doctor, Dr. Giwa Suraj, and sentenced her to five years imprisonment.

The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, had in 2005 charged Fiberesima to the Igbosere Magistrate's Court on a two-count charge of dangerous and reckless driving on the Epe Expressway, Lagos that led to Giwa's death.

In his judgment, the Magistrate, Mr. A. O. Isaacs, found Fiberesima guilty on the two -count charge and sentenced her to seven years imprisonment for count one and two years imprisonment for counts two.

But the magistrate, gave the convict the option of paying N100, 000 fine to regain her freedom.

The ex-beauty queen reportedly paid the fine and regained her freedom.

But the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Olasupo Shasore (SAN), was dissatisfied with the sentence of Magistrate Isaacs and filed a notice of appeal at the Lagos High Court.
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Ibori's investigator attacked by gunmen

In a mafia Style take down reminiscent of the hollywood movie The Untouchables,

Solomon Yorr, an official of Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is in a battle for life as medical personnel struggle to patch up his bullet ridden chest.

Mr. Yorr, in the past few weeks, has been intensely involved in the investigation of the former Delta State governor, James Ibori . He is the second-in-command of the team in charge of Mr. Ibori's investigation.

Mr. Yorr, who is attached to the Economic Governance Unit, an elite group in the commission which handles mainly cases of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), was attacked by gunmen on Sunday night in his home in Keffi, Nassarawa.

Femi Babafemi, the head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, in a press statement yesterday, said that the operative is now receiving medical attention and has been installed in an Intensive Care Unit(ICU) in Abuja.

EFCC operatives, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, expressed fears that the attempt on Mr. Yorr's life was not unconnected with the high profile investigations that he has been handling.

Increased tempo and increased attacks

Mr. Babafemi of the EFCC told NEXT in Abuja yesterday, that the recent attacks on operatives of the commission was a result of the increased pace of high profile investigations undertaken by the commission, while debunking the idea that the recent attacks was indicative of a revamp in the quality of investigations being carried out by the EFCC.

"The steam has always been there. We are also raising the tempo of our activities. Some of these attacks are rooted in the desperation of some corrupt politicians to succeed in the 2011 elections. We had already alerted the public on the threats that we have been receiving," he said.

Mr. Babafemi said that between December, 2009 and March, 2010, two active operatives and one former operative of the commission had been killed. But he restated the determination of the anti- corruption agency to go ahead with its duties.

"The EFCC chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri, has since directed that security should be beefed up around the officer, while she prays for his recovery. She has equally stressed that the various attacks against the agency and its officials will not in any way distract or deter us," Mr. Babafemi said.

Taking care of its own

A Lagos-based human rights attorney, Jiti Ogunye, however, had harsh words for the leadership of the anti-graft agency, who he says is not doing enough to safe guard the lives of its operatives.

"My observation is that the leadership of the EFCC may not be doing enough to protect its operatives," he said, adding that he feared that the continued attacks on operatives could demoralise their colleagues.

"For a law enforcement agency, it is important that perpetually, the capacity of that agency is bolstered such that it stays ahead of criminals or would-be-criminals. Part of the capacity should be its ability to protect its operatives. It is very important that a law enforcement agency must be able to do that," Mr. Ogunye stressed..

Mr. Ogunye dismissed the idea that the EFCC may be working harder than in the past, and insisted that the leadership of the EFCC must look inwards to solve its current challenge.

"There might be a self-inflicted disability on the part of the leadership of the EFCC, because once the leadership is compromised, then the operatives will no longer be safe. The commission must look inwards to find out what they have not been doing right to protect their operatives," he said.

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A federal grand jury is about to indict John Edwards, sources tell the National Enquirer. The grand jury has been investigating the former presidential candidate since April 2009 for possible misuse of campaign funds -- Edwards had mistress Rielle Hunter on his payroll -- and indictment is now imminent. The Enquirer talked to one friend who revealed that John was "terrified":

s-JOHN-EDWARDS-INDICTED-large.jpg

"While he believes he's done nothing illegal in trying to hide his extramarital affair with Rielle and their daughter, he thinks the Feds are going to make an example of him."

It hasn't been a great winter for the former presidential candidate. On the one hand, there has been Andrew Young, former Edwards aide and admitted accomplice in concealing the affair, stepping forward with a tell-all memoir of campaign trail debauchery and details of an Edwards-Hunter sex tape. On the other, recently-separated-from wife Elizabeth has threatened to sue Young for "alienation of affection," while friends told the Enquirer that Edwards beat her in a marriage-ending fight.

Meanwhile, rumors float about that Edwards proposed to Hunter and the two plan to move into a recently purchased $3.5 million beachfront home. If the couple do in fact intend to move in together, plans could be delayed if Edwards ends up serving jail time.

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Are You Feeding Your Soul? Are you happy with what you see when you look in the mirror? And I’m not talking about your physical body when I ask this question — I’m talking about your spiritual body. Has your soul been getting the nourishment it needs to grow in health and strength, or have you deprived it from the Word it so desperately needs? If what you see in the mirror doesn’t even begin to reflect what you know you can be, it’s time to make a change, time to dive into God’s Word and receive all the love and forgiveness He has been waiting to give you . . . a time to release your life into God’s hands. The Word tells us, But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT). You may not like what you see now, but just wait. Rely on God’s faithfulness and perfect timing and begin to make changes when God shows you it is necessary. And soon, you’ll be able to look back and say, “Look where God moved me from. Look what He saved me from. I stand blessed where I am all because of the transforming grace of God.” An Evangelistic Tool The following is an evangelistic tool. Feel free to use this tool to lead someone to the Savior. It can also be used in your church. Tony lead the members of our church through this process, and then commissioned them to offer the good news to those they come in contact with in the course of their day. This is one of our outreach programs for this year. OPENING QUESTION: Has anyone ever shown you from the Bible how you can be sure you are on your way to heaven? Would you allow me to show you? I. First the Bad News a. The Problem: Every person is a sinner before a Holy God and unable to save themselves (Romans 3:10, 23). b. The Penalty: Every person is under the sentence of death and will be forever separated from God because of their sin (Romans 5:12; 6:23). I. Now the Good News a. The Provision: Through the substitutionary sacrificial death of Christ, God has addressed the sin problem for us (Romans 5:8, 17-21). b. The Pardon: God offers a free pardon and eternal life to all who place faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation (Romans 10:9-10; 4:4-5). CLOSING QUESTION: Would you like to trust the Lord Jesus Christ right now as your personal Savior? PRAYER: Lord Jesus thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and rising from the dead to save me. By transferring my total trust to You alone as my Savior, I now receive the forgiveness for my sins and the free gift of eternal life that You offered me.
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Detroit terror attack: Second Nigerian arrested on Amsterdam flight By NICK ALLEN A second Nigerian man has been arrested on a Northwest Airlines jet in Detroit 48 hours after Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up an airliner unday's flight - Northwest Airlines 253 - was exactly the same route that Abdulmutallab targeted on Christmas Day. The pilot alerted the authorities and the plane made an emergency landing and was met by police on its arrival in Detroit. The man, who is in his 30s, reportedly locked himself in a toilet for more than an hour as the plane flew over the US. Before locking himself in to the toilet the man had already been up and down to the same cubicle several times. Cabin crew became increasingly suspicious, broke the door down and dragged him out. He is then said to have become irate and verbally aggressive. He was subdued and the pilot contacted the airport to say there was an emergency on board. Emergency vehicles gathered on the runway to meet the plane. The passengers and crew were evacuated from the plane and the man was formally arrested. Officials said no explosive device had been found on the suspect. The man had boarded the flight with no luggage. President Barack Obama, who is on holiday in Hawaii, was informed immediately. White House officials said Mr Obama was to have further talks with his aides over airline security. However a senior US official told Fox News that the man arrested on Sunday was simply a “sick passenger”. Another official told CNN the incident appeared to be “non-serious” and that the disruptive passenger “does not appear to be a threat”. The FBI gave the all-clear within hours of the latest alert. Like Abdulmutallab, the passenger had flown from Nigeria to Amsterdam and then picked up Flight 253 to Detroit. Abdulmutallab, who had studied engineering in London until last year, disappeared into a toilet for a long period of time before trying to set off his device. The flight, which had 257 passengers and 12 crew on board, landed safely in Detroit at 12.35pm local time. The plane was removed to a secure area of the airport for additional searches by bomb experts. Police took the disruptive passenger into custody for questioning. An airline spokeswoman, Sue Elliott, said the passenger was "verbally disruptive". She added: "Out of an abundance of caution the flight crew asked the plane be met on arrival by law enforcement."
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Jesus or Paul? It’s time to make a choice. I wonder what those who choose to follow Paul would call themselves. Since apparently, they aren’t ‘Christians’ by definition. Maybe Paulines. LOL. The following article was lifted from 234next.com. I just couldn’t resist re-posting it here to see what my readers have to say about it. Let’s go! Every Christian must decide whether s/he is a follower of Jesus or a follower of Paul. Don’t make the mistake of many in assuming the two are the same. For starters, take a look at the following discrepancies. Inconsistencies Jesus says children of God are born (Jn 3:3); but Paul says they are adopted (Rm 8:23). Jesus says God must be the only father of believers (Mt 23:9); but Paul says he (Paul) is the father of some believers (Phile 1:10; 1 Cor 4:15). Jesus says he is the only pastor and the only teacher (Jn 10:16; Mt 23:8); but Paul says there are many pastors and teachers (Eph 4:11; 1 Tim 2:7). Jesus says we should pray in private (Mt 6:5-6); but Paul says we should pray everywhere (1 Tim 2:8). Jesus says we should not eat food sacrificed to idols (Rev 2:14); but Paul says it does not matter if we do (Rm 14:14). Jesus himself was circumcised (Lk 2:21); but Paul says if we are circumcised we would be estranged from Christ (Gal 5:2-4). Jesus says we should not receive payment for preaching the gospel (Mt 10:8); but Paul says we should (1 Cor 9:11). Jesus asks us to baptise as we preach the gospel (Mt 28:19); but Paul dismisses the importance of baptism (1 Cor 1:17). Jesus says lying is of the devil (Jn 8:44); but Paul says God’s truth increased through the lies he told (Rm 3:7). Jesus says the word of God is truth (Jn 7:17); but Paul says the gospel can be preached with falsehood (Php 1:18). Jesus is against the use of deception (Jn 1:47); but Paul boasts of using deception (2 Cor 12:16). Jesus says we should love one another (Jn 13:34); but Paul wished some people would be castrated (Gal 5:12). Jesus says we should love our enemy in order to be like God (Mt 5:44-45); but Paul says we should love our enemy in order to pour coals of fire on his head (Rm 12:20). Jesus says we should not swear or curse (Mt 5:34-37; Lk 6:28); but Paul swears and curses (2 Cor 1:23; Gal 1:9). Jesus says God’s children don’t bear arms and don’t fight (Mt 26:52; Jn 18:36); but Paul says God’s ministers bear arms and use them (Rm 13:3-4). Jesus says we should disregard public opinion (Lk 6:26; Jn 15:18-19); but Paul actively courts public opinion (1 Cor 10:33; 1 Cor 9:20-22). Jesus says he who is acceptable to God will be hated by men (Jn 15:18-19; Lk 16:15); but Paul says he will be approved by men (Rm 14:18). Jesus says we should seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Mt 6:33); but Paul says we should seek glory, honour and immortality (Rm 2:7). Jesus says the kingdom of God has been taken away from Israel (Mt 21:43); but Paul says all Israel will be saved (Rm 11:26). Jesus says only a few of those called will be chosen (Mt 22:14); but Paul says all those called will be chosen (Rm 11:29). Jesus says salvation is by works (Mt 7:21; Mt 21:28-31); but Paul says it is by grace (Eph 2:8-9). Jesus says he completed his God-given assignment (Jn 17:4; Jn 19:30); but Paul says he completed what Jesus failed to complete (Col 1:24). Jesus says our trespasses will be forgiven if we forgive others (Mt 6:14-15); but Paul says they have already been forgiven (Eph 1:7). Jesus says we will be justified by our own words (Mt 12:37); but Paul says we are justified by faith (Rm 3:28). Jesus says eternal life is very costly (Mt 19:29; Lk 14:28-33); but Paul says it is a free gift (Rm 6:23). Jesus says God is not the God of the dead (Lk 20:38); but Paul says he is (Rm 14:9). Jesus says the commandments give life (Mt 19:17); but Paul says they bring death (Rm 7:10). Jesus says all the commandments are summed up in two commandments (Mt 22:37-40); but Paul says they are summed up in one commandment (Rm 13:9; Gal 5:14). Jesus says we should beware of anyone who says the day is at hand (Lk 21:8); but Paul says the day is at hand (Rm 13:12). Jesus says Abel, Adam’s direct son, was righteous (Mt 23:35); but Paul says all Adam’s descendants are unrighteous (Rm 5:12/19; Rm 3:10). Jesus says none of the Pharisees kept the law (Jn 7:19); but Paul says he kept all the laws of Moses as a Pharisee (Php 3:5-6). Jesus says we should be like God (Mt 5:48); but Paul says we should be like him (Gal 4:12; Php 3:17). Whose report do you believe? I only believe the report of Jesus Christ.
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Naija!!..some of the U-17 World Cup Media Centres for journalists don't have PCs and internet access..24hrs to the competition starting..& who went to fumigate the pitch,turning the grass frm green to brown.. wat a "great" nation we live in!!JUST like that, I felt a resurgence of inspiration to look forward to another two or three weeks of excitement in sports on African soil, courtesy of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup competition holding in Nigeria from this weekend - and a good outing for the Eaglets. For all it is worth, the best of youths from across the world would be on the big stage to showcase talents in the game of soccer. Reminiscent of the recently concluded Under-20 category in Egypt, football fans should expect no less in entertainment in the cadet championships in Nigeria, starting with the qualifiers in eight centres from October 24.This optimism of course is against the background of the recent deserved victory of Ghana's Under-20 squad in Egypt, a product of skill, hard work, resilience of the boys - all stemming from the organisational capacity of the local football administration. The last factor I believe was a demonstration of re-ordered societal values over a period, following some difficult years for that country on the economic, political and social planes. Credit for that renewed spirit which the Black Satellites ably applied and presented to the world in Egypt of course should go to those leaders who emerged about a decade ago with sincere minds to promote the best of human and Ghanaian values. The focus and the will to make Ghana work again did the magic; the people too were ready to make sacrifices in the interest of the nation. They were toiling while Nigeria slept.The new Ghanaian spirit is the picture Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola - an ardent soccer buff himself - tried to cut in his piece yesterday 'Football is life' where he recommended to Nigerians "a return to the basics", just as Ghana "rebuilt her institutions and entrusted them to men and women who had been tutored in the traditions of the best human values", paving the way for a workable economy, political life and democracy.Any true Nigerian who desires the best for his country should feel depressed by the retrogression in sports development - all sports - in the country, football in particular. There has been no conscious effort to develop the game of football beyond the mediocre level local administrators have carried it and are so contented with their ignorance. They are impervious to criticism even when it is clear their best has not been and might never be good enough for the country.For now, the system only encourages managers to just 'pick and play' for major competitions. What we have on ground is a garbage in-garbage out situation. That is why the Super Eagles would always wait till the very last game of the qualifying rounds of a global competition to determine their suitability for a place among the world best. That is why football administrators would resort to hiring prayer warriors to cause the heavens to effect the downfall of another country's team to allow an easy passage for Nigeria, as if the big stage is reserved for unserious countries.Nigeria '09 is likely to present our youngsters as truly worthy representatives in youth football, thanks to the FIFA-ordered Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests. At least we will now be in a position to truly assess our capabilities for success at that level because real under aged sportsmen are going to step forward to compete. The same goes for other countries in the competition anyway. If at the end we excel, it should call for true celebration of the stuff the country is made of in youth football. But should we wait for FIFA to order tests on bones and teeth or kick against passport-declared ages to tell us what is right?At present, it is a bit difficult to assess the capability of our boys; they are literally rookies - hardly unknown and untested, except for their training tour to Qatar . The only hope the country can hold on to for a rewarding outing is coach John Obuh's assurance to the nation that he has assembled quite good 'shooting stars' who are capable of holding their own on any day. We give him the benefit of the doubt as we pledge our support. It's just that Obuh and his wards should not come back to apologise for some unexpected slip (that has been the fad for a while among our sportsmen). Whatever he needs to do to make an apology become irrelevant should be perfected now.There's nothing bad in being champions again for the fourth time. A champion ought to attract respect really. Ask the losing Germans at Korea 2007. Ask the Brazilians at Egypt '09 against Ghana (for the first time I saw Brazilians crying). The are in a better position to stress that winning is everything. As defending champions at Korea 2007 exploits, the Eaglets are now the team to beat and that is likely to exert some pressure on the boys. But it's all part of the game. At this level, there is nothing like home advantage in a World Cup; that of course would have worked in favour of the Koreans two years ago.A fresh opportunity has been presented by the current FIFA Under-17 show to rebuild a national team that Nigerians can be proud of in the future. Not all them are likely to graduate to that level but at the same time not all them would be discarded as unsuitable. Even from the jaded list featured by coach Samson Siasia in Egypt, there are some promising stars for the future. With proper management of these human resources and other latent talents waiting in the wings, a good manager with an eye for quality will get Nigeria back on the winning path again.Interestingly, many academies are springing up round the country to train and reshape the young ones. This is a good step forward. What remains is to systematically tap and harness the resources for the good of the nation. It is one step to developing world-beaters in the round leather game. The country has had enough of heartaches from its national teams. The Golden Eaglets too would do well to realise that the sky is the starting point for them as they expose their talents to the world in the next few weeks.Africa has never had it so good with FIFA, with the staging of four major global competitions in the continent within a space of time: the Confederations Cup in South Africa, Under-20 World Cup and Under-17 World Cup in Egypt and Nigeria respectively this year, capped by the senior World Cup in under a year from now in South Africa. That is enough for Africa to reciprocate the confidence of the FIFA President Sepp Blatter in the organisational ability of the people and the growing level of the game in the continent.The cup is not beyond the Eaglets' reach if they apply themselves to the task at hand. They have the chance to lift it like any other participating team. That is the same spirit Cote d'Ivoire captain and hit-man for Chelsea FC Didier Drogba is displaying already on the chances of his national team at South Africa 2010. That man's level of confidence is amazing. Africa has risen in global football, perhaps it's time for her to shine at all levels of the FIFA-organised competitions especially at South Africa 2010.
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Soludo: Decision time for Yar’adua

Re: Soludo: Decision time for Yar’adua - by Garba Deen Muhammad DEENGARBA@GMAIL.COM published here in August of last year under the title: “Soludo: Why the North would miss him”. But I do affirm that whereas Soludo is not and could not have been the cause of poverty, ignorance and other social problems in the North, some of the policies he pursued tended to aggravate those problems. Among such policies were his banks’ consolidation policy; his recruitment policy and, lately, his decision to redefine the operations of Bureau de Change that places the impoverished region in even greater disadvantage. It is also necessary to state that it is of no consequence to me who replaces Soludo; that is President Yar’adua’s problem. Nothing our leaders do would shock us any more. Like millions of Nigerians, I am oppressed by micro issues such as how to pay my children’s school fees, how to get out of my mortgage, how not to fall sick, and which number to call should armed robbers visit my neighbourhood in the middle of the night. These are supposed to be government’s concern too, but where is the government? I oppose a renewed tenure for Soludo because I believe he’s become too controversial (a very charitable choice of word) to continue to head a sensitive institution like the central bank. As for the tragic situation in the North, there is absolutely no ambiguity about who is responsible. It is the northern military establishment, the northern political class and the northern traditional institution, in that order, that have conspired to turn a once vibrant, promising region into a bastion of squalor and despair. Even the ‘ignorant and illiterate’ ever-suffering people of the North have become aware who their oppressors are; which means that a climax and a change might be just a sunset or a sunrise away. Re: Soludo: Decision time for Yar’adua I read your above captioned article and felt depressed. For God’s sake what is the problem with us northerners? What is new that our leaders will need to learn from? You only learn from your mistakes and ignorance. They know everything, from the reasons for our backwardness to the solutions. The simple explanation is that we celebrate poverty in the north. Northerners derive joy in the misery of their neighbours. Check out most of our leaders’ relations and neighbours and see whether you will not see abject poverty and illiteracy there. I am not talking about their G.R.A. neighbours; no, I am talking about people that helped in their upbringing in one way or the other. Let each and every northerner search within him or her to see whether we are doing the right thing to our brethren. Thank you and keep up the good work. Halima Idris < htaurean@yahoo.com> Let me start by saying that it is normal to have the kind of sentiments you have about the situation in the North since you are a Northerner. But what I find unsettling is how you managed to bring the blame to Soludo’s court. First of all, for ideological reasons, I’m not a fan of Soludo and his policies. However, if the issue you are raising is poverty in the North, you have been quite unbalanced in the blame you apportioned to Soludo in causing it. Although, you highlighted rightly in your article the poor leadership in the North, you did not apportion to it the weight it deserved. I’m a bit surprised also that you are crying foul with respect to marginalisation. Even though recruitment in Nigeria that seeks to make equal representation of ethnic groups rather than merit is one of the problems we have (I strongly support that fields such as ‘state of origin’ should be completely removed from admission and employment forms), I think what Soludo did (if your accusation is right at all) is fair to the North. In other ministries and parastatals where northerners have been in charge, southerners have also been marginalised. Chibueze < junijustin@yahoo.com> Your grouse with Mr Soludo is summarised as follows: a) Recapitalisation and restructuring Nigerian banks; b) Failure to recognise federal character in the employment of central bank staff; c) The allegation that he enriched himself and d) patronising the North by recognising its unprecedented level of poverty and illiteracy. The question is, how many times have you written any articles about individuals like Mr Ibrahim Babangida, Mr Abdulsalam Abubakar, Ibrahim Tahir, Sani Abacha, President Yar’adua and many others who have consistently raped and plundered the fortunes of your people? You have not spoken or written about the unparalleled level of illiteracy and its corresponding effects in the North, yet you criticise other people who are doing their best to highlight the deliberate injustice engineered and perpetuated by the so-called northern elites in order that the people would remain as primitive as ever. Ikem Onyia < Stage65049@aol.com> From the content of your write-up, it appears you do not like Professor Soludo and you do not want him appointed for second term. Let me say here that I am not a fan of Soludo either but it will be wrong to insinuate that the CBN governor brought poverty to the northern states of Nigeria. It will also be wrong to say he aggravated the level of poverty in the North. I served Nigeria as a ‘youth corper’ in 1987 in the then Kano state and I saw poverty at its highest level in the town where I served—Gumel. Soludo was not known in Nigeria during those periods, so why should we blame him now? Mallam Garba, sometimes the problem lies with us and not outsiders. You northerners will then need to search yourself and find a solution. Gbenga < fgafolabi@aim.com> I was quite impressed with your write up on the above and how the North is being made to suffer from backwardness, thanks to our so-called leaders. Even with the emergence of the Yar’adua government which we thought might bring us back to the lime light, the reverse is the case: the North has really been marginalised. Ibrahim Sheik < ibrahimpizzo@yahoo.com> Parks, alcohol and the right to revel Your response to Professor Okello’s write-up appears anything but an aggregation of self-centred piety. The parks are not the only place criminals hide; indeed, most young people that go into crime these days are well educated and sophisticated enough to hatch their nefarious plans in the comfort of any luxurious hotel in town. Does that mean all the five star hotels or the first class restaurants where they eat in the FCT should also be demolished? Why can’t the minister look at the more pressing issues affecting residents of the FCT like perennial power failure, incessant accidents, poor water supply, access to satellite towns, nepotism and high corruption in FCDA and its components, among others? Udendeh Gabriel < gudendeh@cenbank.org> We talk about Abuja as a mega city deserving foreign investment and yet keep implementing inhibitive and backward policies that are divisive and border on lack of sensitivity to other people’s rights. For goodness sake, Abuja is not a local government headquarter; it is a modern capital city for an emerging nation and must be allowed to thrive in civility. Dr Maaki, Abuja
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