New MBGN Queen appointed special assistant on Tourism & Culture

18 year old Anna Ebiere Banner has been appointed Special Assistant on Tourism & Culture to Bayelsa Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson. The governor himself got on stage after she won the crown last night and made her his new special adviser.

You know how some queens come from one state but represent other states at the pageant? Well, that didn't happen with Anna. She's originally from Bayelsa state and I hear she's really 18 years old. She was born  February 18, 1995. 18 year old special assistant to Govuno? OK! Congrats to her!

Forbes' List Of Hollywood's Highest Paid Actors of 2013

Forbes, a few days ago, released their annual 'Highest Paid Hollywood Actors' list and Iron Man actor Robert Downey topped the list. See what the top 10 actors earned between June 2012 & June 2013..

1. Robert Downey Jr - $75million (Iron Man)
2. Channing Tatun - $60million (Magic Mike, White House Down)
3. Hugh Jackman - $55million (Les Miserables, X-Men)
4. Mark Wahlberg - $52 million (Ted)
5.  Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson - $42million (Fast & Furious)
6. Leonardo DiCaprio - $39million (Great Gatsby)
7. Adam Sandler - $37million (Hotel Transylvania)
8. Tom Cruise - $35million (Jack Reacher)
9. Denzel Washington - $33 (Flight)
10. Liam Neeson - $32million (Taken 2, The Grey)

Future Stars Talent Hunt Show 2013

Its future stars talent Hunt Show 2013, can you sing, Dance, Act, play musical instruments or do you have a unique talent? Are you between the ages of 6-12? Then it is your time to be celebrated.

Future stars talent show 2013, had her press conference on July 12^th, 2013. This is the maiden edition of the Talent Hunt Show and it promises to be exceptionally impactful and poised to bring out the star in the whom to be discovered star. Continue...

The show is aimed at bringing out the hidden talents in children within the targeted age, to promote social interaction among children, to encourage artistic development among children, to promote educational activities among children, etc. It will run within the period of 6weeks starting from August 23^rd to September 28^th, 2013. 

Children will meet at the event venue every Friday to showcase their talents and contents will be delivered to selected TV stations

Future stars talent show 2013 is organized by S&P Entertainment company who are also the publishers of Young Readers Magazine, 22 years old C.E.O Kaka Marycollete is the brain behind this Young Readers Magazine and the future stars talent show. In her word she said the event will help equip kids to adapt to the challenges facing our modern day society.

Application forms are available in some Ecobank branches in Lagos, or you can download it online on www.futurestarstalentshow.com

Auditions will start on the 3-10^th of August 2013 at the following locations

Island: Piccadilly suites Agungi (behind blue island)

Mainland: Unity centre 28, Isaac John street, Ikeja GRA.

For more information and enquiries call 08068889669, 08096796178 or email on admin@futurestarstalentshow.com, info@futurestarstalentshow.com

The star price is N1million. Second price is 500k and 3 price 250k. With consolation prices like Nintendo, PSP games, bicycles etc...

Transcript of Omotola's speech at MBGN pageant last night at Silver Bird Unique personality award

Omotola received the Silverbird Unique Personality Award at the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant last night and during her acceptance speech, the star actress spoke against the Senate bill on underage marriage. Read the full transcript below...

Let me first and foremost thank The Lord almighty, my savior and help for this award. Thanks also to Silverbird group the organizers of MBGN. Thanks to my Wonderful Husband, Capt Matthew Ekeinde,my support and Best friend who is also here tonight. I am Today one of the Most influential person/people in the world because I wasn't given off to marriage before the age of 18yrs.

It scares and totally shocks me that the Senate in Nigeria (the most populous black nation in the world and Giant of Africa) would not be passing in a law ensuring that every child should compulsorily be enrolled in school.

A very alarming number of children today are on the streets Hawking or have been abused,Raped or are married to men/women who should be protecting them.
Who protects the children of Nigeria?
Would we wait for another Milala before we act?
Should we now remove the parental caution on movies that say " Not for persons below 18".
This is a call for justice and Equity for children especially the Nigerian Girl child,who has the right to quality education, a childhood and the decision of whom and when to marry.
 
My Name is Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and I say No to paedophilia and No to the senate Bill endorsing Child marriage in Nigeria.

Norwegian Lady: I was raped in Dubai, now I face prison sentence

 

Norwegian interior designer Marte Deborah Dalelv has spoken out after being handed a 16-month prison sentence in Dubai -- after she went to police to report she had been raped by a colleague.

The 24-year-old was convicted and sentenced on charges of having unlawful sex, making a false statement and illegal consumption of alcohol.

Her story is dominating the headlines in Norway, and has raised serious questions over the way women who allege sexual assault are treated in the United Arab Emirates.

Dalelv, who had been working at an interior design firm in Qatar since September 2011, told CNN on Saturday how a work trip to Dubai in March with three colleagues turned into a nightmare.

She said she had been out at a bar with her colleagues and friends, and asked a male colleague to walk her to her room when they returned at 3 a.m. to the hotel. She'd asked him to escort her because the hotel was large and confusing, and she didn't want to be wandering on her own, knowing she'd been drinking, she said.

When they reached a room, she realized it wasn't hers -- but the man then pulled her inside despite her vocal objections, according to Dalelv.

"He dragged me by my purse in, so I thought, 'OK, I just need to calm the situation down. I will finish my bottle of water, I will sit here and then I will excuse myself and say I feel fine,'" she said.

That was pretty much the last thing she said she remembers before the alleged sexual assault. "I woke up with my clothes off, sleeping on my belly, and he was raping me. I tried to get off, I tried to get him off, but he pushed me back down."

After someone knocked -- the hotel wake-up call -- she managed to get dressed and make it downstairs to the hotel reception, Dalelv said. "I called the police. That is what you do. We are trained on that from when we are very young," she said.

Some 10 or 12 male police officers arrived, but no female police officers were present, she said. Statements were taken from both Dalelv and the alleged rapist.

She was then taken to Bur Dubai police station, she said.

After again giving her version of events to officers, Dalelv said, "They asked me, 'Are you sure you called the police because you just didn't like it?' I said, 'Well of course I didn't like it.' That is when I knew, I don't think they are going to believe me at all."

Dalelv says she was taken for an intimate medical exam and tested for alcohol consumption. Her belongings were taken and she was kept in jail for four days, she said, with no explanation as to why.

Dubai police and UAE government officials have not responded to repeated CNN requests for comment.

Dalelv said she managed to call her parents on the third day to tell them she had been raped and ask them to contact the Norwegian Embassy. A day later, a representative from the Norwegian consulate came to the police station and she was released -- but her passport was not returned.

A piece of paper with Arabic text was handed to her, she said. An Arabic speaker told her it listed two charges against her: one for sex outside of marriage and the other for public consumption of alcohol. Both are violations of the law in the United Arab Emirates.

It was the first time she was made aware that she faced charges, Dalelv said.

She was allowed out on bail and has been staying since at the Norwegian Seaman's Center in Dubai.

Subsequently, she said her manager advised her to tell the police it was voluntary sexual intercourse and likely the whole issue would just go away. She followed the advice and in one of the many hearings at the public prosecutor's office, she made a statement saying it was voluntary.

Dalelv was then charged with making a false statement.

"That was my biggest regret because it wasn't voluntary. I just thought it would all go away," she told CNN.

But a representative of Al Mana Interiors, who Dalelv worked for, told CNN that she was not advised by her manager to say the sex was consensual but rather by a police officer, who told her that in Arabic and it was translated into English by her manager.

Dalelv said a month after the rape, while forced to stay in Dubai as the case wound through the legal system, she was fired.

The representative, who declined to be publicly identified, said Dalelv and the Sudanese man she accused -- who is married with three children -- have both been terminated by Al Mana Interiors for "drinking alcohol at a staff conference that resulted in trouble with the police."

A statement released late Saturday by Al Mana Interiors spokesman Hani El Korek said the company was sympathetic to Dalelv "during this very difficult situation." It also said that company representatives were by her side through the initial investigation, spending "days at both the police station and the prosecutor's office to help win her release."

"Only when Ms. Dalelv declined to have positive and constructive discussions about her employment status, and ceased communication with her employer, was the company forced to end our relationship with her," the statement said.

"The decision had nothing to do with the rape allegation, and unfortunately neither Ms. Dalelv nor her attorneys have chosen to contact the company to discuss her employment status."

Opinion: Gang rapes, the dark side of Egypt's protests

The company is owned by Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana, who made headlines earlier this year after it was revealed that he has secretly married singer Janet Jackson in 2012.

Dalelv was convicted Tuesday on all three charges and was sentenced to one year in jail for having unlawful sex, three months in jail for making a false statement and one month for illegal consumption of alcohol.

CNN could not immediately confirm what happened to the alleged perpetrator, who was charged with public intoxication and having sex outside of marriage.

Dalelv is scheduled to appear at the court on September 5 to begin the appeal proceedings. Dalelv, who is not allowed to leave the UAE pending the appeal, said her lawyers have instructed her to be prepared to go back into jail while they submit a request for bail while the appeal is ongoing.

As a rule, CNN does not identify victims of sexual assault, but Dalelv went public with her story.

A Facebook page has been set up calling for Dalelv's release, as well as a petition urging the Norwegian government to take action on her behalf.

Her conviction may risk wider diplomatic repercussions.

Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Espen Barth Eide called his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan, on Friday night to protest Dalelv's sentencing, a statement from the Norwegian ministry said.

"I emphasized that we believe that the conviction is contrary to fundamental human rights, including conventions that the UAE have officially ratified," Eide is quoted as saying.

"Norway will continue to do what we can to support her in what is a very difficult situation. Our cooperation with the UAE is strong and good, but I conveyed to my colleague that we are worried that this difficult case may disturb our good relations if we do not reach a good solution in the near future."

Dalelv told CNN she received a call from Eide on Friday reiterating Norway's support.

While Dubai has a reputation as a cosmopolitan city that boasts Western influences, where visitors can drink at bars and restaurants and unmarried couples can share hotel rooms, the country adheres to Islamic laws and traditions.

The United Arab Emirates has been heavily criticized by rights groups, which say it condones sexual violence against women. Human Rights Watch has called its record "shameful," saying it must change the way it handles such cases.

In December 2012, a British woman reported being raped by three men in Dubai. She was found guilty of drinking alcohol without a license and fined.

In January 2010, a British woman told authorities she was raped by an employee at a Dubai hotel. She was charged with public intoxication and having sex outside of marriage.

An Australian woman reported in 2008 that she was drugged and gang-raped. She was convicted of having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol, and she was sentenced to 11 months in prison.

Culled from CNN

Detroit Gap Reveals Industry Dispute on Pension Math

 MARY WILLIAMS WALSH  give us more details

Bill Pugliano/Getty ImagesMany in Detroit were alarmed recently when, seemingly out of nowhere, a $3.5 billion hole appeared in the city’s pension system.

Until mid-June, there was one ray of hope in Detroit’s gathering storm: For all the city’s problems, its pension fund was in pretty good shape. If the city went under, its thousands of retired clerks, police officers, bus drivers and other workers would still be safe.
Then came bad news. Seemingly out of nowhere, a $3.5 billion hole appeared in Detroit’s pension system,courtesy of calculations by a firm hired by the city’s emergency manager.

Retirees were shaken. Pension trustees said it must be a trick. The holders of some of Detroit’s bonds realized in shock that if the city filed for bankruptcy — as it finally did on Thursday — their claims would have even more competition for whatever small pot of money is available.
But Detroit’s pension revelation is nothing new to many people who run pension plans for a living, the math-and-statistics whizzes known as actuaries. For several years, little noticed in the rest of the world, their staid profession has been fighting over how to calculate the value, in today’s dollars, of pensions that will be paid in the future.
It may sound arcane, but the stakes for the country run into the trillions of dollars. Depending on which side ultimately wins the argument, every state, city, county and school district may find out that, like Detroit, it has promised more to its retirees than it ever intended or disclosed. That does not mean all those places will declare bankruptcy, but many have more than likely promised their workers more than they can reasonably expect to deliver.
The problem has nothing to do with the usual padding and pay-to-play scandals that can plague pension funds. Rather, it is the possibility that a fundamental error has for decades been ingrained into actuarial standards of practice so that certain calculations are always done incorrectly. Over time, this mistake, if that is what it is, has worked its way into generally accepted accounting principles, been overlooked by outside auditors and even affected state and municipal credit ratings, although the ratings firms have lately been trying to correct for it.
Since the 1990s, the error has been making pensions look cheaper than they truly are, so if a city really has gone beyond its means, no one can see it.
“When the taxpayers find out, they’re going to be absolutely furious,” said Jeremy Gold, an actuary and economist who for years has called on his profession to correct what he calls “the biases embedded in present actuarial principles.” In 2000, well before the current flurry of pension-related municipal bankruptcies, he wrote his doctoral dissertation on how and why conventional pension calculations run afoul of modern economic principles.
Mr. Gold made his prediction about taxpayer fury in an interview a number of years ago in which he also explained why he had chosen his topic. He said he hoped to help put a stop to the errors he saw his colleagues making before pension problems that were already starting to brew then boiled over and a furious public heaped blame, scorn and legal liability on the profession.
When a lender calculates the value of a mortgage, or a trader sets the price of a bond, each looks at the payments scheduled in the future and translates them into today’s dollars, using a commonplace calculation called discounting. By extension, it might seem that an actuary calculating a city’s pension obligations would look at the scheduled future payments to retirees and discount them to today’s dollars.
But that is not what happens. To calculate a city’s pension liabilities, an actuary instead projects all the contributions the city will probably have to make to the pension fund over time. Many assumptions go into this projection, including an assumption that returns on the investments made by the pension fund will cover most of the plan’s costs. The greater the average annual investment returns, the less the city will presumably have to contribute. Pension plan trustees set the rate of return, usually between 7 percent and 8 percent.
In addition, actuaries “smooth” the numbers, to keep big swings in the financial markets from making the pension contributions gyrate year to year. These methods, actuarial watchdogs say, build a strong bias into the numbers. Not only can they make unsustainable pension plans look fine, they say, but they distort the all-important instructions actuaries give their clients every year on how much money to set aside to pay all benefits in the future.
If the critics are right about that, it means even the cities that diligently follow their actuaries’ instructions, contributing the required amounts each year, are falling behind, and they don’t even know it.
These critics advocate discounting pension liabilities based on a low-risk rate of return, akin to one for a very safe bond.
In the years since his doctoral research, Mr. Gold and like-minded actuaries and economists have been presenting their ideas in professional forums and in scholarly papers crammed with equations and letters of the Greek alphabet. They have won converts, but so far no changes in the actuarial standards. Their theoretical arguments tend to fly over the head of the typical taxpayer.
Year after year there has been consistent resistance from the trustees of public pensions, the actuarial firms that advise them and the unions that represent public workers. The unions suspect hidden agendas, like cutting their benefits. The actuaries say they comply fully with all actuarial standards of practice and pronouncements of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. When state and local governments go looking for a new pension actuary, they sometimes post ads saying that candidates who favor new ways of calculating liabilities need not apply.
A few years ago, with the debate still raging and cities staggering through the recession, one top professional body, the Society of Actuaries, gathered expert opinion and realized that public pension plans had come to pose the single largest reputational risk to the profession. A Public Plans Reputational Risk Task Force was convened. It held some meetings, but last year, the matter was shifted to a new body, something called the Blue Ribbon Panel, which was composed not of actuaries but public policy figures from a number of disciplines. Panelists include Richard Ravitch, a former lieutenant governor of New York; Bradley Belt, a former executive director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; and Robert North, the actuary who shepherds New York City’s five big public pension plans.
This project has drawn fire from a large number of public pension officials. They recently wrote the Society of Actuaries a joint letter, urging it to reconstitute the Blue Ribbon Panel by adding more people “who can provide insight” into the many benefits of the current method, and expressed great concern about switching to a new one that could cause confusion and volatility. Of possible interest to the bondholders and taxpayers of Detroit, they also said that as fiduciaries they were required to “put the interest of all plan participants and beneficiaries above their own interests or those of any third parties.”
Much of the theoretical argument for retaining current methods is based on the belief that states and cities, unlike companies, cannot go out of business. That means public pension systems have an infinite investment horizon and can pull out of down markets if given enough time.
As Detroit has shown, that time can run out.
Monica Davey contributed reporting.

, “The Release of Eagles 2013,”

 






All is set for the 8th Convocation Ceremony of Covenant University slated to hold between Wednesday 24 and Sunday July 28, 2013 at the University Chapel, Canaanland, Ota.

The 5-day long ceremony will start with a Special Convocation Assembly, at the University Chapel. This will be immediately followed by an exhibition to showcase some of the University’s products from the Research and Development platform.
On the same day, the Chancellor of Covenant University, Dr. David Oyedepo will address a World Press Conference, while a Special Convocation Service will be held in the evening.
Other programme of activities scheduled for the Ceremony tagged, “The Release of Eagles 2013,” includes a Convocation Lecture on Thursday July 25, 2013 to be delivered by a Former Executive Secretary, National Council for Tertiary Education, Ghana, Dr. Paul Effah.
The 2013 Convocation Ceremony for the Awards of First and Higher Degrees, and Presentation of Prizes to worthy graduands holds on Friday, July 26, 2013. The Keynote Address will be delivered by the Honourable Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo.
Post Convocation activities continue on Saturday, July 27, with the Chancellor’s Special Assembly, Alumni Investiture and presentation of plaques.
The Convocation Ceremony ends with a Special Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, July 28, 2013 at Faith Tabernacle, Canaanland, Ota.
8th convocation ceremony programme of events
WEDNESDAY 24TH JULY, 2013

Special Convocation Assembly	8:00 am-10:00am
Exhibition	10:15am-11:15am
Convocation Rehearsal	3:00pm-5:00pm
Special Convocation Service Minister: Pastor Abraham Ojeme	7:00pm-9:00pm

THURSDAY 25TH JULY, 2013

Convocation Lecture Dr. Paul Effah Former Executive Secretary, National Council for Tertiary Education, Ghana. Topic: Repositioning African Universities for Excellence: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives	9:00am – 11:00am
Cocktail	11:00am–12:00noon
College Hooding Events & Special Prizes & Awards	2:00pm – 4:00pm
Special Gospel Concert/ Variety Night	6:00pm – 8.00pm

FRIDAY 26TH JULY, 2013

Convocation Ceremony for the Award of First and Higher Degrees and Presentation of Special Awards and Prizes.	9:00am –12:00noon
Keynote Speaker: Professor Chinedu Ositadinma Nebo, OON, NPOM The Honourable Minister of Power, Federal Ministry of Power, FCT, Abuja Topic: “Transformational Leadership and the Quest for Global Relevance”

SATURDAY 27TH JULY, 2013

Return of Academic Gowns	8:00am – 10:00pm
Chancellor's Special Assembly/Release of 8th Batch of Eagles Ceremony	10:00am – 1:00pm
Alumni Investiture/Presentation of plaques	3:00pm – 5:00pm
Return of Academic Gowns continues (29th -31st July)	8:00am – 5:00pm

SUNDAY 28TH JULY, 2013
Thanksgiving Service @ Faith Tabernacle
A

I'm Color - 7 Colors Smartwatch for any Style

I'm Color - 7 Colors Smartwatch for any Style

World's Fastest Supercomputer

 according to report, it's made known to awesome jasper few minutes ago that China has built the world's fastest supercomputer, almost twice as fast as the previous US holder and underlining the country's rise as a science and technology powerhouse.

The semiannual TOP500 official listing of the world's fastest supercomputers released Monday says the Tianhe-2 developed by the National University of Defense Technology in central China's Changsha city is capable of sustained computing of 33.86 petaflops per second.
That's the equivalent of 33,860 trillion calculations per second. The Tianhe-2, which means Milky Way-2, knocks the US Department of Energy's Titan machine off the  №1 spot. It achieved 17.59 petaflops per second.
Supercomputers are used for complex work such as modeling weather systems, simulating nuclear explosions and designing jetliners.
It's the second time China has been named as having built the world's fastest supercomputer.
In November 2010, the Tianhe-2's predecessor, Tianhe-1A, had that honour before Japan's K computer overtook it a few months later.
The Tianhe-2's achievement shows how China is leveraging rapid economic growth and sharp increases in research spending to join the United States, Europe and Japan in the global technology elite.
"Most of the features of the system were developed in China, and they are only using Intel for the main compute part," said TOP500 editor Jack Dongarra in a news release accompanying the announcement.
"That is, the interconnect, operating system, front-end processors and software are mainly Chinese," said Mr Dongarra, who toured the Tianhe-2 development facility in May.
 more update would be made available to you shortly.

iPhone 6: screen to style to release date, every last detail and rumor

  by Will Stabley

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Apple’s flagship iPhone 6 has evoked as many questions as answers, in no small part due to the secrecy Apple has enshrouded the smartphone in and the fact that even Apple does not yet know all the answers surrounding it. There’s debate as to whether the iPhone 6 will see its release date this year or next, what material it will be made of, what specs it’ll offer, which carriers will have it, its size and what it’ll cost, among other hot button topics. Amid a sea of hearsay, some facts regarding the iPhone 6 have emerged and some precedent has been laid. Here’s the definitive guide to all
that’s knowable about the iPhone 6.

Release date

This is the iPhone 6 answer upon which all other iPhone 6 questions depend. Apple will release a new iPhone in the fall of 2013. There’s precedent to expect it to either be an iPhone 5S, which would be a lookalike of the iPhone 5 but with significantly improved specs and features, in which case the iPhone 6 will arrive in the summer of fall of 2014. For the purposes of this article we’ll assume the iPhone 6 is coming this year, both because Apple has shown some leaning in that direction and because an iPhone 6 in 2014 would be too far out to knowledgeably discuss. So positioning the iPhone 6 as a 2013 device, Apple tends to introduce its fall mobile products the second week of September and then put them on sale one to three weeks later. However Apple has shown some precedent for introducing a new iPhone as late as early October and then holding the retail launch in mid October.
Feature set
Widespread rumors have the iPhone 6 including a fingerprint sensor embedded into the Home button which will act as an unlock function and also carry website and app passwords of a user’s choice. Pressing the Home button upon unlock would prove the user’s identity and obviate the need to enter passwords for iTunes, Facebook, bank accounts, or any other account information which the user opts to embed into the fingerprint sensor database.
Housing for the iPhone 6 has been rumored to include various materials. Those include a return to the aluminum of the original iPhone 1; sapphire, which has dropped rapidly in price and would be more sturdy than the current Gorilla Glass 3 Apple uses on current iPhones; or the new Gorilla Glass 4 which is said to be both glare proof and antibacterial in nature. None of these rumors have been strongly substantiated.
Screen size
Various corners place the iPhone 6 coming in as many as three different screen sizes. There’s the small-medium-large scenario of four, four and a half, and five inch screens. There’s also a claim of two models, one at the current four inches and one at four and a third inches. Any new iPhone 6 models will retail the current “tall” screen size ratio of the iPhone 5, and would grow both taller and wider in proportion, the first time an iPhone has done so.
System software
Apple has already demoed large chunks of the iOS 7 system software and on-screen interface which will power the iPhone 6. It includes changes large and small. Fundamental changes include new app management and a new form of multitasking, while superficial changes include fully redesigned app icons and new cleaner fonts. Apple traditionally holds back at least one major software feature of the new iPhone until it’s ready to launch, and has given no firm indication of what that’ll be with the iPhone 6.
Styling
After three iPhone generations in a row which have each used the same styling, Apple is under pressure to deliver a full stylistic redesign for the iPhone 6. During the iOS 7 presentation Apple used the image above to show off new software features, a thin white iPhone-like device with curved sides (see above) which does not resemble any current Apple product. There has been debate as to whether Apple unintentionally outed the styling of the iPhone 6 with this image, or whether it was merely a generic placeholder for presentation purposes.

the force of synergy ...unity and team work....gives us the hihest yields,profits and success!...selah

Emulate Mandela’s Sportsmanship.the secret to his long live..Youths Urged To dive into the lifestyle!

Sports enthusiasts in Abuja have urged youths to emulate the spirit of sportsmanship as exhibited by the former South African President, Nelson Mandela, for forgiving those who jailed him for 27 years.

Mandela, who marked his 95th birthday on Thursday, was also an accomplished boxer in his youthful years, apart from being a politician and a freedom fighter, who fought to end the oppressive apartheid regime in South Africa.

Mohammed Alim Musa, the Director of Sports, FCT Sports Council, on Thursday urged all youths aspiring to leave legacies to emulate the discipline imbibed by Mandela from sports and his in spirit of sportsmanship in handling his years of incarceration.

Mohammed in Abuja said that the sports world would like to remember Mandela for his contributions to boxing as he competed in the heavyweight class.

“He indeed, played a vital role in ensuring the success of the World Cup by South Africa, which remained a reference point.’’

He urged everyone, especially the youths to learn from the life and times of Mandela.

The President, Nigeria Boxing Coaches Association, David Amade, urged the youth to emulate Mandela, the sportsman by engaging in sporting activities rather than waste away their lives by peddling drugs.

“Sports apart from helping one to live a healthy lifestyle are indeed short-cuts to wealth.

“It is unfortunate that he (Mandela) is celebrating his birthday in the hospital, we in the boxing world wish him a quick recovery,’’ Amade said.

The Head Coach, FCT Boxing Association, Mr Benjamin Daniel, noted that Mandela was a true sportsman in every sense of the word, which accounted for the long healthy life he has enjoyed.

“Even in his small prison cell on the Roben Island, Mandela maintained a strict daily physical fitness regimen, which enabled him to survive the lengthy captivity for 27 years, under the worst of circumstances.

“He is a lover of sports and that is why he is still alive today,’’ he said.

The Cosby Show....for you to laugh off your stress

World's best Display of Vibrant & Rich Cultures... See the Traditional Style of the nation called"THE GIANT OF AFRICA!'

According to Damilare Aiki,she said its a competion among the states in the Africa's giant nation Nigeria;

The competition is getting really hot! On Friday, BN Beauty introduced the MBGN 2013 contestants, now the contestants are showcasing the vibrant and rich culture of the states they represent in traditional attires.

From dramatic costumes to the stunning accessories, this shoot as it all.

The set for the shoot, was built to depict Nigeria’s tropical rainforest while the paddle and fishing nets symbolises Bayelsa’s rich farming culture. As a result of not having delegates from all states, the chosen contestants are randomly assigned states, this avails them the opportunity to research and learn more about the state.

The 32 contestants are in a camp in Yenagoa, Bayelsa prepping for the D-day. Watch all the live action on Silverbird TV on Saturday 20th July 2013 by 7 PM.

I am loving the costumes of Imo, Akwa Ibom, Ondo and Rivers. Who are your favourites? Check them out!

Why is cancer so common?..experts throw more lights on this issue

A chest X-ray showing cancer in the right lung

Hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK. It is not one disease; there are over 200 different types, each with its own symptoms, methods of diagnosis and treatment.

What is cancer?

Cancer starts when cells in our bodies start to reproduce out of control, forming new, abnormal cells. These abnormal cells form lumps, known as tumours.
If the cells from tumours cannot spread, then the tumours are benign. They are not cancerous and can usually be removed.
If the cells are able to invade nearby healthy tissue and organs, or spread around the body through the blood or lymphatic system causing further tumours to grow, then the tumours are malignant or cancerous. These cancer cells are likely to spread if the tumour is not treated.

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This short animated video explains what cancer is and how it can be treated

What causes cancer?

Every cell in our body contains DNA. It carries our genetic code and contains the instructions for all the cell's actions.
If the DNA inside cells is damaged, these instructions go wrong. In fact damage to the DNA or "mutations" as they are known, constantly occur in our cells as they divide and reproduce. Most of the time, the cells recognise that a mutation has occurred and repair the DNA, or self-destruct and die.
When a number of mutations have occurred in the DNA of a cell, control of cell growth may be lost and the cells do not die. Instead they start to follow abnormal instructions that make them reproduce and grow, producing more and more of these mutated cells - this is the start of a cancer.
Many factors such as smoking or too much exposure to the sun can also trigger DNA damage - leading to a faster accumulation of the mutations which lead to cancer.
A family history of cancer can also increase chances of getting the disease, because it usually means that person starts their life already having inherited some of the DNA mutations that take them down the path to cancer.
Even when in remission, those who have had the disease have a higher risk of it developing again. In most cases however, the exact cause or sequence of events by which cancer develops, is not yet known
A recent study has found that there are more than 80 genetic markers (i.e. mutated genes) that can increase the risk of developing breast, prostate or ovarian cancer, for example. Scientists believe the results could soon lead to widespread use of DNA profiling for these cancers, though individual genetic testing for those likely to be at increased risk - such as when there is a strong family history of a type of cancer - is already in use.

Why is it so deadly?

Cancer cells are able to invade other parts of the body, where they settle and grow to form new tumours known as secondary deposits - the original site is known as the primary tumour. The cells spread by getting into the blood or lymph vessels and travelling around the body.
For example, if bowel cancer has spread through the wall of the bowel itself, it can start growing on the bladder. If cells enter the bloodstream they can travel to distant organs, such as the lungs or brain. Over time, the tumours will then replace normal tissue.
The process of cancer cells spreading is called metastasis. Once a cancer has started to spread, the chances of a cure often begin to fall, as it becomes more difficult to treat for a variety of reasons.
Cancer harms the body in a number of ways. The size of the tumour can interfere with nearby organs or ducts that carry important chemicals. For example, a tumour on the pancreas can grow to block the bile duct, leading to the patient developing obstructive jaundice. A brain tumour can push on important parts of the brain, causing blackouts, fits and other serious health problems. There may also be more widespread problems such as loss of appetite and increased energy use with loss of weight, or changes in the body's clotting system leading to deep vein thrombosis.

Why is it so hard to stop?

Cancer is an extremely complex condition. Each type of cancer is biologically different from any other type. For example, skin cancer is biologically different from the blood cancer called lymphoma, of which there are then many different types.
That is then coupled with genetic differences between individuals and the often random nature of the DNA mutations that cause cancer.
All this makes it difficult to identify the way the particular cancer cells are behaving and how they are likely to spread or damage the body. Without a full understanding of the physiology of the cancer, effective treatments are hard to develop.

Continue reading the main story

How common is cancer?

• More than one in three people will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime
• In 2010 324,579 people in the UK were diagnosed with cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer).

Source: Cancer Research UK

Early surgery to remove tumours can work. But the cancer can return if any cells are left behind. It can also return if cells have broken away from the primary tumour and formed microscopic secondary tumours elsewhere in the body before an operation to remove the primary.

And because cancer cells are our own body's cells, many treatments to destroy them also risk destroying our healthy cells.
One controversial theory of why cancer is so hard to stop is that it is rooted in the ancient traits of our genes.
Prof Paul Davies from Arizona State University believes cancer may use tried-and-tested genetic pathways going back a billion years to the dawn of multicellular life, when unregulated cell growth would have been an advantage.
He argues that this tendency was suppressed by later, more sophisticated genes, but lies dormant in all living organisms. Cancer occurs when something unlocks these ancient pathways.
Other scientists disagree, saying that these pathways would not have survived millions of years of evolution.
One thing is for sure - our genes hold the key to understanding cancer and how to treat it.

The future of cancer research

The field of cancer research is moving away from defining a cancer by where it is in the body, as one type of breast cancer can have more in common with an ovarian cancer than another cancer in the breast.
Instead scientists are looking deeper at what is going wrong inside cancerous cells - a tumour can have 100,000 genetic mutations and these alter over time.
By pinpointing the mutations that can cause certain cancers, doctors hope to personalise treatment - choosing the drug most likely to work on a particular type of tumour.
Scientists are creating targeted cancer therapies using their latest insights into cancer at a molecular level. These treatments block the growth of cancer by interfering with genetic switches and molecules specifically involved in tumour growth and progression.
Clinical trials using gene therapy are also underway. This experimental treatment involves adding genetic material into a person's cells to fight or prevent disease.
For more information and advice, visit NHS Choices

Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year Awards...your chance to explode creatively...don't be left out!

according Jennifer Obiuwevbi she said; 'Lagos Fashion & Design Week 2013 Opens entries is for the Young Designer and Young Creative Entrepreneur within and out side Nigeria!'

 She went ahead to tell us that;The Lagos Fashion and Design Week (LFDW), which is scheduled to hold on Saturday 26th October 2013, is now open for entries for the Young Creative Entrepreneur (YCE) & Young Designer of the year (YD) Awards 2013.
The Young Creative Director of the Year
The YCE awards programme is unique in that it rewards the talent and initiative of young creative entrepreneurs. It reaches across the creative fashion industry recognizing the central role they play in the development of a competitive and sustainable creative economy. The British Council and LFDW have identified the need to identify such talents and provide them with the right networking abilities to further expose their business to the much needed prominence and simultaneously grow the Nigerian fashion industry.
The winner of this Fashion award will be invited to take part in a tour of the industry in the UK in 2014.
The Young Designer of the Year
With the Young Designer of the year award, LFDW offers young fashion designers the opportunity to be participants at targeted seminars and workshops facilitated by the British Council and a chance to exhibit their collection in front of a select audience at Lagos Fashion and Design Week.
LFDW normally chooses between 10 – 12 young designers who are trained in Master Classes by British Council for a week to enhance their design skills towards their competition during Lagos Fashion & Design Week, where one designer will be crowned the winner.
Past winners include Isoken Ogiemwonyi (CO – CEO of Retail Store, L’Espace) for the Young Creative Entrepreneur Award and Josh Samuels for Young Designer of the Year Award.
Prizes for the winners include
· The LFDW Young Designer of The Year cash prize from MTN
· British Council facilitated networking opportunities with creative entrepreneurs globally at London Fashion Week
· British Council facilitated Master classes
· Mentorship opportunities with leaders in the creative industry
· Retail opportunities with leading brands in the industry
The screening sessions for the awards will kick off in the following places.
Port Harcourt
Monday 26th August 2013
Abuja
Wednesday 28th August 2013
Lagos
Friday 30th August 2013
To enter for LFDW and for more information please visit www.LagosFashionAndDesignWeek.com

tablets are not for men....scholars said so!

According to youGov's latest research work,they said;Women own most of the world's tablet computers says study!

To back up their claim,they said-There are now more tablet computers owned by women than men in the UK, according to a study.

YouGov's latest Tablet Tracker report indicates that women owned 52% of the country's touchscreen computers in May.
That's a reversal of the position last year when the pollster put the figure at 43%.
It suggests the turnaround is driven by both the release of smaller tablets and women getting hold of second-hand devices.
The trend has also helped boost the number of 18-to-34-year-olds owning one of the touchscreen computers - they now account for 26% of the market, compared with 19% a year ago.
"The early adopters of tablets have typically been affluent males," said John Gilbert, lead director at YouGov Technology and Telecoms.
"As they buy the latest models, they have placed their old devices on to the secondary market or given them to other members of their household.
"A growing number of females and under-35s own older tablets, such as the iPad 1 and 2 while affluent males have the more recent iPad 3 and 4 and Samsung devices.
"Add to this the fact that it is women and young people driving the popularity of iPad Mini in the UK and it is clear where the surge in tablet ownership among females and under-35s comes from."
The survey also indicates that 22% of UK-based adults now own a tablet, and that 19% of non-tablet owners are "hot prospects" to buy one soon.
The firm questioned 3,824 over-18s between 8 and 10 May.
Hand-me-downs YouGov's study matches findings by eMarketer - another research firm - which has predicted that women would become more likely than men to use a tablet at least once a month in the UK this year.

Many of Samsung's marketing materials for its Galaxy Tab 3 tablets are targeted at women

Its analysts expect the gap to continue widening until 2016.
Manufacturers see only limited benefit from the second-hand market through app sales, cases and other add-on equipment.
But the consultancy said they should still benefit from a sales boost further down the line.
"We saw something similar in the smartphone market where a lot of the people who received hand-me-downs perceived them as being useful and then wanted higher specs to be able to do more," Bill Fisher, a senior analyst at the firm, told the BBC.
"The tablet market is likely to see a similar trend especially as they become the second screen of choice after the TV.
"So, many of these women are likely to become buyers of the future, particularly if prices continue to fall."
Tony Cripps, an analyst at telecoms research firm Ovum, added that he believed the findings were only to be expected.
"Tablets clearly have considerable appeal outside of the geek community - due to their utility and ease of use - we've also seen many older consumers using them where they may not use PCs or laptops.
"So it's no great surprise to see roughly the same amount of women and men owning them."
..but do you agree with them?....lets have your own view.