PHOTOS>Unbelievable! 8 months pregnant athlete runs 800 meters race

 

 American athlete, Alysia Montano put aside the fact that she was carrying an 8-month pregnancy and ran 800 meters in the US Track and Fields Championships yesterday. Montano, a 5-time national champion, finished the race in 2 minutes, 32.13 seconds in the qualifying rounds, barely seven weeks before she’s due to give birth to her first child. The 28-year-old, who is a former University of California star, finished last in her heat but that didn’t matter to the crowd gathered at the Hornet Stadium. Trailing the lead pack by more than 120 meters for most of the race, Montano received a rousing ovation as she finished her first lap and the cheering grew louder when she finally crossed the finish line.

“I’ve been running throughout my pregnancy and I felt really, really good during the whole process,” She said. “I just didn’t want to get lapped and be the first person to get lapped in the 800.”

Montano, who won the 800 national titles the past four years, was never in trouble of being lapped. She took a nice relaxed pace from the start and maintained it throughout.

That was according to the plan Montano laid out after consulting with her physician. Not only did doctors give Montano the OK to run, they encouraged her.

See more of her picture below and even before pregnancy>>>

Photo>>>Photo: 100 victims of Kaduna attack was given Mass burial

100 men, women and children who died in the June 23rd and 24th ethnic clash that happened in Sanga LGA in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna state were yesterday June 26th given a mass burial in a parcel of land between Gwantu Kurmi and Kobin in the Local government.

According to the Chairman of the Sanga LGA, Mr Emmanuel Adamu, they had to resort to a mass burial because the bodies of the victims were beginning to decompose due to the poor facilities at the UNIJOS Morgue.

*warning, graphic pic after the cut>>>

Laugh It Off

 

Lol....

Shocking: 9-year-old girl stabs a 5-year-old to death in Bayelsa

An unidentified 9-year-old girl is said to have stabbed a child of 5 after the duo had a disagreement.

The older child is now being held at the Akenfa Police Station in Yenagoa, the state capital.

According to Nigerian Eye 

The reasons for the killing are still sketchy, however, sources from the area gave two different versions.

The first version, according to a source who craved anonymity, was that the suspect was under witchcraft attack.

He said, “The suspect is possessed. She is under witchcraft attack. Imagine a very small girl using knife to attack a playmate. The two children were playing when disagreement occured. The nine-year-old, just went for a knife and stabbed the five-year-old three times.

“When the suspect noticed her victim was bleeding profusely, she attempted to run. Unknown to her that some residents had heard when the small girl was crying for help. They quickly ran to the scene to see if the five year old could be revived. On getting there, the poor girl had died.”

Man Arrested For Punching Woman in the Face in Whataburger Drive-Thru

A Corpus Christi, Texas, man was arrested Monday evening after he punched a woman for the apparently egregious sin of blocking his way through the Whataburger drive-thru.

57-year-old Robert Thomas (pictured above, and boy, doesn't he look friendly!) apparently became quite irate when a 27-year-old woman blocked his truck in the drive-thru. So he did what any sane, reasonable human being would do and got out of his car to bang on her window with his fist (it's possible I have the words "sane" and "reasonable" mixed up with other words). When the victim got out of the car, Thomas punched her right in the goddamn face, because apparently he is the Incredible Hulk (also, because he's a violent lunatic).

Needless to say, police were called and Thomas was charged with aggravated assault, as well as the less-official charge of "being a fuckhead who will hopefully get tossed in jail for a long-ass time." He's now potentially facing 20 years in prison plus a $10,000 fine. The woman, meanwhile, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries to her head.

The really screwed-up thing (OK, one of them) is that this isn't the first time this has happened in the last three months — in April, Florida Man (TM)* punched a woman at a McDonald's in almost an identical situation. Make of that what you will, but as far as I'm concerned, one instance of this in a year is too many, and two is more than slightly disturbing.

Ritualists’ Den Owned By A Pastor Uncovered In Lagos, 8 Kidnapped Victims Were Rescued

A ritualist den owned by one pastor Ernest Nwankwo, the General Overseer of Holy Family Ministry a.k.a House of Mercy was yesterday June 25th uncovered at Ogolonto area in Ikorodu, Lagos, with 8 victims rescued.

According to Vanguard 

 

The den was discovered after a failed attempt by a woman identified as Mrs Rosemary Chukwu, a member of Pastor Nwankwo's church, to kidnap her neighbor's 7 year old son, Emeka Emmanuel to the den for rituals.

Sources in the area said around 6.30 am yesterday, Mrs Chukwu lured the little boy who was on his way to fetch water from a well down the road and took him to her house where she locked him in the toilet. To keep her neighbors from hearing the little boy's screams for help, Chukwu then instructed her own children to begin a prayer session which they did, shouting on top of their voices. 

 

Trouble however started when the boy's mother who stays four buildings from Mrs Chukwu raised alarm after she could not find her son. A search for the young boy began which Mrs Chukwu also partook in. Minutes into the search, Mrs Chukwu was said to have excused herself, went into her house and then came out with a box on her head, saying she was travelling. Suspecting foul play, some of the area boys instructed her to put down the suitcase which was opened and the unconscious body of the 7 year old boy was discovered.

21 confirmed dead, 17 Injured In Emab Plaza Abuja Bombing

The Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, has confirmed that 21 people died this afternoon when a bomb went off at the very busy Emab Plaza in Wuse 2, Abuja. He also confirmed that 17 people were seriously injured and have been taken to Maitama District Hospital,  Gwarimpa hospital, Wuse hospital, Garki hospital and National hospital.

Mr Mba said one suspect has been arrested and investigations have already started. The bomb is said to have gone off in a car as it passed through the gate of the mall around 4 this afternoon. The fire that followed the explosion is said to have engulfed most of the cars parked around the mall.  

Security Forces have condoned off the scene of the blast, while the Police Bomb Disposal Squad has commenced post-blast analysis as part of the general investigative process, according to a statement.

The attack is believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber though there are other conflicting reports from some eye-witnesses that a man on a bike threw the explosive and sped off. Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, we all can kinda guess. 

See more photos after the cut 

Helen Paul Signs a multi million deal with Globacom

 

According to Olori

 

Versatile and multiple award winning entertainer, Helen Paul, has joined the league of respected ambassadors of telecommunications giant, Globacom.

She signed the mouth-watering endorsement deal worth several millions of naira in May, but it was officially made public earlier this week.
Helen, who is famously known as Tatafo on radio, also signed an endorsement deal with GoTV, a cable television station owned by Multichoice the same month.

Bayo Adetu, Helen Paul’s publicist, confirmed that his client signed the two endorsement deals, but declined to give further details.

“Yes, Helen Paul is now a Globacom ambassador and she is extremely happy about it, just as anybody in her shoes would be. Glo is a massive brand everybody loves to be associated with,” Adetu hinted.

Police & Youths Clash Over Stolen Babies In Ikorodu

 

There is commotion going on at the Ikorodu area of Lagos State over attempts by some youths to burn down a church, where babies were stolen from.
READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/68725.html 

According to naij.com

 

The clash is between the police and some youths around Magidun and Ogolonton.
According to Punch report, the babies were stolen at about 7am this morning.
They were said to have later been recovered inside a travelling bag.
The crisis has reportedly resulted in traffic in the area as motorists and passengers can hardly see due to the tear gas used by the police to dispersed the youths.
The police are also said to be spraying bullets to disperse the youths.

READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/68725.html

Nigerian Military Issues Red Alert - The Nation

 

According to sahara reporters

Military officers and men were placed on red alert yesterday — no thanks to the increasingly daring moves of the deadly Boko Haram sect.
Fears of likely infiltration or inducement of officers and men have made the military hierarchy to recall those on leave, The Nation learnt.
Besides, the military has placed restrictions on Facebook networking by officers and other ranks.
Military personnel have also been stopped from taking annual leave or travelling out of their official postings.
All those who were earlier granted leave of absence have been ordered back to their duty posts.
The directive may have caused apprehension in the system, but a source said it was nothing to worry about.
Another source said placing all units and commands on the red alert was to eradicate “threats in the system”.
A “red alert” is issued when there are reasons to believe there will be a major security risk.

Ekiti election was fraudulent-Aregbesola

Punch reports

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, has said that the All Progressives Congress lost the Ekiti State governorship polls due to fraud but maintained that it was impossible to rig him out in the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun.

The governor spoke in Ikirun on Tuesday during the continuation of his campaign which was held in the town.

Aregbesola, who was obviously excited by the large turnout of his supporters at the campaign, said that it was impossible to oust him from power in Osun State because he still enjoyed the support of the masses.

The candidate of the APC, who spoke in Yoruba language, urged the people of the state to vote and protect their votes from being manipulated.

He said, “They perpetrated fraud in Ekiti but we are looking at them. They said that my days in office remain 43 days and I just laughed. What they did in Ekiti is not possible here in Osun. Osun is different and they know it. In 2011, all Yoruba states voted for Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate but Osun people voted for Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was the Action Congress of Nigeria candidate. We are different in Osun. Don’t let them scare you.

Mentally imbalanced man stabs herbalist to death in Ondo

A 24 year old man "Iijisakin Ayoola" who is presumed to be mentally unstable is said to have stabbed a native doctor "Iliasu Waheed " on the neck with a broken bottle.

According to vanguard

The deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.

Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.

Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.

According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.

The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade?Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.

The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.

The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.

Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.

Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.

According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.

Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”

the deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.
Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.
Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.
According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.
The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade‑Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.
The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.
The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.
Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.
According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.
Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/psychiatric-patient-stabs-herbalist-death/#sthash.Fje4YHmh.IcQvpPCB.dpuf

the deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.
Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.
Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.
According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.
The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade‑Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.
The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.
The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.
Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.
According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.
Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/psychiatric-patient-stabs-herbalist-death/#sthash.Fje4YHmh.IcQvpPCB.dpu

the deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.
Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.
Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.
According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.
The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade‑Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.
The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.
The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.
Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.
According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.
Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/psychiatric-patient-stabs-herbalist-death/#sthash.Fje4YHmh.IcQvpPCB.dpuf

the deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.
Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.
Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.
According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.
The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade‑Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.
The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.
The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.
Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.
According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.
Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/psychiatric-patient-stabs-herbalist-death/#sthash.Fje4YHmh.IcQvpPCB.dpuf

the deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.
Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.
Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.
According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.
The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade‑Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.
The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.
The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.
Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.
According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.
Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/psychiatric-patient-stabs-herbalist-death/#sthash.Fje4YHmh.IcQvpPCB.dpuf

the deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.
Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.
Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.
According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.
The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade‑Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.
The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.
The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.
Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.
According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.
Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/psychiatric-patient-stabs-herbalist-death/#sthash.Fje4YHmh.IcQvpPCB.dpuf

the deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.
Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.
Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.
According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.
The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade‑Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.
The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.
The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.
Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.
According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.
Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/psychiatric-patient-stabs-herbalist-death/#sthash.Fje4YHmh.IcQvpPCB.dpuf

the deceased before his death specialised in healing psychiatric patients.
Sources said that the deceased who resided at 9, Isanwo Ijigbokin Street, Idanre was from Osun State. He was married to an Idanre woman before he met his untimely death in the hands of one of his patients.
Vanguard learnt that the suspect, after stabbing the deceased also attempted to set the house ablaze before he was later apprehended.
According to the sources the deceased, who had no premonition of the attack, was approached from behind by the suspect who drove the broken bottle into the neck of his doctor in his apartment.
The shout for help from the deceased attracted his neighbours who rushed to the Police station in Alade‑Idanre Divisional Police Headquarters.
The DPO, SP Martins Ohalete, reportedly dispatched a team to the scene of the crime where they met the deceased in a pool of his blood. Although he was rushed to the general hospital, he died before any treatment could be administered on him.
The deceased, according to family source, has been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police image maker, Wole Ogodo, who confirmed the incident, said the suspect escaped after committing the crime but was later arrested.
Ogodo said the suspect was among the patients the deceased was treating for mental disorder.
According to Ogodo, the suspect is presently being detained at the State Criminal Department(SCID) while detectives are probing the immediate cause of the death.
Ogodo said: “We will take the suspect to a psychiatric hospital to ascertain his level of sanity before charging him to court because nobody has the right to take another man’s life in whatever situation.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/06/psychiatric-patient-stabs-herbalist-death/#sthash.Fje4YHmh.IcQvpPCB.dpuf

Photos>>> Iyabo Ojo in school uniform

 

The Yoruba movie actress and producer, Iyabo Ojo a single mum of two who is presently working on a "Celebrity Back to School" program - giving back to schools.

She was at National college Gbagada, rocking the school uniform and giving out gifts and interacting with the students.

See More Pics after the cut>>>

Fayose still has a case to answer - EFCC

Ayo Fayose may have won the election in Ekiti state but he still has a corruption case to answer, this is according to EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren. 

Speaking with Punch Yesterday, Mr. Uwujaren said Fayose's election has not affected his ongoing trial at the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, for alleged corruption.

"The EFCC has not dropped the case against the former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose. The trial is still going on; it is continuing at the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti. In fact further hearing comes up on July 15, 2014.

As you know, immunity from prosecution applies only to the President, the Vice President, sitting governors and their deputies.”

It is the court that would decide whether the case would be discontinued or not; all arguments will be canvassed in court and it is the court that would decide,” he said.

Suicide bomber kills 3 soldiers in Borno and BH kills 40 in new attack

Three soldiers were reportedly killed yesterday June 22nd after a suicide bomber suspected to be from the Boko Haram sect attacked a military post near a Secondary school in Gwoza, Borno state.

Vanguard reports the suicide bomber drove through Wala and Warabe villages before getting to the military post where the bomb detonated and a loud sound immediately followed, with the vehicle the suicide bomber rode in and other things in the attack scene destroyed.

One of the residents of the area, Mallam Usman Yaro who spoke with Vanguard said residents of the area were still asleep when the bomb detonated.

Two dies as canadian woman stops for ducks

On Friday, Emma Czornobaj was convicted on two counts of criminal negligence causing death and two counts of dangerous driving causing death. Her crime? Stopping her car on the left lane of a highway south of Montreal to help a group of motherless ducklings. This caused 50-year-old motorcyclist Andre Roy to slam into her Honda Civic, killing him and his 16-year-old daughter Jessie. Everything is terrible.

According to AP

A Canadian woman who parked her car on a highway to help a group of ducklings on the side of the road was found guilty Friday of causing the deaths of a motorcyclist and his passenger daughter who slammed into her car.
Emma Czornobaj was convicted by a jury on two counts of criminal negligence causing death, a charge that carries a maximum life sentence, and two counts of dangerous driving causing death, which comes with a maximum of 14 years in jail.
The 25-year-old was charged in the deaths of Andre Roy, 50, and his daughter Jessie, 16.
She wiped away tears when the verdict was delivered to a packed courtroom in Montreal. Quebec Superior Court Justice Eliane Perreault said the 12-member jury voted unanimously.
Czornobaj was released until her pre-sentence hearing on Aug. 8.
Roy's motorcycle slammed into Czornobaj's car, which was stopped in the left lane of a provincial highway south of Montreal in 2010.
Czornobaj, a self-professed animal lover, told the court that she did not see the ducklings' mother anywhere and planned to capture them and take them home.
Defense lawyer Marc Labelle said his client was stunned by the jury's decision.
"The fact that she was involved in the accident in the first place was a hard experience for her," he said. "The fact that she had to go through a trial with a lot of publicity was tough and to be confirmed by 12 citizens, the jury, that the conduct was criminal is a hard blow."

Soldiers Stop Amaechi and Oshiomhole from Entering Ekiti

 

According to Thisdaylive

The federal government displayed its fangs Thursday when in a commando-style operation, soldiers and other security agencies of the federal government prevented Governors Adams Oshiomhole (Edo) and Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers) from travelling to Ekiti State.

Amaechi, who had landed in Akure, the Ondo State capital, in a private airplane, had proceeded by road to Ado-Akiti, the capital of Ekiti State, but was stopped and prevented from entering the state at Iju, a border town in Ondo.

After waiting at the border town without being granted permission to enter Ekiti, Amaechi’s motorcade was compelled to depart Ondo State for Lagos yesterday by road, as his aircraft was prevented from flying out of Akure.

In the case of Oshiomhole, his chartered helicopter was grounded at Benin Airport, while the Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, whom the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed was also prevented from departing from the Aminu Kano International Airport for Akure, was never even scheduled to travel.

According to an online news website, Premium Times, at the time APC was issuing a statement that included Kwankwaso as one of its governor’s that had been refused entry into Ekiti, the Kano State governor’s spokesman, Baba Dantiye, had already informed the website that his principal had no intention of travelling yesterday.

Dantiye said Kwankwaso was at an event in Kano State and had no plans of travelling to Ekiti State.

“The governor is in Kano here; he did not have plans of going to Akure, none that I know of,” Dantiye said.

Perhaps realising that his party had released a statement to the contrary, Dantiye called the news medium back to say he was at an event with the governor and would not “want to confirm or deny” the APC’s claim.

Amaechi and Oshimhole were ostensibly heading to Ekiti to attend the rally of the APC today before the governorship election scheduled for tomorrow.

The governors were expected to stay back in Ekiti after the rally to support their colleague, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who is seeking re-election for a second term in office.

Expectedly, the restriction of the governors’ movement drew the condemnation of APC and chieftains of the party, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Senator Bola Tinubu, who warned the federal government against executive impunity and turning the country into a police state.

But the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) applauded the decision to ground the helicopter that was to be used by Oshiomhole to travel to Ekiti, stating that the governor was in the habit of wasting the state’s resources in leasing aircraft to travel for “jamborees instead of developing his state”.

The military also denied that it ambushed and detained Amaechi at the Ondo-Ekiti boundary to prevent him from entering Ekiti State for the rally.

This is just as the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Abubakar, yesterday said the police had deployed an Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) and four police commissioners in Ekiti to supervise security operations for tomorrow’s governorship election in the state.

Amaechi Held in Ondo State

However, the Rivers State Government, in a statement yesterday, disputed the military’s denial, stating that Amaechi was held hostage by soldiers and other federal government security agents at Iju, Ondo State.

The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, said Amaechi had left Port Harcourt yesterday morning to join his Ekiti State counterpart in the mega rally before tomorrow's election in Ekiti State.

She said in the statement that before Amaechi departed Ondo for Lagos by road: “The Rivers State Government is concerned about the safety of Governor Amaechi who is right now being held hostage in a commando-style by soldiers and federal government security agents in Iju, Ondo state.

“Governor Amaechi as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and as an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor and chieftain of the party had left Port Harcourt this morning for Ekiti State where he was to join his brother governor in his last mega rally before the elections.

“Governor Amaechi was ambushed and refused entry into Ekiti by military personnel acting on orders from above. He made to turn back and return to Akure where his chartered aircraft was parked but was chased by armed soldiers and security personnel in Otutu, Ondo State. According to the captain who led the operation, he had orders not to allow the governor entry or exit.”

Semenitari also said the chartered aircraft that conveyed Amaechi to Akure Airport had been grounded.

“In the meantime, the chartered aircraft that conveyed the governor has been grounded while the Ministers of Defence, Police Affairs and Minister of State for Defence have landed at the Akure airport,” she said.

She said the Rivers State government was especially worried that the federal government and President Goodluck Jonathan had singled out Amaechi for harassment and attack.

Reasons Why Men Fall Out Of Love

Here are some reasons why your man is falling out of love>>>

1. NOT MEETING HIS EMOTIONAL NEEDS

It's a given that men are likewise emotionally needy. They also want to be showered with deluge of love the same manner in which they give. Ditto with compliments, care, calls, etc. And depriving them of virtually all these is a sure way of shifting their attention elsewhere. Truth is, not every man will go rent a mega phone and a loud speaker to announce that he wants to be loved too- except he has some mental challenges.

2. YOU DON'T GET ALONG WITH HIS MUM/FAMILY MEMBERS

Experienced house wives would tell you that bearing any ill will for one's mother-in-law is a quick recipe for marital frustration and possible separation. You'd agree with me that mums always have influence on men and not being on good terms with them means you leave the men in an awkward dilemma of making a choice between you and them. And we all know what the choice would be, don't we?

3. WHEN ATTRACTION FADES

No matter how blindly in love a couple could be, a time would come when the intensity of the attraction would subside. Now, here is a stage to exercise caution. Since you both have somewhat recovered your 'eyesight', flaws of the other partner becomes visible. And if yours is to constantly pick quarrels with your man like you under the influence some steroids, then you might as well sooner or later forfeit your prince charming.

4. UNFAITHFULNESS

If there is anything that could make a grown man be urgently admitted to the hospital like he was suffering from lassa fever or become sober like he had been severely starved for a month, then it is a heartbreak gotten from his spouse's sexual unfaithfulness. More often than not, the trust, love and connection consciously or unconsciously diminishes.

5. YOU ARE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN

A man that is struggling to cope with the financial and material demands of his partner might eventually fall out of love to save his finances from being sentenced to life imprisonment. No matter how much the love of a man is, it doesn't take more than an expensive partner to wake him up from that daydream. And trust me, he'll wake up- they always do- however sweet it is.


READ MORE:  http://news.naij.com/68465.html

Weird: Will Smith’s daughter sleeps with snakes at home

 

If you thought the Smith kids, Willow and Jaden are weird then you are not far from the truth.

The siblings have snakes as pets and even sleep with them.

According to Us Weekly, there are snakes slithering at the Smith household, where Willow and her brother, Jaden allow them into their bedrooms.

“Willow is obssessed with them,” a source says, adding that 15-year-old Jaden “cuddles” with them in bed.

The source adds, “She has 10 sleeping in her room, and some aren’t in cages!”

The 13-year-old singer is not the only Smith family member who adores the serpents. Her brother refers to his sister’s pets as his “girlfriends”. They slither into his bed and curl up with him.

Willow got her first boa constrictor which she named Beauty, in 2008 when she was just 7 years old.

Their mother, Jada Pinkett-Smith confirmed this in an interview  last July.

Willow welcomed her first boa constrictor, Beauty, in 2008 when she was just 7 years old. She explained to Redbook magazine what made her finally cave and allow the reptiles into the home.  “I’ve always loved snakes but was afraid of them.” 

“But Willow had wanted this one snake forever. She’d go into the pet store and pick it up and wrap it around her. I’d never touched a snake before, and I put out my hand, and Beauty (mimics the snake slithering up her arm). I’ve been in love with her ever since. I said to Willow, ‘You did Mommy a big favor. You helped me overcome a fear.’”

Hardly Anyone Bothered to Show Up to the Anti-Gay 'March 4 Marriage' Hardly Anyone Bothered to Show Up to the Anti-Gay 'March 4 Marriage' Congress Won't Be 50 Percent Female Until 2121, Study Finds Young People Are Getting Off the Couch and Traveling Project LiveWire Is Harley-Davidson's First Electric Motorcycle For $10,500, This Volvo Is A Survivor Here Is a Recipe for Unicorn Poop Cookies Sandra Bullock's Stalker Had an 'Arsenal' of Machine Guns What's The Ultimate Television Starship Crew Dream Team? You Can Almost Steal Clothes from This Japanese Store Japan Just Now Got Around to Banning Possession of Child Pornography Witnesses: Police Officer Assaulted Gay Teen at Pittsburgh Pride Preteen Transgender Boy Wins New Birth Certificate in Alberta Transgender Teen Ordered To Remove Makeup For Driver's License Photo Caffeine Hits Teen Boys Harder Than Teen Girls President Obama to Sign Executive Order For LGBT Protections Texas Gov. Rick Perry Says Being Gay is Like Being an Alchoholic What choose you Oppo? A new low in dirty divorce tactics: Buck and Elayne Angel Do remote functioned car keys cost a fortune? Laverne Cox Heads Back to Katie with Open Arms Look: Hardly Anyone Bothered to Show Up to the Anti-Gay 'March 4 Marriage'

Look at this picture, isn't it sweet? Wouldn't you say our victory's complete? Wouldn't you think we're the cause... the cause which has... everything? ...Ahem, sorry, been singing a bit too much Little Mermaid with my students. Point here is that the "March 4 Marriage" orchestrated by the "National Organisation for Marriage" has been a complete and total bust. Worst "march on Washington" ever. Epic fail.

Apparently this thing was supposed to be huge. Big names were going to make speeches! Thousands of people were going to appear, ready to express their moral outrage that the gayness was spreading throughout our Christian nation. There would be fire and brimstone, and taking back 'MERICA for the Godly, and turning the tide by demanding our elected leaders stop the completely and totally Constitutional and legal trend of expanding marriage rights to same-sex couples. THIS IS ABOUT FREEDOM (except for the gay people, because they want super special freedom, not Christian, heterosexual freedom like this country was founded on, dagnabbit).

Hmm... Seems like someone didn't get the message out, though. I've seen bigger crowds at my junior high school's pick up baseball game with the school in the next neighborhood over. Better luck next time, NOM. Oh, wait, not really. Keep having epic fails. I like to cover those.

My Opinion On Opinions

I have a lot of opinions, everyone does, and we like to believe we choose our opinions objectively but do we really? Have you ever heard a song for the first time and you just decided the song sucks and go on to tell anyone who asks just how much it sucks, but then a friend tells you he/she loves the song then you actually listen to it and end up falling in love with it? Well it happens to me sometimes, and most times I refuse to admit I was wrong about the song or whatever the subject was and end up keeping our love affair a secret. Same thing happens with a lot of things, you might change your opinion of a subject matter just because someone else has a different opinion of it. There are songs I decided I liked but once I heard some people voicing their love for it I just automatically dislike it, and it’s not just regarding music, it’s the same for a lot of things, the opinions of others makes you either rally for or against a subject matter. We might like to claim we don’t care what others think but the truth is everyone does, just in varying degrees and on different issues so know this, your opinions are not solely yours, they have been influenced by outside parties in some way, so in the end, even a case you consider a no brainer, someone else would have a different opinion. This is all just my opinion, what's yours?

Tissue Paper and The New Economy

Lots of shit has been happening over the past weeks. New Orleans and Louisiana has been turned into watery graves and typhoons blew across Taiwan and China. It's as if Mother Earth has finally had enough and decided to retaliate. Still, its incredulous that there are still disbelievers who disclaim that all that is not a result of man's wanton ways and the repercussions on nature.

Back in 'pee sai' Singapore, we are battling a natural disaster of a different kind. The victims count for dengue dever exceeded the whole of last year hence ringing alarm bells. The Anti-Mozzie campaign has hit pitch fever with ministers and agency heads out in full swing to launch a Weapons of Mosquito Destruction (WMD) campaign against the potent Ades Mosquito. According to one expert's postulation, the Ades mosquito is adapting to our environment by looking for alternative venues to breed instead of its traditional joints. The NEA is now deciding if it needs to cut down all palm trees because they are new breeding grounds for the Ades.

On a more eventful note, Jess and Sal managed to have their photos taken together with PM Lee during the National Healthy Lifestyle Walk-A-Jog! A serendipitous opportunity to wave at the PM from a safe distance emboldened them to assail the PM when he waved back at them and gave them his best Kodak smile. After that, they just could not stop raving about it. I have to admit I was at first embarrassed by their puerile behavior but such was their spontaneity and reverence for the man that I was delighted for them too.

Meanwhile, the NKF saga proved to be the Pandora box with other charities like SATA confessing to some "issues" one way or another. Just yesterday, NKF let 92 staff go as it suspends all fund raising activities until further review.

On the subject of retrenchment, I've come across more and more people peddling tissue papers for a living. I was particularly stumped when I came across this lady at Maxwell Market. Stumped because unlike many of the others who were old or crippled men, she was relatively young although sloppily dressed. Why was a healthy abled woman reduced to selling tissue paper? And how is it that people could turn her and the many others like her down I do not know. Some time back, I was disappointed that a parent rejected the polite old man when approached to buy tissues. That man was right in front of his kid! I really don't know what kind of example he is setting for the child.

Granted what P said about the profit margin is true, it still should not prevent people from reaching into their wallet for a dollar to help the needy. At least I find that a better use of money than donating to the charity where I do not know WHO the money is actually helping. And please spare me the graphic images of sobbing beneficiaries. How many times can one see such pictures and not grow immune to it?

Personally, I am not saying all this to glorify myself. I will even confess that I'm am donating not necessarily out of chivalry but because I'm afraid that I may someday end up the same in this ephemeral economy. When that happens, I would really appreciate some sympathies thrown my way if that be so. Call it sowing seeds if you like but the future looks bleakfully tenebrous.

As expected, I flunked my CFA exams again. This time, I was really hesitant to retake it again as it has not translated into any real economic benefits although the intention was to prove that I could do it. But I've since been vindicated by the Tickle IQ test and I really do not think I am stupid. If at all, I am careless and suffer from a severe case of ADD. But I've resolved to give it a shot again just to see things through. And to make up for lost time, I've also decided to enrol for the ChFC couse. I'm hoping N will be agreeable to sponsor my ChFC studies. If the company can subsidise millionaires like HO and JT, then I see no reason why it should deny me this opportunity to upgrade myself.

On a more postive note, Toon invited me to his spanking new 25th storey house at TPY to watch Liverpool play. You can never underestimate the power of a simple message could do to rekindle an old friendship. If Toon's new house which cost him S$50,000 to renovate is any yardstick, I am way behind in this rat race. Of late, P has been asking me when I'm gonna pop the question again but the best I can do is say "when I have the money loh." Truth be told, I don't know if I'll ever have money.

Death Becomes Me

Barely one week into the new year and I almost managed to kill myself.

Was driving home from Orchard after my shopping spree on Sunday 4 Jan 2008 at about 1pm on a very hot but wet afternoon. There was a whimper of a drizzle so the road was wet. I took the usual slip road to exit BKE and was righting the car to go straight when the wheels locked and the car veered uncontrollably to the right. I was fast heading towards the the opposite kerb as I tried desperately to counter steer. (Fortunately?) all I managed to accomplish was to steer the car into a 180 degrees tail spin.

As the car was skidding to a halt, all I could think of was praying in vain for it not to hit the wall! In my liminal state, my mind was a complete blank and I held on tight to the steering wheel as I tried to gather my soul. I was thankful that those passing vehicles did not hurry me to drive off but instead waited patiently for me to turn the car around. All I could think of as I was scamping home was how much my bank account was going to bleed to rectify the damage to the car and how this was a warning from heaven!

You hear all the time about people talking about near death experiences. Well, I just got mine first and my last (I hope!). There have been a few encounters in the car where the car skidded while doing a hard break to avoid the car in front but this was as close to death as I've ever been in this bloody tin can. Now I truly understood what is meant by your life flashing right before your eyes. Its something quite beyond words and not exactly like a super accelerated silent movie.

When I got back into the carpark, despair turned into relieve as the car only sustained scratches on the bumper. Otherwise, it and I were largely intact. What a lucky escape! I did not give much thought to the experience thereafter but was instead too eager to admire my shopping exploits. As I lay in bed at night, the experience returned to haunt me. The car could have flipped many times over. The car could have rammed sideways into passing cars or even a passenger if the car had dived into the opposite roads. The devastation could have been many times worst. How I managed to escaped unscathed is beyond me. Life truly is very fragile and any single thing could extinguish the flame of life that moments ago was blazing brightly.

Its funny how I felt a sense of betrayal by the inanimate car too! I recalled that I might have braked very lightly as I was turning but imprimis I was definitely not braking hard enough to jam the wheels surely? Then the words of wisdom of my driving instructor came flooding back into my mind. I recalled how once he warned me that braking while turning was highly dangerous. I had always remembered this and refrained from braking while taking turns but this experience was his words turned "live" after nearly 10 years of exerience.

President Obama to send not less than 300 'military advisers' to help Iraqi army repel Isis

Barack Obama announced on Thursday that a contingent up to 300 “military advisers” will be sent to help Iraq's beleaguered army repel the advance of Sunni insurgents, but insisted the US would not be dragged into another bloody war in the country.
The troops, drawn from US special operations forces, will assist the Iraqi military to develop and execute a counter-offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis). Their mission is likely to spread to the selection of targets for any future air strikes, but Obama stopped short of accepting a plea from Baghdad to order US air power into the skies over Iraq immediately.
Instead, Obama said the option of air strikes would be held in reserve. Any such strikes would be “targeted” and “precise”, Obama said, warning that the fate of the country “hangs in the balance”.
The fighting continued in Iraq on Thursday as Isis militants fought Iraqi troops in an intense battle the at the Baiji oil refinery. The facility, the country's largest, is between the cities of Mosul and Tikrit, both seized by Isis last week.
Mindful of the long shadow cast by the last Iraq war, Obama said the deployment of military advisers, expected to be taken from US special operations forces, would not be drawn into combat. Only Iraq would be able to heal the sectarian divisions ripping the country apart, he said.
“American combat troops are not going to be fighting in Iraq again,” he said. “We do not have the ability to simply solve this problem by sending in tens of thousands of troops and committing the kinds of blood and treasure that has already been expended in Iraq.”
However, he said it was in America's national interest not to see “an all-out civil war in Iraq”, warning that it could become a haven for terrorists.
The lack of reliable intelligence identifying clear targets against Isis, which is embedded in several towns and cities it recently captured in the Sunni-dominated north, is one factor holding the White House back from launching strikes.
The contingent of special forces will train and advise Iraq’s troops, who crumbled in northern Iraq last week in the face of the rapid advance of Sunni militants. They will be deployed in several teams comprised of about a dozen , embedded into “joint operations centres” with the Iraqi military, a concept borrowed from the 2007-2008 US troop surge.
The teams will first be based in Baghdad, primarily at senior-level command centres and then at brigade level, with a focus on assessing what additional support is required by the Iraqi military. Senior administration officials said they might later be based outside the capital in places such as northern Iraq.
Their presence on the ground, and close to the field of battle, is also intended to provide the US with intelligence that could be used to guide any air or missile strikes.

Preteen Transgender Boy Wins New Birth Certificate in Alberta

 

A transgender boy has received a new birth certificate from the Canadian province of Alberta officially recognising his sex as male.

Wren Kauffman, who at only 12 years old, finally received the birth certificate at a pride brunch with Edmonton's mayor. He had previously filed a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission because he could not change the sex listed on his birth certificate.

Until Kauffman's complaint, Alberta only allowed a person's sex to be switched legally if sex reassignment surgery had been completed. Increasingly the view that SRS is necessary or can be legally required is changing. In Kauffman's case, a judge ruled that Alberta's requirements were outdated and unfairly discriminated against transgender people, but the Premier of Alberta, Dave Hancock, had actually said the requirement would be dropped a week before that ruling.

Such complaints have also been filed in three other provinces: British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The requirement has already been dropped in Ontario.

A small bit of misreporting by The Canadian Press, however, is annoying. According to how the story is reported on Global News, The Canadian Press insists on saying, "Wren, who was born a girl, had said it was stressful being listed as female" and Global News titled the piece, "Alberta gives new birth certificate to 12-year-old boy who was born a girl."

Wren was not "born a girl," any more than I was "born a boy." Is major media ever going to get this one right? When we get new birth certificates, is that not enough recognition for the errors made when we were assigned a gender marker at birth? Wren may have his new birth certificate, but The Canadian Press seems to have trouble recognising the truth that the birth certificate represents. Ugh.

Woman Sells Deployed Boyfriend's Dog, New Owners Refuse Dog's Return

 

A soldier left his three-year-old Shiba Inu with his girlfriend when he was deployed in March. His girlfriend (for some reason or another) sold the dog on Craigslist. Now the dog has been found, but the new owners say that they won't return him because their kids are "too attached." Everything is awful.

The dog's rightful owner, Robby is still in Afghanistan where he is not only serving the country but worrying about whether he'll see his dog again, especially considering that the family that now has Baxter refuses to return him to his rightful owner. Why? Because it might be hard for their kids.

Here's the deal, though: Lots of shit is hard for kids. And yet, the world keeps turning. If you've bought a dog off Craigslist, had it for a month, then realized that it was sold by a confused/malicious/whatever girlfriend, you take the time to teach your kids that yes, this is very difficult, but that doing the right thing is sometimes worse than sucking freshly-shorn donkey balls. Especially if the right thing is going to benefit someone who is on another continent serving in the military. Ask for visitation, find another dog, anything. Just let this guy have his dog back. You have had this dog for a month. The rightful owner has had his dog for three years.

Facebook supporters have been raising money to find the family a new dog (really, though?) as well as a lawyer that will help the family facilitate the transaction anonymously so that their identity is never revealed.

Robby's mother had this to say to KOAA 5: "They keep saying they have children that are attached. Well my child is attached to the dog. Just because he's older doesn't mean he's not my child."

And supporter Nancy Wallace added this:

Thats just not something we should let him sit over in Afghanistan worrying about, his dog.He should be doing the job he's there for and not having to worry about that. He should know that his dog is home and with his family and will be waiting for him when he gets home.

Agreed.

National Waste Parade

I wonder if its just me that is greatly inconvenienced by the whole National Day dress rehearsal thingy. Just yesterday, was caught in yet another jam enroute home from Old Airport Road and was "treated" to another display of well-oiled SAF machinery while the traffic came to a complete standstill. Not to mention for the past couple of weekends, I had to make a big detour along ECP to get to favourite haunt Suntec City.

Did anyone tell the National Day parade planners that petrol prices are now at an all time high of $1.7 per liter (or $1.9 if you are using Shell Synergy)? What the fuckerdos are they trying to do stopping the traffic just so that the tanks and APCs can steamroll through empty roads? Aren' t they made to crash and burn in jungle tracks? Can someone feed these monkeys more peanuts please!

No wonder the entire human species is expected to guzzle 1 trillion barrels of oil in 30 years instead of the 125 years it took us to vapourise the first trillion! (This comparison reminds me that NKF reserves can only last 3 years instead of the actual 30 years. In legal jargon, is this "reverse passing" in its most perverse form?)

I confess that I've never been to a National Day Parade and I never intend to unless they revive the Singapore Wave and the cursing that is normally associated with the Malaysia League days. I will also admit that I feel a sense of pride every year watching the same program year in year old in the comfort of my home. It never came across my mind to ask why we have the parade every year until yesterday when it occurred to me that all this is just one big wayang show we could do without.

I mean, it took me an extra 30 minutes just to get from Old Airport Road to home. Not counting my charge out rate as a professional, the amount of petrol that was wasted collectively by fellow monkeys stuck in the monkey race (not rat race anymore) surely begs asking why have the National Waste Parade?

My thoughts:

- Why put out the SAF machines for show only once a year? Who's watching but the Malaysian spies? Are all the weaponry well oiled and shiny like those on show or are they more like the one Signal tonner I saw in camp which huffed and puffed just to make 10 meters?

- Anyone keeping count of the youth wasted by our poor National Servicemen? One look at their faces and you know they are all thinking "Why the fuck am I wasting my time here?"

- Anyone keeping track of the opportunity cost of deploying entire traffic police force for traffic control while they endanger their lives trying to stop our maniacal road rage drivers at the traffic lights? Wouldn't they be better deployed issuing tickets to errant drivers and contributing to our government reserves (which incidentally is not publicly disclosed)?

Read more »

Monday, 16 June 2014

Poise and Temperament.

Poise is like the oil that coats the duck’s wings and make sure it doesn’t drown in water. That’s what I picked up from the first chapter of “Jesus in Blue Jeans” while in Pasir Ris Camp doing my national service duties.

Temperament is what separates the great from the good.

Instead of felling triumphant yesterday after our CPA games final victory, there was a sense of hollowness and disappointment. Hollow because instead of responding positively to PWC’s aggressive play, I reacted with my elbows and let my mouth do most of the talking. My elbows never connected with any part of anybody but I am ashamed because I was never a dirty player. It was only when Rex muttered “fucked up” when I swung my elbow to protect the ball that it hit me. Those guys didn’t play rough, they didn’t play dirty, they were just out to do their best. Despite all our taunting, they remained calm, in control and gave a good account of themselves. That is poise.

Disappointment because once again, I have performed badly in a big game. Instead of converting all those easy lay ups and shots, I fumbled time and again. One split second of doubt was enough to cause the shots to go astray time and again.

Scene 1
Me: Laying up. Mind: Rex is going to foul me. Me: Doh! Miss lay up but ref blew the foul even though Rex was backing off. Maybe the ref's read my mind.

Scene 2
Me: Below the ring for easy basket after getting into good position. Mind: I may miss the shot. Me: Doh again! I messed it up again!


By the time I was substituted mid-way in the third quarter, I never felt like going back into the game again because not only was I not playing my normal game, Ken was stepping up and playing much better than I am. By the time I committed that last foul I had to give, I was glad it was all over for me. It was a stupid foul to give away and was the perfect ending to a miserable performance.

It is amazing how I can do no wrong in the eyes of the elders. Toh was extolling how well I can shoot the ball and why I should take more shots the whole of last night. (For the record, I made just one pathetic shot the entire game from outside the zone.) Everything I did, Teng Cheong lapped onto and praised. David played me time and again even though Ken is more than a capable substitute. There are so many players on the team who can contribute it makes me feel guilty to know I am depriving someone more worthy of a chance to sweat it out for the team.

I was glad we won. The team has grown from strength to strength and it gets more and more enjoyable to play each year. The old hands like Harry, Toh, David, Billy and Teng Cheong gave us stability. The core group of younger players gel very well and with big time players like It Phong and Chin Whay and a centre that is the Yao Ming equivalent in Singapore, our victory was never in doubt though it did worry me when they raced to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.

Photo: Wizkid hangs out with Tyrese and Akon in LA

 

Wizkid is obviously having a blast in LA. First with Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Bu Thiam, and now he's hanging out with Tyrese Gibson and Akon.

Eleven Minutes

Apparently that's all it takes for love making.

Was a productive day by any standards as I managed to finish the book in one sitting while waiting fulfilling national service obligations. All the while nursing an erection, in quiet anticipation of the moment when Maria would finally make love to her lost half. (According to Plato, the male and female body was previously joined together, whereupon the jealousy Olympus God Zeus split it with lightning. So love was a magic key to joining the lost halves together again).

Never set a goal to finish the book within a day but the book like its predecessor, The Alchemist, was a very easy read. Basically, the book is about a sexually frustrated young girl who dreams of fame and fortune and the accompanying rich husband who loves her undyingly. A chanced encounter brings the village girl to Switzerland where she decides to whore herself. Our intellectual prostitute then embarks on a journey of self discovery as it dawns on her that she and her colleagues were in Copacabana not because life was harsher on them but by choice. She was fortunate to find and be mentored by two "special clients" Terence and Ralf Hart.

Terence taught her the pleasure of pain whilst her lover Ralf taught her unconditional love. In fact, their love was so pure that the prostitute recovers her spiritual virginity (as opposed to sexual virginity).

I swore I experienced an orgasm myself walking back home just thinking about their passionate love making and the ever so romantic ending where Ralf flies to Paris to intercept his lost half on a transit flight. How could anyone not love the ending? Especially a sucker like me.