Controversy Trails Fashola's Birthday Cake

Gov. Fashola of Lagos state celebrated his 50th birthday few days ago.Many were in attendance including the Former Governor of Lagos state, Bola Tinubu and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi. From the picture above, the cakes looks like a free advert for a foreign club, Manchester United. Many Nigerians were angered with this development, see some of their comments below:

Dare: Nigeria's Leaders' Shallow Mentality: Even at levels as high as the governor's office, they still subscribe to the silly mentality of supporting foreign institutions blindly to the detriment of their own. Is the Lagos State government a shareholder in the Manchester United football business or what? How come a British football club, 6,500 kilometres away is being given free advert while the Stationery Stores FC of Lagos State is totally crippled and is not on the world's football radar? I just don’t understand the sense behind these ugly cakes.
What purpose do these symbols of cakey "bitter" cakes (with full insignia of Lagos State imposed side by side that of Man U logo) serve the interests of Lagosians except to continually get investments, recognition, etc., out of the state in favour of Manchester, UK which sadly still, did not solicit for the advert in any way? What about the effect this picture will have on unsuspecting, young, impressionable and naive minds in many years to come? I just can't come to terms with this childish idea at Fashola’s 50th birthday. It just steers logic on its head.
I love Fashola but I'm really disappointed at this anomaly at his 50th birthday. Hear this! Governor Fashola, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Rotimi Amaechi, the management of Manchester United does not even know you guys exit, so please stop deluding yourselves and get on with the business of empowering your people and country. These Nigerian dealers (not leaders) must be jesters fit only for the circus. What a shame!
Muyiwa: the picture shows they are not the solution to nigeria. that i am the solution.. is that what you are telling me. i watch nigeria local league every week.
there is nothing bad in nigeria league. they play very well. 3sc have mutiu adegoke , adeboye, , adeshina, moses ogaga,rangers enugu team have Godwin Ayalogu,uche Okafor,Nnaemeka Anyasodo
Cyntia: But i think the three cakes were a bit too much for a public official in a country where our fellow country men are suffering. It's kinda elitist and out of touch.
 Pricillia: May your days be long Guv.
Whoever dreamt up the idea of putting that Man-U cake up for public display needs to be dangled at the end of fishing rod!
Kween: for a leader,truly it's quite bafflin...woulda felt much better wit d national colors or even d lagos state's or logo...but its all gud!

Dear Readers, What is you own take on this?

Thousands Missing In India’s Floods

Nearly 3,000 people are still missing following floods and landslides which hit India’s Uttarakhand State a fortnight ago, the Chief Minister of the state has said. More than 800 people are reported to have been killed so far but Vijay Bahuguna said the exact number of deaths may never be known, BBC reports. According to reports, hundreds of people are still trapped in the Badrinath area. Some 100,000 people have already been evacuated from the flood-hit region. This year’s early monsoon rains in the Uttarakhand region are believed to be the heaviest in 80 years. Swollen rivers have swept away entire villages in the state, where there were many travellers in what is peak tourist season. “According to my information, about 3,000 people are still missing. We will compensate their families. They have to give an affidavit saying that their relatives have not returned home for more than 30 days.” Officials say many bodies may have been washed away or remain buried under debris. Some of the bodies were recovered in rivers downstream from the flood zone. Distraught relatives clutching photographs of missing family members have been waiting for days in the state capital, Dehradun, hoping for news.

The Indian military has been flying helicopters into the mountains to evacuate tens of thousands of people trapped by damaged roads and landslides.

"What You Should Learn from Mandela" Facebook Friends Blast President Jonathan

Nigerians on social media say President Goodluck Jonathan has some lessons to learn from ailing former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela.

His friends on Facebook who lauded him for taking time out of his schedule on Thursday to wish Mandela a quick recovery on the social network, said the President should also replicate the giant strides made by Madiba in the southern African nation.

The message on the President’s Facebook page stated:

“On behalf of the government and people of Nigeria, I would want to let President Jacob Zuma, the government and the people of South Africa know that we are with you in prayers at this trying times.

“We stand firmly with you, our South African brothers and sisters, and together wish our leader, the unequalled humanist, the great son of Africa, former President Nelson Mandela, Gods’ speed on the journey to recovery."

Jonathan’s Facebook fans believe Mandela never earned these accolades through wishful thoughts and petty politics, but through selfless and purposeful leadership.

They told the President that it was not too late for him to etch his name in gold on the minds of Nigerians and become a globally recognised leader like Mandela.

One of his fans, Prince Kunle Ayo-Alara, said Jonathan should make it a priority to study the way and manner, Mandela was able to impact positively on the lives of his people.

‘’Thanks for your message, GEJ. You, too, should please leave a good legacy. Even if Mandela should die today, he will continue to be celebrated. Our gains of having a Mandela in this world are to learn why and how he positively impacted his people’s lives, not just passing through the Government House,’’ Ayo-Alara noted.

Commenting on why the President should ensure good governance, one of his friends, Comrade Abdulkareem Gunu says, "Yes! I admire your (Jonathan’s) courage of accepting Mandela’s exemplarity, and I am hoping you’ll also be remembered for your good deeds.

"But, Mr. president, shine your eyes, don’t let the bad eggs surrounding you mislead and guide you wrongly, as you know, the sky is your limit and your name is already among the list of the international stakeholders. May God give you the wisdom for attitudinal change.”

On his own part, Oyedele Farinde wondered if any Nigerian leader will ever receive such good wishes and magnanimity from Nigerians, like Mandela is receiving from his countrymen and citizens of various countries.

Farinde states, "But will Nigerians ever pray for any of their leaders like the South Africans are praying for Mandela? Even Mr. President was not truthful enough to tell Nigerians the state of health of his wife when she was indisposed, needless to talk of Nigerians praying for her. It is only a good leader that can enjoy such gesture from the citizens. Mr. President, this is a lesson for you. And will Nigerians remember you for anything after leaving in 2015?"

As if taking a swipe at Jonathan for organising frequent Presidential dinners like the one held in Abuja on Wednesday, a friend, Fatai Omisanya, wrote, "Mandela fought and served his people in South Africa throughout his youthful and ageing years. He had no time for elaborate dinners when his people were starving, humiliated, and killed as is the case in present Nigeria. Baba Mandela, the peace of the Lord will abide with you."

Many of his friends also directed the attention of the President to the fact that the South African government was not expending state resources to treat the ailing leader in a foreign hospital. According to them, the decision of the Jacob Zuma-led government not to do so was because of the fully functioning state of health care facilities in the country.

Olakunle Olatunde says, "I want Mr. president to note that Mr. Mandela is wholly being treated in South Africa by doctors in South Africa. No flying ambulances! I am sure this would not have happened in Nigeria where you are the president. How many governors and first ladies have been treated abroad? I am sure you have lost count!"

Another ally of the President on the social service, Ab Awolola, lamented, “If he had been a Nigerian leader, he would be receiving treatment in Germany, US, Britain, Italy or any of the so-called western nations now. How I wish you could all borrow a leaf from this great son and real patriot of Africa, including you, President Ebele Jonathan.’’

Prince Chidoruo summed up all the comments when he wrote, "You (Jonathan) should emulate him (Mandela) and give us selfless and purposeful leadership."

Boston Marathon: Surviving Bombing Suspect Indicted on 30 Counts

A grand jury in the United States, Thursday, indicted 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect of the Boston Marathon bombing, on 30 charges by a grand jury – 17 of which carry life in prison or the death penalty. Tsarnaev was indicted on charges including using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use, which resulted in the deaths of three people. United Kingdom Independent newspaper reports that the  charges also cover the death of police officer Sean Collier, whom prosecutors say was fatally shot by Tsarnaev and his brother a few days later.

Samsung Introduces New Range Of Digital Imaging Devices

Samsung Electronics West Africa has launched its line-up of smart cameras, featuring wireless sharing connectivity and compatibility with a broad range of Android and iOS devices. According to Samsung, the smart cameras came with style and functionality, and would raise the bar for compact system cameras all over the world. Key among the products on display, during the launch in Lagos at the weekend, was the Smart Camera NX300, Samsung’s flagship model in its successful NX Series. The NX300 boasts outstanding imaging performance, with its 20.3 megapixel sensor which is capable of capturing high-quality images with sharp, life-like colours that are clear in all lighting conditions. It possesses a wide ISO range of 100-25600, making it twice as sensitive to light as the previous model.

The NX300 features Dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi support that enables users to connect faster and with more stability to wireless networks. A dedicated Direct Link hot key lets users wirelessly send images to mobile phones, tablets, PCs or Smart HDTVs, directly from the camera. The device lets users shoot continuously at an ultra-fast rate of 8.6 frames per second while its advanced hybrid autofocus system brings clarity to fast moving objects. The camera comes with a 3.31” AMOLED screen and shutter speed of 1/6000s, the fastest in its class. Also announced at the event was the new NX45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens, the first one-lens 3D system capable of capturing both still images and full High Definition (HD) movies in perfect 3D quality when combined with the Smart Camera NX300. Speaking at the event, Director of Hand Held Devices, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas, said the NX300 and Galaxy S4 Zoom would set the benchmark for how digital imaging devices can turn daily routine into unforgettable moments, with their unrivaled smart functions. “Across the world today, the ability to take professional photos and to customise communications has become a critical consideration for many individuals when choosing an imaging device. More and more individuals are looking for the twin features of enhanced functionality of sharing and editing on their devices. It is for this reason that we have bridged the gap in the market through our new range of Digital Imaging devices,” he said.

Samsung Introduces New Range Of Digital Imaging Devices

Samsung Electronics West Africa has launched its line-up of smart cameras, featuring wireless sharing connectivity and compatibility with a broad range of Android and iOS devices. According to Samsung, the smart cameras came with style and functionality, and would raise the bar for compact system cameras all over the world. Key among the products on display, during the launch in Lagos at the weekend, was the Smart Camera NX300, Samsung’s flagship model in its successful NX Series. The NX300 boasts outstanding imaging performance, with its 20.3 megapixel sensor which is capable of capturing high-quality images with sharp, life-like colours that are clear in all lighting conditions. It possesses a wide ISO range of 100-25600, making it twice as sensitive to light as the previous model.

The NX300 features Dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi support that enables users to connect faster and with more stability to wireless networks. A dedicated Direct Link hot key lets users wirelessly send images to mobile phones, tablets, PCs or Smart HDTVs, directly from the camera. The device lets users shoot continuously at an ultra-fast rate of 8.6 frames per second while its advanced hybrid autofocus system brings clarity to fast moving objects. The camera comes with a 3.31” AMOLED screen and shutter speed of 1/6000s, the fastest in its class. Also announced at the event was the new NX45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens, the first one-lens 3D system capable of capturing both still images and full High Definition (HD) movies in perfect 3D quality when combined with the Smart Camera NX300. Speaking at the event, Director of Hand Held Devices, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas, said the NX300 and Galaxy S4 Zoom would set the benchmark for how digital imaging devices can turn daily routine into unforgettable moments, with their unrivaled smart functions. “Across the world today, the ability to take professional photos and to customise communications has become a critical consideration for many individuals when choosing an imaging device. More and more individuals are looking for the twin features of enhanced functionality of sharing and editing on their devices. It is for this reason that we have bridged the gap in the market through our new range of Digital Imaging devices,” he said.

Samsung Introduces New Range Of Digital Imaging Devices

Samsung Electronics West Africa has launched its line-up of smart cameras, featuring wireless sharing connectivity and compatibility with a broad range of Android and iOS devices. According to Samsung, the smart cameras came with style and functionality, and would raise the bar for compact system cameras all over the world. Key among the products on display, during the launch in Lagos at the weekend, was the Smart Camera NX300, Samsung’s flagship model in its successful NX Series. The NX300 boasts outstanding imaging performance, with its 20.3 megapixel sensor which is capable of capturing high-quality images with sharp, life-like colours that are clear in all lighting conditions. It possesses a wide ISO range of 100-25600, making it twice as sensitive to light as the previous model.

The NX300 features Dual band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) Wi-Fi support that enables users to connect faster and with more stability to wireless networks. A dedicated Direct Link hot key lets users wirelessly send images to mobile phones, tablets, PCs or Smart HDTVs, directly from the camera. The device lets users shoot continuously at an ultra-fast rate of 8.6 frames per second while its advanced hybrid autofocus system brings clarity to fast moving objects. The camera comes with a 3.31” AMOLED screen and shutter speed of 1/6000s, the fastest in its class. Also announced at the event was the new NX45mm F1.8 2D/3D lens, the first one-lens 3D system capable of capturing both still images and full High Definition (HD) movies in perfect 3D quality when combined with the Smart Camera NX300. Speaking at the event, Director of Hand Held Devices, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas, said the NX300 and Galaxy S4 Zoom would set the benchmark for how digital imaging devices can turn daily routine into unforgettable moments, with their unrivaled smart functions. “Across the world today, the ability to take professional photos and to customise communications has become a critical consideration for many individuals when choosing an imaging device. More and more individuals are looking for the twin features of enhanced functionality of sharing and editing on their devices. It is for this reason that we have bridged the gap in the market through our new range of Digital Imaging devices,” he said.

Oil Discovered In Lagos

Lagos State, the commercial nerve center of Nigeria may soon join the ranks of oil producing states in the country after it was reported that oil has been discovered in the state. We gathered that Optimum Petroleum Development Limited and its partners, Afren Nigeria Plc and Lekoil Limited, have discovered a significant crude oil in commercial quantities accumulation at the high impact Ogo-1 well located on the OPL 310 licence offshore Nigeria. Afren Plc and Lekoil Limited, announced the discovery in offshore Dahomey Basin in Lagos, according to the London Stock Exchange. Statements from the partners in OPL 310, on Wednesday, said the discovery was based on the results of drilling and wireline logs. The Ogo-1 well was drilled by Optimum Petroleum Development Limited and its partners to a total measured depth of 10,518 ft (10,402 ft true vertical depth subsea). According to the partners, further wireline log evaluation is currently underway prior to extending the well to target deeper prospectivity above basement, to a total measured depth of 11,800ft (11,684ft TVDSS). The expected timetable for completion of this further drilling together with additional testing is four to six weeks, inclusive of drilling a planned Ogo-1 side-track well.

Ciara Defends Using The N-Word

Ciara Defends Using The N-Word
In the midst of Paula Deen's N-word controversy, the use of the word was a hot button issue on Tuesday's Access Hollywood Live , with singer Ciara weighing in. When A ccess Hollywood Liv e co-host Billy Bush brought up the N-word debate, and noted that the word is used in Ciara's new song, "I'm Out," he asked her to chime in on the topic. "What are your feelings about it... about the N-word," Billy asked, noting that the word was in Ciara's music, and also referencing an Oprah Winfrey/Jay-Z interview in 2011, where the rapper said his generation takes the power out of the word. "As an entertainer you have fun and it's all about the context it's used in. I am an African-American woman, so I can identify with that word in different ways," the "I'm Out" singer told Billy and co-host Kit Hoover. "It's all about the context and in my case I know I can have fun because I know where I'm coming from with it," the 27-year-old continued. "You have to be light-hearted and it has to be in a certain way. I cannot hear another person of another race saying, 'you this' like 'you that.' Again, it's all about how you say it and what context it's used in." According to the Ciara, the use of the word in 2013 doesn't necessarily mean the same thing it meant in the past. "That word has as much power as you give it," she continued. Adding, "That word is so old that it references the context of where it comes from. I want to make sure I'm clear about that, it doesn't mean that same thing that it could have meant years ago, especially when we can have fun about it." Later, during her interview segment on Access Hollywood Live, Ciara further clarified her comments. "I'm all about empowering women; I'm all about empowering myself. As a human being, I would never use any word that would be degrading to myself... or to anyone else," she told Billy and Kit. 2Ciara's self-titled album drops on July 9.

posted from Bloggeroid

Nigerians dominate 50 under 50 Trailblazers list

This week The New African Magazine named a list of 50 African trailblazers under the age of 50. The list celebrates the achievements of young Africans from across the continent and within the Diaspora.

posted from Bloggeroid

Oxford Dictionary Adds ‘Tweet’ to List of Lexicon

The word ‘tweet’, in relation to social media, has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), breaking the rule which says a new word must be current for a decade before inclusion. The addition is marked as a ‘quiet announcement’ on the dictionary’s June 2013 update. Chief editor and lexicographer, John Simposon, said: “The noun and verb tweet (in the social-networking sense) has just been added to the OED.” Other new word entries include flash mob, live blog, mani-pedi, geekery and jolly hickey sticks. The word has been used only since 2007, the dictionary says, one year after the launch of Twitter. To tweet, says the entry, is to “make a posting on the social networking service Twitter. Also: to use Twitter regularly or habitually.”

France, Spain to Probe Google Privacy Law

According to the British Broadcasting Service (BBC), Spain has launched proceedings against Google over five suspected serious data breaches. The probe is coming even as France has given the search giant three months to rethink its privacy rules. The European Union in October, 2012 the EU warned Google that its data protection laws did not comply with a directive and gave the company four months to change them.

What is keeping financial policy-makers up at night?

At the IMF World Bank Spring meetings, there are plenty of concerned faces in the rooms of policymakers, analysts and global economic experts. It is usually hard to find a happy smiling bunch of economists and financial analysts, so this may be a selection bias. Nevertheless, what are the issues on the table at the IMF meetings? Well, it is still hot money.

Hot money, the kind that travels effortlessly across borders thanks to information communication technology, the financialization industry and the unintended consequences of low interest rates in developed countries has made all worry that what comes in, can come out. Both flows are problematic. Too much money coming in can raise interest rates and cause a host of economic bubbles internally. Too much money leaving is a catastrophic bank run on countries that shatters growth and equity.

This hot money is mostly going to emerging market economies that are now the prime destination of capital searching for a decent rate of return. With all this money floating in the emerging market economies, domestic banks want to lend. When banks are more eager to lend, they take on risky clients. This can spell disaster. Think of the banks in the US housing crisis who lent money to people who frankly never should have had a house loan in the first place.

The IMF warns that in the past five years, emerging market economies’ companies or firms have increased their rate of borrowing by 50%. In the past year alone, bank credits have increased in Latin America by 13% and in Asia by 11%. Now, this may all be great loans with lots of securities to back it up, but the IMF is worried that some of these loans may not be all that safe.

So the Fund is warning emerging market economies to create more buffers in its banks. Increase capital requirements of reserves and manage capital flows, even if it means capital controls sometimes. The later is a huge change for the IMF which was ideologically against these capital controls for a long time.

So the saga continues as hot money is like a hot potatoe that no one wants to be caught holding. Stay tuned as this unfolds at the IMF World Bank meetings…..

The New $100 Bill Has Something Hidden In…

The new $100 bill has the words ‘THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA’ printed in tiny script on the collar of Benjamin Franklin’s jacket. The new banknote style officially went into circulation this year and sports a host of advanced technologies intended to thwart even the cleverest of counterfeiters. In addition to the microprinting on Franklin’s collar, the words ‘ONE HUNDRED USA’ appear along a golden quill to the right of his face. Tilting the bill back and forth will change the color of the number 100 and the quill’s inkwell from copper to green, and will also reveal holographic bells in its blue security ribbon that change to 100s! Other features include a faint watermark of Ben’s face to the right of his portrait and raised intaglio printing along his right shoulder.

Actor James Gandolfini Dies In Italy At Age 51

James Gandolfini's lumbering, brutish mob boss with the tortured psyche will endure as one of TV's indelible characters.
But his portrayal of criminal Tony Soprano in HBO's landmark drama series "The Sopranos" was just one facet of an actor who created a rich legacy of film and stage work in a life cut short.
Gandolfini, 51, who died Wednesday while vacationing in Rome, refused to be bound by his star-making role in the HBO series that brought him three Emmy Awards during its six-season run.
"He was a genius," said "Sopranos" creator David Chase. "Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes."
Dr. Claudio Modini, head of the emergency room at the Policlinic Umberto I hospital in Rome, said Gandolfini arrived at the hospital at 10:20 p.m. (2020 GMT, 4:20 p.m. EDT) Wednesday and was pronounced dead at 11 p.m. after resuscitation efforts in the ambulance and hospital failed.
Modini told The Associated Press that an autopsy would be performed starting 24 hours after the death, as required by law.
Organizers of the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily were scrambling to put together a tribute to Gandolfini, who had been expected to attend the festival's closing ceremony this weekend and receive an award. Organizers Mario Sesti and Tiziana Rocca said Gandolfini will instead be honored with a tribute "remembering his career and talent."
Sesti and Rocca said they had spoken to Gandolfini hours before his death "and he was very happy to receive this prize and be able to travel to Italy."
Joe Gannascoli, who played Vito Spatafore on the drama series, said he was shocked and heartbroken.
"Fifty-one and leaves a kid — he was newly married. His son is fatherless now. ... It's way too young," Gannascoli said.
Gandolfini and his wife, Deborah, who were married in 2008, have a daughter, Liliana, born last year, HBO said. The actor and his former wife, Marcy, have a teenage son, Michael.
Gandolfini's performance in "The Sopranos" was his ticket to fame, but he evaded being stereotyped as a mobster after the drama's breathtaking blackout ending in 2007.
In a December 2012 interview with The Associated Press, he was upbeat about the work he was getting post-Tony Soprano.
"I'm much more comfortable doing smaller things," Gandolfini said then. "I like them. I like the way they're shot; they're shot quickly. It's all about the scripts — that's what it is — and I'm getting some interesting little scripts."
He played Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Kathryn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden hunt docudrama "Zero Dark Thirty." He worked with Chase for the '60s period drama "Not Fade Away," in which he played the old-school father of a wannabe rocker. And in Andrew Dominick's crime flick "Killing Them Softly," he played an aged, washed-up hit man.
On Broadway, he garnered a best-actor Tony Award nomination for 2009's "God of Carnage."
Deploying his unsought clout as a star, Gandolfini produced a pair of documentaries for HBO focused on a cause he held dear: veterans affairs.
He was mourned online in a flood of celebrity comments. "The great James Gandolfini passed away today. Only 51. I can't believe it," Bette Midler posted on her Twitter account.
"An extraordinary actor. RIP, Mr. Gandolfini," Robin Williams tweeted.
His final projects included the film "Animal Rescue," directed by Michael R. Roskam and written by Dennis Lehane, which has been shot and is expected to be released next year. He also had agreed to star in a seven-part limited series for HBO, "Criminal Justice," based on a BBC show. He had shot a pilot for an early iteration of the project.
While Tony Soprano was a larger-than-life figure, Gandolfini was exceptionally modest and obsessive — he described himself as "a 260-pound Woody Allen."
In past interviews, his cast mates had far more glowing descriptions to offer.
"I had the greatest sparring partner in the world, I had Muhammad Ali," said Lorraine Bracco, who, as Tony's psychiatrist Dr. Melfi, went one-on-one with Gandolfini in their penetrating therapy scenes. "He cares what he does, and does it extremely well."
Gandolfini grew up in Park Ridge in New Jersey, the son of a building maintenance chief at a Catholic school and a high school lunch lady.
After earning a degree in communications from Rutgers University, Gandolfini moved to New York, where he worked as a bartender, bouncer and nightclub manager. When he was 25, he joined a friend of a friend in an acting class.
Gandolfini's first big break was a Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" where he played Steve, one of Stanley Kowalski's poker buddies. His film debut was in Sidney Lumet's "A Stranger Among Us" (1992).
Director Tony Scott, who killed himself in August 2012, had praised Gandolfini's talent for fusing violence with charisma — which he would perfect in Tony Soprano.
Gandolfini played a tough guy in Scott's 1993 film "True Romance," who beat Patricia Arquette's character to a pulp while offering such jarring, flirtatious banter as, "You got a lot of heart, kid."
Scott called Gandolfini "a unique combination of charming and dangerous."
In his early career, Gandolfini had supporting roles in "Crimson Tide" (1995), "Get Shorty" (1995), "The Juror" (1996), Lumet's "Night Falls on Manhattan" (1997), "She's So Lovely" (1997), "Fallen" (1998) and "A Civil Action" (1998). But it was "True Romance" that piqued the interest of Chase.
In his 2012 AP interview, Gandolfini said he gravitated to acting as a release, a way to get rid of anger. "I don't know what exactly I was angry about," he said.
"I try to avoid certain things and certain kinds of violence at this point," he said last year. "I'm getting older, too. I don't want to be beating people up as much. I don't want to be beating women up and those kinds of things that much anymore."

5 important health questions to ask your dad today

To help dad take care of himself — and to take better care of you, considering asking him the following questions.

Dads gets a bad rap when it comes to health. Just take a look at the skimpy selection of options for a Father’s Day card. Those cards would have you believe every dad is a beer-guzzling, burger-eating couch potato with digestive issues who doesn’t exercise except for the occasional game of golf.

But what kind of example would he be? Here at Healthy Living, we know a whole bunch of dads who have taught their sons and daughters valuable lessons about nutrition, fitness and wellbeing.

Even if Dad didn’t encourage you to pick up a tennis racket, there’s a lot to learn from him and his experiences with health. And one of the most important ways to get to those answers is to know and understand your family’s medical history.

By asking him the questions below, you can learn information that can empower your own decisions about health, whether that’s to adopt a more nutritious diet, commit to getting your recommended 150 minutes of physical activity a week, to keep stress at bay or get enough sleep. Taking such preventive measures, after all, “is by far a more effective way of managing your life than waiting for catastrophe,” says Alan White, Ph.D., men’s health professor and researcher at the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK.

Once catastrophe strikes, dads risk leaving their children without one of their best role models, says Rani G. Whitfield, M.D., a board certified family physician and spokesperson for the American Heart Association. “To take care of your family, you’ve got to take care of yourself!” he says.

To help dad take care of himself — and to take better care of you, considering asking him the following questions.

How’s Your Heart?
Heart disease is still the number one killer in the U.S. You probably already know if dad has undergone any major cardiac events in his lifetime, but you might not know the family history of high cholesterol, blood pressure or diabetes, says White. If your father has any of these risk factors for heart disease, you too could experience them as you age, he says. Also ask when dad was told he had heart disease. If he says before the age of 55, your risk increases in turn, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

While you can’t negate your risk, there are heart-healthy habits you can adopt to keep your own ticker in tip-top shape. “Speaking to your dad about health problems may indicate you might get something yourself, but it doesn’t necessarily,” explains White. “It’s not inevitable, you can do something about it.” Look to add more heart-healthy foods to your diet, aim for those two and a half hours aerobic exercise a week and keep stress to a minimum.

Is There A History Of Mental Illness In Our Family?
Even your closest family members may not feel comfortable speaking openly about mental health. The climate is certainly changing, but stigma persists, and might have kept dad or grandpa from honestly explaining a number of conditions that seem to run in families, like bipolar disorder or depression. Speaking up about such issues may have been considered a sign of weakness in the past, says Whitfield.

While it certainly doesn’t mean you’re bound to struggle, White explains, arming yourself with the knowledge of your family’s emotional history will help you know to get help as soon as possible, should symptoms arise.

Have You Ever Had Problems With Alcohol?
Of course, the experts say, there are a great number of risks for substance abuse, including environmental factors, says Whitfield, but there seems to be something genetic at work, too. Family studies have shown that children of alcoholics have two to four times a higher risk of becoming an alcoholic themselves than children of non-alcoholics. While more research is still needed, there seems to be a stronger hereditary link among males, meaning that male children might be slightly more at risk of developing problems with alcohol if a parent has struggled.

Adding fuel to the fire is research that suggests a stronger link between parents and children of the same gender. If you’re male and your dad has an addiction problem (or you’re female and your mom does), you may have a more cautionary tale to heed. However, much more alcoholism research has been conducted among males to begin with, according to a 2003 review of the research by the National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism.

Any Cancer History I Should Know About?
Of course it’s not inevitable, but there are a number of cancers that seem to have some hereditary risk between fathers and sons. Prostate cancer is generally considered to have a genetic component, especially if it was early-onset, says White. As many as 10 percent of prostate cancer cases are thought to be due to inherited risk factors, according to the National Cancer Institute. Testicular cancer and colorectal cancer may also carry some inherited risks, says Whitfield.

The good news is that knowing your risk may help you catch the disease early. Men are more likely to be more proactive about screening if they know their family’s medical history calls for it, according to the NCI.

When Was The Last Time You Saw A Doctor?
Asking dad about his next appointment won’t do much for your own health, but it can ensure you have many more Fathers’ Days together. Men are less likely to seek care for themselves. In fact, they are as much as 25 percent less likely to visit a doctor than women, CNN reported. Whether it’s because they don’t like doctors or are nervous to find out something is really wrong, says Whitfield, one thing’s for sure: by the time delayers do make it into the office, diseases can be at later stages than is ideal for a first detection: “I always say to the men who don’t go to the doctor on a regular basis, ‘Do you want a tuneup or an overhaul?”

Gunmen Attack 4 Churches In Borno; Kill Pastor, 2 Others

One month after the declaration of emergency rule in order to fight insurgency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, violence has erupted again, as gunmen suspected to be members of the Islamist terrorist’s sect attacked four communities of Hwa’a, Kunde, Gathahure and Gjigga of Gwoza Hills settlements, torching four churches with Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDS) and petro-bombs Thursday afternoon.

According to Tada Garuta, a resident of Kunde, the gunmen climbed the hills on foot with explosives and petro-bombs, and chanted ‘God is great’ in Arabic, before setting four local churches ablaze; and ransacked and emptied their bans of grains along with some livestock to the next community of Gathahure and Hwa’a at dawn.

The attacked communities are located in Gwoza council area of Borno state of Mandara Hills, and 151 kilometres South of Maiduguri, the state capital.

Two churches at Hrazah and Hembe of hill dwellers communities; were also torched by the gunmen in April this year with the killing of two residents.

Garuta also told newsmen in the Maiduguri, Bama road Motor Park on Sunday that after torching another church in Hwa’a community, the gunmen also killed Reverend Jacob Kwiza (rtd) of Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), while picking mangoes at his father’s orchard on the hills settlement of Hwa’a.

Sleeping Goddess at the Lost Gardens of Heligan

The style of the gardens is typical...

Hillary’s serious illness changes everything in 2016 presidential race

Though she has been released from hospital after treatment for her blood clot Hillary Clinton’s political future has changed dramatically.

At 65 she has been struck with an illness that doctors agree is a serious one and that could have caused a major stroke.

A blood clot in an area close to the brain is not good news for anyone, but especially someone who is the winter favorite for the 2016 nomination.

If this were a horse race I’d say Hillary Clinton is far more likely to scratch than to line up in the Democratic demolition derby in 2015 or so for the 2016 nomination.

She will be close to 70  then, but unlike the woman with the robust health record and seemingly tireless political persona, she is now a weakened candidate with a major health question looming over her.

Another illness of this kind between now and then will certainly rule her out and it seems certain that her opponents and the media will ensure that her health is an issue.

But for Hillary herself the illness will surely make her stand back and think.

There are few things more sobering than a glimpse of your mortality and she has certainly seen that.

Will she have the stamina and commitment to come to the races in four years time full of the same energy she expended in 2008?

That hardly seems likely. It will be her decision I know but the events of the past week will certainly shade how she decides.

Me? I’m betting it is a thumbs down, a feeling that she has done more than enough in a spectacular political life and it is time to leave the field to the next generation.

And that will set off the political scramble of a lifetime  among Democrat wannabees if and when it happens.

Kim Kardashian’s daughter looks just like…

New mom Kim Kardashian may already have a Mini Me on her hands. The reality star’s baby girl reportedly looks exactly like her, and supposedly even has a “K” name to match.

“She has dark hair,” a source told E! News of the newest Kardashian family member,who was born on June 15 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in West Hollywood, Calif. “She looks just like Kim.”

There is no word yet on the baby’s name, but E! reports that the 32-year-old previously told family and friends it “will start with a ‘K.’”

Kardashian went into full labor  Saturday morning after she started having contractions Friday night and gave birth to her first child naturally early in the day, according to TMZ. Although she wasn’t due for another five weeks, both mom and baby are in good health.

Kanye West has been busy promoting his new album, “Yeezus,” but he rushed to be by Kardashian’s side, skipping a slated Friday night appearance at Milk Hangar Studios when she first started having contractions. He was with her during the delivery  to welcome his first child.

“Of course, Kanye was there with Kim when she went to the hospital and had the baby,” a source told Us Weekly. “She started to feel sick late last night [Friday] and was having contractions.”

The E! star’s best friend, Jonathan Cheban, was spotted buying pink roses, while her other bestie, Brittny Gastineau, was photographed carrying pink flowers into the hospital .

Messi May Be Jailed For Four Years

Lionel Messi, the Barcelona star footballer and his father are accused of scamming $5.3 million in taxes from Spanish authorities. Along with his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, the high income player is accused of fraudulent tax returns for 2007, 2008 and 2009.
It’s clear this won’t be a simple case. A judge must accept the prosecutor’s lawsuit before any charges could be brought.
This is bad press for the World Star player but centers on companies and endorsement deals. Tax advisers can be expected to contend that this is no more than tax planning, not unlike aggressive football play.
According to Forbes, Messi earns $41.3 million per year, making him the 10th highest-paid athlete in the world. But not all of it is for actual play.
He is said to collect $21 million from endorsement deals, including Adidas. He makes about $20 million from Barcelona. Only David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo had higher earnings from soccer. In a statement released via his Facebook page, Messi said:
“We have just known through the media about the claim filed by the Spanish tax authorities. We are surprised about the news, because we have never committed any infringement. We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advice of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation.”
Messi’s contract is understood to pay €11 million (£8.5 million) a year net. But the issue is beyond salary. Barcelona’s El Periodico newspaper says it involves commercial revenues from the Spanish authorities from 2006 through 2009 by directing the income to companies in tax havens. Much remains unclear, but if the reports are to be believed, the image and license deals are assigned to companies domiciled in tax havens.

Mikel Obi Agrees To Join Galatasaray

Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi has given his word to Turkish champions Galatasaray he wishes to join them.
Galatasaray sporting director Bulent Tulun said Mikel has agreed in principle to join them, according to a leading Turkey football website fotomac.
 
The 26-year-old Mikel is to replace Brazil star Fillipe Melo, who is on his way out to either Brazil or Italy.
 
Chelsea returning boss Jose Mourinho and both clubs are now to decide on this transfer, said Tulun, who met with other top officials this week on the matter.
 
Mikel still has a contract with ‘The Blues’ till June 2017 meaning Galatasaray will have to buy out the remainder of his contract.

BREAKING NEWS: Guess Which Atlanta Housewife Is Pregnant . . . And We've Got The FIRST Pregnancy Pics INSIDE!!!

Mystery Surrounding Plane Found In Filling Station

A scrap private plane belonging to Bethel Ministeries Inc. stirred panic on Thursday morning as the rumour spread that another aircraft had crashed in Lagos.
On hearing the news, hundreds of residents trooped out with their camera phones and queued behind the gate bar of Dapsey Oil filling station at Igando where the plan was packed to take shots.
A senior officer of the filling station said the plane was being removed from the Ikeja Airport to Badagry when one of the tires burst and it had to be packed around 2am.
The police were having tough time controlling the swelling crowd and a young man has been arrested by the Igando police station.

Melissa McCarthy Photoshopped? The Heat U.K. Movie Poster Causes Controversy

Feeling The Heat! Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy's new buddy cop comedy, The Heat, is coming under fire following the release of a new U.K. movie poster for the film. In the poster, McCarthy looks nearly unrecognizable in what some are arguing to be a bad Photoshop job.
"Nobody is unclear what Melissa McCarthy's body size is -- she's plus-sized and proud. So why have the designers of this poster done their utmost to Photoshop a good 30lbs off of McCarthy's face?" The Shiznit, a British entertainment blog, wrote on Friday, June 7. "This is one of the worst Photoshop jobs I have ever seen, but it's not just offensively bad craftsmanship -- the intention behind it is downright nasty."
In the image, the 42-year-old actress' face appears to be slimmer. Critics claim the Bridesmaids star is a victim of the "Photoshop diet.

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer's Twins' Names Revealed: Poppy and Charlie

When Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer's reps confirmed the couple welcomed twins in September 2012, the actors kept many details private -- including their children's names and genders. Though it was later revealed that Paquin gave birth to a boy and a girl, it wasn't until the June 11 True Blood Season 6 premiere in Hollywood that Moyer finally opened up about their babies.
E! News asked the actor, 43, about his Father's Day plans, and Moyer said his 10-year-old daughter Lily (from a previous relationship) was leaving for sleep-away camp this weekend. He then added that he'll be spending Sunday, June 16, "hanging out with Charlie and Poppy."

EXPOSED: The Dirty Things That Go On In Lagos strìp Clubs

A strìp or nudè club is an adult entertainment venue or a night club where strípteases or other erotic or exotic dances are regularly performed. A stríp club is run like a night club or bar, but it can also adopt a theatre or cabaret form.


This club, is gradually making its way into many towns and cities in Nigeria, especially in Lagos city and with increasing patronage by different high profile people...

Efforts by various governments, especially the Lagos State government to rid towns and cities of these stríp clubs have met a brick wall as the operators of such businesses are back with little or no moderation to the usual practice.

The government, while attempting to bring a little sanity to the city’s night life once raided the stríp clubs in the Ikeja axis of Lagos State and arrested the stríppers. But the operators reacted by charging the government to court.

This incident generated a lot of issues and divided the public who held different opinions on the business. Investigations carried out recently revealed that the operators of stríp clubs are back in business and are carrying out activities there in a manner which obviously gives them an edge over ordinary night clubs in terms of patronage.

Scattered all over Lagos mainland are stríp/nudé clubs like Cazz bar, Club Unique, Wall Street bar, Cave Exclusive and Ocean Blue.

A visit to the Cazz bar on Opebi road, Ikeja on a Friday night was an experience always fresh in the mind of the reporters.

After paying an entrance fee of N3,000 one is entitled to enjoy the ambience where some of the stríppers are beautiful white girls ‘imported’ into the country to entertain and meet the audience’s different needs.

The girls who have their bodies scantily covered with g-string pants and bras took a pole-dancing position and when charged, they discarded of the scanty clothings on them and danced nakéd performing also the lap-dance for any patron who was willing to give them a tip.

Further investigations revealed that there is a VIP section where you pay an entrance fee of N10,000.00 which entitles you to have anything on demand free.

The Cazz bar regulation states that a patron who is willing to go home with one of its stríppers will wait till 5:000 a.m (which is the closing time) and pay the management while leaving his phone number and address for security reasons.

At the Cazz Bar it is stated that the stríppers collects N75,000.00 per week excluding accommodation and feeding.

The practice at the Cave Exclusive in GRA, Ikeja is a little different compared to that of Cazz Bar. At the Cave Exclusive, the entrance fee is N5,000.00. What makes Cave Exclusive different from others is that not only that the stríppers are scantily clad, the bar attendants who are mostly ladies move around and attend to patrons in their underwears.

The environment speaks séx and you won’t fail to catch a glimpse of couples engaged in one séxual act or the other and with no damn given to prying eyes.

One of the attendants who spoke to the reporters who monitored the situations in the various stríp clubs claimed she wasn’t initially aware that the rule is that attendants also will work in their underwears. she said she discovered this on her first day at work and that she was planning to quit anytime from now as she wasn’t comfortable with the practice.

On further questioning, she claimed her take-home pay in a month is N25,000.00 and she feels she shouldn’t be subjected to such a treatment for that amount as customers are free to touch and make passes at her, while the management expects her to smile back at them.

The Cave Exclusive which has been running for over three years records a huge patronage on Fridays as fun-seekers throng the hangout to enjoy what they offer.

The operation in other stríp bars is not different and it attracts patrons who are willing to part with any amount of money as long as they are satisfied.
Stríp and nudé bar operation is said to have started in Lagos in the 90’s. Then, some hangouts in Apapa used to bring in ladies who were used in meeting the séxual needs of European sailors who often visited the hangout while on trips to Lagos.

The operation gradually gained ground and has now become fully rooted with quite a large number of nightclubs in existence.
A trip round the city of Lagos revealed that virtually every nook and cranny of this city has this stríp and nudé club due to the commercial gains derived from them.

Teenagers and young ladies see the club as an avenue to make money not considering the consequences of their action. It was also gathered that top businessmen and politicians catch fun, but they choose to do that in hangouts that operate strictly by membership.

A stríp bar owner in Lagos is said to rake in between N5m and N10m every month depending on the location and patronage.
A usual stríp club is open everyday for business, but has Wednesdays and Fridays as its special days.


Many had thought that the Lagos state government would win the battle to curb, if not stop this business, some have insisted that it’s a business that has come to stay whether the government likes it or not.

Source: 24/7 News Update

What are your thoughts on this development in Nigeria?

Keshi releases 23-man list for FIFA Confederations Cup

After much anticipation and excitement, Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has unveiled his 23-man list of players that will don Nigeria’s colours at this month’s FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Saturday Mirror gathered that the Nigerian squad will be captained by, Vincent Enyeama, who leads the team as a result of Joseph Yobo’s absence.

The full list comprises of three goalkeepers, namely, Chigozie Agbim (Warri Wolves), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Beer Sheva) and Vincent Enyeama (Maccabi Tel Aviv).

The defenders are Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Efe Ambrose (Celtic ) Elderson Uwa Echiejile (Sporting de Braga), Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag), Godfrey Oboabona, Solomon Kwambe and Francis Benjamin (Heartland FC).

Among the midfielders picked by Keshi includes, John Mikel Obi (Chelsea), Ogenyi Onazi (SS Lazio), John Ogu (Academica de Coimbra), Sunday Mba, Emeka Eze (Enugu Rangers), Babatunde Michael (Kryvbas) and Fegor Ogude (Valerenga), while the strikers who also made the team are Joseph Akpala (SV Werder Bremen), Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev), Anthony Ujah (FC Cologne), Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese), Gambo Mohammed (Kano Pillars) and Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow).

Nigeria head to Brazil as Africa’s flag bearers after the heroics in South Africa, where they won their third Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

For the group phase, Nigeria is pitched alongside world champions, Spain, South American kings, Uruguay and Tahiti who will offer the Super Eagles their first test in Brazil.

Eagles will on June 14 arrive in Belo Horizonte, venue of their opening match against Tahiti on June 17.

'I've arrived at my Chelsea in the best moment of my career' - Mourinho's first interview in full

New Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has given his first full interview since being confirmed by the club on Monday afternoon. You can read the full transcript below of his conversation with Chelsea TV.

Welcome back, how are you?
I'm very happy. I had to prepare myself not to be too emotional for my arrival at the club but obviously I'm very happy.

How big a decision was it for you? It's not common for managers to go back.
It was an easy decision. I met the boss, the owner, and I think within five minutes after some short and pragmatic questions we decided straight away. I asked the boss do you want me back, and the boss asked me do you want to come back, and in a couple of minutes the decision was made.

It worked out well in a way for both parties before. While you left and did what you wanted to do, Chelsea have continued to win things and built on what you did.
It was a difficult moment, September 2007, because I love it here and I have a big connection with the club, and also for the club it wasn't easy. But if you analyse it in a cool way, emotions apart, it was fantastic because my career after that, I had everything I was aiming for in my career. I wanted to win the grand slam, to win in England, Spain and Italy. I did it. I got all the trophies in three countries. I got my second Champions League too.

I enjoy being in different countries, in different football cultures, and I think it's important for my evolution as a manager and a football coach, and Chelsea Football Club got important trophies after that and had important moments in the history of the club. Now we are back together and we are getting together at a great moment for us both, so I think we are ready to marry again and be happy and successful.

What's the plan now?
The plan is always the same, evolution and to establish the club at the highest possible level. I left Chelsea in 2007, since then I've spoken about the club many times, especially in my privacy. I remember the day we went to the United States in 2004 pre-season. We had open training sessions with only a couple of kids watching the sessions, nobody was following the team. It was the beginning of Roman and his second season I suppose was the beginning of Chelsea. After that Chelsea started winning the Premier League, for the first time and then the second time, and after that when we went back to the United States we found a completely different situation around the club.

I can imagine now especially after the Champions League, that was the highest point of the club's history, that this is now a bigger club. The social mass around the club is much bigger.

I am the same, physically the same, but every day you have to think about yourself, especially the manager, and about the evolution. I have the same nature but I'm much more mature with a different approach to things, I'm more ready to be in a club and stay for a long time.

Normally you haven't spent a lot more than about three years with a club so you are saying this is longer-term building?
I hope so. When you look at the profile of the Chelsea squad I think it's what they need at this time. If you look from my time, there are around four or five boys and these are the older ones - very important for this football club and very important for the balance of the squad, but it's a young squad with a lot of talent and I think they need stability to reach a high point of their evolution and for their careers. They need stability, stability I hope I can give them and between me, the owner and of course the club, we have no doubts about what we want to do and the approach we want to have. I'm very confident I can help the team and help the boys to develop.

I feel myself not just as the Chelsea manager, because this is the first time in my career that I've arrived at a club that I already love. Normally I love the club a couple of years after I am there. Of course I go to a club, I wear the shirt and I feel the shirt with the crest and I give everything I have to do it, but this is the first time where I love it already. To be at the same time a Chelsea fan and a Chelsea manager is a new feeling for me and it's a fantastic feeling.

You have a head start with the fans as you are already popular.
I know I am and I know at this football club there is a culture for the fans to be loyal to somebody who gave. When I watch a Chelsea match on TV and I see, for example, a banner which says Didier Drogba, that's fantastic, and it makes Chelsea a special club.

I know they have a special feeling for me. I played against Chelsea with Inter and it was difficult because I was feeling it wasn't a normal situation for me, and I think the people in the stands felt the same as me, so I belong to them and they belong to me.

I think they know my nature, and they know I'm not coming here to sleep on what I did in the past and be comfortable just because we have a great feeling and we have a great relationship. Probably the first day I put my foot in Stamford Bridge again they will sing my name, but I'm not that kind of person and professional. I'm very demanding of myself. I need of course their support but I want to start from ground zero, I need to work hard again and build a different team from the team I built in the past. I want to give everything I can to the club, to the owner and to the fans, forgetting a little bit that I was a champion here. I want to have that pressure on myself like it is the first time I am here and I have to work hard to make sure they have a reason to be happy with me.

In the past six years you won the treble with Inter and had one incredible season in the league with Real Madrid. You say you are more mature now, how do you assess your development since you've been away from us?
Italy was something I wanted very, very much to do. Italian football is for sure the most tactical one, very difficult, especially if you are a team that wants to win, competing against teams that don't want to lose. It was a big challenge for me.

I arrived in a club where there was an atmosphere of frustration because they couldn't succeed in the Champions League and we got that trophy and for the first time in Italian football the treble. It helps me a lot to be more cultural. After Portugal and England I went to football with a different perspective. It was a big challenge for me, I had to challenge myself a lot and to study a lot. I think I became a better manager living in Inter.

I went to Madrid because I wanted to try to do the grand slam, the three most important championships in the world, and also because twice I had the chance to go to Real before, and I never did it because I decided to stay at Chelsea. The last one was the day after we won the FA Cup final at Wembley, and I thought "no way, I am going to stay". The third time I wanted to go, I wanted another culture and another club with a worldwide dimension in terms of social approach and it was a fantastic experience for me. I think it was really important to get it in this period I call the last step of my formation as a manager. I've just turned 50 now and just finished my lap around European football. This experience in Madrid was fantastic because culturally it was hard, it was difficult. Portuguese and Spanish, and Spanish and Portuguese, and Real Madrid, a special club in a season where they have elections for the presidency, lots of politics around.

Last year we beat the record and got 100 points and 121 goals. This season everybody was focused on the Champions League. We reached the semi-finals and we all know, especially in this club, that semi-finals are a critical moment where you need that click to do it.

In our club there's the semi-final we lost on penalties against Liverpool; the semi-final we lost with Guus Hiddink against Barcelona. You have the semi-final that took us to the final when we won with Roberto [Di Matteo], and we know in the Champions League semi-final you need that click. We [Real Madrid] didn't have that click and couldn't get the 10th European Cup that was an ambition for the club, but it was a fantastic experience for me and I think I arrived in my club, in my Chelsea, in the best moment of my career - of my stability as a manager, my stability as a person - always with my incredible family supporting me. I think I arrived in my best moment ready to give everything I have to try to make the club happy.

It seemed towards the end you lost your smile a little but in Madrid, but you're happier now?
I'm not happy, I am very happy. As I was saying I was preparing myself in the last couple of days to control emotions, to come here in a cool way but I'm really emotional. I try to hide it a little bit but I am so happy and so proud because I think when you return to a place it is for some reason, not just because you have good results in the past or because the fans like you very much, it's also because as a human point of view you left something here. People know the person I am, I kept a fantastic relationship with the owner and the club, and it's something that makes me proud to be back. Not just because of the professional I am, I believe also because of the person I am.

The top three clubs in England will all be under new management next season. It is a very exciting time.
I think the Premier League is the Premier League. This season in terms of the Champions League, which is normally a thermometer of world football, I think English football was too early outside the competition. People were speaking about the level of the Premier League moving down comparing it with other countries, but I don't believe so much on that. Sometimes things happen and there are no really firm reasons. I still think the Premier League is a fantastic competition and I don't know but I believe there will be five or six teams very strong. In my time here in 2004 it was more about us, Man United and Arsenal, and after that a gap to the other teams. In this moment I think you can put five or six teams in the same plan, aiming at the start to reach the Champions League spots which is very difficult, and with more ambition to win the Premier League, and so the competition will be fantastic. I hope I can beat the competition.

Will the Premier League be the priority?
We have to improve the team, and when I say improve the team people are already thinking about how many millions Chelsea are going to spend, and when I say improve the team I am saying improving by work. My work has to improve players and improve the team. If I don't do that I am not happy with myself. If after that we can improve the team by buying a couple of players it is fantastic but I have to improve the team and the players with my work. That's a priority, improve.

In the last two years you were struggling in the Premier League. If you didn't win the Champions League you would be out of the Champions League this year. This year you had to fight until the last match to qualify. We have to try of course to improve, but the priority in a club that reached the level is exactly that - improve individually, improve collectively and improve the structure of the club around the football team, and try to win the next match. Which one is the next match? The Premier League? Let's go for the Premier League. If the next match is the FA Cup, let's go for the FA Cup. It is difficult for me to say something is the priority. The priority is to work hard, work professionally and make the team better.

There is a lot of new talent for you to work with, exciting, flair players. How are you thinking about the style of the side right now?
First of all I need to work with them. I like the profile. I like the fact we have three, four or five players from the beginning of the winning Chelsea, and I think they have to be always a part of the Chelsea soul, so I'm so happy we kept some of these boys.

But the profile of the younger players with long-term space for improvement and development, I like very much that kind of profile. I've come with a four-year contract so with the age of Eden Hazard, Oscar, David Luiz and these boys, I think it will be good for me to work with them and good for them to work with me. Together we can improve and make a better team than we have now.

Can you tell us what the staff you are bring with you are going to do?
Rui [Faria] as you know is my methodology right arm, the guy that understands best my information and the way I work. He's been with me since the beginning, the same as Silvino. [Jose] Morais started working with me at Inter, at the time Andre [Villas-Boas] went to coach in Portugal. Morais does the same work Andre was doing - scouting and analysing, working hand in hand with [ Chelsea match analyst] James Melbourne. He's been a friend for a long time and has been coaching in many countries, in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Tunisia, Sweden, Morocco. He's a guy with fantastic experience and he's working in that area.

From the previous staff I get Christophe Lollichon, Steve Holland and Chris Jones. They are people who have been here a long time and are very much trusted internally, and I'm happy to have them in my staff. From this moment they become only one staff, which is Chelsea staff, and we are going to work together and work hard to try to give what everybody is waiting for.

Presumably you need a holiday?
I am sorry we don't start training tomorrow. I say to the players during the season when sometimes they look tired, victories make miracles. When you win, win, win, you are never tired. In my case, it's not about winning, it's about moving, moving to a place I love and happiness. I'm so happy to be back. The players need a holiday, I don't. I'm waiting for them and when we start they will find somebody with great motivation, in spite of my white hair, which I didn't have in 2004.

We go to Asia, then America and then play the Super Cup. You against Pep Guardiola, that's a good start.
It's not Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, it's Chelsea and Bayern Munich. Mourinho did nothing to play this match, and Guardiola did nothing to play this match. The players did it, and the previous managers did it, so I will be in that match just by trying to help my club and my players win the trophy, nothing else. It's not going to be crucial to our work or our season. We have to go to pre-season, work hard in pre-season. We have club commitments, that's also important, and socially it's important to go to areas such as Asia and the States, and give what the club need us to give, but we have to work hard.

Nine years ago in the Chelsea TV studio you looked in the camera and you said I can promise you quality, work and love and passion to bring success to the club. Would that be the same message you give today?
It is exactly the same message but now I can say I am one of you and that makes a little bit of a difference, I have never had that in football. I had in my career two great passions, Inter and Chelsea, and Chelsea is more than important for me. It was very, very hard to play against Chelsea and I did it only twice which was not so bad so now I promise exactly the same things I promised in 2004, with this difference which is I'm one of you.

Sister of Nigerian Terrorist who killed a British Soldier (PICTURED)

The sister of the terror suspect accused of hacking a soldier to death smiled yesterday as she was escorted from her home and got into a police car.

Blessing Adebolajo, 32, was led from her property yesterday morning just hours after her brother Michael, 28, was filmed ranting with blood on his hands yards from the body of the murdered soldier in Woolwich.

Blessing was carrying a bag full of clothes as she got into an unmarked police vehicle outside her flat in Romford, Essex, at 8.10am.

It is understood she was not arrested, but police will undoubtedly want to question her about her brother who neighbours said was seen regularly at the house.

A woman purporting to be Adebolajo's sister told the Romford Recorder newspaper yesterday: 'We didn't know he was going to do this'

'He liked to smoke a bit of green (marijuana). We played football, a kick-about on the courts. He was a big lad, not the sort of guy you'd want to cross,' he told the newspaper.

'He used to be a normal bloke. he always had a big smile on his face. he'd say "All right Wellsy, all right boy, what's happening?".'

Police also raided a home in Saxilby, Lincolnshire, yesterday which is believed to belong to the terror suspect's father Anthony, 56.

In a chilling rant captured on camera the other side of the road from where drummer Lee Rigby, 25, lay dead, the suspect named as Adebolajo declared: 'The only reason

End of the road for Ike Uche?

In the recent past, Ikechukwu Uche’s exclusion from the Super Eagles line-up would be greeted with heavy criticisms but not now after the Villareal striker’s poor performance at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, where Nigeria emerged victorious.

Despite playing a major role in the qualifiers to South Africa, Uche struggled to perform from the 1-1 opening Group C game against Burkina Faso at the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit, when he came on for Emmanuel Emenike in the 58th minute.

Against Zambia, the 29-year-old spent few minutes on the pitch, coming on for CSKA Moscow’s Ahmed Musa in the 89th minute in the 1-1 draw against the then champions.

Desperate for a win in their last group game against Ethiopia, coach Stephen Keshi started Uche, hoping he would reignite the form that once saw him average a goal in every two games for the Eagles, but it appeared the player didn’t live up to expectations and was pulled out in the 65th minute before the impressive Victor Moses converted two penalties late on, to send the Eagles through.

Keshi ignored Uche, who made his international debut six years ago, in the quarter-final and semi-final games against Cote d’Ivoire and Mali respectively.

But the Aba-born forward had another chance to redeem his place in the squad after tournament top scorer Emenike pulled a hamstring against Mali.

Keshi started him in the final but he was pulled off again for Musa after another poor display as Nigeria rode on the back of the Burkinabe to a third African title.

Thus, Uche’s exclusion did not come as a surprise when Keshi first omitted the diminutive player from his squad for the March 23 World Cup qualifier against Kenya’s Harambee Stars.

With star man Emenike still injured after the 2013 AFCON tournament, Uche would have been the undisputed first choice for the top striker role against the Kenyans but instead, Keshi  decided to recall Obafemi Martins and youngsters Nnamdi Oduamadi and Babatunde Michael to join Nations Cup winners Brown Ideye, Ahmed Musa and Victor Moses upfront.

Now, Keshi has also not deem it fit to include the former Real Zaragoza forward in his squad for the packed midyear games which begins with a crucial reverse fixture against Kenya in Nairobi on June 5, before the team proceeds to Brazil for the Confederations Cup.

Nigerian strikers impressive output in the outgoing season in Europe may also not help Uche’s cause as the fight for a role in the Eagles attack has taken a new dimension. The likes of Everton’s Victor Anichebe, Turkey-based Michael Eneramo and little known Imoh Ezekiel of Standard Liege, who emerged fourth top scorer in Belgium with 14 league goals in the juset-ended season, are also in top consideration for a role upfront by the Eagles technical crew.

But former Eagles defender, Taribo West, says the former Getafe striker only suffered ‘psychological fever’ in South Africa, and therefore should not be pushed aside because of his AFCON display.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games gold medalist said, “I don’t believe Uche’s days are over in the national team. He is still one of our best; in fact, one of the best strikers of our generation.

“But he was affected by what I call a psychology fever at the 2013 AFCON. The fever in a major tournament is different from playing normal games.

“So, what happened to him has to do with psychology; we shouldn’t use the tournament as a yardstick to exclude him from the team. I think he still has a place in the team. He just needs to fight his way back into the squad.”

Although Uche, who joined Villareal from Real Zaragoza in 2011 for €5m, scored 13 goals for The Yellow Submarine this season,  but 1994 AFCON winner, Edema Fuludu, believes he might just be on his way out of the national team.

“In football, you can never say it’s over until it’s over. But truth is, Uche didn’t play to his potential in South Africa and if Keshi wants to build a team that will stand the test of time, he doesn’t have to invite players who are not at their best.

“If you keep inviting people who are not performing, the you are going to put the team in jeopardy. As a gaffer, you have to tell your players that, ‘Hey, if you get back to form, I will call you back to the team but if not, you are out of my team,” Fuludu said.

Punch Nigeria

Drug trafficking: UK releases one Arik crew member, detains the other

One of the two Arik Air crew members arrested on Monday at Heathrow Airport, London, United Kingdom for drug trafficking has been released by the UK authorities.The second suspect is still being held and is currently undergoing investigations from the authorities there.

This is also as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, yesterday challenged airline operators in the country to take all necessary steps to prevent drug trafficking among their crew members. The released suspect, Delita Abibimgbi, was caught with 60 packets of cigarettes while Temitayo Olubunmi Daramola who was still being held was found to be in possession of six kilogram of cocaine.Arik Air spokesman, Mr. Ola Adebanji, who confirmed Abibimgbi’s release while speaking with Saturday Mirror on phone, added that the second suspect, Daramola was still being held, but assured that the airline would cooperate fully with appropriate authorities in their investigation on the issue.
The released suspect, according to an online statement signed by the Head, Public Affairs, NDLEA, Mr. Mitchel Ofoyeju, was already helping the agency with further investigation into the drug case.
At an emergency meeting held yesterday at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos at the instance of the Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, the agency read the riot act to the airlines. Giade warned that any airline found wanting or culpable in any act that could put mud in the country’s image through drug trafficking would be dealt with according to the law of the land. He pointed out that section 25 of the NDLEA Act outlined the responsibilities of airlines. His words: “It shall be the duty of every commercial carrier to take reasonable precaution to ensure that its means of transport are not used in the commission of offences under this Act.

“They are to comply with appropriate security measures at points of entry and exit in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other customs control areas, to prevent unauthorised cargo in its means of transportation.”

Also, the NDLEA Commander, Lagos Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar explained that such precautions as contained in the Act include training of personnel to identify suspicious consignment or persons, promotion of integrity of their personnel and submission of cargo manifests in advance.

Others, he said, are use of tamper-resistant, individually verifiable seals on containers and reporting to the agency at the earliest opportunity all suspicious circumstances relating to drug trafficking.

The airlines, through their representatives, pledged their full cooperation with security agencies on measures being taken by authorities to prevent drug trafficking.

However, since the incident on Monday, security checks on airline officials have been intensified at the nation’s airports as well all entry and exit points.

Two Arik Airlines cabin crew members were on Monday at Heathrow Airport, London arrested on suspicion of carrying illicit drugs to London. The aircraft had taken off from MMIA for London only for the security officers at Heathrow to discover the illicit drugs with the two crew members.

David Beckham bids farewell to football in tears

David Beckham finally brought the curtains down on a glittering football career on Saturday evening. The former England international, captained Paris Saint-Germain in his last game and left the pitch in tears.

American Idol's Allison Iraheta Is Married: Report

Bridal Idol! Allison Iraheta, who came in fourth on season eight of American Idol, is married, according to The Hollywood Reporter. As revealed on the site's Idol Worship blog, the singer eloped with her Halo Circus bandmate Matthew Hager in January and has been keeping the nuptials under wraps ever since.

Man Arrested For Sèxually Molesting A 3-Year-Old Girl With A Screwdriver!

Testimony began Monday in Warren County Common Pleas Court in the trial of a Mason man accused of raping a toddler with a screwdriver.

Patrick Parker, 49, is charged with two first-degree felony counts of rape and two counts of gross sèxual imposition, third-degree felonies.

Prosecutors say Parker used a screwdriver and his fingers to sèxually assault a three-year-old child he was acquainted with and had access to on overnight stays between July 2007 and June 2009.

The alleged crimes were reported about a year later, according to prosecutors.

The girl’s mother testified Monday that she noticed behavioral changes in the girl beginning in 2008 after overnight stays with Parker. In May 2009, she said the girl asked to give her a kiss on the mouth during which she inserted her tongue in her mouth.

When she questioned her daughter, the girl reported Parker had kissed her in that manner, according to the mother’s testimony.

The girl’s mother reported the incident to officials in Kentucky, where she and her daughter lives. The alleged crimes occurred at Parker’s Mason home, according to court documents.

Prosecutors say the girl two years later disclosed to a licensed clinical psychologist that during this time, Parker had digitally penetrated her with his fingers and a device she described as a screwdriver.

The Enquirer generally does not identify victims of sèx crimes and is not identifying the mother to protect her daughter’s identity.

In their opening arguments, defense attorneys denied the accusations and say the girl’s story is riddled with inconsistencies and suggest she may have been coached or asked leading questions by interviewers.

Psychological testing performed on Parker in 2009 after the accusations were made revealed no signs of sèxual deviancy, the attorneys told the judge.

Parker faces a possible life sentence on the rape charges. The sentences for the gross sèxual imposition charges carry a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison on each count.

Solar plane starts journey across US

The first airplane that can fly both day and night powered exclusively by the sun’s rays has taken off from California in the first stage of an attempt to fly across the US without using any fuel.

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The solar-powered plane, dubbed Solar Impulse, set off Friday from San Francisco shortly after 6 a.m. local time (1300 GMT) and was expected to land in Phoenix, Arizona, 19 hours later for the aircraft’s first stop in the first-ever fuel-free transcontinental plane flight.
The Swiss developers behind the flight tout the project as a way to demonstrate the opportunities presented by clean technologies, with the ultimate goal of flying around the world in a second-generation version of the Solar Impulse HB-SIB aircraft currently under construction. The plane has wingspan of 208 feet (63 metres) – equal to that of an Airbus A340 – but at 1,600 kg weighs about the same as an average automobile, according to the developers.
The power used to propel the aircraft is roughly equal to that used by US aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright in their first powered flight in 1903, they say.
With an average cruising speed of around 55 km per hour , the plane is scheduled to make stops in Dallas and St. Louis before moving on to Washington in June and completing the mission by landing in New York City in June or July.
The aircraft is being manned by psychiatrist and balloon aviator Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss national who co-founded the project with his countryman, entrepreneur Andre Borschberg.
“You should see this like being in 1915 when the pioneers were trying to do these first cross-country flights – still unable to cross the ocean, but an important step for the development of aviation,” Borschberg said ahead of the flight.
The cramped cockpit has room for only one person, is unheated and the pilot has to wear an oxygen mask because of a lack of pressurization.
A toilet is built into the lone cockpit seat, but the developers say the pilot should avoid eating fiber-rich foods one day prior to the flight so as to minimize the urgency of nature’s call during the long stretch in the air.
“It’s more difficult and maybe less comfortable than flying through an airliner,” Borschberg said.

Yahoo to buy Tumblr in $1.1 bn deal?

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Tumblr CEO David Karp were reported to be in talks last week. On Sunday, the board approved the deal, the Wall Street Journal first reported. The deal is expected to be announced as soon as Monday, the New York Times said citing people with direct knowledge of the matter.
It would be the largest acquisition of a social networking company in years, surpassing Facebook’s $1 billion purchase of Instagram last year, it said.
For Yahoo and its chief executive Mayer, buying Tumblr would be a bold move as she tries to breathe new life into the company, the Times said. The deal, the seventh since Mayer defected from Google last summer to take over the company, would be her biggest yet.
It is meant to give her company more appeal to young people, and to make up for years of missing out on the revolutions in social networking and mobile devices, the Times said. Tumblr has over 108 million blogs, with many highly active users.
Founded six years ago, Tumblr has raised millions from big-name investors, but is yet to proved that it can be profitable or succeed on mobile devices, which are becoming the gateway to the Internet, the Times noted
The blogging site has been trying to create new ad efforts like interactive campaigns, rather than using standard clickable ads, with mixed success, the daily said..
It has set a revenue goal of $100 million for this year; the company reported only $13 million for the first quarter and reported $13 million for 2012.

Suspected Boko Haram Gunmen attacked First bank, Access bank and others and made away with N200m

Indications have emerged that over N200 million was carted away by suspected Boko Haram insurgents numbering over 200 who invaded Daura, Katsina State, between Thursday night and the wee hours of Friday during which four banks namely First bank, Access bank, Keystone bank and Unity bank were attacked.

The Brigade Commander, 3rd Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Bukavu,Brigadier Illysu Abbah who briefed the media on the incident in Kano yesterday, confirmed that security agencies were able to recover some assorted arms and ammunition used by the insurgents.

They include 11 AK47 rifles, 73 magazines, 275 rounds of 7.62 ammunition, 118 rounds of FNW ammunition, 141 rounds of 9 mm ammunition , 1 smoke gun , two vehicles and various improvised explosive devices.

“The Brigade would like to also advise financial institutions with outstations outside of the state capitals to always leave minimal unattractive cash in their vaults at the end of a business day as terrorists are in need of cash” he stressed, adding that “The Brigade would like to reassure the general public of the determination of the Unit and other security agencies to protect the lives and property of the law abiding citizens” he added.

The insurgents reportedly used IEDs to blow off the entrances and vaults of the banks where they looted millions in cash.

U.N. Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon Asks Boko Haram To Halt Attacks

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, has called on members of the Boko Haram sect and other extremist groups in Nigeria to cease their attacks amid escalating violence in the northern part of the country.

Mr. Ban Ki-Moon’s plea comes on the heels of President Goodluck Jonathan’s declaration of a state of emergency on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.

“The secretary-general has been and remains very concerned about the continued violence and deteriorating security situation in northeast Nigeria, which posses threat to national peace and security,” his spokesperson said yesterday in a note to UN correspondents in New York.

“The Secretary-General reiterates his firm conviction that no objective can ever justify such use of violence. He underscores the need for all concerned to fully respect human rights and to safeguard the lives of all Nigerians,” the spokesperson continued.

Meanwhile, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has urged the Nigerian Government to abide by human rights principles during security patrols; expressing concern about the large number of casualties, reportedly including many civilians, and massive destruction of houses and property.

Jaden Smith wants emancipation from parents Will and Jada Pinkett Smith for his birthday

Jaden Smith turns 15 on July 8 and he already knows exactly what he'd like from his parents: Freedom.
"He says, 'Dad, I want to be emancipated.' I know if we do this, he can be an emancipated minor, because he really wants to have his own place, like ooh," Will Smith said: "That's the backlash. On the other side, if kids just want to have command of their lives, I understand."

Amazing Flying Cars: the beginning of the end

This Flying Car Concept Takes Off And Lands Like A Helicopter



Flying cars have long been a staple of futuristic fantasies, but the mainstream auto industry has made a lot more progress toward vehicles that drive themselves than those that can take to the skies.
Fortunately for those who don't want to be confined to the road, one American company has made impressive progress toward that dream.

Terrafugia, based in Boston, has already started taking orders for its FAA-approved Transition "flying car," which takes off and lands like a plane, with wings that fold up for trips on land.

Now Terrafugia has introduced a new vehicle with significant improvements. The TF-X model takes off and lands vertically (like a helicopter) so it doesn't need a runway.

The plug-in hybrid vehicle exists only in renderings for now, but given how far Terrafugia has taken its first model, it's not crazy to expect to see this on our roads someday

Isn’t there an old saying about learning to fly before you fly?
If so, the aviation start-up Terrafugia is willfully disregarding it. Last week, the Woburn company unveiled a concept design for a product called the TF-X — well before it has delivered its first product, the Transition “roadable aircraft.”
But Terrafugia’s chief executive, Carl Dietrich, says the TF-X could — a big could here — usher flying cars into the mainstream. It could take off and land vertically, outside of an airport. (Heliports or empty lots are fair game, as long as you have permission.)
It would have “fly-by-wire” controls that would let you set your destination, and the vehicle would navigate to it with minimal pilot involvement. It would be a plug-in hybrid, presumably making it more fuel-efficient than most private aircraft, with a 500-mile range.
And as with the Transition, if you encounter bad weather, you simply land at the nearest safe spot and drive the rest of the way.
If Terrafugia can attain large enough production volumes, the TF-X might be a flying car the middle class (OK, upper-middle class) could afford. (Terrafugia anticipates a $279,000 base price; Dietrich expressed hopes the TF-X would sell for less than that.) Dietrich acknowledges that getting the TF-X to market will probably be an eight- to 10-year process and require some major fund-raising