Boko Haram, police in gun battle

Suspects arrested in connection with attack on Students’ hostel in Jos, Plateau State... on Sunday.

Suspected members of the radical Islamic group, the Boko Haram, attacked a police checkpoint in Maiduguri on Sunday, setting off a gun battle that led to the killings of a policeman and two of their colleagues.

The Commissioner of Police, Borno State Command, Mohammed Abubakar, made this known just as hoodlums killed a policeman and injured another during their attack on a students’ hostel in Jos Plateau State.

Abubakar, who also disclosed that 19 people had been arrested in connection with the assasination of a governoship candidate and six others in Maiduguri on Friday, told the Associated Press that the gun battle between the Islamic militants and the police started in the morning.

“One of our policemen was killed today (Sunday), while two members of the Boko Haram gunmen were also gunned down during an exchange of gunshots at the Pompomari Housing estate in Maiduguri,” Abubakar said.

“Our men have also killed two of the attackers whom we believe are members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect,” he added.

The police commissioner said the attack had caused the Force to deploy more policemen to each of the city’s 25 checkpoints with at least 10 policemen at each.

Although the group has not claimed responsibility for the attack, the modus operandi of the latest attack was similar to other previous ones by the group.

Suspected Boko Haram members have used motorcycle-riding gunmen to attack soldiers and policemen manning checkpoints throughout Borno state, as well as those who publicly oppose the group. But much remains murky about Boko Haram’s intentions, and whether all the killings in Maiduguri are due to the group’s re-emergence.

Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sacrilege” in Hausa language, has attacked churches and engineered a massive prison break in recent months.

The group was thought to be vanquished in 2009, when the military crushed its mosque into concrete shards, and its leader was arrested and pronouced dead in police custody.

The Borno State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Malam Lawal Abdullahi, had also on Sunday confirmed that “19 persons believed to be behind the recent serial killings in the state had been arrested in different parts of Maiduguri.”

“The suspects have been assisting us in investigations and I believe it is just a matter of time for us to charge those found culpable to court,’’ Abdullahi added.

In Jos the crises in the city escalated as another policeman was killed and his body set ablaze by hoodlums who attacked a students’ hostel.

It was learnt that the policeman was part a five-man patrol team that responded to a distress call that the hostel inhabited by some students of the University of Jos was under attack.

The attackers , who also injured another member of the team, were said to have slit the throat of the policeman before setting his body on fire.

The Commander of the Special Task Force, Brig Gen. Hassan Umaru,who confirmed the development, said that 35 suspects were arrested in connection with the attack.

He added that another team of policemen that raced to the scene also found out that the other policeman in the first team was injured.

Umaru said, “We received a distress call that students of the University of Jos were under attack. Somehow, they (policemen) could not have access from the general area where the attack was coming from.

“They had to access the place through Naraguta Village and on getting there, they were under a serious attack where they discovered that a policeman had already been killed.

“But my men stood firm where they made contacts with me and I asked them to raid the village without delay and they were able to make some arrests and recovered some weapons.”

Umaru said that one of suspects who slashed the throat of the riot policeman, was found with a canister of tear gas.

Our correspondent learnt that residents of Chobe Junction Area in the city panicked also on Sunday as rumour of the discovery of a bomb in a dumpsite in a makeshift market spread.

There was also tension in Apata, Laranto and Enugu Road, extending up to Gada Biu and Zaria Road following sporadic gun shots from men of the STF.

The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulrahman Akano, attributed the development to the arrest of a man with a polythene bag containing some explosives.

He explained that when some angry youths barricaded the road after the suspect had been handed over to soldiers.

This, according to him, made the security agents to shoot their way through.

No fewer than 42 people have been killed by gunmen and herdsmen in different parts of Jos in the past two weeks.
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Fresh troubles for Igbinedion over N25b fraud

Fresh troubles await former Edo State governor, Lucky Igbinedion, as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has prepared over 100 fresh charges against him.

former Governor of Edo State, Chief Lucky Igbinedion

The new charges border on a fresh case of N25b fraud and the former governor may be dragged to court on Monday (tomorrow).

Already, a manhunt has been declared for Igbinedion, who is said to have been on the run since December.

The fresh charges, SUNDAY PUNCH learnt, include the alleged conversion of the state’s Afribank shares worth over $6.2m to Igbinedion’s personal use.

A reliable source within the anti-graft commission told our correspondent that the EFCC had launched a discreet investigation after a fresh petition was written against the former governor.

She said, “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the name of the person that wrote the petition but we have finished this investigation and it has to go to court on Monday. All the charges involve the conversion of government resources to private use.

“We have been looking for him since December and if he refuses to show up on Monday, we may be forced to contact the INTERPOL like we did in James Ibori’s case.”

Our correspondent further gathered that Igbinedion will also be charged for the alleged conversion of the state’s government shares worth over N120m in Access Bank to himself and the diversion of government funds to purchase the Sheraton hotel in Benin, Edo State, worth over N300m.

The source further confided to our correspondent that Igbinedion would also be in court for the alleged acquisition of mansions in Abuja, Benin, Sierra Leone and London.

The spokesman of the EFCC, Femi Babafemi, who was reluctant to divulge information said, “I am aware that we are investigating a fresh petition against him, but I’m not aware that there are fresh charges.”

When asked whether the fresh charges were related to the former ones, Babafemi said, “It is a completely different case. Don’t forget that we are appealing the former court judgment that gave Igbinedion an option to pay a fine of N3.5m.”

In 2008, Igbinedion stood trial in the case of money laundering and other corrupt charges brought against him by the EFCC at the Federal High Court, Enugu.

Similarly, Kiva Corporation Limited, which was accused of receiving millions of Naira belonging to the state government on behalf of one Patrick Eboigbodin, was also convicted.

Igbinedion’s conviction followed a guilty plea to the amended charges of 191 to the one-count charge of neglect to declare his interest in a GTBank account in which he had N3.5m and 23 count charges against Kiva Corporation in which the latter also pleaded guilty.

But the EFCC had rejected the court verdict on Igbinedion, saying it would appeal against the judgment.

Justice Abdu Kafarati, in his judgment, said following the plea of guilt, the court was convinced to convict Igbinedion and Kiva as charged.

He ordered Igbinedion to pay a fine of N3.5m, which was found in his GTB account and which he was accused of neglecting to declare.
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Jos latest: 14 students shot, many killed, 20 houses burnt

 

NO fewer than 14 students of the University of Jos were shot in a protest by the students over the killing of one them on Friday, while several people were also killed on Saturday in a related protest by aggrieved people within the university community.

It will be recalled that one of the students was stabbed on Friday, close to the university main gate by a group of irate youths returning from a burial and this led to a protest by the students which attracted the attention of the Special Task Force (STF) men.
Sunday Tribune learnt that in the process of trying to curtail the unfortunate situation, the STF shot into the air and 14 students were hit by stray bullets and taken to the Bingham University Teaching Hospital for treatment.
On Saturday morning, the women within the university environment staged a protest over the shooting of the students while students also joined, denouncing the STF’s action.
An eye witness told Sunday Tribune that the protest was hijacked by youths within the vicinity and turned to a rampage, leading to killing and burning of property at Farin-Kada road. In the rampage that ensued, about 20 houses were burnt, while business premises including filling stations on the route were set on fire.
Sunday Tribune learnt that along the route where the incident occurred on Saturday, four corpses were picked by men of the Red Cross Society, while other people sustained various degrees of gunshot wounds.
As at the time of filling this report, tick smoke still enveloped the air, but unlike the previous crisis within the state capital which often spread accross, the incident was restricted to just the Farin-Gada area of the state capital, while there were normal business activities in other parts of the city.
Speaking with Sunday Tribune, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abdulraahman Akao, who confirmed that 14 students of the University of Jos were shot on Friday, added that two of the irate youths who carried out the provocative attack on the students were killed by men of the STF.
Speaking with newsmen, the State Commissioner of Information, Mr. Greg Nyelong, blamed the STF for the incident, adding that the Task Force did not manage the students’ protest effectively.
The commissioner said the protesting students were harmless and deserved no treatment meted out to them by the Task Force, adding that shooting at the women and students as done by the STF was wrong and deserved condemnation by all.
Ulama/Elders council condemns fresh outbreak
The Ulama/Elders Council has condemned the fresh outbreak of hostilities in Jos and frowned at the way the security men on ground handled the incident.
According to a statement signed by the Assistant Secretary of the Council, Barrister Garba Ahmed, made available to Sunday Tribune in Jos, it pointed out that Farin Gada Vegetable Market was completely razed down.
Other property mentioned were four petrol filling stations belonging to Muslims, Sardauna Memorial College burnt for the third time, some trailer parks, also belonging to Muslims were also said to have been burnt down.
It stated that the blackmail of the Plateau State Government against the Special Task Force (STF) appeared to be forcing the outfit into inaction, adding that Plateau State police command appeared to be stepping in not to stop the carnage, but to satisfy the state government.
The council called on the leadership of the University Students’ Union and the authorities of the University of Jos not to allow themselves to be dragged into the crisis in Jos.
It however, commiserated with all those who lost their dear ones and their life earnings in the recent outbreak of the crisis, saying that it will not relent on its prayers for a lasting peace in Jos and Plateau State at large.
Jos killings may escalate to tribal conflict - CNPP chieftain
FOLLOWING the escalating killings in Jos, Plateau State, the National Secretary of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Chief Willy Ezugwu, has warned that the crises could assume ethnic colouration if steps were not taken to halt the trend.
This came as he also called for the overhauling of security apparatus in the state, from the Police Commissioner to the Commander of the Special Task Force, if the confidence of the people on security could be restored.
Speaking against the backdrop of the reported killings of 43 Igbo traders in Jos, the CNPP chieftain maintained that there was need for a decisive action to be taken by the Federal Government to help the state government stem the crisis from escalating to a tribal conflict.
Making the case in Jos while addressing Igbo traders during a meeting between the state governor, Jona Jang, and the Igbo leaders in the state, Chief Ezugwu faulted the indifference of other state governors, especially those from the South-East, to the plight of the people and government of Plateau State.
He condemned the call by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for the declaration of a state of emergency in the state, arguing that NLC should rather suggest ways of bringing peace to the state.
According to him, “this is the time when other governors should rally round Governor Jang and help intervene in the efforts to return normalcy to the state capital.
“If we call for a state of emergency in Plateau State, we should call for same in Maiduguri where the Boko Haram sect has been holding sway, Abuja where security has almost collapsed with the spate of bombings and in Bayelsa State where militants are being used to terrorise political opponents at will.
“This situation is a delicate one. The governor, as a retired military man, understands what could be done but he is the Chief Security Officer of the state and can’t control even a sergeant. The security agencies are controlled from Abuja, how then do you expect the Chief Security Officer to perform?, he querried.
“The issue of alleged connivance of military men deployed to keep peace in the state should be investigated thoroughly as the people in the villages appeared to have lost confidence in the soldiers.”

Source

Family seeks justice over activist’s murder

Umuahia
MEMBERS of late Comrade Chidi Nwosu  family, who was murdered on the night of December 29, 2010, in his house at Ameke Abam in Arochukwu council area of Abia State, have called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, and the Abia State Police Commissioner, Mr. Bala Hassan, to thoroughly investigate the matter with a view to ensuring that those who killed the civil rights activist were apprehended.
The killing of Nwosu had sparked off demonstrations in the community by  youths even as they pointed  fingers at  some community leaders in the area.
Already, six  suspects have been arrested and are now in police custody, but Nwosu family are not  satisfied as according to them two prime suspects they are fingering in the gory incident of December 29 incident were yet to be arrested.
Ifeanyi Nwosu, the younger brother of the slain activist, who strongly suspected the duo, said  they were still walking  the streets free, almost one month after the incident.
According to him, the six suspects handed over to the police were caught by the village youths within the village and the neighbouring village where they had fled at the time of the incident.
However, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge Criminal Investigation Department [CID] Abia State, Mr. Joseph Micloth, when contacted, confirmed the murder but said that the family members had  not come forward with any information at their disposal that would assist the police in their investigation.
Micloth explained that the police were working on information available to them and will not go about arresting people indiscriminately without any evidence linking them to the incident. According to him, the six suspects in their custody would be charged to court soon as the police have concluded investigation. He called on the family to come forward with information available to them.
In his account of the ugly incident, the father of the late human rights activist, Chief Nwosu Oko Nwosu, said: “1:30 a.m on the 29th of December 2010, I was awakened by a deafening noise of the  shout of Chidi. I ran to his house about 1km from the village [his father’s house]. When I went into his house I saw my son lying in a pool of blood. In the morning a locally made pistol was found at the scene with two barrels and a cap whose owner was identified to be among the villagers. These were handed over to the police that morning.
The police at Ozu Abam police station were alerted at about 2 a.m. but they could not come until 9 a.m. It was about 12 noon that he was carried to the mortuary.
He said the matter is being investigated by the police and appealed to the police authority to ensure that justice was done by prosecuting all the people indicted in the murder no matter how highly placed.

By ANAYO OKOLI,
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Court Suspends Rhinelander Attorney Over Sex With Client

Lawyer Suspended For Nearly 5 Years

MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended a Rhinelander lawyer for nearly five years for allegedly having sex with a client and harassing her.

According to the court's order, a woman claimed Frederick J. Voss had a sexual relationship with her while he was representing her in a number of matters in the early 2000s.
The woman said Voss sexually assaulted her in July 2006. He warned her family he would embarrass her in court if he was charged. He later filed a memo detailing the woman's sexual and mental health history.
Voss said in an interview he was never charged and he disagrees with the suspension. He declined further comment, saying the matter has been sealed.
Online court records show a case involving Voss has been sealed in Oneida County.

 

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Lawyer suspended for sex claim

Discipline includes $145,000 charge

A North Woods lawyer who court records say maintained a sexual relationship with his mentally disturbed client, then tried to intimidate her family and legal officials into not bringing charges over his misconduct, has been suspended from practice for almost five years.
Frederick J. Voss of Rhinelander also was ordered to pay more than $145,000 in costs to the lawyer discipline system, a figure the Supreme Court called "staggering" but was mostly due to Voss' aggressive litigation of the matter.
The state Supreme Court announced the discipline Wednesday in an opinion that describes how vulnerable Voss' former client was, and details how Voss exploited her situation. The court said it considered revoking Voss' license.
Voss said Wednesday he doesn't agree with the discipline but said he can't comment because the underlying materials in his case have been sealed.
According to the opinion:
Voss, 57, was appointed by the public defender to represent the woman, now 45, in a criminal case in 1996, went on to represent her in other criminal, civil and mental health commitments through 2003, and assisted her in non-court matters as well. He was even the payee for her Supplemental Security Income benefits.
From the early 2000s to the middle of 2006, they had a sexual relationship. In 2001, the woman told a therapist, who notified the Office of Lawyer Regulation, but the woman would not pursue a complaint at that time.
The woman told another therapist in July 2006, after a long period of not having sex with Voss, that he asked her on a car ride, took her to a motel and assaulted her.
Sheriff's deputies investigated and referred the case to prosecutors, who never filed charges. At the same time, the opinion explains, Voss began a campaign to get the woman to recant. He contacted her family and threatened that if the case went to trial, a lot of damaging information about her would get mentioned.
Voss sent unsolicited records to two circuit court judges, arguing there was no merit to possible criminal charges, and attached records of the woman's sexual history.
In November, he called the woman at the mental institution where she was housed and told her she should stay there if she wanted to remain protected.
Voss was never charged in relation to the July 2006 claim. But in January 2008, the Office of Lawyer Regulation hit Voss with six counts of professional misconduct. In his response, Voss said he never had sexwith the woman while acting as her attorney. At a subsequent hearing in the case, he took the 5th Amendment in response to questions about whether he had sex with the woman on certain dates, and denied relations on some other dates.
Voss contended that he alone determined when the attorney-client relationship existed.
"The OLR said this is a self-serving interpretation of the Supreme Court rules and in this fact situation, it is particularly egregious and predatory," according to the opinion.
In a post-trial brief, Voss stated that the woman wanted to be in the relationship.

By Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel

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Lady Gaga engaged?

Appears Lady Gaga is going to be a Mrs.
Word is the pop star is engaged to Luc Carl, an ex with whom she reconciled lately.
The pop diva has already met his family in Nebraska, reports Life & Style. Spies there said she wore vampy boots and fishnet stockings to a bowling rink near his family's home outside of Omaha. We can't wait to see the ring.

SING YOUR HEART OUTHad enough of Christina Aguilera yet? Well, here's more. She'll sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl in Texas on Feb. 6.

Xtina has xperience -- she was part of the halftime show during the 2000 Super Bowl (the Black Eyed Peas have that honor this year).

NEW DANCE PARTNER?Now we know why Bristol Palin wants son Tripp to not have Levi Johnston's name. She's moved on.

The 20-year-old daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin confirmed on an Anchorage radio show that she's dating a new guy, a pipeline worker.
When the hosts brought up the subject of a new man, Palin was at first defensive, but when they said that her not answering would cause others to insert their own answer, she said, ``Yeah, I'm seeing a guy, and he's really great, and Tripp loves him, and we're having a good time.''

JUST PALSFor those who think Lindsay Lohan is dating UK hunk Tom Hardy, think again.

``Tom Hardy is just a friend of mine . . . The tabloids are wrong,'' the actress tweeted.
Lohan, 24, left rehab earlier this month when rumors of her supposed romancing of Hardy began to spread.
The Inception scene stealer -- who has a 2-year-old son from a previous relationship -- is engaged to English actress Charlotte Riley. He has battled addiction issues as well and may be just lending an ear.

SUDDENLY SINGLEScarlett Johansson seems to be moving on nicely from Ryan Reynolds.

Her new flirt fixation? SNL funnyman Jason Sudeikis, who recently parted ways with January Jones.
Life & Style spotted the newly single 26-year-old getting cozy with Sudeikis, 35, at an upscale Santa Monica pub. It was kind of a double date: The two met Jason's fellow SNL star Will Forte and another woman for burgers (yes, Scarlett eats).
A spy told the mag Sudeikis reached across the table twice to grab the Lost in Translation star's hand.

GIVE 'EM THE BOOTJersey Shore is headed to the Motherland.

The popular MTV reality TV series starring a group of hard-partying Italian-Americans will film its fourth season in Italy, the network said Tuesday.

Intervene in SAN conferment feud, NBA urges CJN

 Nigerian Bar Asso-ciation, NBA, has called on the Chief Justice of Nigerian, CJN, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, to ensure the amicable  resolution of the disagreement among lawyers over the conferment of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigerian.

NBA President, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN, in a letter to the CJN, said: “On  August 26, 2010 at Kaduna during the last AGM of the bar association, it was unanimously resolved concerning the campaign for the abolition of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria for the matter to be referred to the Chief Justice of Nigeria in order for his lordship to convene a stakeholders meeting to resolve the current impasse.
“My lord, for the past two years, there has been a raging debate within the ranks of the Bar as to whether the rank of SAN should be abolished or the process of appointment reformed. To stem a situation where a cross section of the Nigerian Bar, who are in opposition to the continued award of the rank, would wish to refer the matter to the National Assembly,  it was agreed to place the matter in your Lordship’s hands for resolution.
“In my humble view,  the matter is an in-house matter that ought to be amicably resolved internally.
“I am with respect and in compliance with the directive of Conference forwarding to your Lordship the resolution reached by the generality of Nigerian lawyers.”
“I am confident that your Lordship will put in motion a machinery that will resolve the matter amicably through but not limited to a stakeholders meeting,’ Daudu added.

Revisiting Bombing in Nigeria

Evil, demonism and heartlessness in the name of religion or political strife.

Elephant at Tennessee zoo crushes trainer to death

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An 8,000-pound elephant at a Tennessee zoo backed a trainer into a wall and crushed her to death, and the zoo said on Saturday it had temporarily closed its elephant exhibit.

"It's a difficult day, but our staff is very professional and they are carrying on with their duties today," said Tina Rolen, assistant director of marketing at the Knoxville, Tennessee zoo. She said the review of Friday's tragedy is continuing.

Stephanie James, 33, was fatally injured Friday while performing routine chores involving Edie, a 26-year-old, 8,000 to 8,500-pound elephant who is 8 and a half feet tall at the shoulder.

"At this point in time we don't believe it to be a malicious act or an aggressive act on Edie's part, but the review is ongoing to determine what happened in the barn," Rolen said.

James, one of four full-time elephant trainers at the zoo, was pushed into the wall in a stall by the animal, said Rolen.

The trainer was taken to nearby University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she died Friday of internal injuries, Rolen said.

"Everyone at Knoxville Zoo is shocked and saddened at the loss of Stephanie," said Jim Vlna, executive director of the zoo. "Our prayers are with her parents, Ron and Kris James, and the rest of her family."

Rolen said Edie, one of three zoo elephants, will not be punished or disciplined in any way. "Our training program is based on positive reinforcement," she said. The zoo was open on Saturday but the elephant display was closed.

Do not Trust Them....

Beware of those who pat ">Read More</a></p>

A VICTIM OF JOS CRISI, NIGERIA

What a horror? Imagine this man was your son, your brother, your uncle or even your father! Why are we this cruel all in the name of religion?

Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo Exclusive Interview

Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo known as Iyeoka is a talented sister based on the west coast. She is a poet/singer/writer and more. Iyeoka just released a hot album that we had the opportunity to enjoy.

We wanted to ask her a few questions so you can get to know her more.
UDR: What is the meaning of your name IYEOKA?

IYEOKA ALBUM COVER

IYEOKA: My name means I want to be respected.

UDR: As we come to the end of 2010, how productive has this year been to your career?

IYEOKA: The definition of my career is currently expanding in exciting directions. Every day feels like a clever personal breakthrough in the right direction.

UDR: What do you love more, poetry or singing?

IYEOKA

IYEOKA: Singing is my comfort zone. I always have melodies running through me.

UDR: When did you decide to sing professionally?

IYEOKA: I think I was 6 years old listening to a Whitney Houston cassette in Nigeria. I was attempting to imitate her vibrato. There was a duet Whitney sang with her mother. Her mother’s voice was deep and powerful to me and their harmony empowered me. That moment was a huge seed.

UDR: Where do you draw your inspirations from?

IYEOKA: life in all it’s magic

UDR: Are you faced with the same or different challenges working on poetry album to a singing album?

IYEOKA: Different projects inspire different challenges to overcome. It has been a beautiful experience overcoming the challenges with David Franz and Francis Phan my producers on the Say Yes album.

UDR: Every artist is usually placed in a box of category. Where would you place Iyeoka?

IYEOKA: My box is poetry. It’s a pretty box on the outside and the inside sends words to pull in deeper meaning.

UDR: What is The Rock by Funk Tribe all about?

IYEOKA: The RBFT is my tribe of musicians I perform with when I am performing my poems and songs. My mission when forming the Rock by Funk Tribe was to inspire uplifting music collaborations with musicians who shared a common goal to become a bridge between the poetry and the music. I currently have Tribe in the east and west coast and Hawaii.

UDR: Do you still work as a Pharmacist?

IYEOKA: My last day working as a pharmacist was January 4th, 2010. I spent my 2010 new year experience in the Dominican Republic where I decided I would finally stop picking up pharmacy shifts at my back up pharmacy gig and go all in with my music. At that point, my life was shifting and all signs encouraged me to offer more attention to creating music for the album.

UDR: Most Nigerian parents prefers their children to be Doctors, Lawyers etc, as a first generation of Nigerian American, do you get the family support in your poetry/music career?

IYEOKA: I’m lucky that my parents are blessed with the gift of perspective concerning me and my career choices. But it took me about a year to tell my parents I left my pharmacist lifestyle to pursue my connection with poetry and later music.

UDR: What inspired your song “Say Yes”?

IYEOKA: Say Yes was inspired by dramatic real life stuff in relationships. The song chronicles the roller-coaster ride associated with the process of becoming in love and saying yes to the next step in that journey.

UDR: Your track “I Travel Home” really took me home and made appreciate things the beauty of Africa. How important is the influence of African culture in your career?

IYEOKA: My home has always been influenced by sounds of Africa

UDR: Out of all the songs you have recorded, what is your favorite and why?

IYEOKA: my current anthem. Because it’s my current anthem.

UDR: What is your favorite food?

IYEOKA: anything that includes rice

UDR: Who is your favorite musician of all time?

IYEOKA: “of all time” is so dramatic. Maybe I could say I haven’t given away that title just yet. But I see what I like in the industry and artistry of music on a regular basis.

UDR: What is your favorite movie?

IYEOKA: I loved the Abyss. I keep it on anytime it comes on.

UDR: What is the one thing you can not do without?

IYEOKA: hope. i need alot of that stuff to keep things going.

UDR: Why should people buy your new album?

IYEOKA: To access the beautiful music I found in me that speaks about life’s little complicated turnarounds and happenings.

UDR: What can we expect from IYEOKA in 2011?

IYEOKA: More live shows and tours on the festival circuit, guiding poetry lifeshops and hopefully more people knowing about the music we’re making.

UDR: Anything you want people to know about we didn’t ask?

IYEOKA: Take a poetry workshop. It does a body good.

UDR: Thank you for taking the time out for this interview

Is The End Coming But They Don't Want To Tell US?

I don't know I am not omniscient, but some interesting coincidences are converging in the last few years to make me want to look into the possibility.
In the past few years it seems those in power and the wealthy have become increasingly callous and disregarding of anyone not of their class. Indeed politicians and the wealthy of ALL persuasion seem to be making a conscience effort to decimating the lower classes now before a big extinction event. Gone are the grand ideals that ALL Men (should be changed to Sentient Beings) are Created Equal and we should care for our fellow (Sentient Beings) Man. Now we have politicians screaming that the other side are doing the exact destructive and self-protectionist actions that both sides are claiming; (death panels, removal of financial and medical assistance, War, and cannibalization of the Earth) and pointing fingers at each other while the rest of us starve, drown, freeze, burn, and die.
A few examples for you:
Massive financial deregulation and corporate accountability leading to the concentration of wealth to the detriment of the rest of society. What are they doing with all this wealth?
Stripping of rights and protections of We The People from the Constitution by the Patriot Act.
Massive communication and propaganda control (control of the Media) concentrated and usurped for a single Fascist political view...
Political commentators turning into Televangelists...for example Glenn Beck.
Politicians disregarding constituents for their own power and wealth of their friends...for example Jan Brewer. Arizona receives 200 million in stimulus money but won't disclose where the money is and what she has used it for? At the same time she cuts a paltry 2.3 Million that was used for in state Medical Medicaid payments for individuals that need life saving medical services? And yet, its the Republicans and Jan Brewer that scream the loudest that the Democrats want to create Death Panels...
Yucca Mountain Nuclear storage facility being converted into a 10,000 person emergency shelter...But for whom?
Massive unexplained species die offs. Birds, Fish. Sea Mammals, Salamanders, Spiders,
Disappearance of almost ALL small salamanders and some frog species which are highly sensitive to environmental and climatic changes.
Unpredicted Increase in Seismic and Volcanic activity Globally.
Increase in Climatic Change events causing famine and drought in some areas while other areas are receiving the worst snows and flooding in history...think Sudan, Indonesia, Australia anyone?
Melting North Polar Ice Cap and run-away CO2 releases from the sea floors.
These events are calculated to occur and increase in frequency for the next 7 years due to the focal alignment of our Sun to the Galactic Center (Massive Black Hole at the Center of our Galaxy) causing enhanced Neutrino-Gamma ray bursts that pass through our upper atmosphere heating our Earths Core and in turn; speeding up the movement and migration in the Earths magma and shifting magnetic poles relative locations. These random bursts will be cooking us indiscriminately till the big Yellowstone eruption in possibly 2012...Or maybe we will be spared for another 28,000 years and experience the greatest evolution in Humanity...We can only hope.
The Mayans gave us the clues all we had to do is a little basic Geological and Astral-calculations to find out that Yellowstone's massive eruptions occur every 644,000 to 672,000 years which coincidentally is mathematically constant with a 28000 galactic center alignment times 23-24 permutation which puts us at that occurrence in a direct relational alignment with all our planets on the left or right of a direct path from Galactic Center (Massive Black Hole) to the planet Earth. This can potentially causes a Magnification effect that cooks our planets Core...Through Enhanced Neutrino-Gamma Ray particles. Before you go calling horse pucky try begging the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab to check my planetary perturbations and tell the world that my calculations have no validity...I bet they can :)
It's just pretty coincidental stuff when you play with math...
THE MAGIC OF MATHEMATICS:
Mayan calendar and tracking Galactic center every 28000 years.
Mathematical formula from Geological evidence for Yellowstone eruption frequency. 644,000-672,000 years
Galactic rotation to Solar (Black Hole) Center alignment 28000 years
Planetary rotation around the sun 23 hours .56 mins .4 sec
Yellowstone eruption variable every 28000 X 23 - 24 Galactic rotations/permutations.
last eruption estimated approximately 642000 years ago.
616,000 year eruption 22 x 28000
644,000 year eruption 23 x 28000
659,680 year eruption 23.56 x 28000
672,000 year eruption 24 X 28000
Magnetic Polar migration and total swap every 14 Galactic Permutations...
You can pray and attribute everything to God if you like.
Me I believe in God as the initial Creator of all things (Big Bang) but I also believe in the Science of Geology and Mathematics. It seems to my understanding that we have been given 640,000+ years to develop and evolve, sadly I fear none will survive the coming Extinction Event. That includes the wealthy hiding in their holes in the ground or under the sea.
Or maybe I should just put this bottle of Jack down and go to sleep.

Arizona Rep. Giffords shot, several wounded

Sat Jan 8, 2011 3:03 PM EST

FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, shows Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona's 8th Congressional District. Congressional officials say Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., has been shot in her district. (AP Photo/Office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, File) NO SALES

 

TUCSON — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was shot in the head Saturday, an aide was killed, and an unknown number of others were wounded when an assailant opened fire outside a grocery store as the Democratic lawmaker met with constituents, officials said.

C.J. Karamargin, a spokesman for Giffords, said the congresswoman was in surgery as of 1 p.m. local time and that an unspecified number of Giffords staff members were injured in the shooting. Karamargin said he had no other information on the conditions of the injured or on the circumstances of the shooting.
Congressional officials said an aide to the Democrat was killed, and unknown number of others were injured, including staffers to the lawmaker.
President Barack Obama called the shooting "an unspeakable tragedy" and that such "a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society.
U.S. Capitol police say the shooter is in custody as one official said he carried out the attack with an automatic weapon. The officials who described the events did so on condition of anonymity, saying they were not permitted to comment publicly.
"I am horrified by the senseless attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and members of her staff," newly elected House Speaker John Boehner said. "An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve. Acts and threats of violence against public officials have no place in our society. Our prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords, her staff, all who were injured, and their families. This is a sad day for our country."
Three hours after the shooting, the L-shaped shopping center in Tucson was blocked off by police and had fire trucks and other vehicles in its parking lot that blocked the view of the store's front door. No shell casing could be seen from the area 500 yards from the store where reporters and photographers were kept.
Giffords, 40, was re-elected to her third term last November. She was a member of the Arizona House and Senate before coming to Washington.
Giffords tweeted shortly before the shooting, saying: "My 1st Congress on Your Corner starts now. Please stop by to let me know what is on your mind or tweet me later."
Giffords is married to astronaut Mark E. Kelly, who has piloted space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery. The two met in China in 2003 while they were serving on a committee there, and were married in January 2007.
Giffords was first elected to Congress amid a wave of Democratic victories in the 2006 election, and she won a narrow victory against a tea party favorite in the 2010 election.
She has been mentioned as a possible Democratic nominee in 2012 for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Jon Kyl, who has not said whether he'll run again, or for the governor's office in 2014.
The shooting comes amid a highly charged political environment that has seen several dangerous threats against lawmakers but nothing that reached the point of actual violence.
A San Francisco man upset with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's support of health care reform pleaded guilty to threatening the Democratic congresswoman and her family, calling her directly on March 25 and threatening to destroy her Northern California home if she voted for health care reform.
In July, a California man known for his anger over left-leaning politics engaged in a shootout with highway patrol officers after planning an attack on the ACLU and another nonprofit group. The man said he wanted to "start a revolution" by killing people at the ACLU and the Tides Foundation.
Giffords herself has drawn the ire of the right, especially for her support of the health care bill from politicians like Sarah Palin.
Her Tucson office was vandalized a few hours after the House vote to approve the health care law in March, with someone either kicking or shooting out a glass door and window.
Despite the animosity she has generated from the right, Giffords describes herself as a former Republican and current Blue Dog Democrat.
"You know, actually as a former Republican, you know, I consider myself someone who is pretty in the middle, I'm a blue dog Democrat, and one that is interested in making sure that our country maintains our prosperity and frankly, our superiority over other countries and that's where we look at these threat, obviously our defense budget, our level of education," she said in an interview with Fox this week.
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Why Racism and White Supremacy Will Continue to Reign in 2011

  The U.S. is not a post-racial society, as the events of the past year attest -- from a governor glorifying segregation to a Fox pundit calling for Michael Vick's execution.

January 6, 2011  |  

 

Photo Credit: thivierr

 

A new year has just begun, but there is nothing new about white supremacy and the ways in which it does terrible damage to the lives of black Americans. White “journalists” on national television advocate executing black people who have committed a crime, any crime at all. Women unjustly imprisoned for 16 years are freed on the condition that one give up a kidney, an obvious violation of the law. Black farmers caught in a cycle of discriminatory practices never attain true justice, no matter how often the courts or Congress say they have.

Time after time we see that even when black people appear to be victorious, they usually are not. National football league quarterback Michael Vick lost his job, his assets and his freedom after a felony conviction for animal cruelty, but he has still not suffered enough for the likes of many white Americans. His success in bringing the Philadelphia Eagles to the NFL playoffs has only engendered more hatred from the racists among us. That hatred went into overdrive when it was reported that President Obama expressed support for the Eagles organization in giving Vick an opportunity to return to his chosen career.

The overlay of an Obama opinion supportive of Vick only inflamed already irate racists, who were indignant that a black man should have a successful life after being convicted of a crime. Some opined that Vick should be able to work, but not in such a lucrative and prominent position. The absurdity and gall that such foolishness should be openly expressed is the result of racism and nothing more.

Not content to choose a job for Vick, right wing pundit Tucker Carlson spoke for many when he said that Vick should have been executed for his crime. The sight of a black person who refuses to be punished forever is still enough to make the Carlsons of the world idiotic and insane with rage.

Racists have more than a black sports hero to seethe about. While Michael Vick was being killed in effigy, seemingly good news in the quest for justice was not so good after all. Black farmers have been struggling to receive just compensation for years of discriminatory practices carried out by the Department of Agriculture. Their court victory in the 1999 Pigford v. Glickman case was only partial. Many plaintiffs were left without compensation in the complicated settlement process.

After an additional eleven years of struggle, President Obama signed a bill in December 2010 which settled the amount of damages at $1.2 billion. Yet none of the farmers will automatically receive the awards expected to range from $50,000 to $250,000. They will first have to go before a mediator and prove that they have been injured, before courts and auditors approve the awards. The earliest date that any of the surviving farmers will collect is expected to take place sometime in 2012.

The Scott sisters, Gladys and Jamie, have been imprisoned in Mississippi for 16 years after being convicted of committing an $11 robbery and then being sentenced to life terms. They steadfastly maintained their innocence and the only witnesses for the prosecution have recanted their testimony, citing physical and other threats from local police. After months of protests brought their case to national attention, Mississippi governor Haley Barbour suspended their sentences on the condition that Gladys donate her kidney to her sister Jamie, who is undergoing dialysis treatments.

The governor’s condition for suspending the sentence is not only unethical, but also illegal. No one can be compensated for or required to donate an organ. While Gladys volunteered to make the donation for her sister, that willingness should not be a condition for suspending the sentence. Haley Barbour’s decision making process isn’t at all surprising. He recently made headlines when he fondly reminisced about the old days of segregation. “I just don’t remember it as being that bad.” Those days weren’t bad for Barbour and other white Mississippians, but that state was dragged kicking and screaming away from upholding terror and legally sanctioned oppression against its black residents

Saudi Arabia 'detains' Israeli vulture for spying

Griffon Vultures can soar at up to 11,000 metres (36,100 ft) above sea level. A perfect vantage point?

 

Saudi Arabian officials have "detained" a vulture on accusations of being a spy for Israel, media reports say.

The griffon vulture was carrying a GPS transmitter bearing the name of Tel Aviv University, prompting rumours it was part of a Zionist plot.
Israeli wildlife officials dismissed the claims as ludicrous and expressed concern about the bird's fate.

Last month, Egyptian officials implied the Israeli spy agency Mossad was to blame for shark attacks off its coast.

The vulture, which can have a wing span of up to 265cm (8ft 8in), was caught after it landed in the desert city of Hyaal a few days ago.

When locals discovered the GPS transmitter, they suspected the worst and handed it over to the security forces, said Israel's Ma'ariv newspaper.

Conspiracy theories quickly began circulating in Saudi newspapers and on websites that the bird was involved in espionage.
'Terrible price'
Israeli officials told Ma'ariv they were "stunned" by the allegations and concerned that the bird could meet a horrible punishment in the notoriously severe Saudi justice system.

I hope they release the poor thing”

End Quote Unnamed official Israeli Park and Nature Authority

"The device does nothing more than receive and store basic data about the bird's whereabouts, and about his altitude and speed," a bird specialist at Israel's Park and Nature Authority told the newspaper.

The data would be used to improve understanding of the endangered species' behaviour.
"Now, this poor bird is paying a terrible price. That's very sad," said the unnamed expert.
"I hope they release the poor thing."
The vulture is the latest animal to be accused of being an unwitting Mossad operative.
In December, the governor of Egypt's South Sinai province, Mohamed Abdul Fadil Shousha, suggested the spy agency may have had a hand in a string of deadly shark attacks off the coast of the Sharm el-Sheikh resort.
He said it was "not out of the question" that Mossad had put the killer shark in the area.
The Israeli foreign ministry dismissed that allegation, saying the governor "must have seen Jaws one time too many, and confuses fact and fiction

Bodyguard Presents Disturbing Evidence In MJ Murder Hearing

 

As the preliminary hearing against Dr. Conrad Murray for the murder of Michael Jackson gets underway, terrible and telling details about the day Michael died are coming to light.
This afternoon, Alberto Alvarez, one of MJ's bodyguards, took the stand and recalled what he saw the day Michael was pronounced dead. Alberto told the court that he was the first security guard to enter Michael's room and recounted his fear when finding Michael frozen, with his eyes and mouth opened.
He then reveals that upon entering the room, Dr. Murray handed him a plastic bag filled with vials and pills and instructed him to put it in a canvas bag. He was then handed a intravenous bag from Dr. Murray, which he was told to put into another sack.
At this point in his tearful testimony, he was asked by the prosecution if 911 had been called. Alberto answered, "no." He then recounted the moment Michael's children came into the room to find their father in this state. Alberto explained:

"Paris screamed, 'Daddy!' and she started to cry. Dr. Murray said, 'Get them out. Don't let them see him like this.'"

After Alberto calmed the children and escorted them out of the room, he returned to see Dr. Murray handling both the canvas bags and asking him to finally call an ambulance. After reviewing the 911 call. Alberto explained how he attempted to give Michael CPR, handling the chest compressions as Dr. Murray gave mouth-to-mouth. When Deputy District Attorney David Walgren asked Alberto if Michael seemed dead or alive at this point, the bodyguard replied, "Dead, sir."
Ugh! Such a horrible thing to have to live through! And those kids, Michael's poor children. How horrifying that must have been for them.
So far, the prosecution has given outstanding evidence to suggest Dr. Murray's guilt. The whole thing with the bags sounds suspicious to us, as we're sure it did with the judge.
No doubt this is going to trial, as well it should.

Some of Bomb blast victim in Abuja

Bomb blast victim in Abuja 

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