Mystery surrounds Michael Jackson's sudden death

One day after Michael Jackson's sudden death, speculation was already turning on Friday to what killed the 50-year-old "King of Pop" just weeks before his long-awaited series of comeback concerts.

Jackson, a former child star who became one of the best-selling pop artists of all time before a descending into a strange and reclusive lifestyle, died on Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital, where he had been rushed in full cardiac arrest after collapsing at his nearby rental home.

His passing was front page news around the world, airwaves were filled with his greatest hits from "Thriller" to "Billie Jean," social networking sites were bombarded with messages and tributes from fans and musicians continued to pour in. "It's so sad and shocking," said former Beatle Paul McCartney. "I feel privileged to have hung out and worked with Michael. He was a massively talented boy man with a gentle soul. His music will be remembered forever."

Few details were known about the circumstances surrounding Jackson's death, but the entertainer was reportedly unconscious and not breathing by the time he arrived at UCLA Medical Center, and doctors were unable to revive him.

His body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the coroner's office late on Thursday. Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, told CNN on Thursday the family had been concerned about his health and had tried in vain to take care of him for months. "Michael appeared at rehearsals a couple of times, he was very seriously trying to be able to do those rehearsals," Oxman said of Jackson's preparations for a series of 50 concerts that were scheduled to begin in London in July.

"His use of medications had gotten in the way, his injuries which he had sustained performing, where he had broken a vertebrae and he had broken his leg from a fall on the stage, were getting in the way," Oxman told CNN.

Authorities have scheduled an autopsy for Friday. But they cautioned it could take weeks to determine a cause of death, which will likely have to wait for the return of toxicology tests. Those tests will determine if Jackson had any drugs, alcohol or prescription medications in his system.
Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery Homicide division searched Jackson's home in the upscale Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles at the behest of Chief William Bratton. But they called the investigation an "every day" event.

TAINTED TALENT?
Jackson dominated the charts in the 1980s and is considered one of the most successful entertainers of the past century, with a lifetime sales tally estimated at 750 million records, 13 Grammy Awards and several seminal music videos to his name.
"Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived," said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jackson's first label boss.
"He was exceptional, artistic and original. He gave the world his heart and soul through his music."

But Jackson's reputation as a singer and dancer was overshadowed in recent years by his increasingly abnormal appearance, and bizarre lifestyle, which included his friendship with a chimp and a preference for the company of children.
He named his estate in the central California foothills Neverland Valley Ranch, in tribute to the J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan stories, and filled it with amusement park rides and a petting zoo.
Jackson was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He became even more reclusive following his 2005 acquittal and vowed he would never again live at Neverland.

Facing a battered reputation and mountain of debts the Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson had spent the last two months rehearsing for the London concerts, including Wednesday night at the huge Staples Center arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

Despite reports of Jackson's ill-health, the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March Jackson passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
"I can't stop crying over the sad news," Madonna said in a statement. "I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats but his music will live on forever."
Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children and first performed with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5.

His 1982 album "Thriller" yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million internationally.
The following year, he unveiled his signature "moonwalk" dance move, gliding across the stage and setting off an instant trend, while performing "Billie Jean" during an NBC special.
In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.

"I'm so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. ... This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me," Presley said in statement.
Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999, and he later had another child with an unidentified surrogate mother.

He is survived by three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.

(Editing by Dean Goodman, Anthony Boadle and Matthew Jones)
Michael Jackson

The 16th Annual Rock-n-roll Hall of Fame Induction CeremonyWaldorf Astoria Hotel

New York City, New York March 19, 2001© Copyright 2001,

Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

Ali Baba bows out in grand style (Farwell Show)

'Ali Baba Again, He, Them and I'.
IT was an evening of excitement, last Friday, at the Expo Hall, Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos when frontline stand-up comedian, Alleluya Akporobomerie Atuyota... (a.k.a. Ali Baba) staged an event entitled, 'Ali Baba Again, He, Them and I'.

The high profile entertainer also said the two-day session of comedy, music and variety entertainment stapple was to be his last outing as a comedian. But the valedictory outing did not fail to pass a unique function.

The event was so widely attended that the roads, from Bar Beach to Eko Hotel, were blocked, and guests waded through parked cars to find their ways to the venue. As the audience sat early and waited for the programme to begin, guests were treated to rounds of jokes by some young comedians drawn from Ali Baba's teeming followership. Among them, Seyi Law, Mc Shakara, Helen Paul, Princess and others.

There were also thrilling performances from such music artistes as the Bracket group, which sang their current top chart hit track, Yori Yori and the deep-lyrics crooner, Sound Sultan. Then came the turn of Mad Melon and Mountain Black (a.k.a. Danfo Driver), who performed tracks from their new album Meshango.Packaging and patronage of the two-day event (Friday, June 12 and Saturday, June 13) was so remarkable that when Ali Baba, regarded largely as a mentor of many of Nigeria's top comedians came on stage, he was overwhelmed with what he saw. He showered encomiums on his staff and those behind the event and on the Mad Melon and Mountain Black duo, who left the stage before he came.

In his characteristic rib-cracking punchline he threw a banter at the duo hinting that he thought they had lost their 'street credibility' within the years they were out of the scene before the new release. “It is good to bounce back”, the influential comedian told the enthused singers.


Okey B.
BIOGRAPHY
Delta State born Ali Baba, a graduate of Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo State began stand-up comedy entertainment by default as a popular campus act in the late 1980s. Upon graduating and relocating to Lagos he hinged his art on featuring as side attraction anchorman in social events. His immense talent in punchline cracks and dramatised short tales made him a coveted act with easily recognisable name. He also was unique and innovative in the way he packaged his art and personality.

He employed several marketing approaches to gain wider social acceptance in the corporate world – erecting billboards in strategic places in Lagos, placing adverts as well as 'Thank you, messages to clients who had supported his events in newspapers and writing regular colmn in the dailies among other initiatives.


Ali Baba and MI

Soon, he was the top act in almost every big event including the state functions hosted by the President in Abuja and several states where, because of his outstanding gift in the art he had a reputation of even poking fun at his hosts to their delight. Some of such memorable events happened in Aso Rock, where he had a record of interesting banters with the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Sound Sultan and Group Display

Gradually, he built himself into a brand as even car owners and shops and telecommunication organisations gleefully displayed his stickers and posters. His success ushered in a boom in the comedy business with many of his associates and products from his stable growing into big-bucks entertainers.

Gbenga Adeyinka

Content at his epochal role in the hitherto unremarkable area of art, the man in his mid-40s opted to retire from the rib-cracking trade and work more behind-the-scene “to let the younger ones grow”.

The two-day event with tickets selling from N5000 to N10,000, was therfore, his valedictory from a two-decade endeavour in stand-up comedy performance which transfomed him from a hapless but talented job-seeking Urhobo boy in Lagos to a well-to-do entertainment mogul and celebrity who now heads some solvent corporate ventures. Eventually, the event was befitting as his teeming proteges, associates and patrons gave him a noteworthy outing.
Source: nigeriafilms.com - Nigeria Films

Still Cook in my House – TFC boss

By Agatha Emeadi

Her story could be likened to the biblical mustard seed. She has cast her seeds which is her vision and nurtured it slowly and quietly. With main focus on satisfaction, paying attention to details, humility and team-work therefore were not played down.

Mention the name Mrs. Olayinka Pamela Adedayo, it would not click immediately, it is not one of those regular names. But mention Tastee Fried Chicken ‘TFC’ one of the fast food services, it will receive the expected accolade.

At he recently opened TFC Mega place where she holds sway as the managing director, You find her taking a matronly inspection within and around the premises, re-arranging photo frames the way its suitable; you perceive that sense of business acumen flowing in her vein.

Dressed in a baby pink trouser suit with a multi-colored camisole with a bold belt that matches her burgundy loafers, you cannot but appreciate her skill and hardwork. From the background of a Business Administration and Finance graduate from Chicago State University, Adedayo who does not like publicity knew what she wanted and knew how to go about it.

From being her father’s favorite cook, she pays attention to the details of her cooking, recognition came her way through the works of her hand, today she has spread like the mustard seed. No doubt her spread sprang from a humble beginning.

At the grand opening of the state of the art TFC mega place in Festac town Mama Tastee as she is fondly called spoke on the humble beginning, challenges and the future of TFC.

TFC mega plaza
The trendy mama said it is to meet the yearning of Nigerians for qualitative fast food services that has been acclaimed as a success index for the business. The restaurant outlet is on the ground floor and that guarantees favorite sumptuous offerings in an ambience that spells luxury and sheer satisfaction. There are two ultra modern halls event halls on the first and second floors that offers state of the art facilities for occasion.

She also informs that the mega place was constructed within 3years being the biggest and the 9th outlet and that gives her great joy “It gives me great joy that we are progressing”. Beating our last record is a sign of progress. Festac mega place has beaten all the other outlets and that is evidence of progress. We named it ‘back to our roots’ because it was in Festac that we started the business on August 19th 1989. The Most Reverend Dr. E Adebola Ademowo and other dignitaries were on hand to commission the beautiful place.

Starting
She first extolled the virtues of her late mother who molded her into a great woman. “I am grateful to my late dear mum who molded me into what I am by bestowing on me virtues like creativity, timeliness, perfection and the spirit of excellence”. Being a real entrepreneur who was very industrious and diligent, I would say I inherited the right genes from her.

How did it start?
Well, back home when we were still young, I was my father’s favorite cook. When I got married, I continued with my cooking. It was on my son’s 10th birthday, I cooked various dishes, presented myself and laid them for my guest. Little did I know that my guests were watching and taking note of what I was doing. Cooking is not all about preparing the dish alone, presentation, the dishes and cutleries are all parts of the cooking and presenting, she noted.

During the wedding of Alhaji Ayinde Adewole’ son, the then chairman of Kollington Technical, he called on me to come and cater for his guests. I was surprise because I was not a caterer then. I wondered what to do and even argued over it. But then I told myself, I can do it and I catered for him then. That was how I started getting contracts and established Tastee Pot Limited in 1989.

The big break
The big break came when Mrs. Gambo wife of former Inspector General of police Alhaji Mohammadu Gambo contracted us to cater for one of her parties. In attendance at that party were Mrs. Maryam Babangida, wife of the self styled president of Nigeria. Mrs. Nyako, wife of Former chief of Naval staff, Vice Admiral Muritala Nyako and Brig General Raji Rasaki former Governor of Lagos state’s wife, Mrs. Raji Rasaki was also there. That was how we entered into Government house to cater for Mrs. Babangida and wives of other Government functionaries.

Personal taste
Surprisingly, culinary prowess informs you that she still cooks at home. Though she can order food from the outlet once in a while. It is not a regular habit at all. Then you ask her her favorite food? You find out she has chosen boiled yam and fresh egg omlete in the midst of plenty.

Challenges
I give glory to God Almighty, especially with the entrance of my dear son who is the Executive Director and Managing Director in the making for stepping into the business.I am proud of the good management team that works with me. We have laid good structure in place and set the standards, but that does not mean we have not experienced one or two time.

Husband’s support
She has described her husband Mr. Adekunle Adedayo as her childhood sweetheart, soul mate and confidant. Quoting Ben Franklin (1706- 1790) who says a good spouse and health is a person’s best wealth. They met and got married in 1976 and are blessed with a son. My husband support in the vision and business has taken it to a great height. She informs that his leadership quality has tilted TFC to a greater height.
The Sun News Paper.

Exercises to Sharpen Your Brain

By
Dr. Maoshing Ni -

Think of your brain as a muscle: It gets stronger with exercise. Your everyday mental tasks are like walking, but how about a real workout? Try these simple exercises to boost your brain power and clear away the fog of forgetfulness.

1. Use your non-dominant handTackling new tasks improves brain capacity in younger people and has a restorative effect on mental faculties that are declining. Boost your brain power right now by performing everyday activities with your non-dominant hand. If you're right-handed, use your left hand to eat, drink, comb your hair, and brush your teeth. Try writing your name with your non-dominant hand or put your mouse pad on the other side of the keyboard.

Why does this work? The human brain starts declining after the age of 30 especially in women with each successive pregnancy. By exercising your brain through the use of non-dominant hand, you are stimulating the opposite side of the brain and activating blood flow, which slows down the brain aging process and improves mental capacity. Evidence from functional brain imaging shows that the process of neuroplasticity -- the brain's natural ability to form new connections -- can be enhanced by studying new things, especially hand-eye coordinated exercises like developing the use of your non-dominant hand and practicing visualization meditation. For an effective guided visualization that will also increase your years, check out Meditations to Live to Be 100.

Stimulating communication between the two hemispheres even helps physical balance. Mind-body exercises like tai chi coach people to use the right and left side of the body equally. Try switching it up in sports. For instance, in tennis, switch the racquet to your non-dominant side and play.

2. Work out your brainYou have to use it or lose it! You can work out your mind just like you work out your body. Mental exercises that will keep your brain fit include doing crossword puzzles, playing chess, or memorizing names, shopping lists, and phone numbers. When I was a young boy, to keep my brain function strong, my father had me memorize Tang Dynasty poetry. Every day I had to memorize a new poem and recite it back. Learn the words to a poem or a new song and repeat them back from memory. Set aside the calculator and add manually instead. Keep challenging yourself with tasks that are new to you.

Whatever mental exercise you choose, the key to success is to practice every day at the same time; you are developing and activating new neural pathways, and consistent cycles will keep the brain on track.

3. Move your fingers to improve your brainMany people marvel that Asian children seem so intelligent. It could be because they use their fingers more frequently. They eat with chopsticks and at one time, they used to compute with an abacus in school. In fact, some studies have been done with children who use an abacus daily, and findings show that engaging the fingers stimulates nerve endings that go directly to the brain, increasing circulation. Take advantage of this by practicing motor activities that use your fingertips, like crocheting, knitting, and other arts and crafts where you are manipulating small parts. Try playing the piano or a stringed instrument.

Here is an exercise you can do anywhere, at any time. Put one finger on top of the one next to it, then try to stack the next finger on top of that. Or hold a pencil or pen between your index and middle fingers, roll it over until it's balanced between the middle and ring fingers, then again to between the ring finger and pinky. This exercise has a beneficial impact on brain health for anyone at any age, but especially for people in their 40s, 50s and beyond -- when signs of brain aging starts to set in.

Why does this work? A map of the brain shows that the nerve endings on your fingertips correspond to more areas of the brain than any other body area, except perhaps the tongue and lips. Therefore, finger exercise and movements can be useful in stimulating the neurons in the brain. The National Institute of Mental Health conducted experiments that showed finger exercises enlarged the capacity of the participants' brains, increased connections between neurons, forged new neural pathways, and increased circulation to the brain areas. The researchers concluded that finger exercise contributed significantly to brain plasticity, the ability of the brain to renew itself. Increased circulation means more oxygen and nutrients for the brain cells and decreased waste products that clog up the brain.

4. Stimulate brain acuity with self-massageTo improve concentration and memory try this self-massage that stimulates two easy-to-find acupressure points on your neck at the base of the skull. Cross your hands behind you with the palms cradling the back of your head, your thumbs in the grooves on each side of your neck, and your index fingers crossing one another below the skull, just above the thumbs. Sit in a chair, lean your head back, and let it rest against the pressure of your thumbs and index fingers. Slowly inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth, letting your whole body relax. Do this for three to five minutes. You'll increase blood flow to the brain and at the same time relax the neck muscles, which often tense up in response to stress, constricting blood vessels in the area.

You can find these, and many other brain boosting tips in my new book, Second Spring. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me. May you live long, live strong, and live happy!--Dr. Mao

Sadness and Joy of the new look Cele Expressway

by
VANGUARD
Possibly in a matter of months, the new over-head bridge being constructed by the Lagos State government at Cele Bus-stop along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway will be completed. Work from every indication is progressing at a rapid pace which suggests an early completion of the project.Part of this indication is the sacking of roadside traders at the place and the demolition of their structures.

As a result of this the place is now wearing a deserted look since the traders have either been relocated to a new place or been forced to seek alternative haunts elsewhere.Although this is gradually bringing orderliness to the Okota axis, it has not entirely stopped motorists, traders and motorcyclists from taking over a section of the road. But the good news is that more people now use the pedestrian bridge to cross the expressway. This has been made possible following the ejection of traders and beggars who usually congest the place previously.

Displaced traders at Cele Bus stop on Apapa Oshodi expressway.

However, it might take an extra effort for the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to keep the express way clean. Unlike Oshodi where LAWMA staff are always present with cleaning items, the story is different at Cele as the cleaning exercise is more or less the affair of beggars and the physically challenged who eke out a living on the pedestrian bridge.

A pedestrian who simply gave her name as Morenikeji told Vanguard Metro that one of the beggars simply known as Alhaji, is not only a beggar, but a veritable street urchin who has been terrorising female pedestrians at late hours. “He sits on top of the bridge to peep at women’s under wears, especially those who wear mini skirts.

At night he pretends as if he is fast asleep but if he sees a woman climbing the bridge, he grabs her skirts in an attempt to rape her. I almost became his victim recently save for divine intervention because he has already removed my skirt not knowing I had a nicker underneath, ” she informed.

Apart from the nefarious activities of this beggar, drainage gutters on both sides of the expressway are almost always blocked, no thanks to sachets of water (pure water) and rubbles from the demolished structures. There is also heaps of refuse sacks deposited at the foot of the pedestrian bridge which disfigure the place.

Even though another demolition took place there recently, the prevailing situation seem to suggest that KAI officials are constantly outwitted and overwhelmed by these traders who seem to have mastered the act of staying a step ahead of their tormentors. For instance, many of them usually mount their wares at the Okota axis of the expressway, especially in the evenings.

Meanwhile, the abandoned Odo-Eran market has been taken over by some of these road side traders. Ironically it was from here they migrated to the expressway in the first place. Observers are however worried as they say the situation at this market calls for urgent intervention from the government to avert impending environmental disaster.
When Vanguard Metro visited the market on Wednesday, some of the traders lamented the recent development.

“When we were at the express way, we normally record a huge sales, but the relocation has really affected patronage as many of our customers do not know we are here while some of them feel it is too far from the main road. Also, government should help us announce on radio that we are now here,” said a trader who gave her name as Sakirat Omolayo.

To a machine operator, with the new development fortune has suddenly smiled on him. “My sister, I did not have much patronage at the expressway, but now, I make a lot of sales here,” said Chinedu Okorie.

In a chat with the state Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire, he said things will soon take a new shape on the express way. “There is going to be a network of roads soon in that area. Already, work is going on at the canal and we shall try our best to give the place a new outlook,” he said.

As for the relocation of the traders, Banire said there are enough stalls in the market. “All we are doing is to ensure we give them enough information and orientation on how not to endanger their lives. They don’t have to be by the road side before they make a living, a campaign is on to keep them off the road, also, we have started talking to them at interpersonal level and we believe things will take a new shape,” he added.

Sunfit International

Welcome
It gives us great pleasure to introduce Sunfit International to you.
Sunfit is 15 minutes drive from Murtala International Airport, at Amuwo Odofin Residential Scheme, Festac, Lagos, Nigeria.

Sunfit is also 10 minutes drive to the Apapa Wharf and 30 minutes drive to the beaches of Badagry.

We offer fitness, spa & accommodation. We are a team of professionals, with a shared value system, commitment to excellence, closeness to customers and a spirit of innovation. We promise to provide our public with the best options for leisure and recreation.

Mission

Sunfit strives to offer high-quality services within the health and fitness industry offering all the necessary equipment and services required to assist individuals in achieving their fitness and health related goals.

Vision
To be recognised and considered a top class and high quality hotel and health club.
To supply our members with all the services needed to compete at the highest level.
To provide the favourable environment for interaction among our members to ensure long and lasting relationship.

Stress Management Workshop
Sunfit emphasizes the positive and down to earth benefit of utilising leisure time holistically. This includes stimulation of improved physical fitness, mental clarity, greater self-understanding, stress control and the promotion of general well-being.
With our world class fitness facilities and our team of wellness consultants, we are able to ensure that all participants have great moments, are rejuvenated and renewed in mind, body and soul.

Our programmes include:-
Wellness workshop
Recreational activities
Nutritional counselling
Fitness assessment

Attend our stress management workshop and know all about how to avoid and relieve stress through good dieting, exercise and relaxation therapies.

For enquiry, please contact,
Tel: 01 – 8166967, 01 – 4710536

Email: info@sunfitltd.com www.sunfitltd.com
Or contact our

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Plane loaded with arms seized in Kano

KANO — SECURITY operatives attached to the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) early yesterday morning impounded a Ukrainian cargo plane loaded with a range of sophisticated weapons.The cargo plane with registration number UR-CAK, and a crew of four was believed to be heading to Equatorial Guinea when it suddenly made a technical landing in Kano at about 2.00 a.m. yesterday.

Security sources at the airport told Vanguard that the circumstances of the landing made curious security operatives on duty to undertake a full search of the cargo plane’s hold and its contents.Vanguard further gathered that in the course of the search, the security operatives discovered ordnance of various nature and assorted sophisticated arms and ammunition in several quantities.

Consequently, all four crew members were arrested and taken out of public glare, ostensibly for questioning. Further, a Nigerian who claimed to be a clearing agent was seen making frantic moves to secure the release of the cargo plane. He was also taken into custody.When Vanguard visited the airport yesterday afternoon, heavily armed military personnel had been deployed and have taken over the security of the airport, while the area where the Russian-built plane was parked at the hanger was cordoned off. The cargo plane with registration number UR-CAK, and a crew of four was believed to be heading to Equatorial Guinea when it suddenly made a technical landing in Kano at about 2.00 a.m. yesterday.

It was also learnt that the Air Force has been placed on alert to confront any suspicious plane that may breach the nation’s airspace. Efforts to take photo shots of the Ukraine cargo plane painted in white, with red stripes was rebuffed by the security operatives.
The Airport Commandant, Group Captain Abagboyi was not available to confirm the development, while efforts to secure the comments of the Director-General of State Security Services in Kano also failed as the Director, Bello Tukur told Vanguard he was out of the city on official duty.

But an Army general who declined to be named confirmed the development to Vanguard when contacted, saying the military has commenced full investigations into the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the cargo plane and its contents in Nigeria.
Similarly, Emmanuel Ojukwu, an Assistant Commissioner of Police who is also the Force spokesman confirmed seizure of the plane by military authorities, but declined to give further details.
Vanguard

Mustafa Hassanali, Runway Photos Arise Africa Fashion Week Days

Fashion and Medicine are not industries that usually go together. To the degree we hear about their intersection, it is usually because a fashion celeb or model has abused health laws and requires immediate medical attention.

For Tanzania’s Mustafa Hassanali, however, fashion and medicine share similarities, especially when it comes to the perseverance, diligence and skills it takes to be successful.Over four years ago, Mustafa quit his job as a doctor to become a fashion designer! Today he is one of the leading designers in East Africa and Tanzania’s top designer. Mustafa is one of the many African designers participating in Pan-African, Arise Africa Fashion Week currently taking place in South Africa.

In fact, his show takes place tomorrow Sunday, June 14th, 2009 at 6pm at the Pavillion Room, Sandton Convention Center in Johannessburg.

Ladybrille’s Uduak Oduok caught up with the ex-doctor in this exclusive to briefly discuss his participation and of course his boldness in quitting medicine for fashion!

~Article by Uduak Oduok

Ladybrille Blogazine is a subsidiary of Ladybrille Media Group, www.ladybrille.com

NASA will try to launch space shuttle Wednesday 17, June 2009

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA will try to launch space shuttle Endeavour again Wednesday, after repairing a hydrogen gas leak that thwarted the first attempt.

Top officials decided Monday to bump an unmanned moon mission so Endeavour could have another shot at flying to the international space station. The delayed moon mission is NASA's first in a decade and is critical to the space agency's long-term effort to return humans to the lunar surface.

The Atlas V rocket had been scheduled to blast off Wednesday with a pair of lunar probes — a moon-mapping orbiter and a craft meant to crash into a shadowed crater at the moon's south pole. That launch is now scheduled for no earlier than Thursday; it would slip to Friday if the shuttle countdown proceeds trouble-free into early Wednesday.
"If you've spent any time on the Space Coast and monitoring launches, you notice that they tend to attract each other, and we've got that very situation here," said Chuck Dovale, launch director for the moon mission.

NASA ended up having to choose between the two missions because Endeavour could not launch this past Saturday. The potentially dangerous hydrogen gas leak in the vent line leading to the shuttle's external fuel tank halted the countdown.
It was the same kind of leak that stalled a shuttle flight back in March. Technicians finished the repairs Monday, replacing the vent line hookup and a pair of seals.
The launch is scheduled for 5:40 a.m. Wednesday 17 June 2009. Forecasters put the odds of good weather at 80 percent.

NASA is giving Endeavour just one chance, on Wednesday, to get off on its space station construction mission before making way for the moon shot.
Each mission faces a tight launch schedule.

Endeavour and its crew of seven must be flying by this weekend, otherwise it will have to wait until mid-July. That's because of unfavorable sun angles that would heat the shuttle too much while it is docked to the space station.

Delaying Endeavour's 16-day trip until July would end up postponing the next few shuttle missions and, as a result, make it harder for NASA to complete its eight remaining missions by the end of next year. That's the deadline imposed by the White House so NASA can focus on its next spaceship, intended to carry astronauts to the moon by 2020.

NASA's newest moon probes, on the other hand, need to be launched by Saturday. Otherwise, the space agency will have to wait until the end of June before trying again. Waiting that long would complicate the moon-impacting craft's flight and use more fuel.
Dovale said the moon mission will be ready to lift off as early as Thursday, if NASA falls behind in its shuttle launch countdown.

If Endeavour has to step aside for the moon shot, that would bump the shuttle flight into July unless it was shortened, an unappealing option for the space station program, said NASA test director Steve Payne. The Air Force needs two days to switch its launch-monitoring systems from one type of rocket to another.

Endeavour and its astronauts will deliver and install the last piece of Japan's space station lab and drop off hundreds of pounds of food for the six space station residents. Five spacewalks are planned.
Once the shuttle docks, there will be 13 people together in space for the first time ever.
___
On the Net:

NASA: http://spaceflight.nasa

READ THIS AND LAUGH SMALL !!!

A Nursery 1 student in a Danfo bus from school was reciting the day’s lesson at school, it went thus:-
If my father is a cock and my mother a hen,
I will be a chick.

If my father is a lion and my mother is a lioness,
I will be a cob.

If my father is a king and my mother a queen, I will be a prince etc, etc. The bus driver was irritated by the boys ‘noise’; he shouted at the boy asking him to shut up. But the boy continued.

Then the driver shouted, what of if your Father is an ‘Armed Robber’ (Thief), and your Mother an ‘Ashawo’ (Prostitute) what will you be? The boy replied; I will be a ‘Danfo Driver’.
Frankly speaking what will you do if you were the Danfo Driver?

Kate Henshaw, others lift orphans

Delectable actress and Onga Ambassador, Kate Henshaw-Nuttal, was one of very few Nigerians who touched the lives of underprivileged children during the May 27, Children Day celebration.As Face of Onga, a seasoning product of Promasidor Henshaw donated the company’s product to five orphanages at the second edition of the needy inclined programme tagged, ‘They Are Stars.’

The event, which was put together by Avenue 3, a brands building firm, was a fun filled time for the children of selected orphanages in Lagos. Among them were Love on the Street (LOTS) project and Little Saints home.
The event could be best described as a loving and caring moment, as celebrities were seen hugging, cuddling and playing games with the kids suffering from various cases of challenges, ranging from loss of parents and abandonment, owing to unwanted pregnancies, down syndrome and accidents. Celebrities in attendance were Kate Henshaw-Nuttal, Bimbo Akintola, Chioma Chukwuka, Wale Adebayo, Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO)’s winner, O.C. Ukeje and Idol West Africa’s Omawumi and Eric. Others were Frank Edoho of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, rap artiste, Mode 9, Soul singer, Djinee, Segun Obe and actor Kalu Ikeagwu, amongst others. Isong on the march again. After a long wait, Isong and her partners, Desmond Elliot and Uduak Oguamana, are poised to dazzle movie buffs again with their latest film projects.

Already, Edikan, an Ibibio language film, which Isong jointly produced with her two partners, will be premiered on July 10, in her native Akwo-Ibom State and later, Lagos State, the United States and the United Kingdom. In the words of Isong, the film thematically centres on the issue of child witchcraft and its effect on the victims, as well as society.
Meanwhile, Before The Light, a Christian movie, jointly produced by Isong and Elliot, is also expected to hit shelves same July, with the sole aim of winning more souls for Christ. “Edikan is a movie after my heart because of its plot and sub plots and what the society, especially my State stands to gain and learn from it. I’m also using this opportunity to implore my State Government, Akwa-Ibom, to partner with us on this movie by using it as an advocacy tool round the State. It’s the first Ibibio language movie to openly treat and thoroughly dissect the issue of child witchcraft and its effect on society.

We can do more of these language movies, but that can only happen if government supports and shares in our visions as film makers.”

In another development, Isong disclosed that she has concluded plans to formally open her long awaited Nollywood training school. To be known as Royal Arts Academy, she explained that when opened in the next couple of weeks, the institute would train aspiring Nollywood stars as well as those who intend to work behind the scenes.

“We have made all the necessary arrangements towards the smooth take-off the institute. We are only waiting for signals and the arrival of some of the state-of-the-art equipment from our foreign partners. As soon as they are here, we would immediately take-off.
Our aim is to help empower Nigerian youths through entertainment.”

Nude posture: It’s cheap blackmail says Cossy

Nigeria’s boobs queen, Cossy Orjiakor, was recently splashed, across two pages of BBC Magazine’s Focus on Africa, as Nollywood’s sex symbol.

But in Nigeria, she had her photograph published in one of the local soft sells depicting a bad act with a dog recently.With unusual alacrity, speculation and insinuation pouring in torrents, Cossy’s hard earned name is again on trial.

While the act has generated a lot of heat across board, HVP’s effort to contact the actress was not afterall in vain.‘It was all blackmail, bad belle of some sort by people who are bent on dragging my name to the mud.” she replied when HVP finally got her on phone.

She said, the purported ‘doggy’ act was a mere shoot for a movie she did around 2002.According to her, in 2002, she acted in a film titled Itohan directed by Chico Ejiro where she posed with a dog in a make believe scene. She mentioned Shan George as one of the actresses in the film, stressing that her role was moreorless like a waka pass in the movie.Most of the comments naturally are negative and you wonder how the queen of boobs feels.

But Cossy sounded unperturbed, acting in a way that makes you believe she is not in any way bothered. She never wobbled.Rather, she picked her words carefully but fast, as if she wanted to pour out all that is in her in a second.
She may have realised that it is one of the pains of stardom.She said the issue had “unsettled quite a lot of people, my family members, my boyfriend, friends and fans have been hit by this blackmail,” as she was inundated by the number of calls from friends, fans and family members.

“It is actually painful”, she mourned. On possible legal action, Cossy said, “I will give the publisher of the magazine a little time to retract the story, and if they do that, and they render an apology, it will be okay by me,” she said.Asked about how her boyfriend is reacting to the issue, unruffled Cossy said he is seriously upset about it but has not kept away from her.


Recounting how this ugly incidence came about, Cossy said, “About four days back, a journalist called me on phone. He said there is a picture of me with a dog that he has in his possession.
He said I made love to a dog. I said, Oh! This old story again. I said it was for an old film I did around 2002; that it was a make-believe. Even if I am offered one billion dollars to pose nude, I would think twice about it, not to talk of sleeping with a dog,” Cossy said.

She continued: “He now told me that some blackmailers wanted to sell the pictures to him.
He called me back and said he actually paid the blackmailers. That if I don’t want the pictures used, I should offset the money he paid. I said no. I will not give a dime.”
She earlier stated that this was not her first encounter with the gentleman. She said, “When I was acting, there was this man, a popular politician. I don’t know what he does now.
He told me to bring my international passport, that some people were going to Dublin for something and he would take me along. That it was government-sponsored trip and I had to pay N20,000, which I did.

“When I started having all these movie roles, I was paid stipends like N3,000 or N5,000. So, I was happy when I started receiving about N30,000, N50,000 or more.
So, I started telling my wakapass friends that the politician promised to take me to Dublin.”
“I heard a lot of stories about him, but all the same, I thought it was one of those tricks men use in ‘toasting’ ladies. Maybe, he loves girls with big boobs. Later, I became impatient and disgusted. I wanted my passport back but he wasn’t ready to return it.

“He kept telling me to come today and come tomorrow. When I told my wakapass friends what I did, they warned me to take it easy with him because the man was dangerous. So, I said, let me go and use my money to get another passport”, she stressed.

Then, the event that led to her latest travails was set in motion when the politician allegedly forwarded her passport to her through the journalist. “He now told me that he would give my passport to the journalist in question. That was the first time that I heard about his name.
He called me up and told me that he was the one managing the politician. He said I should come for my passport. But when I went there, he told me that he forgot it in his house.
“He said that there was this journalist in front of him saying he collected money from me.
I said yes, you collected money for Dublin visa. He was now asking me if I had money to give him. It wasn’t like he came out to say, I like you. He came out to say that he wanted to sleep with me.”

Home Video People also called Chico Ejiro, the man who was said to have directed the movie in 2002. But he declined comment saying, “No, I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t want to comment on the issue.”

However, a google search about a movie shot in 2002 with Chico Ejiro and Cossy yielded and it reads, “Chico Ejiro,Cossy Ojiakor, and the sex scenes in ITOHAN!”
Although sexy Cossy couldn’t imagine that a job she did in 2002 would suddenly resurrect to pull her down after about seven years, but she might have resolved to fight on as nobody knows what treacherous act would be renewed to achieve their purpose. It means the end is yet to be heard on the issue.

Elizabeth Olowu in her own wordsPrincess

Elizabeth Olowu describes her relationship with her brother, Oba Erediauwa of Benin, as cordial. She has eight children and is married to Babatunde Olowu, a businessman. One of the couple's children, Peju Layiwola, is an artist like her mother; and is also a lecturer in the Department of Creative Arts at the University of Lagos. Here in her own words, Princess Olowu speaks about her background, her art and her family.

Satisfaction as an artist
I want to re-organise this place to be even better than what is there on Ring Road. That statue of the soldiers was inspired by a true story. I almost lost my life during the civil war. It was what I saw during the war that inspired the sculpture.
What happened was that I was in school at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka when Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed and the crises started. My father sent his driver to come and pick me from school but when he saw how dangerous the place was, he ran away. He came back without me but he was too afraid to go back to my father to tell him that he did not see me, so he stayed around Urhopota Hall.

My husband had also come to look for me, so on our way back, I met him there. He was very happy to see me and said my father was worried about me, that he wouldn't leave the office if he did not see me, so I should go home at once.
So, when my husband was to go to Zaria, I refused to go with him because I knew what I had suffered in the East.

I taught in Itohan Girls Grammar School, Benin City for ten years. I didn't have a degree then since I did not complete my course at Nsukka. It was one Prof. Todd who came from London to set up a programme at the University of Benin that encouraged me to go and finish my degree.
He arranged for my admission to Uniben as one of the pioneer students in the Department of Creative Arts. We were four in the class and I was the only lady.
I majored in sculpture (bronze casting). I had always been interested in bronze casting. The palace is filled with bronze works, it was all over the place.
But I was told that it was only men that can cast bronze, that women were forbidden to do so. But being such an adventurous person, I became interested in bronze casting. \Training in the palace
One of the things that motivated me in the palace when I was very young, maybe about nine or ten years old, was the Olokun shrine. I don't know if they have demolished them now. In those days, they believed that as you have Oba on land, so you have in the sea and that the one in the sea was greater than the one on land.
So, I will make my own and gather my younger ones and I will go to my father and tell him, I've made my own ako bie (sculpture) which is believed to bring prosperity and children. He will then give us money and other things to pacify the ako bie and we will be happy. That was how I started.

How I started casting bronze
Going to Igun street
After casting the first figurines, I took them to my father and showed them to him and he said that I was able to do all these without training? And when I said yes, he said I should go and call anybody from Igun Street (the centre of bronze casting in Benin).

Support from family
My family was supportive of my work especially my husband. When I was still at Uniben, after lectures, I would stay back to do some casting throughout the night. And my children would have to eat so he would cook for them, whether the food is delicious or not was not an issue!
Meeting and marrying the princess

His story
My name is Babatunde Olowu from Lagos State. But my family has lived in Benin for a long time. In fact, I'm the third generation of Olowu family in Benin.
My grandfather was a businessman and he came to Benin about 1923. My father was born here and before he died, he naturalized as a Benin man. I met my wife while I was at Urhobo College, Effurun and she was at Holy Child College in Lagos. I had a friend who knew the princess in the palace.

Her story
He used to frequent the palace and he told me that there was a girl there he would like me to meet. He said I was always working and he never saw me sitting down idle. The princess takes up the story: My mother had seven servants but she insisted that we her children did some work because she wanted to train us to be good housewives.

One of my brothers the Enogie of Okogbo was in the same school with him and Babatunde used to write love letters to me through him. But he would tear the letters because he said he was too proud, because his father had cinema houses all over town. And my brother said why should he be so proud since it was his own father the Oba who gave him the rights to the property he had. I was not really keen because I had plans to further my education.
Before then, he made a dreadful mistake by writing a love letter to me in school and putting his picture in it. It caused trouble for me and the Reverend sisters in school who almost expelled me because of it.

Shell settles with Nigerian tribe

The Ogoni claim victory over the oil giant, although the company insists the $15.5-million award is a humanitarian gesture.
June 13, 2009


After 13 years of litigation, Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to settle with plaintiffs who accused the oil giant of complicity in human rights abuses in Nigeria, the most infamous of which was the execution of prominent playwright, author and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.

A member of the Ogoni tribe, Saro-Wiwa was a vocal critic of Shell and the brutal military government of Gen. Sani Abacha. His eloquence brought international attention to Shell's questionable environmental practices in the Niger River delta and the government's lax regulation of environmental laws.

Oil production in Ogoniland started in the 1950s, and what followed is a now predictable pattern in many oil-producing countries: Corrupt government officials enriched themselves; the local population was marginalized politically, and their ancestral land suffered enormous environmental damage. Led by Saro-Wiwa, the Ogoni demanded an end to oil spills and to the clearing of mangrove forests to make way for Shell pipelines, as well as a share of oil revenues. The government responded by burning villages and raping and murdering residents, according to human rights groups. Saro-Wiwa was arrested, tried in secret and, along with eight other Ogoni leaders, hanged.

The suit against Shell, brought by the families of Ogoni victims of persecution, including Saro-Wiwa's son, alleged that the company asked the military regime to silence the activist and that it paid soldiers who carried out human rights abuses. Shell has adamantly denied those charges.


The settlement, it maintains, is a humanitarian gesture meant to facilitate reconciliation. Maybe so. But this will be the best $15.5 million Shell ever spent. If the company forfeits the opportunity to be fully exonerated, it also averts damning testimony. For example, Owens Saro-Wiwa was ready to tell how, hoping to save his brother Ken's life, he met with a Shell executive who told him that it would be "difficult but not impossible" -- as long as the campaign against the company was halted. Shell acknowledged the meetings but says no such bargaining was attempted.

So Shell casts the settlement as a gesture of goodwill, and the plaintiffs are celebrating what they consider a complete victory. And at least one-third of the money will go to a trust for the Ogoni people. The only downside is that there may never be a full public airing of the events in Nigeria. In a broader sense, however, the story is bound to come out. Unfortunately, variations of the same sad series of events continue to play out around the world, and that being the case, a day of reckoning is inevitable.

QUEEN LATIFAH REVEALS PAST AS SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIM

Rapper-turned-actress QUEEN LATIFAH has opened up for the first time about her harrowing childhood as a victim of sexual abuse in a candid new magazine interview.The Chicago star, real name Dana Owens, grew up in New Jersey with her mother Rita. Her dad, policeman Lancelot Owens, left the family home after her parents divorced when she was 10 years old.
Latifah reveals she would often be placed under a babysitter's care, but her life was turned upside down when one teenage male sitter decided to take advantage of the youngster. She struggled to come to terms with the traumatic experience for years, and refuses to let pals and potential lovers get "too close" to her as a result.

She tells Essence magazine, "He violated me. I never told anybody. I just buried it as deeply as I could and kept people at an arm's length."
Single Latifah, who has long been rumoured to be a lesbian, even admits the abuse has caused irreparable damage to her love life - suggesting she previously turned down a marriage proposal because of her childhood tragedy.

The 39 year old adds, "I never really let a person get too close to me. I could have been married years ago, but I had a commitment issue."

THE THINGS THEY SAY 1020
"I've never been to Disneyworld, not even Disneyland and I made Disney a lot of money." QUEEN LATIFAH.

Tyson marries in Vegas 2 weeks after child’s death

LAS VEGAS (AP)—Boxer Mike Tyson has married for a third time, two weeks after his 4-year-old daughter died in a tragic treadmill accident.

The owner of the La Bella Wedding Chapel at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casino told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the former heavyweight champion and his bride, Lakiha Spicer, exchanged vows Saturday in a short, private ceremony.

Chapel owner Shawn Absher says the couple wed about 10 p.m. after arriving at the hotel from the Clark County marriage bureau in a chapel-owned limousine.County marriage records in Las Vegas show the 42-year-old Tyson and 32-year-old Spicer got a marriage license about 30 minutes before their ceremony.

Tyson’s daughter Exodus died in May. The girl suffocated after she either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under a treadmill’s console in her Phoenix home. Tyson’s agent, Harlan Werner, told the AP that Spicer is not Exodus’ mother.

Tyson and Spicer, a resident of suburban Henderson, asked for a simple ceremony with nothing special, Absher said.

“They just wanted to say the vows and be married,” he said. “It was very sincere.”
Tyson was previously married to actress Robin Givens in 1988 and Monica Turner in 1997.
His first marriage ended after one year after Givens filed for divorce and said in a nationally televised interview that she was afraid of Tyson.

His marriage to Turner lasted five years.
Tyson and Spicer seemed very in love, Absher said.
“They were very heartwarming, and I think they really do love each other,” Absher said.

“He seemed happy—and his life’s been up and down.”

A Real Whopper: Black Hole Is Most Massive Known

PASADENA, CALIF. — The most massive black hole yet weighed lurks at the heart of the relatively nearby giant galaxy M87.

The supermassive black hole is two to three times heftier than previously thought, a new model showed, weighing in at a whopping 6.4 billion times the mass of the sun. The new measure suggests that other black holes in nearby large galaxies could also be much heftier than current measurements suggest, and it could help astronomers solve a longstanding puzzle about galaxy development.

"We did not expect it at all," said team member Karl Gebhardt of the University of Texas at Austin.

The discovery was announced here today at the 214th meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

Game changer
The finding "is important for how black holes relate to galaxies," said team member Jens Thomas of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany. "If you change the mass of the black hole, you change how the black hole relates to the galaxy."
Because of this relationship, the revised mass could impact astronomers' theories of how galaxies grow and form.

Higher black hole masses could also solve a paradox of the masses of faraway, developing galaxies called quasars. These mysterious denizens of the early universe are very bright, developing galaxies with black holes surrounded by gas and dust, all rife with star formation. Quasars are colossal, around 10 billion solar masses, "but in local galaxies, we never saw black holes that massive, not nearly," Gebhardt said.

"The suspicion was before that the quasar masses were wrong," he said. But "if we increase the mass of M87 two or three times, the problem almost goes away."

Why M87 matters
M87 is 50 million light-years away. Nearly three decades ago, it was one of the first galaxies suggested to harbor a central black hole. Now astronomers think that most large galaxies, including our own Milky Way, have supermassive black holes at their centers.
M87 also has an active jet shooting light out of the galaxy's core, created where matter swirls closer to the black hole and approaches the speed of light, then combines with tremendous magnetic fields. The spat-out material helps astronomers understand how black holes attract and gobble up matter, a sloppy process in which all is not consumed.

These factors make M87 "the anchor for supermassive black hole studies," Gebhardt said.
While the new mass of M87 is based on a model, recent observations from the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile support the model findings.
The study of M87's mass will also be detailed later this summer in the journal Astrophysical Journal.