Posted by Jane Okinedo on January 15, 2010 at 12:28am
Celebrity Takes 2 is back for a second season! This time the crop of celebrities is just as exciting…maybe even more as the first season.Stars from the music and movie industries have been paired with experienced dancers for the competition of a lifetime.The couples for this season are Fred Amata and Blessing Akombi; Yinka Davies and Gbenga Yusuf; Kel and Francis Edet; Zaki Azzay and Bunmi Olunloyo; Faithia Balogun and Buddy Agedah; Stella Damascus and Wale Sodade; Yemi Blaq and Funke Sodade; Obiwon and Lilian Yeri; Faze and Folake Cole; Dakore Egbuson and Edet Iso.For the first few episodes, it will be Rhythm & Blue (Music) versus Red Hot Drama (Nollywood); one team from each camp will be voted each week. Then, it switches back to the traditional format. Viewers will get to vote for their favourite celebrities. The competition has already started and according to early indications, its going to be a very tough contest!Check out photos of all the celebs and their dance partners below and click back on BN to find out who is eliminated first!
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 13, 2009 at 3:59am
When an intrepid and award-winning Pakistani journalist, Hamid Mir scooped an exclusive interview with the world’s most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, the world’s intelligent agencies swooped on him like bees.
Osama bin Laden
They wanted to know how he was able to get an interview with a man who had defied the prying searchlight of the world’s most sophisticated intelligent agencies, like America’s CIA, Pakistani Intelligence Services, Israeli’s Mossad and Britain’s M-15, among others.
Mr. Mir scaled through the rigorous intelligence inquest only because he posed the toughest of questions to the godfather of Islamic terrorism, Osama bin Laden and the nemesis of Western imperial swagger.
He said: “In going to interview Osama, I risked my life. Here was the man the whole world was looking for. Then I was also investigated by the various intelligence agencies. I was vindicated just because I put the very hard and unfriendly questions to the most wanted terrorist in the world. The US Ambassador in Pakistani told me: ‘You were saved because of your questions.”
Ironically, Mr. Mir was also put through severe, life-threatening test before the interview by al Qaeda operatives, who feared that he might be a mole of the Western intelligence agencies who would do anything to get Osama bin Laden dead or alive.
Mir’s story is the story of grit, gut and willingness on the part of a journalist to risk his life to get a great story. A great story he got, but not before passing through the eye of a needle.
The Osama people had to put the poor reporter through a baptism of fire, as a precautionary measure to protect the world’s most wanted extremist and elusive fugitive.
As part of the baptism of fire, Hamid Mir recalls: “They asked me to take a bath with hot water. They placed some jell on my body; then they gave me some medicines and I had loose motions. I was not well when I was interviewing him. They took all precautionary measures. For two days, they were giving me medicine and I was just shitting. They were putting jell on my body again and again.
“I took hot water bath 15 times before interviewing him. They were suspecting there were some chemicals on my body, which could make it possible for the Americans to detect my location through the satellite. That’s why they asked me to take bath again and again. They were suspicious that maybe I had something in my stomach.
So, they gave me medicine for loose motions. You see, they never treated me very well.”
Mir was the moderator at the annual conference of the International Press Institute (IPI) World Congress and 58th General Assembly, which took place in Helsinki Finland from June 6-9, 2009. He was at the IPI to moderate the topic: “Talking to Terrorists: Should journalists, who provide the public with the information they need to understand the complexities of the battle against terrorism, talk with terrorists? Do they do so at the risk of becoming pawns in the terrorists’ public relations campaign? Where should journalists draw the line?”
As part of his remarks, Mir, who had interviewed Osama bin Laden thrice, told the delegates part of his Osama story. He said:
“When I interviewed Osama bin Laden first in 1997, at that time he was not a very popular international figure. My objective was to know whether he was involved in the killing of the Pakistani soldiers in Somalia in 1993. I was just trying to investigate who killed the Pakistani soldiers who were there on United Nations peace mission. And he confirmed: ‘Yes, I killed Pakistani soldiers because they were guarding the US soldiers.’
“So, actually I was trying to find out the story and I got the story. Then in 1998, he issued a fatwa to kill all the Americans and I asked him: Can you justify the killing of innocent people in the light of Islamic teachings? The third time, it was after 9/11. And I must tell you it was a lot of risk I had to take. When I went there I was not sure I would arrive back to my office safely. I even made a will to my wife. I wrote a letter of apology to my wife explaining why I went to risk my life.
“It is not a very easy but then when you are confronting a big terrorist, one thing must be kept in your mind; that you should not become a tool. He wants to propagate his views; he wants you to ask easy question; he wants you to become his mouthpiece but it is your duty as an objective journalist to ask him difficult questions so that if you are arrested by the intelligence agencies or your government is not happy with your mission, then you can present your questions as an evidence that you actually confronted the terrorist and you actually exposed him, you actually proved him wrong. Your conscience, your professional ethics, everything must be kept in mind. I believe as journalists we should serve the society; we should not serve terrorism.
“In going to interview Osama, I risked my life. Here was the man the whole world was looking for. Then I was also investigated by the various intelligence agencies. I was vindicated just because I put the very hard and unfriendly questions to the most wanted terrorist in the world. The US Ambassador in Pakistan told me: ‘You were saved because of your hard questions.’
“The intelligence agencies could not find him. At the time I went there, the war was still going on in Afghanistan and it was very difficult for any journalist to enter that area. When I reached Kabul, a massive carpet-bombing had started. I lost the hope of living. I thought I would be killed. I was the only journalist left in Kabul. Immediately after that interview, they entered the city of Kabul—the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Maybe that was the last interview he gave to any journalist. For me, it was only madness that drove me. I got the interview out of madness. There was another journalist, Robert Fisk. He also interviewed Bin Laden three times.”
When asked by a journalist on the floor why he did not brief the CIA after his trip, Mir responded: “It is not our job to brief CIA. It is the job of the CIA to learn something from us.”
After the discussion we, the two reporters from The Sun, engaged Hamid Mir in an exclusive interview on his life as a journalist and what prompted him to go to Afghanistan in search of Osama bin Laden. According to him, it was simply “madness” and a challenge to prove to an American lady reporter that he had the gut to do what the Americans couldn’t do — by going to cover the Afghanistan war from the war front in Afghanistan and not from the safety of a five-star hotel in Pakistan like the American reporters did.
Excerpts:
What prompted you to come into journalism?
I became a journalist because my father was a professor of journalism and he died at a very early age because he was fighting against the dictator in Pakistan. He poisoned him and I became a journalist just to continue his mission.
How did you learn the ropes?
I learn journalism after the sudden death of my father. I was a college student at that time. He died at a very early age. I was the elder one; so it was my responsibility to look after my family. So that’s why I became a journalist.
What kind of journalist was your father?
The name of my father was Waris Mir. He was the professor of journalism in the University of Pujab, Lahore, Pakistan. And he used to write a column in the biggest newspaper of Pakistan, which is called Daily Jang. He was a great critic of General Zia-ul-Haq, who ruled Pakistan from 1977 to 1988. General Zia-ul-Haq introduced some so-called Islamic laws in Pakistan. He started helping America in fighting in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union. So, my father was against the dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq. He started criticising him. And in 1987, General Zia-ul-Haq killed my father through slow poisoning. So when my father died, I was only 22 years old at that time. I just graduated from college and was about to go to the university.
We were not a very rich family. It was my responsibility to look after the family. I was the editor of the college magazine; so I applied for a job in the same newspaper; my paper was writing for and I got the job of an apprentice reporter in training there. That’s how my journalistic career started in 1987. Now, I am 22 years in journalism.
How did you rise in the profession?
I made a name for myself through scoops and big interviews. First of all, in 1994, I interviewed the Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres in Switzerland. I was there with Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. It was at the World Economic Forum meeting. As is known, Pakistan and Israel do not have diplomatic relations. I was the first ever Pakistani journalist to interview any Israeli leader. So that was my major scoop. And then in 1995, I interviewed President Nelson Mandela in New Zealand. And then I interviewed President Yasir Arafat. So, that’s how I made my name.
These interviews made me very famous in Pakistan. Especially, the interview with Nelson Mandela was a big hit. Because I was the only journalist in the whole of the South-Asian region, including India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh, to ever interview President Nelson Mandela. And with the passage of time, after a few years in 1997 I interviewed Osama bin Laden for the first time. I interviewed him again in 1998 and then I interviewed him for the third time in November 2001. And after that, in 2004, I interviewed the U.S. Secretary of State Collin Powell. Then I interviewed Condoleezza Rice. Then I interviewed Tony Blair. Then the President of Afghanistan, Mr. Hamid Kazei and many international celebrities.
How important are these big interviews in the life of a journalist?
These interviews are important because when you talk to tough people, you talk to famous people, and you ask them tough questions, valid questions, your readers come to know about your competence. They can judge your quality through your questions. If you have dug out a big story out of an interview, you are a good journalist.
What kind of preparation did you make to get Osama bin Laden?
When I was going to interview him for the first time in 1997, I was not aware of who he is, where he is from. I had very little knowledge about him. But when I interviewed him after 9/11, I asked him tough questions. And when I asked those tough questions, sometimes he got angry with me. He never answered some of the questions. And when the interview ended, he had tea with me, then he tried to terrify me. He said: “Mr. Mir, the bombing is going on, you may be killed with me and I will be happy to go to paradise.” But I told him: “I will go to hell with you.”
How did he react to your statement?
He never responded because he was not expecting such an ugly answer from me. Because at that time, I was of the view that I would not be alive. I felt that in the next few minutes, maybe I would be killed, so why should I be terrorised under pressure by this man? So he was talking nasty with me and I was talking nasty with him.
What are some of the hardest questions you asked him?
One of the questions was: “How can you justify the killing of innocent people in the 9/11 attacks?” Then I asked him another question: “There is a rumour that you have married the daughter of Mullah Umar, the head of Taliban. And that is why he has provided you with sanctuary in Afghanistan.” He was not expecting these kinds of questions from me. I also asked him: “You are suffering from kidney disease and you may not live very long.” But he said: “No, no, no, I am not suffering from kidney disease.” These were questions he had not been asked before and these were the questions, which saved me, because after coming back to Pakistan I was investigated by the Pakistani Intelligence Services and the Pakistani Intelligence Services were provided a lot of questions by the American CIA. They actually wanted to arrest me but I was very careful.
I never violated any international law. I got visa; there were visa stamps on my passport; I had the recording of the interview on my tape, I had the pictures, the negatives, each and everything. Many people said I had not interviewed bin Laden and that I was making the wrong statements just to become famous. But the CIA, the Pakistani Intelligence Services and the CNN — Nick Robertson of CNN — investigated and said it on CNN that “it is a genuine interview; we have examined the negative; we have examined the audio tape recorder, each and everything.” That was how I survived.
Who took the photographs while you were interviewing him?
I had my camera with me, but bin Laden never allowed me to use my camera. He never allowed me to use my camera because he was very careful. He took my camera; he emptied the camera; my film was removed. He put his film inside my camera and he gave that camera to his son, Abdulrahman, who took the pictures of me and bin Laden. He also recorded that interview on some small DVD Sony cameras. He recorded that for himself on the video camera, but for me, he gave only some still shots and the recorded interview on the tape recorder.
How come he was not suspicious of you? You could have been a spy.
Because I interviewed him two times before and his people spent two days with me in Afghanistan. They asked me to take a bath with hot water. They placed some jell on my body; then they gave me some medicines and I had loose motions. I was not well when I was interviewing him. They took all precautionary measures. For two days, they were giving me medicine and I was just shitting. They were putting jell on my body again and again. I took hot water bath 15 times before interviewing him. They were suspecting there were some chemicals on my body and the Americans can detect my location through the satellite. That’s why they asked me to take bath again and again. They were suspicious that maybe I had something in my stomach. So they gave me medicine for loose motions. You see, they never treated me very well.
What gave you the courage for all these?
It’s a good question. When the Americans started the war in Afghanistan, the whole Western media came to Pakistan. And they started covering the war in Afghanistan. They were standing on the roof of Marriot Hotel in Islamabad. So, one day I had a discussion with an American television journalist. She was a producer at the CBS news channel. And I asked her: You people are covering the war in Afghanistan while standing on the rooftop of a five-star hotel. Why don’t you go to Afghanistan? And she said arrogantly: Why don’t you go to Afghanistan? You also don’t have the balls to go to Afghanistan. You cannot face the bombing. That was the challenge for me.
So, I said: I will go. You will give me your cameramen and I will go and I will make some good shots. So, interviewing bin Laden was not on my mind. When I entered Afghanistan, the bombing started; so it was not possible for me to go back. Because that road was bombed by the Americans. So, we rushed toward Kabul. We reached Kabul and I was the only journalist there and the bombing was going on there. That was in November 2001, two months after the war. All the journalists run away. I had no option than to stay there because bombing was going on. And in the meantime, I met some fighters there in Kabul. The city of Kabul was empty.
There were only Al Qaeda fighters there. One of them recognized me and said: “Mr. Mir, how are you?” I asked him: “Where is your leader? I want to interview him.” He said: “No, no, no, he cannot give you an interview this time. The war is going on.” I said, “OK, I can stay here.” Because it was not possible for me to go back. I was stuck up in the war zone. I spent two days and finally I was able to get that interview. I got the interview out of madness. Because the war was going on and one American journalist challenged that if she cannot go to Afghanistan, then I cannot go too. But I proved that I can go to Afghanistan. That was the main objective. To go to Afghanistan. The main objective was not to interview Osama bin Laden.
What lessons can you draw from this concerning what makes a good reporter?
I must say risk is the beauty of journalism. If you don’t take risks, you cannot become a good journalist. A good reporter must be well-read; he must be honest; he should be objective; he should not take sides with political parties or whoever.
For me, a good journalist cannot remain neutral. I don’t believe in neutrality, because you cannot become neutral between good and bad. One thing is good; one thing is bad. If you are writing an opinion column, then you have to take the side of good people, you have to take the side of justice, you have to take the side of honesty. You cannot take the side of dishonesty. You cannot take the side of the President or the prime minister of the country. Always take the side of the good and honest people. If you are reporting news, you have to be objective. But if you are writing an opinion column, you have to take the side of justice and honesty.
What is news?
News is 5Ws. (Who, What, Where, When, Why?) Any incident taking place at any particular time at any particular place is news, and you have to report it. You should become a mirror in which the reader of your paper can see the incident. So a good reporter should behave like a mirror. And a good opinion writer, opinion column writer should act like a guide, should act like a man who is giving light in the darkness.
What does it mean to report?
You have to report what happened, where it happened and who did it. That’s all: 5Ws. This is the international principle of reporting. But a reporter should not become a tool of any political group; he should not become a tool of any terrorist group; he should not become a tool of any government; he should remain neutral. But I am repeating again and again, a good editorial writer and a good opinion column writer should not be neutral. You cannot be neutral; otherwise nobody would read your column.
What’s your impression of Osama bin Laden?
The main source of his strength is the bad American policies. If America today corrects its policies, if today America is ready to resolve the issue of Palestine, withdraw its forces from Afghanistan and Iraq, Osama bin Laden would be eliminated politically. But if you are not ready to resolve the issue of Palestine, you are not ready to resolve the issue of Kashmir, you are not ready to withdraw US forces from Afghanistan and Iraq and you want to kill Osama bin Laden, you will not get rid of terrorism. You can kill him physically but you would not be able to kill him politically. So, try to eliminate him politically by addressing some political issues.
In your opinion, is he still alive?
Yes, he is still alive and he is hiding somewhere in the eastern or southern part of Afghanistan.
Can you describe the milieu in which you found him?
First time I met him in the mountains in 1997. Second time I met him in the city of Kandahar. Third time I met him in the city of Kabul.
Can you describe him?
He is a very tall man, very smart man. I must say he is a lady killer but you don’t have picture of beauty.
What was the challenge of being the youngest man to edit a national newspaper in Pakistan?
I became editor at the age of 30 in 1996. When I became editor, I had never interviewed bin Laden. I became editor because my chief editor was of the view that I may become a very successful editor because I was very hardworking. So hard work and honesty forced my chief editor to appoint me editor of my newspaper.
What did you take after your father?
I learnt honesty from my father. I learnt bravery and courage from my father and I am very proud to be his son and I think that today I have outstanding achievements in journalism because of my father.
What values did your father stand for?
He stood for democracy, for human rights, for liberal and progressive Islam and he always stood for the truth.
How about your own family?
I have one son and one daughter. My son is not interested in becoming a journalist but my daughter is very much interested and I think she would become a good journalist.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on October 5, 2009 at 9:06pm
It is the month of August, a resort town sits next to
the shores of a lake. It is raining, and the little town
looks totally deserted. It is tough times, everybody is in
debt, and everybody lives on credit.
Suddenly, a rich tourist comes to town. He enters the
only hotel, lays a 100 Euro note on the reception counter,
and goes to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick
one.
The hotel proprietor takes the 100 Euro note and runs
to pay his debt to the butcher. The Butcher takes the 100
Euro note, and runs to pay his debt to the pig raiser. The
pig raiser takes the 100 Euro note, and runs to pay his debt
to the supplier of his feed and fuel. The supplier of feed
and fuel takes the 100 Euro note and runs to pay his debt to
the town's prostitute that in these hard times, gave
her services" on credit. The hooker runs to the hotel,
and pays off her debt with the 100 Euro note to the hotel
proprietor to pay for the rooms that she rented when she brought her clients there.
The hotel proprietor then lays the 100 Euro note back
on the counter so that the rich tourist will not suspect
anything. At that moment, the rich tourist comes down after
inspecting the rooms, and takes his 100 Euro note, after
saying that he did not like any of the rooms, and leaves
town.
No one earned anything. However, the whole town is now
without debt, and looks to the future with a lot of
optimism.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how the Irish
Government is doing business today.We hope naija can cash in on this strategy !
This is the only way to Economic recovery, bailing out all those FAT CATS up-stream does not guarantee that it will flow down-stream. Trickle-Economics will definitely flow up-stream, although it defies Sir Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation. Have a great day
Thanks to Osamuyi Paul Ogbebor for sending in this one !Read more…
Courtship is the traditional dating period before engagement and marriage. During a courtship couples date to get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement and marriage. Usually courtship is a public affair, done in public and with family approval.
Stephanie Oforka:advertisementadvertisement
It includes activities such as dating where couple go out together for dinner, movie, dance parties, picnic, shopping or general “hanging out”, along other activities.
With all these activities in place, the question today is whether lengthy period of courtship guarantees a successful marriage? As usual Bridget Amaraegbu has all the answers. Read on:
Successful marriage has no formula — Stephanie Oforka, MBGN Universe 08
Whether the period of courtship is long or short doesn’t really matter. What matters is that both parties are able to know themselves very well within the period of courtship.
I think it is wrong for people to court for a short period as it may imply that the people involved are in a rush. This may lead to certain arguments in the future because they didn’t take time to study themselves.
But courting for a long period does not also mean that the marriage will eventually be successful because we have actually seen people who courted for several years get divorced. Long period of courtship also has its advantages and disadvantages. One of those disadvantages include not having much respect for each other (in pidgin English, you can say it is see finish) because it gives the people involved the opportunity of knowing each other in and out. That is when you’ll find out that there is nothing any of them can tell each other anymore that will sound new.
Sometimes too, long period of courtship has been responsible for a lot of break ups in relationships. What can you say about a situation where people court for seven years only for one party to discover that they’re no longer compatible and that becomes the end of the relationship. You know, I call that madness. Why did it have to take them so long to realise they’re not compatible. For Christ sake, it doesn’t have to take a decade before you can know that he or she is not good enough for you. Even three months is enough for you to start seeing symptoms of a bad relationship if you’re very observant. At that point you should have defined what you really want and if it’s not there, back out at that point instead of wasting several years in a relationship that won’t work out in the name of courtship.
Some people have made several mistakes of marrying the wrong persons because even while they were courting, they saw some of those symptoms that indicates the marriage won’t work but they just thought it will get better. But I tell you that there are certain characters people have that can’t change. That is why you still see people who court for so long break up after sometime.
Both those who courted for short and long period experience break ups so the solution is not with how long. Instead invite God to open your eyes to the right person he created for you because if you refuse to invite him, you’ll have problems.
The only advantage with long courtship is that it helps you know your partner better than you would in a shorter period.
Also remember that people pretend so you may only find out those qualities the person wants you to know in some cases no matter how long. I know that some people will want to refer us back to our forefathers who didn’t know what it meant to court a woman and yet they didn’t experience divorce. My sister such actions lead to a lot of polygamy, disunity and things like that and I don’t blame them at all. What else do you expect of a marriage where the parties involved never got to be friends not to talk of courting each other. Days have gone when such actions were applicable. Today it’s most appropriate for a man and woman who intends leaving together till death do them part to really get to know themselves well.
That is not to say that there’s any particular formula to a successful marriage. What worked smoothly in the house of Mr A may not work for Mr B so don’t compare any two relationships together.
Can guarantee success — Sapphire Obi, Actress
I think I still prefer the long period of courtship despite the fact that it’s very possible for people to hide their bad character for a long time. I know very well that if you have to court someone for a short period, there are certain things you may not find out about that person. But with time, you’ll get to discover those things that he or she has been hiding. It’s even possible for the person to portray such character unconsciously not even taking cognisance of your presence when both of you are very close. By this time you should be able to capture certain about that person that you’re likely to cope with and those you can’t so I think that long courtship will go along way to guarantee success in marriage.
Only God can guarantee success — Moses Efret, Actor
I don’t think it’s wise for any courtship to last for too long or too short. The most important thing here is that you take time to know whom you want to spend the rest of your life with. If you think it must have a specific period, then two years may not even be enough. The major thing most people fail to realise is that it’s only God that can direct you to the right man or woman. Therefore it’s important that you invite him into that courtship because he has the final say.
If you ask me how long people can court, I’ll say six months to one year is alright after which the relationship becomes suspicious so I don’t think the length of courtship can determine a successful marriage.
Lengthy period not the solution — Sound Sultan, Musician
The length of courtship is not where the issue lies because many times we have seen people who courted for several years still divorce after all. And amazingly some others who courted for short term live successfully. I think the most important thing is just for you to let God direct you and nothing more because if you to rely on your personal analysis , you may get it all wrong and at the end you still have to suffer break up.
No guarantee to successful marriage — Djinee, Musician
My dear, whether the period of courtship is long or short doesn’t matter. The fact remains that there is no guarantee to a successful marriage, unless God gives it to you. It’s possible for you to have known someone for several years without really knowing that person, people live in so much pretense. Over the years, research has shown that people can hide some ugly characters in them which they don’t want you to know about. So no matter how long you court such person, you’ll only get to see those ugly things after both of you are married. The fact that you’ve courted for a long time doesn’t mean you’ve known him or her in and out.
If am allowed to choose from long and short term courtship, I’ll still prefer it a bit long because it gives you the opportunity to know your partner very well. Atleast it’ll give both of us the benefit of doubt that you’ve known each others families. Within this period, if any of us finds anything about ourselves that we may not be able to cope with, it’ll be better for us to forgo the relationship than get married and begin to have problems because of an issue that could have been avoided long time ago. Marriage is not a sympathetic institution so make sure you go into one that you must enjoy.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on August 23, 2009 at 6:35am
I am determined to change my slippers after 49 years, in the meantime , I will continue to wear it in hope not in fear. no matter how bad the heat is , no matter how hard you try and suppress me. Yes my legs are weak, I am not sure how far my slippers would carry me. I walk almost everyday because I cant find the energy i need to fill my tank.
Gradually my slippers shows wear and tear
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11 My slippers are still young
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18 Some have been in so much of a hurry that they have changed their slippers too soon much sooner than it was ordained
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21 We start to grow impatient the glue refuses to patch my slippers
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23 even when i fall there is hope I can lean on you come ooo there is a reason for keeping this slippers for so long
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25 I realise that the gum will not work, perhaps stapling the slippers wil patch it up, oh dear i have had an accident my hands are bleeding. 26 Yes there is hope
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28293031323334........it has to fly I have no choice..............3536............37382940414243444546474849
but I see my neighbours slippers and I see there is hope. I live in hope and not in fear that I will change my slippers but for now I thank BABA GOD for giving me the energy to note there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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