Thursday, 14 May 2015

WizkidMusic star's son turns 4 today

The only child of the pop superstar was born in 2011 after a 'brief' relationship between Wizkid and Oluwashola Ogudugu


 
 Wizkid's son- Boluwatife (Instagram) 
Boluwatife and his mum Oluwashola Ogudugu. (Instagram)
 
Wizkid's son Boluwatife Balogun is four years old today.
The only child of the pop superstar was born in 2011 after a 'brief' relationship between Wizkid and Oluwashola Ogudugu who was a student at the American University Cotonou at that time.
His mum has sent birthday wishes to her baby boy. "Happy 4th Birthday to my Young King! It's Been God all the wayyyy #Thankful" she wrote on Twitter.
On Instagram she wrote a longer birthday message to Bolu who she calls her 'young king'.
"Happy Birthday to the Man that Matters the Most in my Life… My Son.. My First Seed.. My Offspring (Lol) I remember vividly how excited I was when you turned ‘3’ And Here I am today, Wishing you a Happy 4th Birthday Already(Just like yesterday ) And by God’s grace i shall wish you many more fruitful, Great, fulfilled life ahead… I pray that the Joy and Happiness you bring to my Life and everyone around you  shall know no bounds… And I also want to use this medium to ask God to always be my Guide and also Strengthen me the more to bring you up Right as always and also instill the fear of God in you most importantly,So you grow up to be a Responsible, Humane, Selfless ,Loving and of course the Man of every girls dream (Lol) Amen. Words are not enough to explain my excitement but i’m thankful to God for always being there for You&Me ‘BabyBoy’ (Lol) … it’s not been easy but you’ve made it all worth it Kiddo… I LOVE You Forever and a day more my Young King! Turn up in School later today… Lol… MUMMYLOVESYOUBIGGGGGGGGGGG"
 

Wizkid's with the tattoo of his son's name (Star Boy )

Wizkid who has just dropped a new song 'Expensive Shit' has a tattoo of his son's name on his left hand.

End Of The RoadLekki robbers open up on how they operated

One of the four robbery suspects that raided the FCMB in Lekki has told the police how the operation was carried out.


The deadly Lekki robbers
The deadly Lekki robbers
(New Telegraph)
Few days ago, the Lagos State Police Command made an uncommon breakthrough when they arrested four members of the deadly armed robbery gang that raided the First City Monument Bank in Lekki Phase 1 on March 12, 2015, where they carted away an unspecified amount of money running into millions of naira, as well as killing five people including policemen and a teenage fish seller, Sarah Ibikunle.
The arrested robbers include Duke Odogbo, Lawrence Kingsley, Ebi Tosan and Ekelemo Kuete, and they have been singing in the police cell, telling how the operation was carried out.
One of the four suspects, 38-years-old Duke Odogbo from Warri, Delta State, narrated how the robbery operation was carried out.
"I was invited by a friend from Warri, Delta State, to come for bunkering job. But on reaching Lagos, I was told it was a bank robbery. I told them I was into bunkering and not robbery.
But because they told me we were going to make much money from it, I decided to join them. On the day of the operation, we left Tarkwa Bay at about 4.30 pm in two boats, with 11 persons on each. But one of the boats developed fault on the way.
We all entered the good one. We got to the bank few minutes after 5p.m. Immediately we left the canal, some of us went to the road and started firing, thereby making way for those of us that would go inside. I led the team that went in.
We were all putting on Army camouflage. I shattered the entrance glass with bullets and when we got inside, we demanded for the money realized for that day. The manager told us they did not make much. But we broke into one of their strong rooms where we got some money.
We also broke into two ATM boxes, but there was no money in either of them. We told ourselves that the operation must not exceed 40 minutes. To my surprise, by the time we were leaving, I discovered that my colleagues were with seven extra rifles.
When I asked, they said they saw some policemen in a van, concluded they were there for us and shot at them. I was not the one that shot the policemen. I did not kill anyone. It was when we got to the forest, located in an island in Ikorodu that we discovered that the amount stolen was N15 million and I got N500,000. I used my share to boost my bunkering business.
We never meant to kill anybody. I regretted my action. God cannot forgive me because I don’t think I can ever see the face of the Lord."

Boko Haram5 Nigerian terrorists being trained by ISIS reportedly killed in Iraq

The Nigerian insurgents were killed by the Mosul Youth Resistance Movement on Wednesday, May 13, 2015.


Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau
Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau (Shoebat)
 
 
According to reports, Boko Haram terrorists being trained in Iraq have been killed by a vigilante group.
The Nigerian insurgents were killed by the Mosul Youth Resistance Movement on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, Bas News reports.
The Boko Haram members were said to have been receiving training from the Islamic State terror group (ISIS) before their deaths in the Dargaza area of Eastern Mosul.
“The Nigerian Boko Haram militants were in Mosul to take part in a military training course conducted by Islamic State (IS),” spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Saed Mamuzini reportedly said.
Boko Haram pledged its allegiance to ISIS in March via an audio statement.
The group's leader, Abubakar Shekau is believed to be on the run and his escape from Nigeria was supposedly aided by ISIS operatives.


After defeating the German outfit on Tuesday, the Flying Eagles handler felt nothing but pride for his side ahead of their clash with Nurnberg U23

Manu praises boys for Hoffenheim U23 defeat

Coach Manu Garba paid tribute to the performances of his Nigeria U20 side after downing Hoffenheim U23 5-2 in the friendly played on Tuesday afternoon.
A treble from Taiwo Awoniyi plus strikes from Chiderah Ezeh and Godwin Saviour ensured the reigning African youth champions a comprehensive win against the German fifth division outfit as they perfect strategies for the Fifa U20 World Cup.
The Flying Eagles though conceded two cheap goals but the coach was pleased with what he saw from his team.
“We started the game slowly, but we later picked up to play our normal game,” said Manu after the thrilling encounter, Garba told the NFF website.
“It was a good outing overall and I will score us about 70%.
“But again we need to work on our defence by taking on more defensive responsibilities and our finishing has to be better as we lost several chances.
“All the same, we should also praise the Hoffenheim team, they are a team of professional players and they took the game to us very early on,” he concluded.
The Flying Eagles will play the Nurnberg U23s on Friday before their final warm-up match against Freiburg U23 team on May 19

The midfielder was accused of playing like a youth player by Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, but has been backed by two high-profile figures

Bayern are wasting Gotze's talent, says Kahn

Former Bayern Munich and Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn believes his old club are wasting Mario Gotze's talent by leaving him on the bench.
The former Borussia Dortmund man has struggled to find his best form this season and was left out of the starting XI for both legs of Bayern's Champions League semi-final against Barcelona.
Gotze was heavily criticised by Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer for giving the ball away too much earlier this month, but  Kahn says the 22-year-old isn't entirely to blame and wants head coach Pep Guardiola to resolve the issue and make the most of the Germany international's ability.
"Guardiola gives Gotze minutes when the game is already over," he said to ZDF. "They don't take advantage of his talent.
"Muller is playing in the wrong position as well. These problems, with two big players from Germany, must be resolved."
It was only last summer that Gotze scored the winning goal in the World Cup final and Germany boss Joachim Low has hit back at his critics.
"Until recently Mario was the best and everything was going well and now everything is supposedly bad," he said in an interview with the DFB's official website. "You can't meet everybody's expectations.
"For me it is clear that Mario is an exceptional talent, a player who can make a difference. For me he is without doubt one of the best players in the world."
Morata nails shut Carlo's coffin as Bianconeri head to Berlin

COMMENT: The Spaniard had the last word against his former coach by scoring the goal that sent Juventus to the Champions League final

 As it turned out, Alvaro Morata’s first-leg goal was only the appetiser. The big slice of humble pie was served up for Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday as the striker sent Juventus to the Champions League final at the expense of the club that let him leave last summer.
It was by no means an epic Bianconeri display as they played completely within themselves and lost the advantage of their 2-1 lead from Turin reasonably early in the proceedings, but Morata was not about to let Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti off the hook so easily.
Scoring a goal which would prove to be a consolation was not enough for the 22-year-old. He wanted to have the last laugh.
“I don’t understand what happened,” he told Onda Cero earlier this season of his final days in Madrid.
“I went from playing well to being sat on the bench. I wasn’t asking to be in every starting line-up, but I wanted better treatment. I barely had any relationship with Ancelotti.”
The Italian coach will now always remember the name Morata for what he did in the 57th minute of this Champions League semi-final second leg. When Iker Casillas only punched a wide free-kick as far as Paul Pogba, the Frenchman returned the ball into the penalty area. There, Morata was given time and space to hit a bouncing effort beyond the Spain captain.
It was the goal which eliminated Real Madrid from the competition and it will also send Ancelotti heading for the job centre once the Blancos have stumbled to the end of their damp squib of a season.
Twelve months after playing a bit-part in Madrid’s Champions League triumph, Morata will return to the main event – almost certainly as a starter – with a hugely worthy Juventus side.
While not altogether convincing during the group stage, with lifeless losses at Atletico Madrid and Olympiakos threatening to put a stick in their spokes, Juve have been almost exemplary in the knockouts.
Many belittled their achievements in seeing off Borussia Dortmund and Monaco, claiming they’d been presented with an easy route through. After beating Real Madrid, nobody can now say they’ve had things all their own way.
“I think it’s brilliant for Juventus because we’ve worked for this and now we’re back,” Pavel Nedved told Sky Sports before Wednesday’s second leg.
They are indeed back, and Morata is not the only one to thank for that. Carlos Tevez’s goals, Andrea Pirlo’s direction, Gianluigi Buffon’s organisation, Massimiliano Allegri’s flexibility… they are just the beginning of the reasons for Juve’s success so far.
It is a triumph that will hit Carlo Ancelotti harder than anyone.
“Juventus is a team that I never loved and will never love,” he said of the Old Lady in his autobiography. “I could only see them as an enemy.”
Now, more than ever, he has every reason to feel physically sick at the mention of Juventus’ name.
The Bianconeri are heading for Berlin, while Ancelotti is destined for the exit.
Ronaldo's trophy haul at Real is pitiful and five things we learned from the Champions League this week

 

Cristiano may be celebrating another personal milestone but he has found team success hard to come by at Real, while Pep Guardiola is beginning to feel the heat at Bayern 


Congratulations to Cristiano Ronaldo for equalling Alfredo Di Stefano's tally of 307 Real Madrid goals with his penalty against Juventus on Wednesday night.

Ronaldo joined in the summer of 2009 meaning it has taken him under six years to hit that number whereas it took Di Stefano nearly twice that. Ronaldo is now alongside Di Stefano as Real's all-time second-highest goalscorer and is on course to obliterate Raul's record of 323 early next season. He has scored goals roughly at double the rate Raul did during his time at the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo, though, will leave Madrid with a trophy cabinet put entirely to shame by the man with whom he drew level this week. Alfredo Di Stefano defined that first Galactico era of Real Madrid's history and was part of teams which won eight la Liga titles and five European Cups. Ronaldo can only dream of such numbers. And do not think for a second that Real were a one-man team in those days. For James Rodriguez, read Ferenc Puskas. For Gareth Bale, Francisco Gento.

So what is the difference between the two?

A former Real Madrid team-mate of the late Di Stefano, Jose Emilio Santamaria, told Goal this week that while he regarded Ronaldo as an outstanding goalscorer, Di Stefano was easily the more complete player of the two.

"You ask me were there nicer or more exquisite players? There have been many," he said. "But, by performances and efficacy, there hasn't been anyone more complete than him."

That is the frustration with Cristiano Ronaldo. It seems Real Madrid are still geared up to play only for him. The money spent on James and Bale, and everyone else for that matter, is all to facilitate goals for Ronaldo; goals which hopefully will be enough to win matches and earn trophies for everyone. That has not been the case.

There has been one league title in Ronaldo's time at Real. There has been one Champions League. In a six-year spell for a player of his calibre at a club like Real, that is a pitiful return. Yet he is about to be crowned all-time top goalscorer and has won the last two Ballons d'Or. There is something amiss.

Ronaldo needs his team-mates to act as functionaries. They are there to give him goals. That is Plan A for Ronaldo and Plan A for whoever happens to be giving instructions in the dugout. When he is not on form, and he has not been consistent since January, then Madrid suffer badly. He has not demonstrated his ability lately to go by his full back and hit a shot at goal. He did not take a shot in the second half against Juventus and was marginalised on his station on the left wing.

The Champions League semi-finals, then, ran largely to form. Cristiano Ronaldo knocks in a penalty for a landmark goal but Real Madrid fail collectively. Maybe someday someone will work out if the two are related.

In the meantime, he continues his march to become the greatest individual Real Madrid has ever seen but he will never be part of its greatest team.

Back to Berlin for 2006 World Cup hero Buffon
The greatest moment of Gianluigi Buffon's career came in the summer of 2006 when Italy claimed the World Cup against France on penalty kicks in Berlin's Olympic Stadium. The goalkeeper now returns to the scene of his greatest triumph with Juventus and he could well clinch his first, and most probably only, Champions League title when the Bianconeri face Barcelona on June 6.

This has been a long time coming for Buffon, the Juve captain, who has made more than 500 appearances for the club since joining in 2001 as the world's most expensive keeper. His only other Champions League final with the club ended in bitter heartache in a shootout defeat to Carlo Ancelotti's AC Milan at Old Trafford in 2003.

The 37-year-old has seen plenty since then. That summer in 2006 also brought the shocking news that Juventus would be relegated following the Calciopoli scandal and they also had two Serie A titles revoked. The entire maelstrom seemed to galvanise the Italy squad, so many of whom were affected by the outcomes of the trials.

While some high-profile names departed, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Fabio Cannavaro among them, Buffon chose to remain with Juve and take the full punishment by playing in Serie B for the 2006-07 season.

It has been a tale of gradual improvement for Juve since those dark days. They have now won four titles on the trot, confirming themselves as Italy's greatest team, with Buffon playing a huge part against Real Madrid with a string of world-class saves.

"We reached our goal, we will not be tourists in Berlin," he told Mediaset. "I am proud of my team-mates and the growth we had. When you have the opportunity to play games like that you have to win."

And now, the biggest achievement of his club career lies in store. Facing him are three of the best forwards in the world, all in the form of their lives. However, it is one of modern football's great paradoxes that its greatest goalkeeper has not been decorated with the top club honour. Nobody would begrudge Gianluigi Buffon that much when he eventually walks onto the field in Berlin and recalls what happened nine years ago against France.
Pep's legacy on the line
Pep Guardiola's reputation has taken a battering over these two matches whatever way you slice it. The absences of David Alaba and Arjen Robben admittedly blunted Bayern over the two legs against Barcelona but coaches at three top level teams in particular - Bayern, Real Madrid and Barca - are expected to cover for the loss of key individuals either through a tactical readjustment or the deployment of the right replacements. Guardiola managed neither.

His approach to the first leg was a total botch. Constant tactical tweaks seem to have left the players unsure of their exact requirements game by game. Where Barcelona brought their own game to bear over the course of the two legs, Bayern could not. They were muddled. Guardiola tried to counter Barca's strengths by setting his team up to neutralise. It was doomed to fail.

"You can only beat Barca if you take the ball off them," he said. "We had a lot of difficulties but we never gave up. A big team has to cope with defeats like today or against Borussia Dortmund in the German Cup. I would like to play even better and have all my best players available, which I do not have. But I am happy and pleased with how we played."

The general public is judging Guardiola and Bayern to a different standard than any other coach and club whether that is fair or not. That is as a direct result of what he achieved at Barcelona. As such, Bayern are expected to at least make the final of this competition every season. That is the standard Jupp Heynckes set by winning the treble in 2013. That is the standard Guardiola is expected to maintain.

Now there is some revisionism going on. It is reductive, yet also accurate, to say Guardiola took a treble-winning team to two trophies in his first season and only one in his second. It is also true that with Lionel Messi in his team he was the best coach in the world and yet without him he is not.

As such, Guardiola's legacy is very much on the line as he heads into his final season with Bayern. He is seen as visionary and charlatan in equal measure.

There is another trio that Barcelona need to thank
The Messi-Suarez-Neymar triumvirate is rightly drinking in the acclaim for scoring 25 of 28 Barca goals this season in the Champions League. It is a rare thing indeed to have three forwards as talented as these functioning effectively together in the same lineup.

Furthermore, they are not only playing for themselves. There is a warmth and a camaraderie in their play as evidenced in Neymar's unselfish squaring of the ball for Messi in the last minute against Bayern and the fact that 17 of Luis Suarez's 20 assists this season have been to either Messi or Neymar. Three massive egos that all seem to gel well, it is almost unheard of.

As limelight-thieves go, Barca could not ask for three better strikers. It is the three players further back the field, however, who are giving MSN their base to launch attacks. Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Andres Iniesta are providing Barcelona's backbone. Without them this season that fabled front three would undoubtedly malfunction.

Luis Enrique is overseeing possibly the best-ever trio of attackers in the history of club football. It does not just happen by itself though and allowances have to be made in order to field all three together. The Barca coach was a clever, adaptable midfielder in his day and he has found all the right solutions in the centre of the pitch for his team.

Busquets sits deepest of the three in a position that he has made his own in world football. His role has not changed too much this season. His positional discipline and ability to block and intercept have long made Barca the team that wins the ball back most rapidly.

Rakitic, meanwhile, has slotted in seamlessly and brought a vision and stamina to the midfield. He is adept at finding his forwards with accurate passes that not everybody can see. People have forgotten about Xavi very quickly thanks to the Croat and his link-up capabilities.

While Iniesta's goal and assist numbers have decreased since the three up front have got together he is now free to influence play a little further back the pitch. He is ghosting into space and linking the Barca attacks as well as ever.

"You have to celebrate the fact we've reached the final," Iniesta said. "We are where we wanted to be but won't just be happy with that, we want to win titles. We are in a final and it is within our reach. We will try and win it."

Messi, Suarez and Neymar can do things other players can only dream of and because of their unique talents they are given a relative free pass going the other direction. It is not often you see them chasing back to make sure Barca have enough numbers in their own half. As such it is left to the best of the rest to make sure Barca are not compromised as they leave MSN free to wreak havoc.

These three midfielders are not getting the adulation they deserve quite simply because the MSN trio has been so devastating in front of goal. But without Busquets-Rakitic-Iniesta it would not be so.
Thiago must wish he was back at Barca
Thiago Alcantara must have looked at Rafinha at the final whistle on Tuesday night following Bayern Munich's defeat and wished he could have been wearing the same shirt as his brother. It is nearly two years since Thiago left Barcelona to join Pep Guardiola at Bayern. While he has won two Bundesliga titles as well as a DFB Pokal he must wonder if his career is any better for having left Camp Nou.

Thiago left Barcelona because he saw his path to the first team blocked by Xavi and Cesc Fabregas among others. With Xavi now firmly a substitute and Cesc having departed, there would surely have been more opportunity for Thiago to play, and make an impact, had he remained with Barca.

"It's the perfect club for any footballer to develop and to grow, because as everybody knows La Masia can give you stability; they take care of you when you leave home," he told Uefa last week. "They show you the affection you need when you leave home. You have the chance to study there and it makes you grow as a player and as a person."

He would fit very nicely indeed into this team too. He has the ability on the ball, the work rate and that special touch of ingenuity required to excel. He knows Barcelona like the back of his hand and was initially expected to carry on the legacy of Xavi as well as his current coach Guardiola in the centre of Barca's midfield. He was impatient.

The truth of the matter is that Thiago's spell in Bavaria has been cursed. When he has played, Bayern have looked complete and he was described by Pep as the only player he wanted to sign. However, he has been injured all too often and has had his recoveries interrupted by being mishandled.

Guardiola has only one more year left on his Bayern contract and is unlikely to sign a new one. Then what for Thiago? He is seen as emblematic of the Guardiola regime at Bayern. There may not be a place for him once Guardiola departs.

He will have his pick of the clubs but a player of his standing cannot simply be expected to slot in and start again. He demands a system be constructed to incorporate him. He would have had that at Barca but was in a rush for first team football.

Thiago has not played even half the number of games he would have expected to at Bayern. Had he remained patient he would probably have a Champions League final to look forward to the first week in June.

Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Brain-dead woman who was kept alive for 54 days delivers baby boy

Doctors in Nebraska prolonged the life of a brain dead woman for 54 days so she could deliver a baby boy named Angel.

Karla Perez, 22, died two days after the delivery, the Washington Post reported late Friday. Angel weighed just 2 pounds, 12.6 ounces at birth.

The last time a brain-dead woman in the U.S. delivered a baby was 1999, the paper said.
Baby Angel was delivered earlier last month at Methodist Health System in Omaha.

The hospital said a team of more than 100 doctors, nurses and staff kept Angel's 22-year-old mother Karla Perez alive for 54 days -- just long enough to deliver the baby via cesarean section.

"Our team took a giant leap of faith," Sue Korth, vice president and COO of Methodist Women's Hospital, said in a statement Thursday announcing the successful procedure. "We were attempting something that not many before us have been able to do."
Perez collapsed in her home in Waterloo, Nebraska, on Feb. 8 after complaining of severe headaches. Doctors later determined she had suffered a brain bleed.

With her baby at just 22 weeks -- too young to survive outside the womb -- "it was then that we had decisions to make," said Dr. Andrew Robertson at the Methodist Women's Hospital.

Doctor's had hoped to sustain Perez long enough to deliver her baby at 32 weeks, but the young woman's condition deteriorated two weeks shy of the target date so Angel was delivered on April 4.

Angel was in an incubator and feeding through a tube, the hospital group said Thursday. "We are cautiously optimistic," said neonatologist Dr. Brady Kerr.

The baby is still in NICU and his family surrounded him with his mom's things hoping that her scent will keep the baby comfortable.

As for Karla, her organs helped save three people who were waiting for a transplant.
 
Tight shirt. Tight trouser. Na wetin? Lol. (photo)
Saw this photo trending on Twitter. It's said to be that of 'The First Member of Phi Beta Sigma, through charter, in Nigeria.' Lol. See some comments after the cut



Beats by Dre Tour Earpiece Giveaway by Phonace...

Phonace, Nigeria’s number 1 retailers of Phone Accessories, Computer Accessories and Gadgets will be giving away free Beats by Dre Tour Earpiece valued at 8000 naira every week on the Linda Ikeji Blog and guess what, you don’t have to do anything out of the world to be a winner.

Phonace is a world class Nigerian retailer of Phone accessories, Computer Accessories and Gadgets. Whether it is cell phone cases, headset, chargers, screen protectors, memory cards, flash drives, external hard drives, gaming consoles, Bluetooth or other wireless accessories, Phonace has your needs covered.
We offer our customers only the highest quality and at the most reasonable price around. With expert knowledge of the industry and terrain, we are positioned to become one of the largest mobile phone accessories vendors in the country.

To start up, we are not just any accessories vendor, we are Phonace! Our unique focus on selling quality phone accessories with a striking experience and trusted value gives us an advantage over our competitors by giving customers an authorized outlet to buy external products for their mobile devices. This fills a ready need of not just our youthful buyers but it also expands our reach to people who would normally not buy accessories for their devices yet are amused by the trendy brand association they enjoy with us.

You can visit any of our stores or online for your mobile accessories and gadgets.
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All you have to do to win one of the free Tour Earpiece by Dr Dre is to be the 50th, 200th  and 300th person to comment on this post. Your comment should contain our website and your email address.
Remember we would be giving out this item every week so always watch out for our weekly post.

Photos from new earthquake disaster in Nepal, 32 confirmed dead

32 persons have been confirmed dead and over 1000 injured in the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal's eastern region this morning. The quake, which comes two and a half weeks after the first one that killed over 8000 people, was so strong, it was felt in New Delhi, India. Vulnerable buildings from last disaster have now collapsed. The quake also triggered landslide. See some pics after the cut

Wife of Pharmacist who allegedly committed suicide released from police custody

Busayo, the wife of the Lagos pharmacist, Paul Olafare, who was arrested and detained following the death of her husband who allegedly committed suicide on April 12th, has been released by the police after spending 28 days in detention in Panti. Busayo, who was arrested after a report was filed by her late husband's family, who suspected she had a hand in his death, was released on May 8th after the autopsy result carried out on her late husband was released. The police has however not made the result of the autopsy known. 

Should the 200 girls pregnant for Boko Haram members get an abortion?

According to UNFPDA, about 200 girls who were recently rescued by Nigerian troops from Sambisa forest are reportedly pregnant for members of Boko Haram who have no identity. Some persons have called for the girls to abort the babies. Others hold strong religious views and have said the girls should not. What is your take on this?

Tragic story! Couple die in car accident just two months after their wedding

Mr and Mrs Timothy Terson got married March 6th, 2015 and died just two months later on May 6th in a fatal car accident along Mkar-Ameladu road, Gboko. Timothy died on the spot, while his wife, Erdoo died two days later on May 8th at Benue state University teaching hospital, Makurdi.

Like their deaths weren't tragic enough, Timothy's father, Mr. Tersen, also died in accident on his way to Gboko from Wannune, Tarka LGA after seeing his in-laws for the couple's burial arrangements

Now the families will be burying three people. Sad! May your souls rest in peace, Amen!

Another Earthquake rocks Nepal


Two weeks after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal in which over 8,000 people died, another earthquake rocked the Eastern region of the country early this morning. According to the US Geological Survey, this morning's earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3. The one on April 25th which happened in western Nepal had a magnitude of 7.8.

People ran for safety after the tremor was heard. There are no immediate reports of casualties. The tremor from this morning's earthquake was felt as far away as the Indian capital Delhi, as well as Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Four people have been confirmed dead so far!

The battle continues. Blac Chyna now wants full custody of their son


Blac Chyna says she has a problem with Tyga dating a minor and doesn't want her near her son because Kylie, at 17, lacks maturity to handle a 2 year old and for that she's gunning for full custody.

TMZ reports
Tyga is about to do battle with his baby mama because we've learned Blac Chyna is now gunning for full custody of their son. Sources connected with Blac Chyna tell us she hired a top divorce lawyer last week and will file legal docs asking for primary physical custody. She does not want 2-year-old King Cairo bouncing from home to home during the week because he's going to start preschool soon.
But Chyna's issues run deeper. She has a problem with Tyga because he's dating a minor, and she believes that shows bad judgment that translates into his parenting skills. Chyna also doesn't want Kylie Jenner to have substantial time around the kid because she believes Kylie lacks maturity.
She's willing to give Tyga weekend visitation, but that's it.
We've learned when Tyga and Blac Chyna separated, he initially wanted full custody but backed off and said he would share joint custody, but now the tables have turned.
And we're told Blac Chyna wants child support to cover housing expenses, food, clothing, nannies and school.

Photo: Lady trekking to Otuoke in honor of GEJ suffers blisters

Gloria, the young lady who is trekking from Abuja to Otuoke, Bayelsa state in honor of President Jonathan this morning shared photos of her leg with blisters. Gloria is on the journey with her fellow male "trekker", Oladele Nihi and they are currently in Edo state. Be safe out there guys...

Wednesday, 6 May 2015

The secrets to staying creative in your workplace

 Have you ever found the creative inspiration you were seeking at the most unexpected time, or thought you were having that long-awaited problem-solving epiphany just as you nodded off to sleep?
According to neuroscientists John Kounios and Mark Beeman, there's a reason for that. Their book, "The Eureka Factor", explores the influences at work behind that much sought-after "Aha!" moment. Research suggests that in trying to conjure up inspiration, most of us end up suppressing it. The book explains how to clear out mental junk, in order to make way for pivotal revelations.
Dr. Kounios explained: "Insights involve unusual connections. Cognitive psychologists call these 'remote associations'. They are processed mostly in the brain's right hemisphere. Insights occur when a subconscious remote association suddenly pops into awareness. This is accompanied by a burst of activity in the brain's right temporal lobe."
"We wrote "The Eureka Factor" to help people understand how creative insight works in the brain so they can use various strategies harmoniously without having them cross-circuit each other, " said Kounios. "For example, there is evidence that imagining the future helps to put someone in an insightful state. However, if a person imagines a specific future that makes them anxious, then insightfulness could decrease because anxiety is a creativity killer."
"That said, a positive mood and a broad, expansive spread of attention are a couple of key features of the insightful state," he added.
Following are some of the tips they suggest for unleashing your creative potential -- both at home and at work.

Expand your horizons... literally

Spaciousness helps broaden thoughts. Even high ceilings have been shown to broaden attention. Small, windowless offices, low ceilings and narrow corridors will do little to inspire our brains and make us flexible, creative thinkers.

Color is key

Relaxing outdoor colors such as blue and green contribute to this state. "Emergency" colors such as red suppress it. Surprisingly, dark colors and dim lighting can also be beneficial: by obscuring visual details, they help people think more abstractly.

Get moving

Static surroundings encourage static thinking. Don't be predictable. You should sometimes change everyday routines, such as where you go for coffee or your route to work. Rearrange your furniture and decor from time to time, at home and in your workplace. Hold meetings in a variety of places.

Embrace diversity

Make sure to include some nonconformists in your inner circle. Unusual people tend to be out-of-the-box thinkers, and their unique outlook might help you attack a problem from a different angle.

Ditch the deadline

The threat of a firm deadline will narrow your thinking and inhibit your insight. Try and use soft target dates and a flexible schedule to establish a helpful, nonthreatening time frame. Rewards and punishments for meeting or missing deadlines, if needed at all, should be vague and mild so they don't contribute added pressure.

Don't worry, be happy (that's an order)

A positive outlook will help stimulate a more open mind, one that can process a greater number of ideas. If you struggle to think happy, try focusing on the people and things that bring you joy. To put a twist on Pasteur's famous saying, chance favors the happy mind.

Change direction

When you're stuck on a problem, take a break to do or think about something very different. Expose yourself to a variety of people and places. Listen to music or go to a pleasing movie, art exhibit or talk a walk. Play a game, dance, do yoga, read. Insight triggers appear at the most unlikely times and places.

Take a cat nap

We all know how important sleep is to our cognitive thinking. The sleep-deprived mind is more likely to fixate on small matters -- an absolute killer to creativity. Ample sleep also helps foster the discovery of hidden connections between ideas.

Find your peak time of day, then work against it

Insightful thought is at its best when your powers of inhibition are weaker, because reduced focus opens up your awareness to remote associations that wouldn't come to you when you're feeling sharp. If you're an early bird, you should try doing your creative work at night. If you're a night owl, try the morning.

Do whatever it takes to reduce anxiety

Perhaps the single most important thing to remember is that your mental state can change. It takes a while to sink into an insightful mindset. Try and schedule uninterrupted blocks of time for relaxed, freewheeling creative thought. Turn off your phone. Get rid of the clock. Let abstract ideas and vague impressions flow where they will.
Tips have been extracted from the book "The Eureka Factor", which has been written by Dr. John Kounios and Dr. Mark Beeman.

Self-driving semi hits the road

Self-driving trucks hit Nevada roads

Look closely. That truck driver has both hands on his iPad.

Freightliner has been given a license to test out its autonomously driving tractor-trailer truck in the state of Nevada. The big-rig manufacturer already has such a truck in operation and will now begin test driving it on public highways there.
There will always be a licensed truck driver in the driver's seat but the Frieightliner Inspiration is designed and equipped to drive itself on limited access interstates. There are currently two of the trucks. A human driver will take full control when the truck is in city and suburban driving situations. Nevada is one of a few states that has legislation specifically allowing for the licensing of self-driving vehicles.
The Freightliner truck will stay in its lane and avoid hitting cars ahead with no driver input. Radar sensors and cameras will watch lane lines and surrounding traffic. Freightliner is owned by Daimler AG (DDAIY), which also makes Mercedes-Benz luxury cars. Mercedes has also been testing self-driving cars.
Trucks like this could reduce driver fatigue, according to Freightliner executives, and allow drivers to be more productive. While the truck is going down the highway, the driver could safely attend to paperwork or plan the next trip, for instance.
freightliner interior
Since the truck can drive itself on highways, Freightliners says, the driver can occuppy himself with other pressing business.

Automated trucks could also save fuel by driving in "platoons." In this scenario, automated trucks, communicating with one another electronically, could drive in a tightly packed line behind a lead truck. This would have huge aerodynamic benefits because only the truck in front would have to push through a lot of air. Each following truck would ride in a sort of bubble created by the truck in front of it.
Autonomous driving technology will, at some point, find its place in the in the trucking industry, said Wolfgang Bernhard, who heads Daimler's commercial truck operations.
"We don't believe that everyone is going to jump on immediately," he said. "It's a process."
Getting experimental trucks out on real roads is a step in that process.
"From an industry standpoint, it's going to be a question of cost versus benefit," said Ted Scott, director of engineering for the American Trucking Association, a group that represents the trucking industry. This technology is going to add to the cost of the rig which will still need a paid professional driver at the wheel.
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Not everyone is sold on the idea of self-driving semis. Scott Grenerth is director of regulatory affairs for the Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), a group that represents independent truckers. He spend 13 years driving big rigs, he said, and he'd be very nervous handing control of an 80,000 pound vehicle to a bunch of cameras and sensors.
Given a big trucks' long stopping distances and limited maneuverability, driving one requires the ability to correctly predict what's going to happen far out ahead. That requires foresight and intuition that are difficult to program into computers.
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These trucks are going to have to pass through some tough legal checkpoints in coming years, Bernhard said. Right now, it's not clear, in the event of a crash, who would be responsible, the truck or the driver? Also, interstate trucks, by definition, travel across multiple states. This technology won't be practical if rules about its use vary from one state to the next.
In many states, for instance, using an iPad in the driver's seat would be illegal even if the truck could drive itself, said Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who has written about autonomous vehicles. Also, in New York, the law specifically states that the driver must have a hand on the steering wheel at all times, he said.
Self-driving trucks are coming, though, Bernhard said, and probably sooner than many people think.
"Long before autonomous vehicles are cruising the suburbs," he said, "you will have autonomous trucks on the highway."

 

Why missing a night of sleep can damage your IQ

From Napoleon Bonaparte and Margaret Thatcher to Twitter founder and Square, Inc. CEO Jack Dorsey and Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, many successful leaders have claimed they only need 4-5 hours of precious sleep a night. They seem wired differently and shame the rest of us for craving eight hours of shut eye every night.
But for the majority of us - including many top CEOs and world leaders - this is certainly not the case, according to Dr. Tara Swart, an international neuroscientist and CEO of The Unlimited Mind. Missing a night of sleep can have quite a "devastating" effect on our performance, Swart says.
"One to two percent of the population can survive on four hours of sleep a night," said Swart, "but 7-8 hours is optimal for most of us," she claims.
Could the secret to success in your professional lives be linked to how well you sleep?
"There's a very strong correlation between restfulness and leadership," according to Jessica Payne, associate professor and director of the Sleep Stress and Memory Lab at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. "The majority of people need seven to nine hours of sleep and the majority of people don't get that much," cites Payne. It's as important as diet and exercise, she added.

Long term damage

While many of us skimp on sleep for years, thinking we can either make up for it at the weekend or another time, these long-term habits can add up to big trouble. The problems really strike after many years of doing this, said Payne. Memory problems, issues with decision-making, lack of creativity and regulating personal emotions are some of the first areas to be diminished by lack of sleep, according to Payne.

 

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