Jim Iyke Named Virgin Atlantic Ambassador In N23m Deal

PHOTOS: Jim Iyke Named Virgin Atlantic Ambassador In N23m Deal

4 February, 2013

Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke has been appointed brand ambassador of the Virgin Atlantic airline.

An excited Iyke made the announcement himself on Twitter. ‘To Gatwick to shoot d VIRGIN ATLANTIC commercial. Excited beyond words! OSHE BABA! grateful!’.

NET gathered from his publicist, Mitch Ngaman that the deal was signed in Ghana, few days back and is worth over N23 million ($150,000).

This is the first major deal the actor will be signing since his deal with the telecommunication company, Globacom, expired.

Crawling In Love: An Alternative to Falling

4 February, 2013

It’s a rush more exhilarating than skiing. It’s a slippery slope down which you’re liable to break hearts including your own. Falling in love is fun; falling in love is dangerous. When we fall in love we tend to move toward each other at an accelerating rate, gaining momentum in a surge to merge.

We attribute the gaining speed to the unique glory of our particular partner and partnership, but more than we tend to notice the acceleration simply comes with the terrain of love’s slippery slope. Love is a positive feedback loop. It snowballs, a function of five factors I’ll call the Five R’s:

• The Rush: On dates with potentially compatible partners, the object is to give each other sweet rushes through thoughtful, attentive, kind and generous gestures.
• The Risk: If the attraction is mutual, then so is the risk of rejection. Both parties will become sensitive to signs of withdrawal.
• The Ratchet: Any rush-generating gesture will come to be expected, its withdrawal a potential sign of risk. If you texted a thank you thoughtfully after the first date, then not texting after the second might be taken as a sign that you’re withdrawing. It becomes as hard to lower expectations as it is to lower a ratcheting car jack.
• The Rise: With every delightful gesture becoming an expected gesture, to engender further delight you need to ratchet up with evermore-generous gestures.
• The Rest: You can’t keep adding generous gestures at an accelerating rate forever. To survive the rest of a long happy partnership, you have to give the ratchet a rest, de-escalating gestures. Successful couples de-escalate their generosity imperceptibly, as months or years into their relationship they get practical and come to take each other and the rarity of fresh new generous gestures for granted

Many couples don’t survive the transition from Rise to Rest. Some don’t because love’s slippery slope rushes them toward each other too quickly to notice their incompatibilities. Others don’t because they think that the de-escalation signals withdrawal, evidence that their love has died. Still others choose not to survive the transition because if the fun part is the Rush and Rise, what’s the point of sticking around for the Rest?

No matter what your goals, there’s benefit to thinking about the five R’s effects on your love’s prospects: If you seek a partner with whom to enjoy the rest of a long happy life, expect the eventual transition from Rise to Rest and be prepared to weather it. If you’re trying to slow things down so as to only partner with someone sustainably compatible, not just someone rush-and-rise-worthy, figure out how to crawl in love rather than fall in love. Slow down the delivery of generous gestures.

Resist the temptation to escalate generous gestures ASAP, with the all the expectations that follow. If you’re looking to just harvest rushes, manage the Five R’s carefully so as not to reap havoc with your dates. Find like-minded rush-harvesters as partners, and enjoy the square dance of romance honorably, honoring of the dates who come and go by being careful what you promise in those rushes of generosity.

And if, falling too fast, you keep getting heartbroken, understand that the cause of your problems isn’t necessarily in you or your pick of partners, but most fundamentally in the slippery slope of love itself with all its inherent rushes and risks.

Meeting your in-laws for the first time?

FEBRUARY 3, 2013 BY AGENCY REPORTER LEAVE A COMMENT

Meeting your in-laws for the first time

Most people cringe at the thought of meeting the family of their partner. These tips can make it eaiser:

 Use make-up in moderation

 If you are a woman, go easy on the make-up. Too much make-up can often give the impression that you are false. Go for the ‘every day, girl next door’ look.

 Dress appropriately

The first thing your future in-laws will see is how you are dressed, so dress well. This does not mean that you must wear your pinstripe suit. Unless you are meeting in a very formal setting, a smart casual outfit will do. For the women, this is not the time or setting to flaunt your legs or anything else you might like to flaunt.

 Do not drink too much alcohol

According to www.wikihow.com, it is better to refrain from it altogether. If it is forced upon you, sip your drink slowly to deter a future top-up.

 Do not be overly possessive with your partner around your in-laws

 Hanging off them or kissing is annoying. It also makes the  statement. -he’s mine now.

 Pay compliments

Compliment the house, apartment or whatever it is, they live in. If the paint is peeling, the curtains are falling down, rats climbing out of bins, feign ignorance. This is a brief visit and you have to see it through for the one you love. This is not just about you.

 Don’t act offended

 If you are insulted, put down, mocked or otherwise, smile and bite your tongue. Unless you can come back with a comment that is both witty and includes a hidden innuendo, then you are wasting your time being miffed. It will lead to an argument.

 Flatter your partner

  Without going over the top, say nice things about your partner. Let your in-laws know that you love their son or daughter by telling a positive story. It should focus on a good attribute about your partner and how it affects you or others.

 Keep your first meeting short and sweet

 For most people, meeting anyone for the first time is uncomfortable. As a result, they usually are not themselves. Couple these feelings with the fear of offending someone who will be in your life over a long period, you are sure to compromise yourself. As a result, keep your first meeting brief.

 Address them appropriately

 Before you start calling your in-laws ‘Mummy’ or ‘Daddy’ get their permission. This also applies to any first names or nicknames.

 Be at your best behaviour

 Think of your first meeting as a job interview. Stay in the background and observe what happens and then offer to help out, (but be careful not to overdo it).

 Keep an open mind

 Do not have assumptions or pre-conceived notions about your in-laws, as these will affect the way you view them from the outset. Just as you would want them to know you better and not have assumptions about you, the same case applies with you. Be open to their traditions as well and be willing to adopt them. This will help them accept you even more easily. Once they see that you are open to their way of thinking, they will automatically warm up to you. However, do not lose your individuality.

Farouk Lawan Spends His First Day In Kuje Prison

Farouk Lawan Spends His First Day In Prison

3 February, 2013
http://news.naij.com

Embattled member of the House of the Representatives, Hon. Farouk Lawan on Friday passed his first day in Kuje Maximum Prisons, Abuja, amid tight security provided by the military and mobile policemen.

His presence in the prison has also turned it to a beehive of activities as dignitaries, especially his associates thronged the prison yesterday to empathise with him.

A black jeep entering the premises of the Kuje prison signaled the arrival of an important personality. Little did the armed guards of the Nigeria Prisons Service know who was in the car… Until a man in white flowing gown appeared. Then they knew it was Farouk Lawan, the erstwhile chairman of the House of Representatives committee that probed the oil subsidy regime.

A Very Important Personality (VIP), Farouk Lawan was accompanied with a remand warrant ordering his detention in Kuje prison as an Awaiting Trial Man (ATM) with clear instruction that he should be produced before Justice Madashiru Oniyangi of Abuja High Court on February 8.

Lawan and the secretary of his committee, Boniface Emenalo, were charged for allegedly demanding and collecting bribe of $620,000 amounting to N97.4 million from a business mogul, Chief Femi Otedola, during the committee’s probe sittings.

Shortly after Lawan and Emenalo alighted from the vehicle, a prison officer collected the warrant from a plain-clothed security man who escorted the accused persons to the prison.

After reading through the warrant, he turned and knocked at the iron gate of the prison. Someone from inside peeped from a small opening and the guard outside asked him to open the gate. The officer on the other side opened the gate.

Farouk, who looked very sad was forcing a smile on his face and waved twice at the small crowd of prison officials who were standing outside and gazing at him. Lawan only stared into space and shook his head in disbelief. As he slowly walked into the prison, the guard and other non-armed security personnel on the entourage filed in behind him.

A prison official who played a vital role in processing the admission of Farouk Lawal into the prison disclosed that the procedures of Farouk and Boniface’s admission were carried out in the office of the officer-In-charge of the prison.

"Our O/C tried to calm them down, explaining to them that several prominent Nigerians had been remanded in that prison and were released. He was very optimistic that they would also regain their freedom ultimately.

"He pleaded with them to relax their minds and cooperate with the prison officials, assuring them that they would not regret their stay with us. They were not given any prison uniforms to wear. The Awaiting Trial Men (ATM) also have their uniforms differents from convicts. But they were not given uniforms," the source said.

The source added, however, that Lawan’s flowing gown, cap, wristwatch, shoes and other personal belongings, like phones and money, were all collected from him and deposited with the welfare unit of the prison.

When the process of his admission was completed, Lawan was seen escorted from the reception/administrative block into the main prison yard.

It was learnt that Lawan was not ushered into the main ATM cell. "He is being kept at the Condemned Criminal Cell (CCC), which is housing both their various jail terms. The CCC is targeted as the VIP section of the prison where we keep important personalities and people we consider to be of good character," it was gathered.

While the main cells contain inmates in their hundreds, the CCC contains only two persons at a time. In addition to that gesture, Lawan and a few other inmates at the CCC have their cells open 24 hours a day.

"Even when we leave their cells open, they cannot go out; they can only come out of the cell to the corridors that are fenced round with iron rods.

"Not every ATM in the prison has a mattress, but we were able to get mattresses for the two of them. The prison authorities provide three square meals for every inmate in this prison. But, I saw people bring food for him from outside. Eating the prison food is optional. He also made provision for bucket, cup and soap for himself," a source said.

Thus, the officials of the prisons have reportedly granted Lawan the privilege of eating the food brought by his family members.

"Prisons authorities do not allow a single person in a cell, be it VIP or ordinary cell, for security reasons. In fact, he has been allocated a room where he will no doubt sleep on a double bunk bed with a fan," the source added.

When the reporter returned to the prison yesterday and had access to the yard, Farouk was seen at one of the CCC cells at a 'V' shaped block leading to the main ATM cell before the convicts' cell.

Though from outside the corridors the reporter could see through Lawan’s room and the water system toilet in it, it was not, however, clear if he was alone in the cell room or sharing it with another inmate.

"Every cell at the CCC has a toilet and as you can see, nobody can use curtains or anything to cover his window or door. They are all made of iron rods so that we can see from here everything happening in the cell. But the inmates cannot use the toilets in their cells as there is not enough water to always flush. They come out of the cells to use the toilets at the corridor," the cell guard said.

Another guard outside the prison yard said that he saw Farouk Lawal join other Muslim convicts to say their afternoon prayer in the mosque built behind his cell room, adding, the laws are relaxed for him. That is what they do to most responsible inmates that 'will not make any attempts to escape'.

The two lawmakers will remain in the prison till February 8, 2013 when the matter would come up for hearing.

Messi happy with Barcelona focus

The 25-year-old was delighted the Blaugrana were not distracted by their impending Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday, while Jordi Roura heaped praise on the Argentine

Jan 27, 2013 11:48:00 PM

By Alec Fenn

Lionel Messi praised Barcelona's focus after he scored four goals in a 5-1 demolition ofOsasuna and became the youngest-ever player to rack up 200 Liga strikes

Much of the pre-match talk circulated around Wednesday night's Copa del Rey clash with Real Madrid, but despite that distraction on the horizon, the Blaugrana maintained their concentration with a ruthless display aided by the first-half dismissal of Arribas.

"The important thing was to get this game going," he told reporters after the game.

"There was so much talk about the clasico before the game, but first we had to play Osasuna and focus on this game."

Messi's record-breaking haul came after Cristiano Ronaldo brought up his 300th club goal with a hat-trick in Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Getafe.

Barca assistant Jordi Roura was asked whether he thought the Portuguese's efforts had motivated Messi's latest goalscoring spree, but instead preferred to focus on the Argentine's continued brilliance.

"I do not know if Messi was more motivated by Ronaldo's performance this morning, but I don't think he needs anybody else to motivate him," he added.

"I have run out of adjectives for him, when you see him do amazing things every day you get used to it, but when you step back and realise what he actually does then you see that he has no limit at all."

Clean Hands Save Lives, Save Cost

Clean Hands Save Lives, Save Cost

Method of hand washing



The Global Hand-washing enlightenment campaign aimed at increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of hand-washing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases catches my attention today.  Towards the campaign aim, around the world, children, teachers, parents, celebrities, and health officials are utilized to mobilize and motivate millions to wash their hands with soap always in order to reduce life-threatening diseases, such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infections.

It is known that children suffer disproportionately from diarrhea diseases, with more than 3.5 million children under five dying every year from diarrhea and pneumonia-related diseases. On the other hand, it is estimated that the simple act of washing hands with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhea rates among children under five by almost 50 per cent, and respiratory infections by nearly 25 percent.
Hence, the slogan “Clean hands save lives” drives the campaign message home, the message is expected to be clearly carried home to children and schools in particular. This is because children acting as agents of change take the good practices of hygiene learned at school back into their homes and communities. The active participation and involvement of children, along with culturally sensitive community-based interventions aim at ensuring sustained behavioral change.

Handwashing with soap - particularly at critical moments, including after using the toilet and before handling food – is a key cost effective and life-saving intervention. Research in several developing countries illustrates that lack of soap is usually not the barrier; rather, the problem is that soap is not routinely used for handwashing. As an example, for most people, it is a known fact that many hardly washed their hands with soap after cleaning a child after defecation or when commencing feed from hand to mouth

Children as campaign driver
It has been extrapolated from statistical reports that of the approximately 120 million children born in the developing world each year, half will live in households without access to improved sanitation, at grave risk to their survival and development. Poor hygiene and lack of access to sanitation and portable water together contribute to about 88% of deaths from diarrhea diseases, accounting for 1.5 million diarrhea-related under-five deaths each year.

The recurrent Nigerian story on cholera-related deaths further tells the story the hard way. Children suffer disproportionately from diarrhea  respiratory diseases and deaths. But researches have shown repeatedly that, children – the segment of society so often the most energetic, enthusiastic, and open to new ideas – can also be powerful agents of behavioral change. Here lies the sense in this campaign to effect the global attitudinal change with children as agent-catalysts.

Health personnel are ‘culpable’
Surprisingly, even medical and other health personnel who should know better are noted ‘culprits of wrong attitude to hand-washing  A study of doctors’ hand-washing practices in one of the Lagos-based Teaching Hospitals, as revealed in a research presentation at the July 2010 Conference of the Society for Quality Healthcare in Nigeria (SQHN), showed that many doctors failed to wash their hands with soap between patient visits at an alarming frequency. If this is noted to be the practice in a teaching hospital where the best in vogue is the expected norm, then one can think of the worst practice in hospitals of lower levels.

Reasons adduced for this unpalatable behavior by medical personnel, who ordinarily fully understand the health benefits of hand-washing with soap, are lack of time, no rough paper towels for drying, inconveniently located sinks, and hands chapped by frequent washing with drying soaps. Moreover, many hospitals still provide bar soap for hand- washing  which many health practitioners are aware of its potential to culture microbes. Here, it should be noted that liquid soaps are far preferable to bar soaps for hand washing, especially in situations which involve multiple-users.

Changing people’s hand-washing habit
A good approach to appropriate hand washing behavior acquisition is to study and know what really works, and what doesn't  in changing private, personal behaviors and habits. It need be noted that what doesn't work is top-down, technology-led solutions or campaigns that hinge mainly on health education messages.

What is more effective is using approaches that build on the lessons of social marketing. This new approach emphasizes the role of careful formative research, which relates to a thorough study of the interests, attributes, needs and motivations of different people within a community. It is also based on the recognition that one size does not fit all and evidence showing that promoting a single message is more effective than promoting multiple messages. A good example here is the ‘Dettol’ repeated campaign slogan of “If you don’t care, who will?” which is one of such messages in vogue.  

In the same vein, approaches that create incentives for positive provider attitudes and behaviors get better results than those that rely on targets and punitive management practices. For an example, successful sanitation programs generate community demand for toilets and latrines by appealing to people’s desires for status, acceptance, community solidarity, privacy, convenience, safety and comfort since appeals to health tend to be significantly less effective in motivating behavioral change. The non-health motivations can be compared to the reasons people try to lose weight; maintaining a healthy weight is very important to one’s health – but the reason people go on diets is generally not to be healthier but rather to look better.

The prime logic of today’s discussion appropriate and routine hand-washing everyone can contribute to promoting hand-washing with soap! Join the crusade today and remain in it always by promoting routine hand-washing with soaps at home, schools, offices and in the larger community.

Obama Pledges Support for Democracy in Africa

Obama Pledges Support for Democracy in Africa

22 Jan. 2013

President Barack Obama and family members

By Nduka Nwosu and Tokunbo Adedoja

President Barack Obama has said that United States would support democracy in Africa and elsewhere because it is in its interests to do so.

In his inaugural address delivered Monday shortly after his public oath-taking ceremony in Washington DC, Obama said: “We will support democracy from Asia to Africa; from the Americas to the Middle East, because our interests and our conscience compel us to act on behalf of those who long for freedom.”

He also said that America would remain the anchor of strong alliances in every corner of the globe and renew those institutions that extend its capacity to manage crisis abroad, adding, “For no one has a greater stake in a peaceful world than its most powerful nation.”

The colourful ceremony watched by millions of people around the world and witnessed by hundreds of thousands of people at the inauguration ground, including two of Obama's predecessors, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, along with their spouses, was themed: “Faith in America's Future”.

The first family, Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife had earlier attended a church service at St. John’s Episcopal Church before returning to the White House for a brief rest and then headed to Capitol Hill at about 10.35 am for the inauguration ceremony.

Along the routes from the White House to the inaugural ground at Capitol Hill, thousands of people lined up behind law enforcement tapes waving at the presidential convoy as it made its way to the inauguration ground.

Reassuring his nation of the commitment of his administration to their security, Obama said: “We will defend our people and uphold our values through strength of arms and rule of law. We will show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully – not because we are naïve about the dangers we face, but because engagement can more durably lift suspicion and fear.”

His inaugural address made before a sea of heads, who waved thousands of star-studded flags, also rekindled hope for immigrants, women, as well as gays as it linked the challenges they face with the journey the United States must embark upon.

He said: “For our journey is not complete until our wives, our mothers, and daughters can earn a living equal to their efforts. Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.

“Our journey is not complete until no citizen is forced to wait for hours to exercise the right to vote. Our journey is not complete until we find a better way to welcome the striving, hopeful immigrants who still see America as a land of opportunity; until bright young students and engineers are enlisted in our workforce rather than expelled from our country.

“Our journey is not complete until all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown, know that they are cared for, and cherished, and always safe from harm.”

On the importance of the inaugural ceremony, Obama said: “Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring strength of our constitution.

“We affirm the promise of our democracy. We recall that what binds this nation together is not the colours of our skin or the tenets of our faith or the origins of our names. What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea, articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago.”

Delivering the opening remarks at the 57th inaugural ceremony, New York Democrat and head of the congressional committee on inauguration, Senator Chuck Schummer, described the occasion as “the perfect moment to renew our collective faith in America.”

The swearing-in of Vice-President Biden by Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor at about 11.46 am was preceded by the rendering of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by the famous Brooklyn Tabernacle choir.

Adding colour to the ceremony were Singer Kelly Clarkson, who performed “America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)”, singer James Taylor, who performed “America the Beautiful”, Beyonce, who performed the national anthem, Richard Blanco, who gave the inaugural poem, and the US Marine Band.

The first official assignment performed by Obama after his inauguration was the signing of the paperwork to nominate four new members of his cabinet and national security team - John Brennan, CIA; Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defence; John Kerry, Secretary of State; and Jack Lew, Secretary of the Treasury.

Two official balls – the Commander-in-Chief’s Ball – for members of the armed services, and the inaugural ball, for the invitees of the president, also held Monday.

The inaugural ceremonies would be round off Tuesday with a national prayer service at the National Cathedral also in Washington DC.