Israeli archaeologists said Monday they may have found the earliest evidence yet for the existence of modern man, and if so, it could upset theories of the origin of humans.

A Tel Aviv University team excavating a cave in central Israel said teeth found in the cave are about 400,000 years old and resemble those of other remains of modern man, known scientifically as Homo sapiens, found in Israel. The earliest Homo sapiens remains found until now are half as old.

"It's very exciting to come to this conclusion," said archaeologist Avi Gopher, whose team examined the teeth with X-rays and CT scans and dated them according to the layers of earth where they were found.

He stressed that further research is needed to solidify the claim. If it does, he says, "this changes the whole picture of evolution."

The accepted scientific theory is that Homo sapiens originated in Africa and migrated out of the continent. Gopher said if the remains are definitively linked to modern human's ancestors, it could mean that modern man in fact originated in what is now Israel..

Sir Paul Mellars, a prehistory expert at Cambridge University, said the study is reputable, and the find is "important" because remains from that critical time period are scarce, but it is premature to say the remains are human.

"Based on the evidence they've cited, it's a very tenuous and frankly rather remote possibility," Mellars said. He said the remains are more likely related to modern man's ancient relatives, the Neanderthals.

According to today's accepted scientific theories, modern humans and Neanderthals stemmed from a common ancestor who lived in Africa about 700,000 years ago. One group of descendants migrated to Europe and developed into Neanderthals, later becoming extinct. Another group stayed in Africa and evolved into Homo sapiens — modern humans.

Teeth are often unreliable indicators of origin, and analyses of skull remains would more definitively identify the species found in the Israeli cave, Mellars said.

Gopher, the Israeli archaeologist, said he is confident his team will find skulls and bones as they continue their dig.

The prehistoric Qesem cave was discovered in 2000, and excavations began in 2004. Researchers Gopher, Ran Barkai and Israel Hershkowitz published their study in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Suge Knight Arrested – Has Suge Knight Killed Tupac?

Suge Knight Arrested

Although Suge Knight was actually arrested today. According to CNN, it was as a result of not appearing at court on a traffic violation. According to reports, The 45-year-old consented to go with the police and was booked and issued a citation to appear in court again on the traffic violation. The whole process took about an hour.

It would seem that now some people have managed to turn that arrest into something much more than it actually was. Quite a difference between a traffic violation and being charged for murder.

I guess this latest rumor makes a change from all the death rumors that have been round the net over the last few days. We have had the death of Aretha Franklin, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy and a few other stars over the last few days. Needless to say, each and everyone of them are actually still alive.

Well, I suppose the latest rumor is a bit more imaginative, than the death rumors. wonder who is going to come up with the next one and what it will be.

LAGOS—BARRING last minute changes, the much expected outcome of the alliance talks between the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, andAction Congress of Nigeria, ACN, will be known today.
The most significant outcome of the friendship is that it has put paidto the presidential ambition of the former boss of Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Nuhu  Ribadu, under the ACN.
This followed the final talks held in Lagos last night where the CPCleader, General Muhammadu Buhari, is likely to run as jointpresidential candidate of the CPC and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN,on ACN’s platform with former Ekiti State governor, Otunba NiyiAdebayo, as his running mate, according to feelers from top_levelCPC/ACN alliance talks held at ACN leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’shouse at Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi.
The CPC team was led by Buhari himself whileTinubu led ACN’s team.
Joint presidential candidate
Sources said the ACN leaders had already accepted Buhari as their jointpresidential candidate. However, at last night’s meeting, theydemanded that, following the APP/AD alliance formula of 1999, the CPCleader should run on ACN’s platform, since it is already too late tomerge the two parties, as the ACN leaders initially preferred.
The ACN’s leaders’ demand, sources said, was because CPC is littleknown in the West, where ACN is now dominant, and it would be easierfor the ACN leaders if the joint candidate ran on their ticket. It wasnot clear whether the CPC leaders accepted the demand, which would makematters very difficult for them too, since CPC is just making animpact in the North and its supporters would be confused if asked tovote for ACN.
Another issue said to have dominated last night’s talks, was the issueof a running mate for Buhari. The ACN leaders’ first preference was forTinubu, who became the most powerful politician in the South West withACN’s snatching of several states from the PDP through the courts.
However, the CPC delegation was quick to point out the politicaldangers of fielding a Muslim_Muslim ticket, especially in some parts ofthe country such as the North Central Zone.
A flurry of political activities took place that tended towardsreshaping the political landscape, particularly the outcome of thegeneral elections expected to hold in April 2011.
Some of those activities included the amalgamation of oppositionelements, under the auspices of Patriotic Electoral Alliance ofNigeria, PEAN, in their efforts to wrest power from the ruling party,the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
This was followed by the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC’s announcement of the shift and, perhaps, the final date for theconduct of the general election _ despite the pending debate at theNational Assembly over the contentious Electoral Act.
Though an internal worry in the PDP, the emergence of the consensuscandidate of the northern aspirants _ an exercise initiated by theNorthern Political Leaders Forum, NPLF, led by the former FinanceMinister, Adamu Ciroma, which endorsed former Vice President AtikuAbubakar _ was also another exciting activity which heightened thepolitical tempo during the period in reference.
This is even more when the ambitions of heavy weights like formerMilitary President Ibrahim Babangida; erstwhile National SecurityAdviser, Mohammed Gusau, and incumbent Governor of Kwara State who alsodoubles as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, Bukola Saraki,were sacrificed for Atiku.
The implication of the development is that the coming elections wouldbe a keen contest. PDP has within its ranks a lot of rivalries tocontend with, particularly with the vexed issue of the zoning which hasdangerously gravitated towards ethnic colouration of who flies theparty’s flag.
Deployment of strategies
However, the most worrisome is the potential of opposition parties tosupplant PDP in the coming election, deploying whatever strategies; beit through alignment, merger, coalition, alliance, union or whateverterminology they choose.
The tempo has indeed heightened in the last couple of weeks and givenvent to the discourse on probable alliances against the PDP in a bid towrestle presidential power from President Goodluck Jonathan.
Of all the alliances, however, the one that appears to be the greatestthreat to the PDP is the merger or alliance talk between the ACN andthe Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, championed by twoheavyweights, Senator Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State andunarguably the current strongest man in Southwest politics; and GeneralMuhammadu Buhari, former military president, who today holds therecord of the only Nigerian who has consistently but unsuccessfullysought to rule Nigerian in the last three general elections.
Though, it appears that the merger talks have witnessed many hitches,signals point to the possibility that both men are exploring othersynergies to form a formidable force to confront their common foe.
Spokesmen of both parties, Lai Mohammed, ACN; and Denis Aghanya, CPC,agreed that there were irreconcilables over merger arrangement, butnoted that the chances that alliances would sail through was apossibility.
The fact that ACN holds sway in the South West and are having seriousimpact in the South_South while CPC is the party to beat in the North,gave a ray of hope that there indeed was a possibility to wrestle powerfrom PDP come 2011.

http://4u2great.blogspot.com/2010/12/acn-dumps-ribadu.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+KitchenOfIdeas+%28KITCHEN+OF+IDEAS%29

At least 80 people have died in Jos, the Plateau State capital, since a series of bombs went off in the city over the weekend. The death toll initially put at 32 has increased with many of the injured dying from their wounds.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) yesterday confirmed that it has recovered 80 bodies, many from the streets. Daniel Balarabe Gambo, the Agency’s deputy director of operations said statistics from five hospitals show that about 180 people injured in the blasts were receiving treatment.

The Special Joint Task Force has paraded three persons arrested at the abattoir and Dutse Uku area of the state allegedly trying to plant a fresh bomb at the back of a Baptist Church building at Nasarawa Gwong.

The three are also accused of complicity in last Friday’s bomb blast as dynamites and other explosive substances were found in their possession. The Task Force said they have been handed over to the police for further investigation.

The officials also recovered three bottles of petroleum bombs, some quantity of fertiliser, bottles of dynamites, live ammunitions, rifles, bows and arrows. A few of the suspects ran away on sighting security operatives..

The commander of the Task Force, Hamza Haruna, a Brigadier General, said the bombs were intercepted when the owners were trying to plant them. The Commissioner of Police, Plateau State Command, Abdulrahman Akano, said a total of seven explosives were discovered to have been planted in two separate areas of the state capital.

He said the police and other security agencies are determined to get to the root of the matter and are already in possession of some leads that will unmask the culprits.

Mr. Akano said the dynamite and about 100 match boxes recovered from one of the places combed by men of the bomb unit are now being analysed.

A sad occurrence

Oluseyin Petinrin, Air Chief Marshall and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) has promised that the federal government will make sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Mr. Petinrin who spoke in Jos yesterday when he visited Kabong, Gada Biu the place where the first bomb was exploded, spoke in Pidgin English.

He said the dastardly act was condemnable. ``Dis kin tin way happen e dey sadden everybody. Even for Abuja, everybody is unhappy. We commiserate with you, because this is your community, some of the people wey die some of them na una relations and so on.

“By the grace of God, we will get to the bottom of this thing, but these people (perpetrators) e get wetin dem wan achieve.

“Wetin dem wan achieve be say we start to fight each other for Nigeria, if we say we go start to attack oda people, you are just attacking innocent people,’’ he said.

He appealed to the people to remain calm and assured them that the security agents would unearth the perpetrators of the act.

“The way you can help government to quickly get to the bottom of this thing is to be calm, go about your normal business and do not try to retaliate. When you retaliate, you will be retaliating against innocent people. You do not know the people who did this thing. It is possible they are not even from Jos, so let us get to the bottom of it first and I know you can help,’’ he said.

National tragedy

Meanwhile, some groups have described the bombings as “barbaric and a national tragedy.’’ The groups, The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Muslim Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MMPN), Movement for Islamic Cultural Awareness (MICA) and Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates Association (UNIFEMGA, condemned the attack.

In a statement, MURIC Director, Ishaq Akintola, said the group was deeply disturbed by `` the use of terrorist tactics like bomb explosions to settle scores. This is a dastardly act. It is barbaric, inhuman and insane. The perpetrators are unpatriotic and unscrupulous elements bent on turning Nigeria into a wide battle field.’’ The group appealed to religious and tribal leaders in the affected area to call their followers to order and ensure that everything necessary was done to avoid further bloodshed.

In the same vein, Muslim media practitioners in a statement by Abdurrahman Balogun, chairman of the group, called on the authorities to fish out the perpetrators of the killings and bring them to book without further delay.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), quoted the MICA Coordinator in Abuja, Abdulbasit Bakare, as saying ``It is sad that ethnic and religious rivalry in Plateau State has degenerated into deep ethnic hatred and killings of innocent people. This dangerous trend must stop forthwith.’’ Ahmed Popoola, National President of UNIFEMGA also condemned the bombings and urged leaders of all sectors to refrain from making inflammatory statements.

``The people of Plateau must learn to live together in harmony, embracing one another for the sake of themselves and to ensure peace and stability without which meaningful progress would be unattainable, ‘’ he said.

State of emergency

The Patriotic Alliance of Nigeria (PAN), yesterday called on the government to declare a state of emergency in Plateau State.

Maxi Okwu, the group’s coordinator said there was need for the government to treat the incident as a serious breach of national security.

“We can no longer afford to fold our arms while reckless individuals turn the nation into carnage of sorts. No one is safe and if care is not taken, Nigeria will soon become like some countries where bombs are being detonated everyday and lives lost’’ Mr Okwu said.

The Kano State Police Command has dismissed two

constables who abducted and raped a 16-year-old girl for one month, and demoted the police inspector who connived in the crime. Photo:The Kano state governor, Ibrahim Shekarau and the Inspector General of police, Afeez Ringim. A 16-year-old girl was abducted by the some policemen who were on night patrol in Kano city and used as sex slave for about 28 days. Photo: NEXT

The state's Police Commissioner, Muhammad Tambari Yabo said the dismissed policemen, Yusuf Ibrahim and Salisu Mahmud were found to be the prime suspects in the rape case, while Mohammed Dantalle, the inspector, was demoted for his complicity.

Mr Yabo said the three policemen were tried and found guilty at orderly room level. He said that he personally reviewed the outcome of the orderly room trial and handed them the punishment.

He also said plans are afoot to send the case diary to the state's Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for professional advice in prosecuting the three men.

On the civilian collaborators said to be linked with the crime, the commissioner said information available to the police showed that they have fled to Lagos and Ibadan. He said the command had already declared them wanted and circulated their photographs in those areas for easy apprehension.

Mr Yabo said the three civilians actively took part in the alleged crime alongside the policemen, and there will be no hiding place for them because soon the law will catch up with them.

"We will continue to do our work with the fear of God," he said. "We hope that the measures taken against the cops will help address the concern being raised by members of the public since the matter came to limelight last month."

The 16-year-old girl, name withheld, was abducted by some policemen who were on night patrol in Kano city. She was subsequently kept in captivity for 28 days inside a room at Kwali Police Station where she was serially raped....

A horror story

The teenager, who said she was a virgin before the incident, explained that one of the policemen who abducted her proceeded to give her to other men who also raped her and paid him for it. According to her, the policemen often used their official patrol vehicle to take her to the patrons.

Narrating her ordeal, the teenager recalled that she got on a motorcycle from Unguwa Uku, with the intention of returning home to Yakasai quarters after visiting her mother.

Her mother has been married to another man since the death of her father and she makes it a duty to visit her mother from the house of her grandparents in Yakasai.

She said while on her way home, the commercial motorcycle rider spotted a team of policemen on patrol a few metres ahead of them. It was still around 9pm. However, knowing that his motorcycle had no headlamp, the motorcyclist turned off his engine and pushed the bike until they got past the police.

"But as we got to the policemen, they asked him why he was moving with a girl," she said. "He replied that the motorcycle developed a problem. They now asked him if it still has fuel and he answered yes. One of the policemen collected the key from him and started the bike and thereafter challenged him for riding without light."

The policemen asked the motorcyclist to ride on and leave her behind. They told him they were going to take her home in their patrol vehicle and also asked her to go and wait for them in the police car.

She pleaded with the policemen to allow her to go home because she was sleepy. After keeping her until 2am, they drove with her into their barracks in Kwalli area where they locked her in a room and went away. She said Mr Yusuf later came in with a gun and threatened to kill her if she shouts, before proceeding to rape her.

"He threatened that if I didn't shut my mouth, he was going to shoot me with the gun. He slapped me and tore my shirt and pointing a gun to my face," she said.

A sex slave

She said she was later repeatedly raped by Mr. Yusuf and two other policemen, Dantalle and Salisu Dansanda, as well as three civilians, Shehu, Misbahu Mohammed and Sanusi Pele.

She added that she was even taken to an Indian hemp dealer and some other persons who raped her and paid the policemen some money afterwards. They came back to pick her up with the police patrol van the next day.

The teenager said during her 28-day captivity, apart from Mr Yusuf whom she said turned her into a sex-slave, each of the two policemen and the three civilians serially raped her and mostly without using condom.

She disclosed that when she managed to escape from her captors three weeks ago, her uncle went with her the next day to report at Kwalli police station. But the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the station begged the relatives to forgive his men and let the matter die.

The grandfather, who rejected the position of the DPO, instructed her brothers to take the matter up with the Hisbah, the state shari'ah law enforcement agency.

The secretary of the Hisbah board, Sunusi Salisu Aliyu, said when Mr. Yusuf was invited by his men for questioning and admitted abducting the girl but denied raping her.

"We wonder how the policeman failed to provide an answer as to why the police chose to hide a person they picked during patrol in a private room instead of registering her at the counter," Mr Aliyu said.

Calls for prosecution

The family said it has been under pressure by some police officers to abandon the case.

The Kano office of the Legal Aid Council has, through its coordinator, Nurudeen Ishola, said it is going to wade into the matter and take the girl's plight up with the Kano State Attorney General.

The National Human Rights Commission had also expressed concern at reports that policemen had tried to suppress evidence in the case, including attempting to persuade the victims' parents to abandon the case.

Renowned Islamic scholar, Tijjani Bala Kalarawi condemned the act and called on the authority not to only dismiss the officers but to take them to the court where the teenager can be compensated.

"This world is full of evil men," he said. "You can imagine people saddled with the responsibility of protecting the citizens would now deviate and carry out such bad act. It is a pity that this can happen in our society; these people must be brought to book to serve as a deterrent to others."

A group of concerned persons in Kano had also addressed the media, demanding the immediate trial of the suspected rapists.

The group, led by a lawyer, Abdulla Imam, called on both the state and the federal government to prosecute the accused persons. He said a group of lawyers were working together in respect of the case and vowed to pursue it until justice is done.

His youthful vigour

Considering the fact that I am coming from what I will call my last public event this year and possible last public event in other places, before I retire, may be that is a clue that I enjoy being among young people. As I said at the launch of President Jonathan’s Bring Back the Book event, that was the greatest Christmas and New Year present that I could have dreamt of; to find myself among, and I meant very genuinely among the youth and interacting with them, maybe that is the only secret. I am speculating because I really don’t know. I am not even aware I am looking young. I don’t feel young at all.

The public apology tendered by Yakubu Gowon during Soyinka’s 70th birthday

Oh! In fact that apology wasn’t necessary because we have reconciled long before then. We met in events in United States, we met in the lobby of hotel at one time and of course he came to my birthday. The point is that, it’s virtually impossible for me to hold it personally. The only thing that was bitter, and I must be honest with you, was the lie against me while I was locked away and I think it was not the fact of being locked away. I was put in a totally impossible position, while the most unbelievable fabrications were being published about me, including a confessional statement which did not exist, which never took place. Forgiven is even a wrong word, I have no problem finding myself reconciled with Mr Gowon. He also did something which I found impressing. He went to Onitsha, you know the massacre which took place, where civilians were massacred, lined up and shot.

When he learnt about it, he made a trip to Onitsha and went and apologised to the people. You see in war time, all kinds of things happen, some of them which make humanity ashamed. When those things happened and you are in charge and then you learnt about it and you are humble enough and humane enough to go back and try to make amends, I found it impossible to hold anything against you.

His views on returning to the world again as a Nigerian

You have asked a question that beholds me at my age to answer with utmost truth, a question that requires a lot of reflection. There are certain things I know I will miss, if possible and I come back somewhere else. Basically, I think I would prefer to be a member of a smaller, more manageable country. Nigeria is a problematic enclave. I can tell you that if the condition of my coming back into the world is that most of the people in this area should also come back, I will say please send me back. I will rest peacefully, if I could die knowing I never knew those characters that have infested this nation we call Nigeria. It is a place that has been degraded by the quality of people who seems to be the most active, to have managed to push themselves into roles of leadership. They created a character called Nigeria character, very embarrassing on many levels.

His saddest and happiest period

The word happy is what I use very sparingly. I will like to substitute that with the most contended moment or period of my existence.

I would certainly count among the most fulfilled moment, when I found it possible to return to the country after a period of exile and I could come back.

One of the saddest moments of my life, which I recognised during Abacha’s rule, was the moment when I stood at the bank of a river which I crossed to escape in the bush in a part of Iseyin, Oyo State, because I have sworn I will never be driven into exile again. But it was necessary, you know. That moment was one of the saddest of my life.

Lessons learnt from his travels

There is no way you travelled and you don’t make comparison. One comparison you make most of the time makes you wonder why it is impossible for the nation you belong to advance. We started from the same starting bloc as a number of Asian countries and if you visited those countries today, it is a marvel and you wonder if it really is possible for society to have deteriorated to this level, to remain unproductive. Every moment I go out, people think I enjoy junketing. No; I go out to earn my living, pursue my profession.

His assessment of the nation’s democracy since 1999

My candid assessment is that democracy is still far away. Genuine democracy is not just election. This country has been there before, when you could actually say this is a democratic society. But the military experience has distorted things. Today, governors behave like military administrators. Some of them murdered more people than Sanni Abacha did. Elections are approaching and riggers realised it’s going to be more difficult to rig; so, they are doing pre-emptive rigging, kidnapping opponents and only releasing them after the candidate has accepted to stand down. In my own state, Ogun State, Dipo Dina was killed; today the police has not announced a single breakthrough.

This is a governorship candidate. Democracy is already maimed. Look at elected officers, they wanted to be return unopposed automatically. Many of the sensitive positions are still manned by former military men who changed their regalia and rigged into the positions. The President of Senate, who was never elected, is a former military man.

The rejection of Ibrahim Babangida’s candidature by some northern politicians

I don’t think it is just the Northern caucus which rejected Mr Babangida. I think the whole nation rejected Mr Babangida from the very beginning. What Mr Babangida thinks he is doing by insisting on coming back to rule this country, I do not understand. But it is unfortunate that such an intelligent person, it is a pity that he would have allowed some individuals to have persuaded him that he can return to rule this country. And each time you point it out, his gang of sycophants, (abobaku) leave the subject alone and turn on the speaker. You see, after you publish this, they would come out. You will see them, the subject becomes Wole Soyinka. But Wole Soyinka will still continue to say the truth.

The disruption of his recent initiative to resolve the political crisis in Ogun State

When I read in the newspapers that some loyalists of Gbenga Daniel tried to disrupt the meeting, the word loyalists is wrong. It should have been some Gbenga Daniel mercenaries tried to disrupt the meeting. They did everything possible to disrupt the meeting and that was what they intend to do. We received very reliable report on what they wanted to do, and so I wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police and delivered it to him and sent a copy to Inspector General of Police to let them know that there were plans to violently make sure the meeting did not take place. In addition to the police coming, I also engaged a security outfit from the night before. So, they were in the hall to check that nothing is planted to incriminate people. When I say they are mercenaries of Gbenga Daniel, I know what I am saying. I have a full tape from beginning to the end. Not only that, it seems I missed the best part of my own show which I regretted, because I would have loved to watch it. After I left, a fight broke out among some of these mercenaries in the sharing of the loot. Gbenga Daniel should be man enough to admit that he sent these people to disrupt the meeting. He should stop hiding under women’s skirt and come out boldly. It is a great pity, and I am sad because he lost a great opportunity. All we wanted to do, the target is how to provide Ogun State with title of gateway to democracy. The question which we wanted to solve is how to re-open the Ogun State House of Assembly. That assembly belongs to Ogun citizens. It does not belong to an individual.

Intractability of the problem

This is the question which will not go away. Before the start of the president’s book reading programme, I sat in camera with the president.I said, ‘what is happening in Ogun State is a disgrace. It brings shame to any pretence to democratic government. Get the House of Assembly open, make sure those who go there are protected. An individual or cabal cannot shut the House of Assembly. It means democracy had been terminated in Ogun State. It means Ogun is being run by a sole administrator who is free to do anything he wants, including disruption of democratic meetings. This has been going on since September. I told the President, how can you allow this to go on for so long? Let me add something which all Nigerians should be reminded of about this crisis. One of the groups challenged the governor to a debate on the issue of bond, the whole nation was agog waiting for this debate once the governor had accepted. I think on the eve of the debate, the assembly was shut, a majority was sacked by the minority. The debate never took place, but even the shutting of the assembly which is, to me criminal enough, does not prevent the debate. So, a crude, vulgar attempt was made to make sure it did not happen, so where is freedom of expression in Ogun State?

His request at the Town Hall meeting that he wanted to be buried in Abeokuta

Haa! That will be a private matter. Everything is so written in my will. But if I die before democracy is restored in Ogun State and now that you asked that question, I think I better go and put a codeism to my will. If I died before democracy is restored in Ogun State, I think I might add to my will that I should either be kept on ice or temporarily buried somewhere else in Nigeria.

His thinking on religiosity of Nigerians

First of all, you said I don’t go to church. That is not true. From time to time, events take place which take me to church. I have nothing against the churches, I have nothing against mosques. I have nothing against temples, against shrines. I am a very different person. You know, I am not a religious person. In other words, I don’t go around worshipping, observing calendars.

But, sometimes, I share with others their own religious seasons and why not, its all part of human quest for a meaning of one outside sect. But if you say do I belief as Christians or Muslims do, no I do not. I believe that as spiritual extension of all, that can take any form. I like to go deep inside myself and carry out certain... and that satisfies me. So, I don’t worry myself going to church on Sundays, going to Mosque of Fridays or going to Seventh Day Adventist. I also believe that religion or spirituality is a personal thing.

How he treats his hair

Oh! barbing saloon. Oh! I carry my barbing saloon with me. I have a good comb, and the comb take off some in the process and that is my daily help out.

I don’t treat it at all. I don’t have time for that. If am in an open boat, or I go in the wind, you need to see it, just scatter all over the place. And when I swim, you want to see. You know I don’t treat my hair at all, it just take all kind of wild form to scare people...

Withdrawal from public life

I have been announcing it serially, I am withdrawing from public life. I have to concentrate on a number of things. It is something that has been going on in my mind for years. When Desmond Tutu did that, I say I have people to point to, to say they have shown the way. So, my date to retire from public life is coming very soon. This interview will be my last interview.

12/21/10

A Short Christmas Message

Here in Naijaa, and in other Christian Countries around the world we have taken the 25^th day of December to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. His birth was very important no doubt. His birth was the beginning of the fulfillment of prophecies foretold hundreds of years in Israel's history before it happened. His birth signified that salvation has come, and was now available for all men! His birth was so important that we have the account in the book of Luke the 2^nd chapter of an Angel appearing to the Shepherds that were watching their sheep in the fields at night to bring them the news of the Savior's birth by telling them “I bring you good news of great Joy, which shall be for all people”. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”!And suddenly their was a heavenly host of Angels praising God and saying “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace and good will toward men”. So Jesus' birth was indeed very important.

And yes, even though this is the time of the year that has been set aside, there are some that would say that Jesus was not born at this time of the year, and they are correct! There is ample scripture references to back up this point, but I am not here to debate that point or to teach on it, my point is this; we were never given a command to remember and celebrate year after year the birth of Christ, at least not in the way that it is being celebrated in these times. You see every year we want to put Christ back into the manger, we want to make him an infant again...well, that is simply not going to happen! Don't or can't we realize that Christ and the God-head or not to be compared to human things or even to earthly things!? We can't bring the sacredness and holiness of God down to fit our idea of what he is all about, he is far more than we can begin to comprehend. Paul made that point in Romans the 1^st chapter, and this is why religion and carnal Christianity is the way it is today! We simply cannot continue to make an infinite and Holy God like unto us finite and corrupt men!

So; we were not commanded to yearly celebrate or remember his birth, however, we were commanded to remember and celebrate his death! We are told by Jesus and Paul that whenever we eat the bread and drink the wine, we show or remember Jesus' death until he comes again; Luke 22/1Corinthians 11. For you see, without his death we could not be reconciled unto the Father! It is his death that completed the perfect plan of God. If Jesus had somehow failed along the way during his earthly visit here, and succumb to the temptations of the enemy...as great and wonderful as his birth was...the plan of salvation for all men would have been forever lost, and we truly would be above all men most miserable! So let us consider this, Jesus Christ is not a baby anymore, and never again will be! He is the Lion of the Tribe of Juda, he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! He is alive for evermore, and is seated at the right hand of Majesty on High and is forever making intersession for you, me and for all of mankind! I believe that if we re-invented the whole idea of Christmas and viewed it in this respect, there would be a greater impact on our Nation, and Churches...I believe that more men and women would repent and receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior!

If we could come to the understanding that Christmas, or better still, the birth of the Savior is the day in which salvation was made available to all mankind, for without it we would truly be lost and the only thing that we could look forward to after death, is the second death and eternal separation from God in Hell! Paul said it like this in Ephesians 2:12-13; that you were at that time without the Messiah, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

So Christmas if you will; what is it really all about? It's not about celebrating an infant or baby Jesus, it's about celebrating salvation that has now entered in the world whereby all men now can have peace, can receive peace with God, through the finished work that Christ came and did! The birth of the Savior was the beginning of the plan of Salvation that the Father had began long before the founding of the Earth!

B-blessed Everyone;

Michael

As Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, residents of Jos, Plateau State, are in mourning, as no fewer than nine separate explosions rocked Gada Biu, Kabong and Angwa Rukuba area of
the state yesterday, killing about 20 people.

Saturday Sun gathered that the bombs went off at about 7. 30 pm in
quick succession and lasted till about 8.40pm, killing the victims and
injuring score of others. The first explosion, from our findings, went
off in front of a Catholic Church in the area, while subsequent
explosions occurred a few kilometer to the police headquarters.
Sources revealed that bodies of the dead as well as those injured were
taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulrahman Akano, confirmed
the incident but declined to give the number of casualties. However, a
top police officer in the city revealed that he could only confirm
seven dead victims at the time of this report.

Commander of the special task force in Jos, Brigadier General Hassan
Umaru, also confirmed the explosion last night but declined to give
details, as, according to him, he was rushing down to the explosions
scenes.
Military sources told Saturday Sun that an unidentified group had sent
out warning that it would take measures to ensure that Christmas was
not celebrated in Plateau State.

Following the bomb explosion, security has been beefed up in the
affected areas and the entire state capital. By last night, soldiers
were deployed to the areas. Also, the areas have been cordoned off,
with soldiers standing guard at major roads.
Fear has gripped the ancient tin city, with most of the residents holed
up in their homes. Darkness has enveloped parts of the city, as a
result of power outage.
Jos has suffered many explosions this year with so many lives lost. http://4u2great.blogspot.com/2010/12/explosions-rock-jos.html

Police released the name of a woman who was found dead in a suitcase and were still searching for a suspect seen on a surveillance video rolling the suitcase on a New York block.

Police identified her as Betty Williams, 28, from the Bronx. Williams was strangled and then stuffed into the dark-colored suitcase, authorities said. The suitcase was found Wednesday night.

A grainy video, released by police, shows a man dressed in a dark knit hat and leather jacket with light-colored pants, pulling the dark-colored suitcase near a stoop in East Harlem.

The man pauses as three people walk by before hauling the suitcase past a dark-colored sport utility vehicle and out of the camera's sight..

Later, the woman's body was found in the suitcase, and blood was leaking from the luggage, police said.

"The cause of death is strangulation," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Thursday. "We initially announced it was trauma to the back of the head -- that was the belief of the investigators at the scene."

Kelly added, "We're talking to relatives, and we hope to have more definitive information about her acquaintances that will help in the investigation."

The New York Police Department is seeking the public's assistance in identifying the suspect in the video.

The church is ground and pillar of truth.  Folks attend church services for different reasons; but a unique feature among all church goers is that they go there to meet a need. Nevertheless need vary from one individual to another, while some go to church

Among these aforementioned, none, attend church services in disguise, which begs the question, why Nigeria`s first lady, Patience Goodluck Jonathan has to conceal her identity each time she visits T.B. Joshua`s Synagogue Church of All Nations.

We can say that the President's wife, Patience, has met with T.B. Joshua three times, since she became first lady of the federal republic of Nigeria.  

A highly placed source within the church who preferred to remain anonymous, said,

“Though the president had not met with Joshua for any reason since he became the first citizen of the country, his wife had visited the church three times”.

According to the source, the first lady's interest in the man of God began when he accurately predicted the death of the former President, Umar Musa Yar'Adua, the week he was rushed from Nigeria to a hospital in Saudi Arabia.Prophet Joshua in his usual prayer session that afternoon told the congregation and Nigerians to pray for the soul of the President.

He also told them that the country needed prayers because he was saw darkness enveloping her as he was looking at a basket covered with the colours of the Nigeria flag.

Before the former President fell ill and when he was persuading the militants of the Niger Delta region of the country to accept his amnesty offer, TB Joshua had stated that the militants were only fighting because they were oblivious of God's plan for them. According to him, somebody from the region would emerge on the seat of power unexpectedly.

"So as someone who was favored by the prophesy, the woman decided to sometimes visit the church whenever the need arose.

The source also confided that the second time the first lady visited the church was when her husband became the substantive president and the Prophet was said to have declared that Jonathan would later be interested in the presidency and that his decision to contest might pitch the southern part of the country against the north.

He therefore warned the president not to declare any intention till the after August this year.

"If you remember, the president was lukewarm to the issue of his ambition and he left Nigerians guessing his future moves.

"It was because of the prophesy that he delayed. And you could see what has been happening in the political environment even before he declared his willingness to contest for presidency," the source said.

She visited not too long ago and has been in communicating with the Prophet. But is it a crime for a person to be religious in Nigeria?" The source asked.

However we learnt that the first lady's visit had always been shrouded by her.It was learnt that she always visited the church with only two security operatives and this had been giving the Lagos state secret security service, SSS some concern.

The operatives, the source are concerned of her safety and as a result, they had asked the church to compile the list of both local and foreign politicians and political office holders who visit the church.

However, the list is still being prepared.

culled & adapted from huhuonline

1. Is it just sexual attraction?

Sexual attraction comes from the reptilian brain and is automatic and powerful because it relates to our
survival. It's not always a basis for living with someone happily. Don't let it "hijack" you. Find out what else is there.

2. Do they like to touch and be touched?

This is important to your mental and physical health.

3. Do they look at your with affection and kindness?

Most communication is nonverbal.

4. Have you used your thinking brain?

EQ means using all 3 brains. Are you compatible in your daily habits? You'll be keeping house together. Do you have the same values and
priorities?

5. Does he or she have emotional self-awareness? How are they at empathy?

One of the most predictive traits for compatibility is if you can sense the other's sadness.

6. How optimistic is this person ?

Optimismis the facilitator of all the EQ competencies. In addition, optimists
live longer, enjoy better health, and accomplish more.

7. Are they intentional?

Intentionality,an EQ competency, is saying what you mean and meaning what you say.
Also being accountable for the motives behind your actions. If you have
commitment to the relationship, i.e., nobody's going to go away, you'll
work through problems differently.

8. How resilient are they?

How do they manage adverse events and setbacks? Have they been able to grow through adversity, not just go through it?

9. How do you and your partner manage anger?

Successful couples soothe one another instead of agitating and escalating.

10. How balanced is their life?

Resilient people combine learning, work and leisure throughout their lifetime.

They closed down the 3rd Mainland Bridge. All because a book of the president's Facebook quotes was being launched..

The president's Facebook quotes!

I don't want to go into the argument about the value of a compilation of Facebook quotes, but I must ask what they will add to the body of knowledge, and why the launch of such a book should be turned into such a humongous event?

For the record, 3rd Mainland Bridge at 12km is the longest bridge on the continent. Because of the number of areas in Lagos that can be accessed through that bridge, it services over a million people each day. The traffic on that bridge has actually gone up slightly since the road works at the Orile axis began. Driving at a constant 100km/h on that bridge will take you across it in 12 minutes. Now imagine the hell that people went through yesterday simply because of a political gimmick?

My anger however is not directed at Goodluck Jonathan. In my view, this event shows that he is absolutely no different from the politicians around him, and the vast majority of those who came before him. My anger is directed at Nigerians.

Why are we so tame?

When I complained about this incident on the Internet, a friend of mine admonished me that since he is president it is his right to close down traffic. Did I not grow up in Nigeria?.

Which leader has not done this before? Good question. My reply to that friend would be the fact that previous Nigerian leaders (most of them military dictators) did it, does not make it right? Why do we as a people have this really annoying tendency of defending what is wrong simply because other people are doing it or have done it before?

Being that this friend of mine lived in the UK for some years, I would point him to the outcry that followed Tony Blair. When returning from a trip to the US in 2006, Mr. Blair's driver decided to avoid traffic by driving on a bus lane! People screamed, Mr. Blair paid the fine and it did not happen again.

That, my people, is a leader who (at least on the surface), panders to the wishes of the electorate who voted him in.

They have been criticising Jonathan for kneeling before God and now saying it is a political gimmick .

The Man is not the messiah neither is he a mess ! Our Take on this on 9jabook..

It takes guts for a man with so much power to go before another man whom he apparently has power over and ask for the blessings of a being whom he cannot see but whom we know exists . If a man with such Power can do this he must be aware of the consequnces of using it as  political gimmick .Jonathan is not the messiah but he is better than the mess of panderers, atikus and so called freedom activists whose agenda has long ben exposed. Buhari i wish for but he wont win. he knows it .it is bw atiku & Goodluck .

Tragedy struck in Agege area of Lagos State, South West Nigeria when a staff of Fidelity Bank PLC was burnt to death while trying to switch on a generating set which caught fire when a call came in his GSM handset.

We gathered that the victim, Mr. David Adeogun, got married not too long ago and had a new baby.

Investigations revealed that Adeogun, a staff of the Ikosi, Ketu branch of the bank got home after work and wanted to switch on the generating set with the torchlight on his phone when the phone rang...

The generating set was said to have exploded immediately when the phone rang. His body, it was learnt, was seriously burnt by the explosion.

He died later in the hospital after being hospitalised for a week.

Some staff of the bank said the death of their colleague came to them as a shock.

A staff, who craved anonymity lamented the death of Adeogun and called on Nigerians using the torchlight on their handsets while putting on their generating sets on at night to desist from doing so as it could lead to an explosion when a call comes in.

Another staff of the bank described the deceased as a cool and easy going person who would not look for people’s trouble. A similar incident occurred two weeks ago when a man was killed while trying to put on the generating set for his family at night using the torchlight on his handset. The generating set was said to have caught fire when a call came in.