Outrage and amazement are some of the emotions currently on display in Yola, Adamawa State, after the startling revelation contained in a letter addressed to a radio station in the state capital, Radio Gotel, by a lady who claimed to be an undergraduate of the Federal University of Technology Yola (FUTY).The lady, in the letter which was sent to the producer of the programme, "Heart to Heart", said she contracted the Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) from her student boyfriend and has, in revenge, willfully slept with some 124 students and lecturers at the school.
The letter also contained the writer's threat to make public the names of those who have had sex with her "on the notice board." This has led to panic and spirited discussions among the male population in Yola, especially within the school community. The school's authorities, however, claim to be unaware of the letter, but promised to look into it.
The letter reads, in part: "I have a well-documented report of all those guys and lecturers who crossed my path, since I got infected with this deadly disease in the campus. So far, I have had 124 students and lecturers; out of these, only six (6) used condoms".
On a revenge mission
Continuing, she said in the letter, "I owe nobody an apology and am still on a spreading till I spread it no more."
The writer, who did not hide the trauma and disappointment she faced, explained in the letter that her first impulse upon the discovery of her HIV status was to take away her own life.
"I, however, did not confide my status to anyone until today (i.e the disclosure via the letter)," she said. "Since 2006, I promised myself that it's in the university I got it and here I will leave it. I have indeed lived to keep my promise.
"I was in year three when a student on his attachment in our school proposed for a relationship. He had all the qualities a woman would want in a man so I gave in. He told me all a girl would want to hear. In my innocence and naivety, I succumbed to his pressure to have sex with him. Consequently, I lost my virginity to him.
"After his placement, he reported for his final year and we still had contacts. I visited him on a number of occasions, I have even lost count the number of times I visited him. He was my first and only love and, therefore, hanged on every word he told me.
"My boyfriend later graduated and we lost contact until last month when his sister told me about his whereabouts. Before registration in the faculty of science, I went for medical test as is the requirement. I then opted for an HIV/AIDS test, which unfortunately turned out to be positive.
"It then dawned on me that I have traded the rest of my life for a university student who had deliberately and intentionally preyed on my innocence".
Danger of casual sex
A medical worker, who gave her name as Agnes, said the only lesson from the letter is that people should be careful about casual sex.
"Whatever you think, it is a fact that casual sex is very popular and for a lot of people, it's something that either satisfies a desire or serves a purpose," she said. "It is, therefore, an issue that affects many young people today, as they patronise casual sex under the various terms like ‘No strings attached' and ‘the one night stands' culture gaining foothold in our social life."
According to the United Nations AIDs agency, a vast majority of people with HIV and AIDS live in lower and middle-income countries. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are25.
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The News of the World says the group of six billionaires have spent three months on a deal they hope is too good for Malcolm Glazer to reject.Two consortium members are keen United fans who have twice visited Old Trafford this year to watch Sir Alex Ferguson and his players in Premier League action.Based in Bangkok, the consortium wants to buy out the Glazer family and put an end to the financial balancing act which has engulfed the world's biggest football club.A financial source in Bangkok said: "All the finances are in place and they are ready to approach the Glazers."They have done their homework down to the minutest detail and realise the Glazers are under pressure to service their mounting debts."If ever there was a time for United to be vulnerable to a buyout, it is now."
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In a sign of increased uncertainty about Umaru Yar'adua's ability to return to
Nigeria's presidency, his wife, Turai is anxiously moving to protect her most prized possession from the presidential lodge in Abuja also known as Aso Rock Villa.
Saharareporters learnt that the Turai Yar’adua has commenced the removal of a cache of gold and diamond kept in the inner recesses of the presidential villa. The precious metals, described by our sources as “large in quantity,” are tied to a business co-owned by Turai and her daughter, Nafisat Yuguda, but run on their behalf by a Lebanese businessman Joseph Zeitoun and his Nigerian wife, Zainab Zeitoun. “The fact that the First Lady is removing the jewelry from Aso Rock shows that the president’s condition may not be that good,” said one of our sources.
Nafisat, Yar'adua's daughter who is married to Governor Isah Yuguda of Bauchi, recently arrived in the US to give birth to their first baby.
The Zeitouns operate the jewelry business for the Yar’aduas out of the pricey shopping mall called Dunes Center. The jewelry shop, named Nafeez, is located in Suite 105 at the Dunes Center on 44 Aguiyi Ironsi Street, Maitama, Abuja. General Jeremiah Useni (ret.) allocated the land to Zainab when he was the minister of the Federal Capital Territory under the Sani Abacha regime.
Mr. Useni briefly dated Zainab. Our sources said that Zainab was then also dating Joseph at the time, but introduced the Lebanese to Useni as her business partner. The sources revealed that Zainab hit it big when she was introduced to Turai and “the First Lady found her partnership very rewarding.” One of our sources said the Zeitouns helped open Turai’s eyes to the tremendous profits that she could reap from the jewelry business. The sources said Turai had used “First Lady” pressure to force male and female government officials as well as business owners to purchase expensive gold and diamond from her front jewelry business.
Saharareporters has reported on Turai’s extensive business deals, making her one of Nigeria's sleaziest First Ladies. A source close to the Yar’aduas said that Turai “exploits every opportunity to make money – through kickbacks, the charging of $30,000 fee for anybody who wishes to see her, and establishment of phony foundations through which unscrupulous businessmen are forced to make donations that are then rerouted into her personal accounts.”
Our sources further revealed that the m=Minister of Agriculture, Abba Ruma, maintains an apartment at the Dunes center and holds business consultations in the building. The Zeitouns have received huge contracts to construct "Agricultural Storage Silos" and have helped the Yar'adua family developed properties acquired in Abuja.
Saharareporters also learnt that Zainab and Joseph Zeitoun were responsible for planning and executing the “Arabian Nights” theme for the gaudy and opulent weeklong wedding of Nafisat Yar'adua and Governor Yuguda. The wedding featured Senegalese music sensation, Youssou n'Dour, who performed alongside imported Lebanese belly dancers.
When our reporter called the telephone numbers on the Nafeez business card obtained exclusively by Saharareporters, the lines had become inactive.
Dunes Center
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“This is my house, I have to defend it” was said by who, and in what movie? Well, if you racked your brains for some unpardonable stretchy seconds rather than declare the answer on the spur of the moment, then it simply means that you were neither a movie enthusiast/freak back in the days, nor could you holistically comprehend the unfolding events in the flick you were watching on the full screen as a result of your tender age.
Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Caulkin) in first prequel of Hauptalleinquadlogy was the answer. It defeats a tried break-down on its principal firm by the wet bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel tail). Maintenance seed Komödienteller the film one served to the international view public in one to a high degree, one released on 16 November 1990. It held on for the point of the No. one in the cash fà ¼ for r zwölf weeks and earned $ 477.561.243 world-wide.
Hollywood can certainly boast of an array of child stars whether or not they consequently opted to pursue a full fledged acting career as they underwent the transformation into Adulthood. Dakota Fanning (Man on fire, alongside Denzel Washington (2004), Hide and Seek with Robert De Niro (2005), War of the worlds with Tom cruise (2005), and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss sunshine (2006), Definitely, Maybe (2008), Nim’s Island (2008) are some of the children stars making waves in Hollywood. Macaulay Caulkin, Drew Barrymore, Hilary Duff, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint were at one time referred to as child stars.
Shweta pra sad, Aisha kapoor, Rucha vaidya are children who have acted in Bollywood movies. Samuel Olaseinde (Abeni), Fidelis Abdulraham (white Waters 2007), Richard Chukwuma ( Small boy) have acted in Nollywood movies, but the question is how popular are these Nollywood child stars amongst the teeming Nigerian populace and even beyond our shores. Akin (Chinedu Ikedezie) and PawPaw (Osita Iheme) years ago were known as children putting up great performances in the numerous Nollywood movies they starred in. They shone like stars and had producers ready to part with large sums of money to have them take up roles in their movies. Had an alien visited Nigeria at that time and asked for children stars, their names would have popped up in the minds of the people. It was only logical to think in that line since they looked it. Doubts embedded in controversial arguments from different quarters, and the ill informed public’s perception was put in the proper perspective when they finally declared their ages. They were not children as we all once hastily concluded, but “little men”.
It is amazing that children stars depicting the true meaning of the word are at the bottom of the popularity chain when compared to these little men. One then begins to wonder why script writers undermine the role of children in movies and focus more on Adults. Hasn’t any child with the potentials of a great acting career been discovered so as to harness same? Are the one or two kids who act in ‘hit movies’ or who pick up Awards given the opportunity to act in more movies? Are they crowned with fame and fortune as their Hollywood and Bollywood counterparts? Are they given the extra push, support, help, conducive environment needed to help them pursue a successful acting career? Do casting directors have the patience to call for public auditions to screen and select the best for the roles or do they simply pick the children they know from among the Industry’s personalities? Can’t children’s roles where greatly executed in flicks act as catalyst in landing the sought after prestigious awards on the laps of the directors? or do we simply lack faith in their acting prowess.
The bane of the problem facing child stars lies in the “lack of continuity syndrome” flowing in the veins of most Nigerians which is manifested in various spheres. It is lugubrious to note that we are yet to bring about challenging, deep characterization roles, performed by children and woven in dexterity and told in a deep, non formulaic, non water shed plot with all the filming intricacies in place.
One can not fail to mention the most famous child star known by her mop of curls, Shirley Temple, who reigned in Moviedom during the 1930’s depression era in America and still holds the record till date. Amongst other achievements she holds the record for being the highest paid actor in Hollywood between 1936 and 1938, beating other Adult stars. It’s high time we prove to the world that Nollywood children stars are indeed uniquely gifted and can deliver at any time when the tape rolls and the ‘action’ order is given.
So long…auggiepo@yahoo. com
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Hundreds of lives would have been lost yesterday in a near collision of aircraft when the communication and radar system of the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) broke down, leaving a dozen aircraft hovering in the air for several hours at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Ethiopian Airlines, carrying 180 passengers on its way to Lagos from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, demanded emergency landing when its aircraft was running out of fuel as it hovered for several hours, waiting to be directed to land by the Air Traffic Controllers at the airport.
Also, a Qatar Airways aircraft with about 190 passengers also requested precautionary landing at about 2.30 pm after hovering for a long time as the aircraft was exhausting its fuel.
THISDAY investigations revealed that both communication and radar systems of NAMA were down at the airport and the controllers could not direct aircraft to land, which led to a crowded airspace – a critical safety situation.
With the near crash situation, other aircraft in the airspace had to give way for Ethiopian Airlines to land.
One of the pilots of the aircraft that hovered at the time told THISDAY that there was a point it became unsafe to remain at the airspace around Lagos and he requested to divert his aircraft to another airport.
Almost all other aircraft had lost so much fuel because they had all waited for more than two hours.
“We waited for hours and there was a time there were more than 15 aircraft in the airspace, which was risky, so I requested that I wanted to divert my aircraft to another airport. Already, our fuel for the flight had finished. We were waiting on endurance fuel,” the pilot said.
The Director-General of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, acknowledged the incident and said he did not have the details yet but he had directed his officials to investigate.
The pilot also told THISDAY that the safety consequence of the incident was that there were so many “air misses” (near collision) of aircraft as many of them converged on the same flight level.
“The long hours spent hovering exhausted the fuel of almost all the aircraft and because we were all converging almost on the same level it gave rise to many air misses, so many lives would have been lost if there were crashes,” he said.
The pilot said NAMA should have contingency plan whenever the radar fails, so that this kind of incident would not happen again.
“What happened today exposed the danger of not well-managed airspace; there would have been at least a collision and you know the consequence of that, but when the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft declared emergency so we had to allow it to land otherwise it would have crashed,” the pilot told THISDAY.
The radar in Lagos has just been installed as part of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project, which went on stream a few months ago. Analysts found it surprising that it could break down so soon.
But THISDAY learnt from a NAMA official that power outage aborted the operations of the agency in Lagos and this lasted for several hours as there was no immediate alternative power source.
Although the agency has about two generators at the MMIA, Lagos, for three hours yesterday none was working when the public power supply from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) was cut off.
THISDAY also learnt that since August this year the agency had been powering its facilities in all the airports in the country.
“This is why we said that the airlines should pay us all the charges they owe us because we need the money to provide them service,” the source said.
The Secretary-General of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Nick Fadugba, had warned of the danger of allowing airlines to hover around the Lagos airspace waiting with the poor communication and radar system in the Nigeria, noting that it is tantamount to endangering people’s lives.
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It is a man's worst nightmare but for Colombian farmer Luis Alfonso Sanchez it seemed the logical thing to do.
The 40-year-old decided to castrate himself to avoid cheating on his wife who refused to have sex with him.
Mr Sanchez had performed the act on many of his animals in the past and believed the procedure would be as easy for him saying: "I've castrated pigs, cats, dogs and three days later they are healed.
"I thought that's what it was going to be like with me. I had practice with animals, so I went ahead, put some pressure on it, and cut them to remove them by force!"
"When I saw that I could no longer count on her (his wife), so that I would't keep bothering her, I made the decision to cut my testicles off because I am a Christian and did not want to go look for another (partner)."
The man is being treated at Santander Hospital where Dr. Javier Martinez said he is still healing: "He still has an escroto-penial hematoma. He's been looked at by the urology department, and they found a complete absence of the testicles."
According to doctors, Sanchez's wounds have become infected.Read more…
An HIV-positive man has confessed to injecting his blood into his sleeping wife and infecting her with the virus that can cause Aids, reports have said. Skip related content
It is believed the man wanted to give her the disease so she would start having sex with him again, New Zealand's Sunday Star-Times said.
Court documents detailed how the man, 35, twice pricked his 33-year-old wife with a sewing needle laced with his infected blood.
The husband discovered he was HIV-positive - but his partner and children were not - during health checks imposed on them when the family arrived in New Zealand in 2004.
The woman had said she wanted to maintain the relationship for the sake of the children.
But she refused to have sex with her husband for fear of contracting the disease.
In the documents, the wife described how, in May, 2008, she found a sting-like mark on her left thigh and two days later awoke to a stinging feeling in her leg.
She said: "I got up... and I flicked the blankets... I looked at (the husband) and he was wide awake."
The wife asked him if he had pricked her and he said, 'No'. But she later found evidence of "blood sprinkles" on their duvet, which she said her husband tried to hide from her.
During a routine check-up four months later, doctors revealed she was HIV-positive.
The woman confronted her husband, who admitted dipping a needle in his blood and pricking her with it.
"All he said (was) he was sorry. He said, 'I used needles on you because I wanted you to be the same as me so that you can live with me and you won't leave me'," she said.
The husband has admitted wilfully infecting another with a disease and faces up to 14 years in jail when he is sentenced at Auckland High Court next year.
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I stumbled upon this today while browsing the net and realised that a person's name just like his spirit,soul and body is a distinct criteria for his purpose in life .God has many names and the one we look at today is yahweh .
The Hebrews according to this article below are the progenitors of the naming convention and overtly and covertly have been identified with the history of the written word as we see it today.
Meaning, origin and etymology of the name YHWHYHWH is the second creation Name of God. God's Name changes from Elohim to YHWH Elohim in Genesis 2:4 .
As told by Joel M. Hoffman Ph.D. in his delightful and riveting book In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language - - the Hebrews were the first to incorporate vowels in their written text, and by doing this the previously esoteric art of writing and reading became available to the masses. The seemingly casual command to 'write' something on doors or foreheads included the invention of a writing system that could be learned by everybody. A very big deal, and resulting in the most powerful tool of data preservation up to this common age.
Hebrew theology is by far the most influential ever, and this is in part due to the Hebrew invention of vowel notation. This power (this theology) contrasted others by use of the vowel notation, using symbols that were already used and until then only represented consonants: the letters (waw), (yod) and (heh), and to give an example: the word is either the word dod, meaning beloved (and the is a vowel), or it is the word dud, meaning jar (and the is again a vowel), or it is the word dawid, which is the name David (and the is a consonant).
These letters became markers for both the Hebrew identity and the Hebrew religion, including the various names for God. One of these names is the famous Tetragrammaton (YHWH) which actually exists only of vowels, and is utterly exceptional in many ways, including the fact that it can not be pronounced.
The word (El) was the name of the prominent Canaanite god, whose name was either derived of or became the common word for god in general. The plural of this word is ; gods. With the addition of the letter , creating the word , the Hebrews not only stated essential monotheism (by naming a single God after the plural word "gods") but also marked their God as theirs: Elohim is the singular pantheon of the vowel-people.
Something similar occured when the name of patriarch Abram () was expanded with the heh into Abraham , and the name of matriarch Sarai () was expanded with the heh to Sarah ().
The meaning of the name YHWH is not very clear, and therefor subject to much debate. The key scene in this respect seems to be Ex 3:13-15, where God names Himself first: (I Am Who I Am), then (I Am), and finally (YHWH) and states that this is his name forever and a memorial name to all generations. It has been long supposed that YHWH is derived from the verb that is used to make I Am, namely (haya 491) to be, to become, to happen, or rather from an older form and rare synonym of haya, namely , hawa, hence y-hawa or yahweh, the proper imperfect of the verb, thus rendering the name either Being or He Is. (But note that the Hebrew language is far more dynamic than our modern languages. The verb to be indicates an action that intimately reveals the nature of the one who is doing the acting. For more more on this, see our article to be is to do.)
TWOTOT ( Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Moody Press Chicago) recognizes two separate verbs hawa:
(hawa (484) is the aforementioned older form of (haya 491), to be or become.
(hawa 483) means to fall, with derivatives calamity, wickedness, evil desire, disaster. Perhaps this curious double meaning is in some ways comparable to our word happen, as the words happening and happenstance are often used as euphemisms for typically unfortunate events.
TWOTOT goes even further as it states, "...there is a problem with the pronunciation Yahweh. It is a strange combination of old and late elements.[] In view of these problems it may be best simply to say that YWHW does not come from the verb hawa at all. [W]e may well hold that YHWH [...] is an old word of unknown origin which sounded something like what the verb hawa sounded in Moses' day. However, if the word were spelled with four letters in Moses' day, we would have expected it to have had more than two syllables, for at that period all the letters were sounded."
In other words, the name YHWH looks like a hybrid of times, as if it can not be localized but spans centuries of evolving grammar. Then it also looks very much as if it was derived of a verb that means to be, but which is spelled differently than the regular verb to be, and similarly to a verb that means something very bad. Perhaps all this confusion, or rather, this wide pallet of negotiations is what this Name most essentially conveys: existence in its broadest sense, yet unlike any regular human perspective; a blessing to the wise, but the undoing of the wicked.
On the other hand, perhaps the name YHWH means Tom, Dick or Harry in a language that has slipped out of the collective human consciousness and we are left with the echo's of a revelation that was as sincere and confidential as the word abba: daddy.
If God took so much stock in giving himself all these names and the almost impossiblity of knowing their exact meanings then maybe we should take a closer look at upgrading ours !
Thinking of changing your name now ?Read more…
*UBA, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation Reacthuman trafficking claims made by Marcia Okhai against Joan Okorodudu. Here are our new findings.Cynthia Omorodion was visibly absent at the recent Nigeria’s Next Super Model Contest held in Lagos and many who attended were curious as to why the ex bearer of the crown was not there to hand over her title. We spoke to Cynthia on Friday December 11th 2009 and reasons for being absent were evident in her response.THEWILL: How did you get involved with the Nigeria’s Next Super Model contest?Cynthia: My former manager told me about it and asked me to go for the audition in 2007. I did not get selected at the time so I tried again in 2008 and I was selected as one of the finalists. Myself and the other contestants proceeded to camp. We were housed in a home in Lekki for one month. The finale was held on the 30th of September 2008 and I emerged the winner.THEWILL: What were your prizes?Cynthia: I was to get a brand new Kia Saloon car, a $10,000 (USD) modeling contract, and a trip to Germany to represent Nigeria in the Model Of the World Contest. None of these happened. I never got the car nor went to Germany and I have not worked on any modeling jobs worth 10,000USD. Instead I was taken to South Africa for Audi Fashion Week in Cape Town.THEWILL: When did you go to South Africa?Cynthia: I went in South Africa in October 2008 with Joan Okorodudu, her son, and six other models. Each of us paid for our tickets.THEWILL: How did you obtain your visa to South Africa?Cynthia: We went to the embassy to pick up the visas.THEWILL: Did you go through an interview process at the consulate for the visa?Cynthia: Yes I did. I was issued a 90-day visa and I told them I was going for Audi Fashion week.THEWILL: So when you arrived in Johannesburg, where did you go?Cynthia: We were taken to the model house. There were other models there. Both male and female and we all stayed in the house. There were like 13 or more of us.THEWILL: Did you do any modeling work while you were in South Africa? Did Joan Okorodudu secure the jobs?Cynthia: Yes I did. I did Elle Magazine SA, and Audi Fashion Week in Cape Town.THEWILL: Did you get paid for these jobs?Cynthia: No I did not get paid.THEWILL: Did you ever get paid for any of your modeling jobs you got through Joan’s Isis Modeling Agency?Cynthia: No I never did.THEWILL: So what were you doing for upkeep and money?Cynthia: I was forced to get myself modeling jobs. And I was fortunate enough to meet people in the industry that helped me by telling me when there were castings. There were also designers who took an interest in me and asked me to model for them. All the models do the same because Joan doesn’t pay.THEWILL: When you heard Marcia Okhai had broken her silence and blown the whistle on Joan Okorodudu how did you feel?Cynthia: I was not happy because I am a private person and I wanted to fight Joan by taking legal action against her. But everyone has their way of doing things. We all do things differently. My Lawyers sent Joan a letter even before Marcia put out her note.THEWILL: And what was her response?Cynthia: She has not responded up till today. We have heard nothing back from her. My lawyer is on it though.THEWILL: Let’s go back to South Africa, so how were you able to work without a legal working permit and proper documents?Cynthia: Joan Okorodudu said she would secure work permits for us, but it was one thing after another and things were not quite working out. She got spouse visas for some models as an alternative so they can legitimize their stay. After I had had enough I decided to return to Nigeria because I refused to continue to suffer in another man’s country. In fact my visa had expired so I was fined 3,000 rands before I was allowed to leave SA.THEWILL: So since this story broke Joan has not contacted you at all?Cynthia: No she has not.Editor’s note: A spread for any internationally syndicated fashion magazine is a very lucrative deal for any model to secure. And it would be disturbing to imagine that the customer never paid Joan Okorodudu and that is why she never paid Cynthia. Typically the client cuts the agent a check and the agent in turn cuts the model a check after deducting applicable taxes and commission, which should never exceed 20% of the earnings. This is standard practice between agencies and their models.UBA CLEARS THE AIRTHEWILL has also been contacted by a representative from United Bank for Africa, one of the supposed advertised sponsors of Joan Okorodudu’s Nigeria’s Next Super Model. They have stated that Tony Elumelu and UBA are in no way related to Joan Isioma Elumelu Okorodudu and any of her projects. They told us categorically that she has used their logo illegally and with out permission. Joan had been to the headquarters to solicit sponsorship many times, but was told they had no interest.Otunba Segun Runsewe condemns the actions of Joan Okorodudu and the NNSM contest.The Director General of The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation has also contacted THEWILL and has thanked us for our investigative report. He expressed his disappointment in Joan Okorodudu for humiliating the image of those young girls and Nigeria as a whole. He said when he assumed office in 2006, he found that many regulations were not in place and that the accreditation procedures were not being enforced for events such as NNSM. He has had to change how licenses were being issued. There is a procedure in place for obtaining a license for an entertainment event and it conforms to those of international standards.The corporation ensures that things are done the way they ought to be. He also stated that since we broke the story, they have decided to put a hold on all such modeling contests and pageants in Nigeria. No permits will be issued until they complete investigations. The DG said, “We are putting strong investigations into the matter. And anyone found wanting shall be prosecuted accordingly.We assure you that we will come out with the results of our on going investigations and we are doing all we can to correct all the lapses in the system.” He expressed his concerns that people do not appreciate that tourism is the greatest employer of labour in the world, and what NNSM has done is giving the sector a bad image.We are yet to hear from Joan Okorodudu since we called her last week and were asked to give her time to respond.
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Posted by 9jabook.com on December 11, 2009 at 10:51pm
Amnesty International exposed the shocking level of unlawful police killings in Nigeria in a new report released on Wednesday.
“The Nigerian police are responsible for hundreds of unlawful killings every year,” said Erwin van der Borght, Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Programme.
“Police don’t only kill people by shooting them; they also torture them to death, often while they are in detention.”
“The majority of the cases go un-investigated and the police officers responsible go unpunished. The families of the victims usually get no justice or redress. Most never even find out what happened to their loved ones.”
Police frequently claim that the victims of shootings were ‘armed robbers’ killed in ‘shoot-outs’ with the police or while trying to escape custody. These claims are often highly implausible.
Fifteen-year-old Emmanuel Egbo was killed by a police officer in Enugu in September 2008. According to witnesses, he was playing with other children in front of his uncle’s house when three police officers came up to them. One officer pulled out a gun and shot the boy, claiming he was an armed robber. He was unarmed.
In August 2009, his family discovered his body had disappeared from the mortuary. As of November 2009, the body is still missing.
Amnesty International said that some police officers see the killings of ‘armed robbers’ in detention as acceptable practice.
In June 2009, the organization visited the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) detention centre in Abuja, which is located in a disused abattoir outside the city.
Suspects are held in a vast warehouse previously used for slaughtering cattle. Chains are still hanging from the ceiling. When Amnesty International delegates visited the building, about 15 people were held in cells. Amnesty International delegates counted at least 30 empty bullet cases scattered on the ground.
Unofficially, a policeman told Amnesty International that many “armed robbers” are taken there and shot.
Amnesty International said that one of the main problems is ‘Nigeria Police Force Order 237’ under which police officers are allowed to shoot suspects and detainees who attempt to escape or avoid arrest – whether or not they pose a threat to life.
“Force Order 237 is so impermissibly broad. It simply gives police officers permission to shoot people. It is against international standards, and is being abused by police officers to commit, justify and cover up illegal killings,” said Erwin van der Borght.
“The government must repeal Force Order 237 and publicly announce that the use of lethal force is only allowed when strictly unavoidable to protect life. This simple step could make a big difference to the number of unlawful police killings we are seeing in Nigeria.”
Enforced disappearances in Nigeria are rife. Typically, in the first days or weeks following arrest, families are allowed to visit their relatives in detention. Later on, police tell them their loved ones have been “transferred to Abuja”. Other times, they simply deny any knowledge of their whereabouts.
The Nigerian government says that they do not condone extrajudicial killings. But they are not doing enough to stop them and bring the police perpetrators to justice. Even on the rare occasions when police officers implicated in an unlawful killing are prosecuted, they are often released on bail or escape custody. Some are simply transferred to other states.
“Ending unlawful killings and enforced disappearances by the police will require serious legal reform and commitment and support from the Nigerian police force,” said Erwin van der Borght. “The Nigerian Police Force must introduce a new code of conduct throughout its chain of command – from the very top to the bottom. If not, the cycle of violence will simply continue.”
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Posted by 9jabook.com on December 11, 2009 at 10:48pm
*China, Nigeria in talks after $50 billion offer in June
*Nigeria desperate for funding to fill joint venture gaps
China is ready to invest $50 billion to acquire 6 billion barrels of Nigerian oil reserves in a proposal made in June, a sum which could help the OPEC member fund its joint ventures with oil majors, a top adviser said.
Several state-run Chinese oil firms, including CNOOC, are in talks with Nigeria about Beijing's search for proven oil reserves, which include incursions into some oil blocks held by Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron.
"The application was to acquire reserves of 6 billion barrels which we are currently discussing. They are prepared to spend as much as $50 billion," Emmanuel Egbogah, Nigeria's presidential adviser on energy, told reporters in New Delhi where he is attending a conference.
Nigeria's junior oil minister said in September China would not be given all the reserves it was seeking, but Nigeria's state-run NNPC could sell stakes in joint ventures with existing oil partners if Beijing offered the right price.
Shell, which is one of several Western oil firms that operates in Nigeria through joint ventures with NNPC, has vowed to fight any possible efforts by the Nigerian government to hand control of its fields to Chinese oil companies.
Industry executives say Nigeria is using the spectre of a Chinese bid for its oil as leverage in difficult contract renewal negotiations with its existing Western oil partners.
Nigeria has had difficulty paying its share in its joint ventures with oil majors, forcing Africa's biggest energy producer to consider alternative ways to bridge the gap.
Egbogah said its funding shortfall has steadily increased to $6 billion from a few million dollars when joint venture arrangements were created in the early 1970s.
"One of the biggest challenges of Nigeria's oil and gas industry has been that of funding," he said.
"This is claimed to have negatively impacted capital expenditure requirements for increasing production levels from the existing joint venture fields."
Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on December 11, 2009 at 10:42pm
Kabir Audu is a very successful Nigerian. He's 30. And he has an idea.
"It was Ben Gurion in the late 1940s," he says.
"He called on Israelis around the world to come home. To build an Israel greater than their wildest imagination."
He pauses.
"We see Nigeria every day - tremendous talent, this tremendous potential. Imagine if it's wielded toward one vision."
Kabir and his friend Tunji Abdul are living proof of Nigeria's mass migration homeward.
Both were making a fortune on Wall Street. Both were bored.
'New life'
"Every deal felt just an extension of a previous project," says Tunji.
"I came back to Nigeria after 10 years. I realised this place was calling for young entrepreneurs - to breathe new life into the system.
"That's why I came back."
They're real estate developers, building modern homes - and the first sustainable skyscraper in Lagos.
It will harvest its own rainwater and be powered by solar energy.
"We want our architecture to shape the way people feel about their space, their community," says Tunji.
"Great buildings, inspirational buildings, don't just have to be in the UK or the US."
Renaissance
Tunji and Kabir are two among hundreds of thousands.
Bode Pedro is another.
He's 26 and runs a computer manufacturing start-up business employing 75 people.
"It's a renaissance," he says. "We're talking about art, science, technology, entertainment, media and business.
"People are coming home because they want to be part of it."
All of them were educated in the US, but their rich American accents are barely noticed in the nightclubs in Lagos.
Here, vowels from New York and Oxford blend into West African pidgin English.
Another giveaway - Lagos is sprouting recruitment agencies with a difference.
They specialise in bringing talented Nigerians back home.
"In 2003, we thought around 5,000 people a month were coming in," says Funto Akinkugbe from Find A Job In Africa.
"That's multiplied by three now. We're looking at the best part of 15,000 people on a monthly basis."
Seeking shelter
The influx is startling. Nigerians have a word for them - "re-pat".
And, it appears that there are two types.
Entrepreneurs like Kabir and Tunji have spotted a market and are starting businesses.
Some 140 million people living here makes Nigeria quite a business opportunity.
Meanwhile, thousands of others are seeking shelter from the global financial crisis.
Job losses in the financial sector - and the financial crisis itself - make going home suddenly seem very attractive.
And these refugees are attractive employment for the entrepreneurs tapping into Nigeria's potential.
With a huge market and a huge labour force combined, Nigeria ought to stand alongside Brazil or Russia.
So why doesn't it?
'One step ahead'
The answer is that Nigeria has not enjoyed the same economic growth.
Here, a businessman's lot is not always a happy one.
Chronic electricity failures, traffic jams that last for hours, the delays, the half truths and shadows of corruption. All of that makes doing business here very difficult.
"What do you need to survive? Passion!" laughs Tunji Abdul.
"You have to make sure you're one step ahead.
"Get up earlier and leave the office later. Move around when traffic is a bit less.
"It's your business to find a solution."
And if you can make it work the rewards are worth it.
"Nigeria is phenomenal," says Kabir.
"People keep saying, 'Oh, you gave up a lot of money on Wall Street, to come back here…..'.
He pulls a face and smiles. "Actually, it's not the case. In terms of rate of return, it is significantly higher than where we're coming from."
Being part of change
Bode Pedro agrees.
"Nigeria is so fresh. Right now, we have 5% computer usage here.
"It's changing fast - and you're either part of it, or not."
For all of them, the bottom line is very good - but the personal kick that thrills them is the impact they're having.
"You coming here is being part of a renaissance," says Bode softly.
"In five years, you'll be part of something new. You'll be part of something different.
"You'll be part of the growth of a superpower called Nigeria."
He is deadly serious.Read more…
Some are protesting the casting of Jennifer Hudson in new film.Johannesburg, South Africa. Some South African actors have spoken in opposition of the casting of Oscar winning actress Jennifer Hudson in a film about the life of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The Creative Workers Union of South Africa recently stated that the use of foreign actors for films such as the one to tell the story of the former wife of South Africa’s first black president hinders efforts for expanding the film industry in the country on a broad scale.Mabutho Sithole, President of the union, is quoted by AFP as stating to The Citizen newspaper on the matter, “It can’t happen that we want to develop our own Hollywood and yet bring in imports… This decision must be reversed, it must be stopped now… If the matter doesn’t come up for discussion, we will push for a moratorium to be placed on the film.”As noted in the report, Hudson was cast for the role last month.Controvery has always followed Winnie Madikizela-Mandela like a giant shadow she just couldn’t shake off. Even now her unauthorised film biography is embroiled in controversy.News that a film is to be made of her life, with former American Pop Idols contestant Jennifer Hudson, playing the leading role, has sent local actors and actresses reaching for their affirmative action vuvuzelas and making noise.The Creative Workers Union of South Africa, leading the cacophony of howls, claims that using foreign actors to tell South African stories undermined efforts to develop a national film industry.Udo Froese, a close friend of Madikizela-Mandela, says: “There’s a lot of good local talent, why not use them? Winnie herself is not involved in this, and in no way has given any sort of green light.”Duh, it’s not a movie commissioned by Winnie of South Africa for that matter. It’s only a movie about her.The film is an unofficial biography by Anna Marie du Preez, a local journalist and will be directed by local film maker Darrell J. Roodt, who also directed Cry, The Beloved Country and Sarafina.Now what the local natives don’t understand is that the film industry is a business, and money talks and bulshit walks. The movie has nothing to do with ubuntu, economic empowerment or affirmative action. It’s an outside production. If they want to do their own version of a Winnie movie, they are free to do so. But what they can’t do is piggyback on those who took the initiative – for comercial reason I must add – and then dictate what should happen and who should be cast.The movie has to sell for its producers to give investors the expected returns on their investments. Political sentiment never paid anybody’s bills. Instead of criticising, we should be glad that Hollywood is taking an interest in our stories for a change.Our actors and the rest of the noise makers should understand that one has to develop him or herself into a brand to be marketable. Take the leader of the Creative Workers Union of South Africa leader, Kid Sithole for instance; who in Korea, Vietnam, Senegal, Morocco or Russia would go watch the movie if he was the lead actor?Good stories neeed big names to sell. Viewers need names they know. If you want to sell to the global audience, you go for a name even mainland Chinese would recognise and say “aah, Jehnifah hassen, pop adols”.Hudson is not a bad choice, except she should play Winnie in the later years, because the “mother of the nation” has only gained weight as she got over 50. She was always slim and trim and wore her dresses well – except the rediculous hats of course.Sidney Poitier played Nelson Mandela and Michael Caine the apartheid leader F. W. de Klerk in Mandela and De Klerk (1997), in a made-for-TV movie. Morgan Freeman plays the old man in Invictus, a recent movie about how Madiba and Francois Pienaar united the nation around the 1995 rugby world cup, which SA won. . Matt Dillon played Pienaar.There have been some dud imports too. Whoopie Goldberg failed to sell Sarafina. Some might argue that the story didn’t have as much global appeal as the Pienaar and Mandela rugby story.To play Winnie in her early years I thing Nia Long would be a good candidate. We all know her from Soul Food, Ware We There yet, The Best Man and Love Jones. Other possibilities are Gabrielle Union, Tamala Jones and Elise Neal.But I guess Hudson is Hollywood’s current flavour of the moment, after her successful acting debut in Dream Girls.Angela Basset can also carry the lead role well. She is by far the best living female African american actress. Her roles in in “Boyz n the Hood”, “Malcolm X”, “What’s Love Got to Do with it”, “Waiting to Exhale” and “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”, showed her versatility.Halle Berry has for years been considered to be one of the most beautiful and sexiest women in the world, but she just can’t play Winnie. Whoopie Goldberg, is disqualified purely by her looks. Wendy Raquel Robinson, could fit the role, except I haven’t seen her outside the sitcom The Steve Harvey Show.
Read more…
(Memphis Egypt) Famed egyptologist Dr. Zany Hogwash announced to a stunned world that King Tutankhamun owned an Ipod and a cell phone. The items were discovered in 1922 by the Carter expedition but were misidentified as kitchen utensils. King Tut lived from 1341 BC to 1323 BC.Dr. Hogwash said the Ipod was damaged with age but the song selections were readable. It appears King Tut was like any normal teenager and loved rock music. His favorite song was Pyramid to Heaven by Ded Zeppelin. The young king was also very fond of the Dark Side of the Tomb album by Rosetta Floyd.The Rolling Stones were alive back then but no selections were on the Ipod. The same can be said for The Dung Beatles. The king didn't seem interested in the Hittite Invasion bands of the early 1330's BC.King Tut was fond of 'The Pharaoh of Ra and Roll'; probably because they both lived in Memphis. The recording of You Ain't Nothing but a Jackal was played numerous times.King Tut's cell phone also yielded much information. According to Dr. Hogwash the young king liked text messaging. The messages are very hard to read because they are abbreviated hieroglyphics; only a teenage egyptologist would be able to decipher them. The king had Queen Nefertiti and Queen Neferriti on speed dial so he wouldn't mix them up. He had Cleopatra on speed dial also but dropped her after a recent spat.Dr. Hogwash says they are looking at other items in King Tut's tomb more closely and hope to find his laptop or his Iphone.Nigerian AmeboIn futher confirmation of this strange occurence A renowned babalawo Baba Lamidi Egunjemide has claimed that The ancestor of the yoruba's, King Oduduwa had a microwave oven and a binatone blender used for preparing gbegiri and amala for the great king ! This came in very handy as he was migrating from Egypt ! possibly given to him by King Tut himself also a known gbegiri man but our sources claim he preffered poundy not amala .Also you can add your amebo gist and other more strange reports like this can be found at http://www.9jabook.com/group/ameboTo ERR is human but to gossip takes great skillby anonymous ancient amebo
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The senate has confirmed the appointment of Arunma Oteh as the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Also confirmed on Thursday was the appointment of Ahmed Remi Makele as an Executive Commissioner (Legal & Compliance).
Both were nominated by President Umaru Yar’Adua in July this year and their names were forwarded to the senate for confirmation in accordance with the provisions of the Investment and Securities Act 2007.
Following the confirmation, Ms. Oteh will take over from Daisy Ikineh, who has been acting as the commission’s Director General since Musa Alfaki resigned from the position in April this year after he was allegedly implicated in the poor handling of the AP share manipulation saga.
During the screening exercise that preceded her confirmation, senators praised Ms Oteh’s resume. She was described as a “round peg in a round hole”.
“I think that for once we have made a choice based on qualification and not political inclinations,” Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP Cross River State) said.
The new SEC bosses
Ms Oteh, 41, has over 16 years of capital market experience and is currently the Vice-President (Corporate Services) of the African Development Bank Group (ADB).
Before becoming the vice president of the ADB, she was the Bank’s Group Treasurer for 5 years (2001-2006) with overall responsibility for the Bank’s fund raising and investments in major international capital markets. She has worked variously in ADB as Division Manager Investments and Trading Room from 1997 to 2001, and Senior Investment Officer/Senior Capital Markets Officer from 1993 to 1997. Cumulatively, she has worked with ADB for over 16 years.
Before joining the ADB, the new SEC chief worked in corporate finance, consulting, teaching and research for several institutions, including the Harvard Institute for International Development, USA, and Centre Point Investments Limited Lagos, Nigeria.
She is on the board of a number of organisations, including the advisory board of the African Investor, as well as the International Financing Facility of Immunization (IFFIm), a charity organization.
Ms Oteh has an MBA from Harvard University, USA, and a First Class Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. She has received both a Harvard Fellowship Award and a National Merit Award.
Mr. Makele is presently the Associate Director, Legal Risk & Compliance of DTZ Group Holdings Plc, an international corporate finance and investment management company. He has also previously served as the Senior Manager, Regulation & Compliance at Royal Bank of Canada/Dexia Group – one of the World’s top 10 global custodians.
He has worked with other major UK legal and financial companies, as well as the UK Personal Investment Authority (now Financial Services Authority).
Mr. Makele has also consulted domestically for the Investment & Securities Tribunal (IST) and published papers on a number of domestic financial issues.
He is from Kogi State and has a Masters degree in Public International Law from University of Cambridge and BA Honours in Law from University of Sussex, United Kingdom.
He also has a diploma in Regulation and Compliance from the UK Securities & Investment institute and is a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.
Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on December 10, 2009 at 9:10pm
Fashola lights Africa’s tallest Christmas tree today
Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, will today light the tallest Christmas tree in Africa at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu area of Lagos State. The light is part of Coca-Cola’s Christmas marketing campaign.
The colourful tree lighting ceremony, which would attract media executives, would also be attended by dignitaries from both private and public sectors of the economy.
Coca-Cola’s 30-metre high Christmas tree weighs 15 tons. It is mounted on a massive platform 2.5 metres high and 12.5 metres in diametre, which gives the tree an overall height that reaches more than 100 feet into the sky, nearly as tall as a 12- storey building. The splendid landmark stands imposingly on the large grounds of the iconic National Arts Theatre, the nation’s symbol of cultural excellence. The Coca-Cola tree is a refreshing addition to the Lagos skyline and will captivate national and international attention this festive season and after.
Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on December 10, 2009 at 4:59am
Facebook or Satan's Playground?
I was talking to some friends at a party a few weeks ago when the hostess took me aside and asked me if I was on Twitter. On Twitter?!! The nerve! I threw my glass of soda in her face and told her I’ve never done drugs in my life. What an accusation!
Later that day, my kids explained that Twitter was a social messaging site on the computer. They said there are similar sites called Facebook and My Space.
The whole thought of someone communicating with others on a computer for social purposes seems ridiculous to me. If it was actually possible, wouldn’t it be awfully nerdy to sit at the computer talking to people you can’t see all day? Maybe shut-ins and hired assassins would have reason to do it, but certainly not teens or members of Generation X! And the claim that you can talk to lots of people simultaneously seems preposterous. Anyone who says you can type a message and hit one button to send it to over five people at a time is an outright liar. I’d stake my reputation on that – or so I thought. In the back of my mind, though, I knew I’d have to do some further investigating.
I began my quest at the nursing home where our family volunteers. Millie, the wisest woman I know, lives there. She was celebrating her 95th birthday when I asked what she knows about social networking sites on the Internet. She told me that all social networking tools and websites are part of a satanic cult! Millie met President Calvin Coolidge in her youth, so I believe her. Millie’s words scared me. I don’t want to be involved with Satan! I don’t know about you guys, but in my family, we don’t even like Satan. In fact, we have a sign painted above the inside of our front door that says, “Live, laugh, love” and then, on the adjacent wall, another painted sign reads, “We hate Satan.”
If Millie is right, our family was in danger. “Why did we buy the kids 13 computers this past Christmas?” I asked myself. But this wasn’t a time for regrets. It was a time for action. I invited my priest, Daniel, to dinner and asked him to bless our computers. He blessed them and doused them with holy water, rendering 11 of them useless and mistakenly electrocuting my son, whose hands were on one computer's plug and an electrical outlet at the time. Roberto was electrocuted only a little bit, but whined and cried like a school girl, despite still having full use of both legs. Both the priest and I told him to act like a man. Anyway, I am getting off track.
I needed to investigate more in order to give you some advice. I advise from direct experience, not just hearsay. For example, when my sons were little, I didn’t just tell them not to cross the street without looking both ways -- I showed them what I meant. Without looking, I ran into the street in front of my house as my neighbors were driving home from work. Although I sustained severe injuries, it was worth it. My kids now had practical knowledge and, more importantly, they learned that they can trust whatever I say. My method is so effective that one son is 17 now and never crosses the street. Another son is 15, and he doesn’t even leave the house. Of course, he’s developed crazy fears about the outside world, but that’s probably due to the influence of public schooling.
Anyway, the next step was for me to actually get on Facebook. I said a prayer and then created an account. I was armed with Bible passages to keep evil influences away. What I discovered will blow your mind. Facebook is an absolute delight! It turns out that Facebook isn’t a cult and Satan isn’t involved. The site is wonderful. I posted a status, and then people wrote back to me. I already have THREE friends, a testament to my immediate popularity.
So I take back what I said earlier. I now fully endorse the site and feel confident that I can speak for President Coolidge in saying that if he were alive and used a computer with an Intel processor, he would endorse Facebook too. So go ahead and create an account, and search for me, Jackie Phillips. I’ve posted a picture of my dog on the account so that you’ll recognize that it’s me. Put in a friend request, and I’ll befriend you, if that is the correct technical term.
As for Twitter and My Space, however, I have NOT tested those sites, so please DO NOT use them until further notice. I cannot assure you that they are Satan-free. My friends, Jill and Carole, have encouraged me to get on Twitter, which makes me distrust the site even more.
You’re probably thoroughly confused now. Twitter . . . Facebook. . . which is ok? Let’s make this as simple as possible. Just remember the acronym FUP, which means Facebook is Undeniably Pleasant. Twitter and My Space, on the other hand, are “Potentially Satanic – Do Not Use” or PSDNU (pronounced “Sudnew” because the P is silent). FUP and PSDNU should help you keep these lessons organized. Have a great day and remember to think outside the blog.
Jackie
Read more…
Posted by 9jabook.com on December 10, 2009 at 4:36am
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
What a hoot.
I usually begin the actual writing of my sermon by sitting down at the computer and typing in a blank document. Normally, I choose which of the scriptures I feel led to preach from early in the week (usually Monday) and then let it “simmer” for a few days and then sit down on Thursday to put whatever God has put in my heart to writing. I still continue to think about it, mull over it and modify it right up until and even during the process of sharing the message on Sunday morning. Sometimes I put a graphic right next to the title, “Bold, Centered, either Verdana or Times New Roman text, 12 CPI. Sometimes I put the graphic after I’m done with my writing and playing around with the formatting. But, sometimes, (less often) I put the graphic in before I actually start writing. It can help to focus my message.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” I Cor 1:18“The Foolishness of the Gospel” – foolish to those who are perishing, wisdom and power to those who believe it.
I clicked “Insert/Clip Art” right next to the Sermon Title.
The Clip Art Insert box came up on the right side of my computer screen.
I clicked in the “Search For” box I typed in “fool”.
About 5 or 6 different images for fools, jesters, or dunce caps came up. Humm….
I went back to the “Search For” text box and typed in “Wisdom”.
About 30 images came up.
An owl at night,
words on a wall,
a pencil, came up.
Two nurses with masks on,
an owl and a chaldboard came up.
A stack of books with an apple on it came up.
an apple next to a stack a books came up.
A hand with a pencil in it came up.
A girl in a short blue mini skirt waling next a row of red lockers (presumably a high school highway) students at a desk studying came up.
A room that looked to be a library and another stack of books came up.
A teacher in front of a chalk board, a girl in front of a library stack came up.
Another 6 or 7 owl images came up.
Finally two signs, black and white with the head of a man and the head of a woman in each one above a row of buildings (go figure – I have no idea what they were suggesting) came up, followed by another owl.
If I were from another planet (some think that’s not too far a stretch) and I was guessing I would think that at least according to Microsoft wisdom has everything to do with knowledge, birds, books, school, words, and whatever the head of a man and a woman on a sign above a row of buildings means. Wisdom: at least according to Microsoft nothing to do with religion, faith, belief in God, images of faith or any suggestion of anything spiritual.
My, my, my, 2000 years removed from Paul and Corinthians and not much has changed.
In short, church, faith, religion, especially Christianity are foolish and things of the world are wise.
I. Biblical Reference
A word about the context of Corinthians might serve us well.
* The letters to the Corinthians were written about 50 to 60 A.D.
* It was written by Paul, probably from Ephesus.
* It was written to a church that Paul had founded on an earlier trip to Corinth.
I have been to Corinth.
I have stood on the Bema where Paul preached to the Corinthians.
It was a awesome feeling to stand in this ancient city, with all of history, it’s beauty, it’s education and place in world history and think about Paul must have felt in this very spot.
Ancient Corinth.
* Corinth was a large, important metropolis in the ancient world.
* It was a city of great wealth, expansive, rich homes, busy, thriving business districts and great centers of education and learning.
* Corinth was a city made for greatness. It was in a prime location between the Corinthian Gulf and the Saronic Gulf.
* Corinth was also a wicked city. At the great temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love there were over 1000 priestesses who were sacred prostitutes.
* It was a wealthy city.
Corinth was a synonym for wealth, luxury, drunkenness, debauchery and filth.
Paul stayed in Corinth longer than other city, with the exception of Ephesus. He preached in the synagogue with great success. He lived in the home of Aquila and Priscilla.
After completing his work in Corinth Paul moved on to Syria.
Both to the cultured Greeks and to the pious Jews, the story that Christianity had to tell was sheer folly. It was ridiculous, foolish, absurd, out of sync with what the cultured wisdom of the day.
The Greeks believed that God was unfeeling. To any thinking Greek the idea of God coming in the form of man was a total impossibility. The Greeks loved and sought wisdom They prized silver tongued and deep resonance speaking.
Paul wanted the cultured, wise, successful, wealthy people of Corinth to understand that no matter what they knew to be true and wise mere human wisdom was bound to fail. It would never be enough. It would never satisfy, it would never answer the deep and lasting longings of the heart.
It looked as if the Christian message had little chance of success with either Greek or Jew in Corinth but as Paul said, “What looks like God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom; what looks like God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.
II. Christianity is still seemingly foolish in an age and culture such as our own, in today’s world.How remarkably similar it is for us today. We too live in a world where conventional wisdom is rooted in all sorts of places and ways that scoff at and dismiss the religion of Christ as foolish, irrelevant, and mostly the purview of small minded and slower people.
There are so many ways we resemble Corinthian culture.
We are busy and boisterous culture ourselves.
We are sophisticated culture.
We are a culture that values and pursues education and higher learning, sometimes without thinking or keeping our heart and our soul and our head in balance.
We are a culture that is centered around entertainment, Hollywood movie stars, television sit coms, and media stars.
We are a culture that is increasingly filled with and accepting of moral depravity and wickedness.
Christianity is often portrayed in the media in the jester’s hat and costume.
* that realm belonging to…
* Old people who supposedly are out of touch with cool.
* Children who haven’t acquired critical thinking skills yet.
* Closed minded people who are judgmental and overly opinionated.
* Ignorant people who are know nothings.
* Nice, sweet little old ladies who while kind are out of touch.
* Silly, unsophisticated people who look a little square.
* Poor people who have no alternatives.
All in all, the cross and faith are still seen as foolish in a world that so prizes,
Sophistication,
Cool,
Knowledge,
Science, medicine,
Technology,
Entertainment,
And things of the body and mind that soul is often left out.
It’s not that things of the body and things of the mind aren’t good or that they somehow preclude or exclude things of the soul – it’s that when out of balance and harmony true wisdom is absent.
III. The message of the cross is still foolish in the times in which we live in but it’s still the message of power and life for those who believe in and follow Christ.
The foolishness of the cross tells me that giving and living for others is a better and more satisfying way of life than getting and just living for myself and what’s good for me.
In a week in which Bernard Madoff was sent to jail in handcuffs to the applause of his furious victims. Madoff has become the very symbol of greed amid that played a huge role in the economic meltdown of wall street and our economy. Madoff pulled off a 65 billion dollar meltdown that has cost untold numbers of people to lose their jobs, their homes, their lifetime retirement savings and worse of all their faith in others.
The foolishness of the cross reminds me that when let greed, lie and deception take over our lives we bring devastatin down upon ourselves and everyone else around us.
The foolishness of the cross tells me that in spite of how badly he cheated people and how hurt they are somehow new life is found in forgiveness.
The foolishness of the cross tells us that as important as knowledge and training are they are not the equivalent of wisdom. Wisdom comes above teaches the Bible and I know plenty of highly educated and trained men and women who are devoid of the wisdom I know in some people who never went to college but who have hearts of gold and a wisdom for living that transcends any level of earned degrees.
The foolishness of the cross tells us that knowledge and science without ethic and morality are empty and even harmful.
The foolishness of the cross tells us that the rules and laws of God’s kingdom are much more important and lasting than the rules and laws of man’s kingdom.
The foolishness of the cross tells us that life as we know is not in fact the ultimate sense and being of life and that with faith in God and acceptance of Jesus Christ eternal life in God’s kingdom will far outweigh this world.
The foolishness of the cross tells us that hope and faith and belief in the goodness of mankind far outweighs cynicism and fear and hopelessness which otherwise consumes us in life.
The foolishness of the cross tells us that love, not hate, forgiveness not revenge, healing not hurt are what are most important and what give us life.
The foolishness of the cross tells us that spiritual wealth and well being are more important than material wealth and well being and that the world’s definition of being rich falls far short from God’s definition of being rich.
The foolishness of the cross tells us that life and meaning and purpose and happiness and satisfaction and impact in not defined in the things that are material or of this world but in things that are of God and of his world.
The foolishness of the cross tells me that the things of this world, including all kingdoms of man will eventually fall away and only the things of God’s world will last forever.
Closing…
In Nickle Mines, Pa. a milk truck-driver carrying two guns, a stack of wood and an old grudge entered a one-room Amish schoolhouse, let boys and several adults go, then barricaded himself inside with a dozen young girls before opening fire on them, killing three girls and then himself.
Seven others were taken to hospitals and most of the victims were shot at point-blank range, authorities said.
The gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, is not Amish, wasn’t targeting the Amish and apparently chose the school because he was bent on killing young girls as a way of “acting out in revenge for something that happened 20 years ago. Roberts dropped his children off at their school bus stop, then pulled up at the West Nickel Mines Amish School - which had about 25 to 30 students, ages six to 13 - at around 10 a.m.
Roberts brought with him supplies necessary for a lengthy siege, including three guns, a stun gun, two knives, a pile of wood and a bag with 600 rounds of ammunition. He also had a change of clothing, toilet paper, bolts and hardware and rolls of clear tape.
He released about 15 boys, a pregnant woman and three women with infants, Miller said.
He barred the doors with desks, two-by-fours and two-by-sixes and used nails, bolts and flexible plastic ties to help secure them, and then he murdered them.
The ultimate response of the Amish community and parents was to pray for the family of the killer and to move on to forgiveness and new life with all the faith and strength they could muster. Amish Grace and their grasp of the foolishness of the cross transcended the horrible tragedy that befell their community.
There is something inherently paradoxical about the cross and the message of Christianity. There is something absurd about the Gospel.
* To lose your life is to save it.
* Unless a grain of wheat dies, it can not bring life.
* They who are last will be first and they who are first will be last.
To take up the cross is to embrace the power of God. It doesn’t make sense. Never has. It is very foolish – unless you see it from the perspective of faith in Christ. For believers it is the very power that transforms lives.
Shortly after describing the foolishness of the cross in verse 18 of 1 Corinthians, Paul went on to quote the end of Isaiah 29:14.
The Lord God said: Because these people draw near to me with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote; so I will again do amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing. The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning shall be hidden.
Amen
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Prostitutes of a Danish sex workers association will offer their services plus no charges to delegates of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, an association official told AFP Saturday. Skip related content
An undated photograph showing a prostitute solliciting a client Enlarge photo
Susanne Moeller said the move was meant to protest an anti-prostitution initiative undertaken by Copenhagen city hall.
The city, host of the December 7-18 UN climate summit, distributed postcards in Copenhagen's hotels that said "Be sustainable: Don't buy sex." It also sent letters to hotel managers inviting them to take measures to avoid prostitutes meeting clients in their establishments.
The prostitutes, whose work is not illegal in Denmark, promptly reacted to the move.
"All delegates who come to Copenhagen for the world climate summit will be able to use the postcards for payment after making a request on our website," Moeller, of the Danish association for the defense of sex workers, said.
"We do not expect many delegates (to make use of the offer), but we want to protest what we consider discrimination," Moeller said, adding the offer was good for the duration of the climate talks.
The Copenhagen summit aims to craft an international climate accord to replace the Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012.
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Dear readers, Carrying his baby months after I left him!
Dear readers,
I am in a very difficult position. One I would find extremely difficult to explain to my former boyfriend. I honestly don’t even know how to explain it to myself let alone any other one, because it is a very strange thing.
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My ex-boyfriend and I went our different ways about five months ago, and since then I haven’t slept with another man on account of the way we separated. I caught him with one of my very good friends. For me, it was the height of it all. Prior to that time, we have had issues concerning his ability to keep his pants zipped up.
Because I have always been told that relationship takes time to form, I kept enduring the situation for four years. But catching him with my friend was more than I could endure. I didn’t give him the chance to explain anything and told him in clear terms that I don’t ever want to see him. Even when some of his friends came to beg and explain that I should give him a chance to explain what really happened, I ignored them all. My parents also tried to speak on his behalf, but backed off when I made my stance very obvious.
I honestly thought I was rid of him until I discovered that I am about five months pregnant. The shock isn’t the pregnancy, but the way my body concealed the knowledge from me. Like I said, we have gone our separate ways and I am carrying his baby inside of me. How do I convince him that the child is his? How do I present the case to him and his family after telling him I am through with him? Will he believe me? Will he ever accept the child as his own? How do I bring a child whose birth would be clothed in controversy into the world? How do I explain the whole matter to my parents or his for that matter? Would he believe I didn’t know about the pregnancy until now? At 32, who would believe I didn’t know I was pregnant till now?
The few friends I told are divided in opinion. While some think abortion is still possible at this stage of the pregnancy, some think I should go ahead and have the baby on my own, since I have a good job without telling the father. Yet others think I owe myself and baby the responsibility of informing the father. And that even if he denies, at least, he would be aware of the existence of the baby.
I am in a very tight corner. Please help me. I love to have a baby, but not in this controversial manner. A doctor I contacted said it was too risky to abort the child at this stage. He also explained that some women don’t experience the usual signs and agrees it is inexplicable. I am so confused because even if he accepts I don’t want to marry him again. There is no way I can marry a man I don’t trust. And I don’t want to be a single mother either.
Iremide.
Dear Iremide,
I don’t subscribe to you aborting the baby whatever the situation. A child is a gift from God and only He has the right to touch a life. He takes and gives as He pleases. It isn’t in your place to do that. The fact that He didn’t allow you the pleasure of experiencing the natural signs a woman notices when she gets pregnant shows that this child is meant to be.
What this means is that this child is very determined to come and any attempt by you to terminate its life could result in your death too. So, be careful. At any rate, have you bothered to consider God’s reason for making all these happen? Naturally, when a woman takes in, her flow is expected to stop even if she is one of those lucky women who don’t experience nausea, spitting and discomfort associated with the early days of pregnancy. That none of these happened shows the benevolent hands of God at work.
Rather than worry at what this man would say, why not begin by thanking God for this special gift? I know and understand all the different shades of feelings you are going through as well as the attendant confusions, but going first to God would help you put things in their proper perspectives.
First, you have to accept the reality of the baby growing inside of you. That is not negotiable. You must have the calmness of mind to accept that no matter what happens between the father and you, this baby has come to stay and for a while may be your sole responsibility.
Once you have the grace to accept the baby as part of you, the attendant strength to face the hostility, condemnation as well as all the other negative attitudes from people around you would come from nowhere. This will help you know what advice to take and those to ignore. For instance, you will learn to shut out from your life those friends asking you to terminate this pregnancy. This is particularly necessary, because you caught your man with one of these so-called friends. Only the spirit of God can tell you the truth at all times.
Those urging you to abort a five months old pregnancy don’t mean well for you. A lot can go wrong even if you entrust your life to the best doctor in the world. What would be your story if you end up having damaged womb? Would say you lost your womb due to fears of raising a child alone? Would any of these friends give you any of their children to call your own? At 32, are you not old enough to be a mother or make your decision? Besides, have you stopped to consider the viability of your biological clock? What about the spiritual angle, the destiny of the individual? What if God reveals to you that child is meant to be your only child in life? Would you still be ashamed to care for it or make excuses for your reason to get rid of it?
If you have never given him cause to suspect you, lied to him, he would believe you. Only a man who doesn’t trust his woman or running away from responsibility would deny a woman he has slept with. Don’t judge or condemn him even before giving him a chance to defend his honour as a man. Yes, he may appear irresponsible to you on account of his behaviour, but when it comes to the issue of knowing that he is about to be a father, don’t deny him his rights. Your body may be incubating the child, but he is the father. Hence he has the right to know because you didn’t make the baby alone.
Even if he doubts the paternity of the baby, modern medicine has made such thing so simple. A DNA could be conducted on the foetus to determine the paternity or on the baby after birth.
Telling him doesn’t mean you have to go back to him if you don’t want to, but it would give both of you the chance to discuss the well being of this child God has graciously given to the two of you.
Overtime, it would also give you two the chance to re-assess your relationship. This child could be God’s way of forcing you to listen to the wise counsel of all those who tried to talk you out of your decision. There is no way you both won’t talk about the past if both of you plan to play prominent roles in the life of this child.
Until you listen to him, you won’t know how your friend ended up in the position you caught both of them. Have you ever tried considering the fact that your friend out of jealousy may have planned everything to ensure you broke up with him?
You will never know the true nature of some of your friends or motive of their friendship unless you hear this man out. Listening doesn’t mean you should forgive him, but knowing what actually transpired that day would go a long way in helping you understand a lot of things happening around you.
Whatever happens between the two of you, the interest of the child should always come first, because at the end of the day that is what would count the most.
Good luck.
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