Tanker Drivers on Strike!

Petroleum tanker drivers are on strike! Is that suppose to be news? Well yes it is, at least for now.

Why is it that every festive period, particularly Christmas, these people just look for any opportunity to hike the price of petrol!

The reason/excuse given for the strike is that officials of the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) extort money from them; harass and intimidate them. Why was this protest not staged earlier? I do not believe that all these complaints just started. Over the years, there had been several issues between these two bodies. The tanker drivers, drive and park any how. It is so bad that they even park on bridges! When the LASTMA officials, in doing their job, impound the offending tanker or impose a fine, the others will choose to go on strike! What nonsense! What happened to law and order?

On the other hand, when the LASTMA officials "relax" and just close their eyes to the various offences committed by the tanker drivers, it becomes business as usual. They park indiscriminately, causing unnecessary traffic and chaos.

I am not holding a brief for the LASTMA officials (at times they also get on my nerves, particularly when they fail to do their work properly) but the truth must be said. Let us all maintain some sense of order and our society will be a better place for all.

Thank God that the kids are on holiday. For the past one week, we (hubby and I) leave the house earlier than usual. As early as 6.20am today, because of the so call strike or protest by the tanker drivers, all the gas stations were already jam packed with vehicles, waiting to buy fuel! The queues were so long and scattered! Haba!

New Ministers in Nigeria

Prof. Dora Akunyili is now the Information and Communications Minister. Until this appointment, she was the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Prof. Dora Akunyili is a Pharmacist. I thought she would have been made the Minister in charge of Health Matters. Yes! That way, the fight against fake/sub-standard drugs and food products would continue. With this appointment, she ceases to be the helmsman in NAFDAC! I only pray that the new NAFDAC Boss, will as much as possible, continue in the fight against fake drugs and food products.

Please don't get me wrong, I am not saying she should remain on one post forever, but at least lets commend her and keep up the the good work.

Prof. Akunyili, I will miss your presence in NAFDAC!

"Child Witches"

Wonders shall never end in deed!

I watched with utmost disdain the in human treatment meted out to little children in Akwa Ibom State by one so called "pastor" otherwise known as Bishop Sunday Ulup-Aya. He claims he has the power to free children from witchcraft. Looking at this self acclaimed Bishop all I can see is FAKE! Who appointed him as a bishop in the first place? He is a FAKE and surrounded by FAKE! A dirty looking hungry man decided to make himself rich, and he said to himself, "let me tell all gullible parents that their children are witches or wizards, and I have the power to set them free from such spirit". O yes and the gullible parents believed and submitted their precious babies to some horrific tortures! Very pathethic indeed.

One of these children even had a nail, about 3 inches long pierced through her skull!

Mary, whose picture appears below, was burnt with acid by her own mother!

Another child, Ekemini was tied to a tree by her own father! She was tied by her ankles!

There was also a story of a set of twins neglected by their mother because another human being branded them to be witches!

All these pictures are courtesy of the Observer.

All these inhuman treatments are meant to free the children from witch craft. Some are made to drink a "special" mixture prepared by the bishop. This concoction is a combination of local gin, some herbs and the bishop's blood! The bishop also administers a strange concoction into the eyes of the suspected child "to blind their spiritual eyes! How can one describe these inhuman treatment meted out to small "innocent" children by a fellow human being?

Haba! The fake hungry bishop even opened his wide mouth to state that there are over 2.3 million witches in Akwa Ibom State! Now that is a State where the last census results show that there are 3.9 million people in there. In other words, more than half the population are "winches". That is alarming! In his own statistics, only children are witches. So the adults are free. Hello! Which crystal ball revealed this to him?

As far as I am concerned, those parents who subject their children to such barbaric and inhuman treatment should see a shrink! Infact they are also witches! It takes a witch to know a witch!

In order to perform his exorcism Ulup-Aya demands a fee of N400, 000 (approximately $3,390) per child, or I mean "client". Initially, I thought this amount was too high for the average man in a remote area. I thought it was an error, a slip of tongue. In his words, once the child has been initiated into the witch craft world and also eaten there, then it becomes a serious case. Hence the high fee charged for deliverance. If the gullible parents are unable to pay, Ulup-Aya then holds the child captive until the bill ransom is settled. The children are not allowed to defend themselves; they are tortured and forced to admit to an offence or guilt they know nothing about. Ulup-Aya even admitted that he has killed a total of 110 suspected child witches! What?! That is murder! This is the height of in human treatment!

The video of this horrific story is even available on the web courtesy of YouTube. See more here.

In one of my previous posts, a fake pastor raped a little girl to death. This girl was also suspected of being a witch. For the love of humanity what is are all these stories about witches? May the Almighty God have mercy on us all!

The good part is that bishop has been arrested! Praise God! I pray that he gets a double portion of all he deserves from the long arm of the Law!

What sort of "Christians" are we breeding in Africa?
What sort of Christianity is been practiced in Africa?
Why are people (Christians) so gullible?

It's my Birthday!

It's my birthday!

Today is the beginning of another year in my life! I am thankful and indeed grateful to the Almighty for His favours and blessings upon my life. He is a wonder to my soul!

I woke up this morning and I just praised Him like never before! I looked around me to see the numerous blessings upon my life. O Lord! Thank You.

Father! I thank You for bringing me this far in life. I look forward to many more fruitful years.

Obama! Obama! Obama!

Barack Hussein Obama II has emerged the 44th President of the United States of America! After the most expensive and longest campaign, the most historic election ever, BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA has emerged as the 1st black President of the greatest Nation on earth, the United States of America! Obama has realized the dream of Martin Luther King.

In the spirit of sportsmanship, John McCain called Obama and conceded the race to the White House.

Obama's speech was very moving and at the same time very powerful. He acknowledged everybody. In his words, "it's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America."

For those who still had doubts, he said "if there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer." "We are and will always the be the United States of America . . .because of what we did on this day, change has come to America."

Obama also acknowledged that "the road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there."

As we all congratulate the President elect, we also mourn with him in his loss. His Grand mother, who had always been there for him passed on to eternal glory after a long battle with cancer. She died in the early hours of Monday. May her gentle soul rest in peace. Amen.

Congratulations Senator Obama!

Octogenarian arrested!

I just read here that an octogenarian, Edna Jester was arrested in the United States for taking a teenage neighbour's football! Hmm! This ball was not just "taken", the teenage played (throwed) the ball into the old woman's yard!


Now for "taking" the ball Edna Jester was arrested for "petty theft".

She is to appear in Court on the 12th of November, 2008.

My questions:
1. Would it amount to "theft" if I seize a football thrown into my compound by some kids?
2. If there was a damage who would be responsible for that reckless act?

Read the full gist here.

Evil "pastors"

I just read a very sad story of how an 11 years old girl was raped to death by a so-called pastor. The story has it that a prophetess informed one Mrs. Bassey that her only daughter, Covenant was a witch and therefore needed some form of "spiritual cleansing" to chase the spirit of witchcraft away.

Mrs. Bassey was so afraid that she agreed to take her daughter for the spiritual cleansing. However on the appointed day, madam prophetess was out of town. Now this made Mrs. Bassey panic. She then confided in a friend of hers. This friend now recommended a "man of God god" to Mrs. Bassey. This man of god, one Henry Evbotokhai, is the pastor in charge of a church known as Miracle Deliverance Ministry, some where in Lagos. Mrs. Bassey took her preciuos little daughter to Mr. man of god for deliverance. The man of god demanded for N2,000 to enable him do the deliverance.

Anyway, Mrs. Bassey left her daughter with the pastor for 3 whole days. On the 3rd day, when Mrs. Bassey went to pick her daughter, believing that she would have been witch-free by then, she was shocked to find the place under lock and key! She finally reported to the Police, narrating her ordeal. When the door was forced open, the lifeless body of Covenant was found in a pool of her own blood. On further investigations, it was revealed that Covenant was raped to death by the so-called pastor!

The innocent child died for nothing!

Click here to read more.

My questions:
1. Is that pastor real?
2. Is Mrs. Bassey a church goer? (Note I did not use the word "christian")
3. IF she is a church goer, why did she not meet her own Pastor/Reverend Father/General Over Seer etc for counselling?
4. Is such a crime permissible?
5. Why are humans so mean even to their fellow humans?

I just wonder.

Nigeria is 48!

Hurray Nigeria is 48!

The 1st day of October is the independence anniversary for NIGERIA! Every year, October 1st is declared a public holiday. Workers stay at home and just relax with friends and family.

The Nigerian history is incompleted without the story of her independence from its colonial masters.

Let me go into a little history by informing those who do not know that the first black speaker of the House of Representative was Jaja Wachuku. Jaja Wachuku replaced Sir Frederick Metcalfe. It was during his tenor as Speaker, on the 1st day of October 1960, that Wachuku received the Freedom Charter, Nigeria's Instrument of Independence from the Queen of the United Kingdom. The Queen was represented by Princess Alexandra of Kent at the independence ceremony.

The At 48, I'd say Nigeria is still a "young" growing Nation!

Happy INDEPENDENCE anniversary Nigeria!

Long live Nigeria! Long live Africa!

Tainted Milk Scare

It is no longer news that "tainted milk" formula has killed several babies in China.

The milk is tainted or contaminated with the toxic chemical melamine. Melamine is a clear to whitish substance that normally exists in crystal form. Ordinarily, this dreaded chemical called "Melamine" is used in combination with formaldehyde (another chemical) to produce a resin used in several products ranging from white boards to counter tops. Melamine also has a high nitrogen content that can fool quality tests for protein content in milk.

If consumed by humans, especially by small children, melamine can cause kidney stones and other potentially fatal complications.

Today the scare of the tainted (contaminated) milk is spreading fast and most Countries are taking serious steps to avoid the milk getting to its shores! Most countries have banned the import of Chinese dairy products.

The dreaded chemical (melamine) that makes the formulas "tainted" has also been found in ice cream! Now this is really scary considering that ice cream is consumed by most humans today.

About 20% of the dairy companies tested in China had sold products tainted with melamine. Suppliers to the companies are thought to have added the banned chemical, normally used in plastics, to watered-down milk to make it appear higher in protein.

You can read more stories by clicking the links below:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-17-china-babyformula_N.htm

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2008/09/200892435458424120.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/09/25/china.milk/index.html

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Some weeks ago in Nigeria, reports had it that there was fake "SMA" baby formula in circulation in the Nigerian markets! The question now is WHY ON EARTH will a human being release fake/adulterated products into the market for others to buy?

Please if you are a nursing mother out there, as much as possible let your baby feed on breast milk exclusively for the first six months. Please don't say it is impossible. It is very possible, particularly if you set your mind to it. I am a working mother and I fed my babies exclusively on breast milk for the first 6 months. How was I able to achieve this? Well, I was expressing the breast milk! It was tough though, but I was determined to give the best to my kids.

AWARD!

Whao! This is so GREAT! I received an award from ALOTED.

Like every recipient is expected to do after receiving an award . . . here is my thank you speech.

"I would like to say a very big THANK YOU to everyone on blogville! My special thanks to Aloted for passing on this award to me. Thank you! And thank you to all who read this blog . . . "

The RULES:

1. When you receive the prize you must write a post showing it, together with the name of the person who gave you the award, and link the person back.

2. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs (or even more) that you find brilliant in their content or design.

3. Show their names and links and leave them a comment informing they were prized with an award.

5. And then pass it on!

To this end therefore, I hereby pass on the award to the following people:

1. LG
2. OLUWADEE
3. RAYO
4. TOBENNA
5. MZ DEE
6. ALOOFA
7. GEISHA.SONG

Scams!

Why do people waste their time on scams? Are there people out there who still fall for scams? Well I'm just wondering. . . and I sincerely hope nobody is still that gullible.

Two days ago I received a text which states thus:

"Congratulations, you have won N150,000 your no. is among the 42 lucky winners of la casera drink bonaza ticket no. 60.call 08069049283 to claim your prize"

Imagine! The scammer(s) must be . . . I am looking for the right word to post here . . . but I am short of words. The first thing I thought of doing was to send a text back for the scammer to try again! Well, I just chose to ignore the text.

Then again, some minutes ago, I received another text that reads thus:

"Congratulation you have won 10 000dollars or one gsmpaklogo you r pass is 0789 ; Call Now this number 0043820899395"

Now I know for certain that these people have lost it! O! After trying me with N150,000 they thought I'd move for 10,000! Chei! I really pity them. Another thing that turned me off was the fact that the scammers have a poor command of English language and grammar!

How can these fraudsters be brought to book? Any ideas?

Fear of Trailers!

In a previous post, on PHOBIAS I said that I am claustrophobic! I just discovered that I have other phobias. . . and the top on the list is "fear of trailers with containers". May be I should call it "trailercontainerphobia". I hope that makes some sense.

It does not matter who is doing the driving (hubby, me or a commercial driver), I get very jittery when my vehicle is directly beside a trailer container. This is because most times these containers are not properly secured to the trailer and any slight "shake" on a rough road (which is not uncommon here) could make the container fall! It is that bad.

I have heard stories of people been crushed to death by these containers. I have seen some containers lying on their sides on another smaller vehicle. Sometime ago, I heard a story about a woman who went shopping with her kids. When she got to the market, she parked her car and dashed out with her kids to do the shopping. When she returned, her car was buried under a container! Yes. Everyone was thankful that no life was lost. Thank God for that. Some people had not been so fortunate.

Some weeks ago I witnessed one container falling off a trailer! O! I was so shocked! When this happened, of course there was no movement. The traffic that built up immediately was great! When I narrated the incidence to Hubby later in the day, he told me how his friend escaped a similar accident some years back!

Thankful Heart

Thank You Lord for today!

May Your gentle and loving presence be with us all!

Female Kidnappers on the prowl

What is this life turning into? I mean why are people so mean to their fellow humans? The news today reported how the Nigerian Police nabbed 2 female kidnappers! They kidnapped the baby and demanded for N1 million naira as ransome. Imagine, one of the kidnappers is even related to the mother of the baby who is just a little over one year of age! Haba! That is the height of wickedness and heartlessness!

The report has it that these girls who are undergraduates in one University, traveled to Lagos under the guise of visiting her Aunty. Thereafter, they kidnapped the boy and took him to Edo State. They placed a call to the parents of the boy, with a threat that they (parents) should pay the ransom or forget about their baby!

Thank God for technology. The call was eventually traced to Benin. The Police, had their chance to shine because they were able to apprehend the suspects in Benin City, Edo State. The boy was rescued unhurt! Thank God O!

May God continue to protect us from all these fake people we call our friends and relatives. AMEN!

Usain Bolt!

The date was 16 August 2008. The event was the men 100 meters race at the Bejing 2008 Olympics. I was actually watching the Olympics! Anyway I was glad I did because I watched Usain Bolt bolting his way through the race! That was a very good race. I personally feel he would have achieved a lower record time if he had completed the race before celebrating. Some meters before the finish line, Usain throw out his arms in a manner that says "come get me if you can" to the other athletes. Be that as it may, USAIN BOLT set the new world record by finishing the 100 meters race in 9.69 seconds! What a speed!

As if that was not enough. Usain went on to snatch the gold in the mens 200 meters race! He set another world record with a timing of 19.30 seconds.

Bolt is now the current fastest man in the World after Carl Lewis who made the World Record in 1984! With these great achievements, Usain is now the proud holder of the World and Olympic records in both 100 meters and 200 meters! Also, he is the first man in history to break both world records at 1 Olympics!

I join the World in celebrating his great success! Today 21 August 2008 is Bolt's 22nd birthday. Happy Birthday Usain Bolt. You gave yourself a very good birthday gift. Congratulations!

All for little Safa'a!

Yesterday I watched CNN and I saw a young couple release their one and only little boy (Safa'a) to the hands and care of Surgeons to operate on him.

Safa'a was was diagnosed in with Wilms' tumor. According to medical experts, Wilms tumour is the most common kidney tumor in children. The good news here is that if it is diagnosed on time, the cancer has a high survival rate.

When I saw the baby on the TV I was shocked! I can imagine his pains and sufferings! O! and the poor Mother. O my God! I prayed to God to save him and spare his life!

Well thank God for good Samaritans all over the globe. Safa'a was able to go for his surgery in Jordan with the help of an 85-year-old liquor tycoon.

The surgery lasted FIVE hours, and it was a success as the massive tumor was removed completely! Praise God!

Safa'a's parents were overjoyed! His mother in her joyous mood said "I cannot put my happiness into words." And the Dad said "this is such a happy occasion. You brought happiness into the hearts of parents."

I am indeed very happy for Safa'a and his parents! I wish him a smooth recovery process.

Voodoo in Government

For some time now there has been a new twist in the Nigeria politics. Apart from the "shaky shaky" going one amongs the politicians, there are more revelations to show that most office holders are into all sorts of diabolical stuff!

Can you imagine that the Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Ambassador Sam Edem, spent 1 billion naira to secure the services of a sorcerer to employ spiritual means to enable him secure contracts from the Akwa Ibom State Government? Wonders shall never end!

The stories also have it that Edem burnt a whole N270 million at a cemetery in Port Harcourt. He later bathed with the ashes of the burnt N270 million in order to realise his wishes from the State Government. What are these wishes? In his statement, the voodoo man, one Dr. Perekambowei Ogah informed the Police in Benin, Edo State that he (Ogah) was paid the sum of N15 million by Ambassador Edem. He said the money was to make some sacrifices in order to ensure that Edem retains his position as the Chairman of NDDC when the board was dissolved!

O that was not all. The voodoo master informed the Police that Edem also instructed him to "work" on the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Dr. Godswill Akpabio, in order to secure contracts from him. Edem also wanted Mr. Timi Alaibe, dead! Now Timi Alaibe is the Managing Director of NDDC, and he also works in the same office with him (Edem) to enable him have his way in decision making processes. And the final straw was for Ogah to "work" on Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan! Can you imagine? Edem wants Mr. VP to always give him (Edem) support if there is any plan to remove him. Let him stay there forever!

The secrets became known when Edem demanded for a refund of his money on the ground that Alaibe never "died" on the date he was expected to "die". The native doctor refused to make any refund but rather insisted that there were some outstanding of his professional fees!

Oga Edem, Oga for NDDC reported the matter to the police as a case of fraud. Of course in investigating the matter, the Police arrested the native doctor. As is expected, he has to write his statement. The said statement was what revealed all these to the general public!

In his own statement, Edem said he was under a spell when he made the payments he made to Ogah. “The amount of money the fraudster collected from me through the hypnotic spell is about N800million. The extortion spread over months and were always with death threats to my person and family members, friends and staff”.

Anyway, our own President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has ordered an investigation into these allegations. In addition, the President directed Mr. Mike Okiro, the Inspector General of Police, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to get to the root of the matter.

My own is that there is no smoke without a fire somewhere. I only pray that justice prevails.

Democracy!

I read in the papers today that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria had resolved to (amongst other things) reconstitute the present Board of Trustees of the Party. The National Execuive Committee of the PDP also reolved that the constitution which made the chairmanship of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) an exclusive preserve of former Presidents will be reviewed. This is a big blow to bros OBJ! I wonder how and what he feels about these various recommendations/resolutions as they concern him. Anyway that is for him to wonder and for Nigerians to . . .

Please read. . .

Obasanjo's ouster looms as PDP okays new BoT

IN what appeared like the beginning of the end to the former President Olusegun Obasanjo's hold on the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the leadership of the party rose from a marathon meeting yesterday, endorsing the recommendations of the two panels raised by the party to pacify aggrieved members who left the party. One of the recommendations is that the present Board of Trustees of the party be reconstituted and its functions refocused. Obasanjo was absent at yesterday's meeting.

The party, under the chairmanship of Senator Ahmadu Ali, set up a reconciliation committee in July last year headed by former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, but the report of the panel was not implemented. The committee noted that most of the former members of the party complained of lack of internal democracy in PDP and declared the urgent need to do something about it. The committee recommended that article 12:77, which was introduced during the 2006 constitution amendment exercise, should be expunged.

The clause makes the chairmanship of the board the exclusive preserve of former presidents on the platform of the party, which was what led to Obasanjo's emergence in succession to Tony Anenih as BoT chairman.

Another panel set up by the party under the chairmanship of Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Bello Haliru Mohammed, upheld the recommendations.

Addressing a press conference after the meeting, the national secretary of the party and the national publicity secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Baraje and Prof. Ahmed Rufai Alkali respectively, said the meeting resolved that a meeting of founding fathers of the party be convened before the end of the year to work out the way forward for the party. They also said the meeting decided that henceforth, rule of law would be allowed to guide the party in all actions.

"NEC considered the recommendations of the Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed-led Committee that reviewed the report of Dr. Alex Ekwueme's National Reconciliation Committee. NEC deliberated extensively and arrived at the following resolutions:

"A summit of the founding fathers of the Party has been summoned for the last quarter of 2008 to deliberate on how best the Party can revert to the original values and principles on which it was founded.

"NEC believes this would form the bedrock for reconciliation and internal democracy.
"The Party henceforth commits itself strictly to its electoral guidelines and constitutional provisions on issues of nomination.

"The era of arbitrariness in the nomination process is over. NEC also resolved to propose an amendment to the provisions of the party's constitution that deals with the leadership, membership and functions of the Board of Trustees.

NEC accepted the recommendation that the Board of Trustees should revert to its advisory role as contained in the PDP Constitution 2001 (as amended). NEC also accepted the recommendation that any member of the Board of Trustees can aspire to Chair the Board as against the current provision that limits the chairmanship to former holders of particular offices. NEC also resolved on the reconstitution of the Board of Trustees in line with the proposed amendments."

"A special National Convention of the Party shall hold in the first quarter of 2009 to consider these constitutional amendment proposals," they disclosed. The two men further said that the meeting also decided to set up a think-tank at all levels to advise the party, while an evaluation committee would also be set up to appraise performances of elected members of the party.

"The PDP shall set up standing monitoring committees to evaluate the performance of its elected officials in each geo-political zone. Each committee shall comprise members drawn from the six geopolitical zones who shall ensure compliance to the Party's manifesto in the conduct of state affairs.

"NEC resolves to establish a think tank at National and State levels that will brainstorm, digest and proffer advice over key issues that will put the Party ahead of its rivals. This think-tank shall work with the Peoples Democratic Institute, PDI and relevant agencies of government.

"NEC also proposed an amendment to the PDP 2006 Constitution to include the power of each state caucus to co-opt elders into its membership. This will address some of the complaints of sidelining by members of the party. All nominations for appointments must come from the recommendations of state caucuses," the meeting resolved.

It was resolved that all members of the party who defected should be contacted immediately. The party reconstituted its disciplinary committee with the following members.

For more please go to Guardian Online

In a related development, the former EFCC Boss, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was demoted from the rank of an Assistant Inspector-General of Police to Deputy Commissioner of Police. Read more on that here.

Count down to the 2008 Olympics

The Olympic Games is an international sports competition, held every four years at a different site. During the competition, athletes from different nations compete against each other in various sports, some of which are football, basketball, swimming, wrestling, baseball, hockey, gymnastics, rowing, javelin etc

This year, the Olympic Games will be held in Beijing from the 8th to the 24th day of August 2008. So it is tagged Beijing 2008. (That reminds me of Beijing 1995!)


History has it that the ancient Olympic Games were founded by Hercules, son of Zeus. Although the Olympic Games had been going on for many years, the first Olympics ever recorded was held in the year 776 BCE. It was at during this Olympic Games that a cook from Elis, Coroebus won the only event at the Olympics. Having accomplished that, Coroebus became the very first Olympic champion in history.

Another important historical fact worthy of note is the five Olympic Rings. The rings were adopted by the founder of the modern Olympic Movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin in the year 1913. However it was debuted at the Olympic Games 1920, although there was no record of the Olympic Games. The five rings represent the five major regions of the world, that is Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. Also of note is the fact that every national flag in the world includes at least one of the five colors, which are blue, yellow, black, green, and red.

Do you know that there is a motto for the Olympic Games? Well there is, and the motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius." These Latin words mean "Swifter, Higher, Stronger." These words were borrowed from Father Henri Martin Dideon, the then headmaster of Arcueil College in Paris. Father Dideon used the motto to describe the great achievements of the athletes at his school. Baron de Coubertin borrowed the motto because he felt it could be used to describe the goals of great athletes all over the World.

The theme for this years Olympic Games is - One World One Dream!

It is 7 more days to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games! Brace yourself for some entertaining events!

Sirens!

On my way home after work yesterday . . . the traffic was helele!! I mean it was the very one! This is one major reason I do not like to drive! I know say if hubby reads this he'll just call me lazy. Why not? He has been making things easy for me. We go out in the morning together . . . drops me at my place of work, continues the journey to his own office and thereafter he picks me up after work! Abeg God bless you jare! I only drive whenever he is out of town.

Back to my gist . . .there we were crawling jejely in the traffic and hoping we'd get home before it gets dark. The traffic was moving small small o. . .all of a sudden, I heard the sound of a siren blaring annoyingly behind us! O I just hate it when that sound comes up and we are all in traffic. Where do they expect us to move to? Well the truth is that I do not shift my ground for them sha. If you see space, pass. . . if not stay for queue like others! The only siren I allow are ambulances. At least I know that the ambulances are used for emergencies. Why do these people just intimidate other motorists?! This guy tried to squeeze pass but no car would let him. He just kept blaring the siren, disturbing every body. . . when he saw that the traffic was stand still, he adviced himself to put he darn thing off! I guess every driver was thinking like me at that very moment.

The other day one of such siren noise makers hit one cool car in its attempt to wriggle through the traffic. Gbosa! The owner of the cool car stepped out of his car and then examined the extent of the damage. . . the drama that followed was something else. . . but I was happy the rough driver met his match!

What do you guys feel about sirens and all?

Idols - Finale!

The finalists - Eric and Nicoletter performed. . . even though I know they were both eager to know their fate! The top 10 also performed and the show continued!

At the finale our own Eric and Omawumi (Idols West Africa) were there to add more glamour to the show. It was a case of West meeting East! When Omawumi took center stage to perform her single, "In the music", she literally brought the house down! Whao! That girl is more of a musician than a LAWYER! Please how can I get a copy of that CD? Can any one help?! I want a copy (original) ASAP!

After their duet, Nebo asked Eric and Nicolette how they felt. Eric said he is letting go and letting God! Now that is my favourite line. I have learnt that since I was a kid. . . LET GO AND LET GOD. In her own words, Nicolette was thankful to everyone who made it possible for her to have come this far!

And the winner of the 1st Idol East Africa is . . . . . . . . Eric!

AND THE WINNER IS. . .

Ladies and Gentlemen, the winner is . . .

ERIC!!!!

Congratulations ERIC!

Eric or Nicolette?

After the perfomance on Sunday evening, Lebo the host for the show asked the judges who they feel would be in the finals. All the judges said "Eric and Trinah". Kawesa reversed the question and then said Trinah and Nicolette would not win.

Well that was their opinion. Africans have a different opinion.

Last night while Lebo in his usual suspense filling style announced that Eric would take the first spot in the only 2 safe seats reserved for the finalists. I thought Lebo would spare me the suspense and just call the second "safe" contestant, he did not! Rather he continued in his suspense game!

After a very looong tension and suspense filled period, Lebo finally anounced that Nicolette would be joing Eric in the top 2! Whao! Silence filled the whole auditorium! You could hear a pin drop!

Of course Trinah was shocked! Nicolette was just as surprised as Trinah was, but she walked to the safe seat!

Who do you want to be the winner? Who do you think would be the winner?

You can only answer by casting your votes at the official website.

Unwanted email!

This is so hilarous! I was just checking my mail and I saw this. I felt I should share it here . . .

Man checked into a hotel. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send a mail to his wife. However, he accidentally typed a wrong address, and without realizing he sent the mail.

Meanwhile somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband's funeral. The widow decided to check her mail, expecting condolence messages from relatives and friends.

After reading the first message, she fainted. The son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've reached.
I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have Computers here, and we are allowed to send mails to loved ones. I've just reached and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow.

Average Life Span...

The general belief is that an average man is expected to live as long as 70 years old! However, this will depend on the location of that "average human".

I just read a report published in a news paper with a heading "Life expectancy in Nigeria drops to 49 years"

Can you imagine that? Well read on and lets ponder . . .

A professor of medicine, Friday Okonofua, has said that the life expectancy of the Nigerian has dropped from 52 to 49 years.

Okonofua, provost of the College of Medicine of the University of Benin, said the decline could be traced directly to the increased rate of deaths among women, infants and children.

He told the News Agency of Nigeria that the situation was caused by poor access to healthcare for these categories of Nigerians as a result of inadequate health facilities, ignorance and poverty.

He said, “This situation is related to the high poverty level in the society, where more than 70 per cent of the people live on less than one dollar per day.

“Whatever financial resources they have is often devoted to eking out a daily subsistence living rather than being used for appropriate healthcare.”

He called on traditional rulers, religious leaders and other well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on mothers and women to seek appropriate healthcare services.

He also urged Nigerians to abstain from harmful traditional practices that hindered good health.

Source: The Punch

Adiona is out!

The girl is good!

She sings well! She is a perfomer! (well they all are)

Well that is that.

Africans have voted and Adiona did no get enough votes!

It is not what the Judges say that matters...it is what Africans say that counts! Keep voting Africa! Let your vote count.

Vote for YOUR FAVOURITE IDOL!

Who is your favourite IDOL!

The ongoing Idols (East and Southern African) edition is getting HOTTER! Whao!

Yesterday the last four contestants performed and I was impressed. Of all 3 judges, the most sincere in his comments is Scar! Like I said and I will continue to say, may the best win! The truth is that each one of these contestants have their own unique strength. This strength may be in form of vocals or just performing.

I have always liked Nicolette - she has a good voice. I will join Kawesa and say thank you to Africa for believing in her. Eric is the man! The last man standing. I am truly happy for him! He has a good strong masculine voice. He knows this and he is using it well. Adiona . . . that girl is an artiste! I love her confidence! She sings and performs well. She has shown her versatility by cutting across all music genres. Trinah has a good voice and just like Adiona, she is also a good performer! I love her moves.

I could go on and on showering my praises on these contestants, but that would not boost their votes! I do not know who your favourite Idol is. You will be doing that person a huge favour by voting on line by visiting the mnet site. Later today, we'll know who had the least votes! I hope that person would not be your favourite!

Mummy I want a baby!

Daughter: Mummy I want a baby
Me: *Looking surprised* Why?
Daughter: We are only two children in this house. Why can't we be more. I want a sister.
Son: I want a brother! Two brothers
Me: Why the sudden need for a baby? Why are you two asking for a baby? Who asked you to tell me this?
Daughter: Nobody. We just want a baby! *hands akimbo*

In order to put an end to this question and answer session. I excused myself and dashed into my room! These children are just amazing. See me see wahahla o! Just as I was thinking of the whole thing, my daughter came into the room and continued from where she stopped.

Daughter: Mummy you know you have 1 sister and 3 brothers. I have only 1 brother. Its not fair.
Me: (I had to hold myself from laughing). I thought we had concluded this conversation.
Daughter: No we have not! Why don't you want to have another baby?
Me: Its not that I don't want to have another baby. I felt we are okay like we are now. But maybe you should pray and tell God what you want. Remember, He is always there for you.
Daughter: Okay I'll pray. "Father Lord give my mummy another baby. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Mummy say Amen.
Me: Amen.

This happened a couple of months ago!

The conversaion continued last month after I announced that a friend gave birth to a baby girl.

Daughter: That means Zee now has a baby. You see her mummy has given birth to a baby for her. Only you remaining!
Me: Don't worry you'll soon have a baby too.
Daughter: *looking very happy* Eh! So I will soon have my own baby. Thank God!
Me: Now are you happy?
Daughter: Yes I am happy!

The truth is that I just said it to dismiss her. But from the look of things, that was not a mere dismissal!

Pregnant "Man" gives birth to a baby girl!

This is strange but true. A "man" has just given birth to a baby girl. Sometime ago in an interview with world famous TV hostess, Oprah Winfrey, the Beatie said his lifelong desire to have children motivated him to use his still working female reproductive organs when he learned that Nancy, his wife of five years, was unable to conceive. In his own words "I feel it's not a male or female desire to have a child. It's a human need. I'm a person and I have the right to have a biological child."

The news now is that the man has given birth to a baby girl! Hmmmm! The man is now a mother! Please note that this "man" was a woman before she decided to be a man!

A US man who was born a woman before undergoing gender realignment surgery has given birth to a baby girl, US media reported

Please read on:

The birth, at St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon, was natural, according to a source, who added that reports that Beatie had had a Caesarean section are false.

"She's really cute, really pretty,'' the source told ABC News Thursday afternoon. The source said Beattie was resting and the family was focusing its attention on the new baby.

Born a woman, Beatie, 34, who had had his breasts surgically removed and legally changed his gender from female to male, leaped to prominence around the world in April when the wispy bearded man revealed he was pregnant.

Despite years of taking hormones and living outwardly as a man, Beatie maintained that he retained his female sex organs because he intended one day to get pregnant.

Source: ABC News

United States of America is 232 years old!

Today, July 4 is Independence day in the United States of America. Happy Independence Celebration America! It would be recalled that with the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th day of July 1776 the United States of America gained its independence from Great Britain. The last paragraph of the unanimous Declaration of the then thirteen States of America read thus:

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

With this declaration, the Thirteen Colonies voted unanimously adopted the declaration of independence and therefore established the United States of America. To all my American friends, to my brothers, sisters and loved ones in America, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY!

Hoodlums on the prowl!

What is it with these hoodlums with a lady's hand bag?

Recently I was dispossed of my handbag on my way to work. These good for nothing hoodlums were on an okada (motor bike) and in what looked like a movie scene, my handbag was snacthed from me! Fiam! O! I screamed and screamed but no one came to my aid! Well this is Lagos! I understand. Only the "brave" would attempt to do a James Bond move in times like this. Now, this bag was well loaded with all the stuff one can imagine - cash, cheque book, ATM card, phones, bunch of keys, my MK make up etc. But you know what? All that can not compare to my life! Yeah! my life! I am so happy that I was not injured! No harm was done to my person. That gives me a sense of joy!

While I was narrating the event to friends and family members (after I had settled down reasonably) they all said I should thank God for my life and I agree. What if somehing more terrible had happened to me? What if I had been maimed in the process? What if. . . Of all the whys I was asked, the only one I could not answer well was why I did not drive on that day. I guess I was just lazy (as I have been for sometime, 'cos I have been using the commuter buses to get my self to work). My son even said "Mummy make sure you use the car next time, and make sure you hide your bag." If only he knows that even in ones car, these hoodlums still harrass people!

This is two days after the bag was snatched and I can laugh without any remorse. Whenever I get a flash of the incident, I actually laugh out. I let go and let God! I have a new phone, I have replaced my makeup and I have received more cash than I had in my handbag at the time it was snatched by the hoodlums! To God be the glory!

Some neighbours do have them!

What would you do in a situation like this?

The time is 4am in the morning. Every normal human being is excepted to be indoors at this time (indoors here includes homes, club, church etc). I included the church and the club because so long as you are not roaming the streets at this unholy hour, that's fine. However, where an individual who has gone clubbing choose to go back to his apartment at such a time, it is expected that he/she would enter his house without disturbing the peace of the sleeping neighbours with NOISE!

That is not the case for "One Dresser" (all his clothes are similar, hence the name)

One Dresser occupies an apartment in the compound where I live. He is an old confirmed bachelor who has vowed to remain a bachelor. Since he moved into his apartment, One Dresser has ALWAYS returned to his apartment at odd times between the hours of 2am to 4am! On a daily basis. He usually returns with his cronies and you can only imagine the level of disturbance he metes out to us daily. Most times after he enters his apartment, the party continues and the sound system and/or TV set is usually set so high that even a deaf person can hear! Chei! How am I expected to sleep at this rate? We have talked to him as civily as possible, we have even threatened to report him to the Police ... for where... the guy no just send us o! The truth is that I don set plenty trap for am, but Hubby say make I just maintain! What can I do? On one fateful day he drove into the compound at exactly 2.30am and as expected the noise maker just kept ranting with his loud ugly voice. Just then there was a blackout (PHCN decided to hold the power at that time). You won't believe it but the guy man called Hubby to ask for petrol because he needed to run his generating set! Can you imagine?!! The guy just does not have sense. Anyway, common sense is not common after all! If he were a sensible person he should have known not to call any body at such an unholy time! Haba!

There are times he parks behind our car and of course getting him down to move his car is always a task! He actually takes his time! One day I'll deflate his tyres and damn the consequences jo! Patapata I go enter bus go work that day (that is not strange). One Saturday I was ready to go out so I sent my girl to call him down to move his car. After 5 minutes he still did not come down! I marched up and I BANGED very hard on his door! Opportunity to talk finally came, and you can trust me I let it out . . . "my friend come and move your car out jare. If you had parked well I would not have come to call you . . . is it my fault that you come in late always . . ."

O! I almost forgot. He carries them in different shapes, sizes, colours and beliefs! One early morning I overheard the following conversation:

Girl: Wey my money? I wan go.
I did not hear any reply from One Dresser.
Girl: Wetin you mean? I hope say na joke O. If you no pay me now now I go shout make every body hear o!
At this point in order to do my tatafo well I had to shift to another room! I missed some gist in the process. . .
One Dresser: When you decided to follow me I told you I will pay N2000. Why did you agree?
Girl: That na for 1 round. How many you do? Abeg pay me jo! Yeye man . . .

I wonder . . . is it that this guy no fit toast babe or he just no be am? He does not have a girlfriend, at least I have not seen him with any fixed babe! I think he needs serious prayers!

Now back to the koko. This guy is a societal nuisance! How do I handle him and his likes?

I am CLAUSTROPHOBIC!

Someone who is claustrophobic has a phobia being in an enclosed place.

Have you ever been trapped (even for 1 minute) in an elevator or any othe air tight place?

That is one experience I do not like . . . because I am claustrophobic! I do not like being in an enclosed place more than necessary. Once I know that no air is getting into a place I start feeling very uncomfortable!

What is a Phobia?

Phobia = fear. That means a phobia is fear. However, a phobia is not just an ordinary fear. It is a morbid and irrational fear. A phobia is an extremely strong fear of a situation or thing. A phobic fear does not go away! Whao! If an individual has a phobia, such a person will be afraid of something (as it relares to the phobia) EVERY TIME he/she experiences it. Now that explains my behaviour when I am trapped in the elevator. . . when you are not sure of PHCN! Hey guys do you know that there is fear of PHCN? Yeah it is Electrophobia,the fear of electricity. Or maybe for the purpose of this region, it should be called "Nepaphobia." *chuckles*

Do you have a phobia? What is your phobia.

Below is a list of some common phobia, check if your phobia is listed.

1. Algophobia is the fear of pain
2. Demophobia is the fear of crowds
3. Altophobia is the fear of heights
4. Ambulophobia/Bathmophobia - Fear of walking
5. Agrizoophobia - Fear of wild animals
6. Agyrophobia is the fear of crossing streets
7. Atychiphobia is the fear of failure
8. Aurophobia is the fear of gold
9. Urophobia is the fear of urine
10.Arachnephobia is the fear of spiders
11.Tocophobia is the fear of pregnancy or childbirth
12.Sitophobia is the fear of food
13.Phagophobia is the fear of swallowing or fear of eating
14.Pogonophobia is the fear of beards
15.Phobophobia is the fear of phobias
16.Orthophobia is the fear of property
17.Osmophobia is the fear of smells
18.Melophobia is the fear of music
19.Gerascophobia is the fear of growing old
20.Chrometophobia is the fear of money
21.Gynophobia is the fear of women
22.Basophobia is the inability to stand. The fear of falling
23.Cathisophobia is the fear of sitting
25. Caligynephobia is the fear of beautiful women
26. Chorophobia is the fear of dancing
27. Ombrophobia is the fear of rain or of being rained on
28. Chinophobia is the fear of snow
29. Hypnophobia is the fear of sleep
30. Homichlophobia is the fear of fog

Which one is yours? Is it PHOBIAPHOBIA (Fear of fears)? Or maybe it is 25. Most people have phobia 19.

Much Ado about June 12!

The month was June. The date was 12. The year was 1993. Nigerians came out in the millions to cast their votes for their candidates. Every body was happy and were waiting eagerly for the results to be annouced. Alas! The election was ANNULLED! Just like that. The results of the poll were not made public. No reasons were given. The election was just annuled.

The aftermath of that annulment was terrible. There were riots all over the Country. Of course many lives were lost in the process.

Fifteen years after the annulment of the Presidential election, which was described as the freest and fairest election in the history of Nigeria Democracy, Nigerians are now hearing all sorts of declarations/testimonies/confessions with respect to June 12 1993.

First, the then National Electoral Commission (NEC) Chairman, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu recently launched a book titled "Laying the Foundation for Nigeria's Democracy: My Account of June 12, 1993." In his book Prof. Nwosu revealed that the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola actually won the Presidential elections in 1993. (As if Nigerians did not know!). The votes casted, according to Nwosu, was 8,323,3005 for Chief Moshood Abiola while the closest rival, Alhaji Ottman Bashir Tofa polled 6,073,612 votes.

Much as the results have now been made public the question is WHY DID WE HAVE TO WAIT 15 YEARS to get the results "published."

Nigerians expected the book to reveal the person or persons responsible for the annulment, but Nwosu refused to mention any names. Smart guy! Rather, the former NEC Chairman was singing praises in favour of the then Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. Now that was a surprise. Nwosu practically absolved IBB of any blame! Hmmmmmm!

Anyway, in a recent development, IBB has said he was responsible for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 Presidential Elections. He said he annuled the elections! Gbam!

...River Trinity, Apapa-Oshodi Express Way, Lagos, Nigeria

For people who do not know, there is a river popularly known as river trinity along the Apapa-Oshodi Express way in Lagos State. The river is so called because it is located near the popular trinity bus stop along that road.

Whenever it rains...the rain water on the road makes it almost impossible for any body to drive through. Yes! The water level is at least above the knee level. Very deep indeed.

Yesterday was no exception as the rain poured all day long! Naturally and as expected whenever it rains, after the close of work the whole Lagos metropolis was road locked! The traffic jam was so much that many people got to their various homes as late as 11pm.

Back to the subject matter. The river trinity was the major cause of the traffic jam along the Apapa_Oshodi Expressway yesterday (and most days). Motorists have to wade gently through the water. Now you have to be very careful as there are lots of pot holes on the road. Mehn! It was not a funny O!

This is a clarion call! Lagos State Government please do something about the deplorable state of the roads ASAP so that EKO O NI BAAJE!

It was a hoax!

Confession time! Yes. The man behind the photos of the "undiscovered" Amazon Tribe that were beamed around the world (including this blog) has admitted it was a hoax. He said the existence of the Amazon Indians' was already known, but he hoped the publicity would lift the threat of logging!


José Carlos Meirelles, an indigenous tribes expert, said the existence of the tribe was noted as far back as 1910, and they had been photographed to prove that "uncontacted" tribes still existed in an area endangered by logging.

They are the amazing pictures that were beamed around the globe: a handful of warriors from an 'undiscovered' in the rainforest on the Brazilian-Peruvian border brandishing bows and arrows at the aircraft that photographed them.

Or so the story was told and sold. But it has now emerged that, far from being unknown, the tribe's existence has been noted since 1910 and the mission to photograph them was undertaken in order to prove that 'uncontacted' tribes still existed in an area endangered by the menace of the logging industry.

The disclosures have been made by the man behind the pictures, José Carlos Meirelles, 61, one of the handful of sertanistas – experts on indigenous tribes – working for the Brazilian Indian Protection Agency, Funai, which is dedicated to searching out remote tribes and protecting them.

In his first interviews since the disclosure of the tribe's existence, Meirelles described how he found the group, detailed how they lived and how he planned the publicity to protect them and other tribes in similar danger of losing the habitat in which they have flourished for hundreds of years.

Meirelles admitted that the tribe was first known about almost a century ago and that the apparently chance encounter that produced the now famous images was no accident. 'When we think we might have found an isolated tribe,' he told al-Jazeera, 'a sertanista like me walks in the forest for two or three years to gather evidence and we mark it in our [global positioning system]. We then map the territory the Indians occupy and we draw that protected territory without making contact with them. And finally we set up a small outpost where we can monitor their protection.'

But in this case Meirelles appears, controversially, to have gone out to seek and find the uncontacted tribe in an area where it was known to be living.

According to his account, the Brazilian state of Acre offered him the use of an aircraft for three days. 'I had years of GPS co-ordinates,' he said. Meirelles had another clue to the tribe's precise location. 'A friend of mine sent me some Google Earth co-ordinates and maps that showed a strange clearing in the middle of the forest and asked me what that was,' he said. 'I saw the co-ordinates and realised that it was close to the area I had been exploring with my son – so I needed to fly
over it.'

For two days, Meirelles says, he flew a 150km-radius route over the border region with Peru and saw huts that belonged to isolated tribes. But he did not see people. 'When the women hear the plane above, they run into the forest, thinking it's a big bird,' he said. 'This is such a remote area, planes don't fly over it.'

What he was looking for was not only proof of life, but firm evidence that the tribes in this area were flourishing – proof in his view that the policy of no contact and protection was working. On the last day, with only a couple hours of flight time remaining, Meirelles spotted a large community.

'When I saw them painted red, I was satisfied, I was happy,' he said. 'Because painted red means they are ready for war, which to me says they are happy and healthy defending their territory.'Survival International, the organisation that released the pictures along with Funai, conceded yesterday that Funai had known about this nomadic tribe for around two decades. It defended the disturbance of the tribe saying that, since the images had been released, it had forced neighbouring Peru to re-examine its logging policy in the border area where the tribe lives, as a result of the international media attention. Activist and former Funai president Sydney Possuelo agreed that – amid threats to their environment and doubt over the existence of such tribes – it was necessary to publish them.

But the revelation that the existence of the tribe was already established will provoke awkward questions over why a decision was made to try to photograph them – a form of contact in itself – in order to make a political point.

Meirelles, one of only five or so genuine sertanistas, has no regrets, arguing that the pictures and video released to the world were powerful and indisputable evidence to those who say isolated tribes no longer exist. 'Alan García [the President of Peru] declared recently that the isolated Indians were a creation in the imagination of environmentalists and anthropologists – now we have the pictures.'

But he is determined to keep the tribe's location secret – even under torture, he says. 'They can decide when they want contact, not me or anyone else.'

Source: Guardian News

Idols (East and South Africa)

The top 7 contestants took the stage tonight!

All through the auditions and down to the top ten the selection had been great! Now, the top 10 are "singing" for our votes! Yes! it is not about the comments of the judges, it is not about how much cheers or boos the contestants get from the audience . . . it is all about the votes of thousands and millions of Africans! Yes, that is ALL that matters.

I am not going to campaign for any contestant but I sincerely pray that the best contenstant (in terms of vocals, presentation and of course stage confident) would be the next Idol. I mean Africa should vote for true talent! Lets vote for a true IDOL!

. . . a doctor is also a patient!

Did you know that medical practitioners alsoo need to be attended to? Well they do. Most of us forget that these medical practitioners (Nurses, Surgeons, Dentists or even the general medical practitioner) are first and foremost humans with theirindividual human needs and feelings!

Doctors cry. . . Doctors feel pain . . . Doctors worry . . . and the list goes on. . .

This is a must read from Readers Digest!

• I was told in school to put a patient in a gown when he isn't listening or cooperating. It casts him in a position of subservience. --Chiropractor, Atlanta

• One of the things that bug me is people who leave their cell phones on. I'm running on a very tight schedule, and I want to spend as much time with patients as I possibly can. Use that time to get the information and the process you need. Please don't answer the cell. --James Dillard, MD, pain specialist, New York City

• I wish patients would take more responsibility for their own health and stop relying on me to bail them out of their own problems. --ER physician, Colorado Springs, Colorado

• So let me get this straight: You want a referral to three specialists, an MRI, the medication you saw on TV, and an extra hour for this visit. Gotcha. Do you want fries with that? --Douglas Farrago, MD

• I used to have my secretary page me after I had spent five minutes in the room with a difficult or overly chatty patient. Then I'd run out, saying, "Oh, I have an emergency." --Oncologist, Santa Cruz, California

• Many patients assume that female physicians are nurses or therapists. I can't tell you how often I've introduced myself as Dr. M. and then been called a nurse, therapist, or aide and asked to fetch coffee or perform other similar tasks. I have great respect for our nurses and other ancillary personnel and the work they do, but this doesn't seem to happen to my male colleagues. --Physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, Royal Oak, Michigan

• The most unsettling thing for a physician is when the patient doesn't trust you or believe you. --Obstetrician-gynecologist, New York City

• It really bugs me when people come to the ER for fairly trivial things that could be dealt with at home. --ER physician, Colorado Springs, Colorado

• Your doctor generally knows more than a website. I have patients with whom I spend enormous amounts of time, explaining things and coming up with a treatment strategy. Then I get e-mails a few days later, saying they were looking at this website that says something completely different and wacky, and they want to do that. To which I want to say (but I don't), "So why don't you get the website to take over your care?" --James Dillard, MD

• I know that Reader's Digest recommends bringing in a complete list of all your symptoms, but every time you do, it only reinforces my desire to quit this profession. --Douglas Farrago, MD

For a full list of all 41 Medical Secrets buy a copy of Readers Digest and/or visit http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/41-medical-secrets/article75920.html

SCAM ALERT! FAKE JOHN CHOW

Why would anyone in his/her right senses impersonate another human being!? That is very heinous! Why?

I just read a post on John Chow's website titled Scam alert - Watch out for a fake John Chow. This fake John Chow is targeting people on the Digital Point forum and telling them that he is gathering people for a new project with Shoemoney!

Below is an excerpt from the post on the real John Chow's website. Read on and I pray no body falls a victim of this scammer!

I guess I should expect these kind of things. Someone is going around MSN pretending to be me. He is using the email webmaster@johnchow.com and adding people for the purpose of scamming them. Now, why MSN doesn’t confirm an email before it lets someone create an account is beyond me.

The fake John Chow is targeting people on the Digital Point forum and telling them that he is gathering people for a new project with Shoemoney. I don’t know what this project is but whatever it is, Shoe and I have nothing to do with it.

If this fake John Chow message you on MSN, tell him to take a hike. Thanks to One Tweak and Lushable for bringing this to my attention. It’s good to see you guys can tell who the real John Chow is.

For those of you who do not know the real John Chow, permit me to introduce to you the most talked about, the most admired internet guru ... John Chow. John Chow is one of my mentors on the internet. Feel free to check him out at www.johnchow.com. You'll be glad you did!

SPHYGMOMANOMETER!

The essense of going to school is to acquire knoweledge. The good thing is after I have since left the 4 walls of school, I still learn everyday. My "teachers" now are my kids!

You know how it is when you are always wrong and their teachers are always right! Well the learning process continues! The sort of weekly and terminal projects these children do these days is really challenging. The most recent project was to cut and paste five pictures of tools used in the medical field/profession.

In my search for these "tools" I came across this word "SPHYGMOMANOMETER"

Did you know that is the medical name for the instrument used for measuring blood pressure?! Well now you do. Before now, as a lay man in the medical field, I called that instrument blood pressure monitor. Well now I know better.

Lucky Friday 13

Do you believe that whenever the 13th day of any months falls on a Friday its bad luck? Well I don't.

This myth has been on for so long, but thankfully, with a recent report published on the internet, Friday 13 is no longer considered as an unlucky day after all!

Unlucky for some? Dutch statisticians have established that Friday 13th, a date regarded in many countries as inauspicious, is actually safer than an average Friday.

A study published on Thursday by the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics (CVS) showed that fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays.

"I find it hard to believe that it is because people are preventatively more careful or just stay home, but statistically speaking, driving is a little bit safer on Friday 13th," CVS statistician Alex Hoen told the Verzekerd insurance magazine.

In the last two years, Dutch insurers received reports of an average 7,800 traffic accidents each Friday, the CVS study said. But the average figure when the 13th fell on a Friday was just 7,500.

There were also fewer incidents of fire and theft, although the average value of losses on Fridays 13th was slightly higher.

(Reporting by Tineke van der Struik; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Source: Yahoo News

Foot Bridges

Why is it that pedestrians do not use the pedestrian bridges (aka foot bridge)?

Why do people choose to expose themselves to the danger of crossing the major roads in Lagos when there are bridges built just for that.? I have combed every where for possible answers but none is good enough...

No be every car we de road get functional breaks O! No be every driver wey de drive be correct driver O! Imagine if you have to cross and one of these lunatic drivers wey never sabi the thing well just brusssssssh you! Wetin go happen? Nothing. Particularly where there is a footbridge in place.

The other day as I was approaching cele bus stop, (there is a foot bridge) every body chose to run across to the other side of the road, not minding that some drivers no get good brakes! If not by the grace of God, I don jam one finish O! Well no bi me go confirm person dead. Tufiapka! You know what, they were actually cursing! "Wicked woman!" "You no fit stop?" "See hin face!" etc.

Na wa O! I no blame dem sha!

What's Height got to do with LOVE?

She Says vs. He Says: What's Height Got to Do With Love?
By Christine Hassler and Jason Ryan Dorsey Special to Yahoo! Personals Updated: Jun 10, 2008

Agreeing on the "right height" for a healthy relationship has been a hot topic since before Darwin tried to explain why both genders finally stood up. In this debate, authors Christine Hassler and Jason Ryan Dorsey attempt to demystify what each gender thinks about height and its impact on dating. This discussion is particularly important for single people who want to improve their chances of finding a date online by adjusting their personal height stats.

SHE SAYS: When it comes to initial attraction, height matters. A woman wants to look up to a man, both literally and figuratively. Now I know a lot of women may disagree with me here and say it's all about equality, but when it comes to height, many women aren't drawn to a level playing field. I don't know if it's feeling a taller man can better protect us or simply look good on holiday postcards, but short guys definitely have to work harder to stand out in a crowd.

But here is the thing, “if you take the time to get beyond the superficial stuff and see someone for who they are, then height doesn't matter at all” if you take the time to get beyond the superficial stuff and see someone for who they are, then height doesn't matter at all. When it comes to love, physical attraction may spark a relationship but it rarely sustains one. And, hey, as a woman, I know that there's a lot a guy has to offer when he is not standing. The things that matter when it comes to love are whether or not your values, life goals, priorities, and communication skills align -- not whether you can see over him when you wear your favorite stiletto
heels.

HE SAYS: As a guy who is vertically mediocre, I don't think height is the deciding factor when it comes to falling in love -- unless you want your future children to play college basketball on scholarship. However, when a short guy shows up at a restaurant on a date with a much taller woman you know that some of the other guys in the place are thinking, "What does he do?" That particular situation has never happened to me, but it sure sounds cool. What I do know is that love doesn't come with a minimum height requirement like a ride at Six Flags. Sometimes the one you end up falling head over 3-inch heels for doesn't necessarily fit your "type," but then maybe she is exactly your type after all. I mean you may not end up seeing eye-to-eye on your wedding day, but that shouldn't matter because you can always PhotoShop the pictures. I did.

Hmmm! So what would happen to the short people?

Wrong Spelling?

One thing I like to do is take photographs! I might be an amateur, but I sure do take good shots. With my Nokia Nseries, I get quality snap shots anythime, anywhere!

While in the traffic recently, I spotted this "taix cap" beside me ... and click I took a shot!

When next you need a cab (cap) just shout out loud for a taxi (ooops! I mean taix!).

Welcome to the World!

Congratulations Mavi on the birth of your beautiful baby girl!

Whao! the baby is so so beautiful! Welcome sweet baby to this wonderful world. Although I have 2 kids already, after I carried Mavi's baby I felt like having another! Yeah. But that is just a feeling! (LOL)

That same day (06/06/08) my son back in the days (school son) joined the Daddy's club as his wife also delivered a beautiful baby boy! Yes! I now have a grandson! (LOL).

Thank God for safe deliveries. The two Mothers and their babies are in good health! Praise God!

Prison or work . . .

Hey guys! I just saw this in my email. I found the comparism very funny, so I decided to share it here. Enjoy!

IN PRISON	AT WORK
You spend the majority of your time in an 8X10 cell.	You spend most of your time in a 6X8 cubicle.
You get three meals a day (free).	You only get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it yourself.
You get time off for good behaviour.	You get rewarded for good behaviour with more WORK!
A guard locks and unlocks the door for you.	You open all doors yourself.
You can watch TV and play games all day.	You don't get such luxury. You get fired for watching TV and playing games.
You get your own toilet	You have to share
Your friends and family are allowed to visit.	You are not permitted to speak to your friends and family.
All expenses are paid by taxpayers with no work at all	You get to pay all the expenses to go to work and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for the prisoners.

In your comparism, I would like for you to be very sincere and state the preferred!