My services are still available – Boko Haram Negotiator, Ahmad Salkida

My services are still available – Boko Haram Negotiator, Ahmad Salkida.

 

 

According to Punch: Northern-born journalist widely reported to have strong ties with the Boko Haram sect, Ahmad Salkida, has said that he is still readily available to render his services to bring an end to the insurgency in the country. Salkida was said to be close to the late Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, as well as many top shots of the group.

He had since fled to the United Arab Emirates on account of an alleged threat to his life over what he described as his “professional closeness” to the insurgents.

“My first-rate exclusive reports on the insurgency in northern Nigeria served by the Boko Haram militant group unsettled a section of the local authorities. This consequently led to threats to my life. I now live with my family and work part-time in the United Arab Emirates,” a post on his LinkedIn page read.

But, writing on Twitter, Salkida stated that despite being “gagged for doing his work dutifully and lawfully,” he is still willing to make use of his “rare” working relationship with members of the sect to restore peace to northern Nigeria.

According to him, terrorism as seen today in the country is a tactic used by “a few extremists” against an overwhelmingly peaceful population.

“There is nothing wrong in having professional access to insurgents as long as it is used to save lives and promote peaceful co-existence. I will forever be readily available to use my rare professional access and knowledge to end this madness and senseless violence in Nigeria.

“Speculations should not becloud the fact that there are many well-meaning patriots, including myself, that are working quietly day and night for peace. Nigeria is our country. We have no other country to call our own. So let’s get it right. I love Nigeria, I cherish its unity. I will do anything legitimately to make it better than it is, if I can,” he wrote on his Twitter feed.

The 40-year-old who grew up in Maiduguri, Borno State added that the most effective way the Federal Government can fight terrorism was to “study those behind it and review what strategy works and what doesn’t work.”

He also urged Nigerians to unite against the Boko Haram insurgency by not seeing it as a menace ravaging the northern Nigeria but a threat to the entire country. Calling on Nigerians to render “unconditional support” to the military, he counselled the armed forces to endeavour to be “more accountable” in the ongoing war against the insurgents.

Salkida frowned on summary killing of Boko Haram detainees, saying the development amounted to extrajudicial executions opposed by international laws. “Is there a good understanding of the structure, composition and lifeline of the Boko Haram by our leaders? Has there been a counter-terrorism strategy in Nigeria that has worked in the last three years beyond summary execution and detention without trial?

“Will the Boko Haram crisis end? It may never be totally eliminated, but a cohesive community that trusts its authorities can curb it. The day we begin to see this war as a threat to Nigeria and not a threat to the Beroms, Christians or Muslims, that is the beginning of our victory,” he added. Confronting terrorism, he argued, would be futile if the Federal Government does not move to confront “lesser evils” which he reeled out as corruption, electoral fraud and bad governance.

The journalist, who has won grants from organisations such as the Committee to Protect Journalist and Reporters without Borders, carpeted President Goodluck Jonathan for blaming the opposition for terrorism.

“I’m frustrated each time my dear President blames the opposition and the opposition blames him. You all need to sit down in the interest of Nigeria and learn. How can this crisis stop when security and political leaders, with the onus of responsibility for public safety, politicise insurgency?

“This is a case of corrosive doctrine that is poorly managed by the authorities. If effective measures are not taken today, at the end of GEJ’s administration – whether it is General Muhammodu Buhari, (Babatunde) Fashola or Atiku (Abubakar) that is taking over – the crisis will intensify. It’s not who is in power.The central theme of the Boko Haram insurgency is to undermine the institution of democracy and those that support it,” he added in a series of tweets.

Boko Haram Attacks Nigerian Military Base, Police Station | Kills 40 Soldiers, Policemen In Yobe.

Boko Haram Attacks Nigerian Military Base, Police Station | Kills 40 Soldiers, Policemen In Yobe.

 

According to Punch: Boko Haram insurgents continued their rampage on Monday night, killing 49 security operatives and civilians in two communities in Yobe and Borno states.

In the attack on Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, they left 20 soldiers and 20 policemen dead while in   Chinene, Gwoza LGA of Borno State, they cut the lives of nine civilians short.

The Divisional Police Officer   and the Divisional Crime Officer of the Police Station in Bunu Yadi were believed to be among the victims of the attack by the insurgents who stormed the town with an Armoured Personnel Carrier and Toyota Hilux vans. Residents said the attackers dressed in camouflage and   hoisted Boko Haram’s flag on the APC and the vans.

They said   the gunmen, on arrival moved straight to the military formation in the town from where they launched the attack which lasted over two hours. The attackers were said to have set the military formation, LG secretariat, the divisional police station, the area court, the district head’s residence and office as well as some residential quarters ablaze.

The palace of the Emir, Alhaji Muktar Gangaran, was also vandalised by the insurgents during the attack, the third on Buni Yadi this year. One of the residents, who declined to give his name said, “We counted up to 20 dead soldiers and 20 policemen when the attackers left our village after operating for almost two hours. “They overpowered the   security operatives on duty and also burnt the military base and police station in the town .”

Another resident, Mallam Modibbo Kawu, said the insurgents told them not to be scared because they were on reprisal against the military. “They told us not to be afraid because they were in Buni Yadi on a reprisal against   the military for attacking them in Alagarno last week,” he said.

“I can confirm to you that several police, soldiers and mobile policemen were killed. Their corpses were taken to the Damaturu Specialist Hospital,” he said. But military sources, who asked not to be named, claimed that 14 soldiers and 11 policemen lost their lives. They regretted that the attack claimed the lives of many of their colleagues.

Reuters’ account of the attack had it that 24 security personnel lost their lives. It quoted security sources and civilian witness as saying   that the   attack occurred not far from where the insurgents shot or burned to death 59 pupils at a boarding school in February.

The spokesman for the military in Yobe State, Lt. Eli Lazarus, could not be reached for comment on the attack. The state commissioner of police Mr. Markus K. Danladi, who visited the scene, said he could not give the casualty figure because he was still getting the details. In Chinene, the insurgents killed nine civilians, and set ablaze churches and residential buildings. They were said to have hoisted their flag on some structures in Ashigashiya ward in the community, thus depicting its conquest.

According to sources, many people sustained serious bullet wounds while   others were forced to take refuge in nearby bushes and surrounding hills. An LG   official, Nglamuda Ibrahim, who spoke to journalists in Maiduguri, said many of his extended family members and friends displaced in the attack had been calling for assistance since Monday night.

Ibrahim said, “As we speak now, I am still receiving distress calls from them; they are all calling for help. No soldier and no policeman   had gone there yet.’’

“The Boko Haram gunmen mounted their flags in Ashigashiya ward   showing that it was now under their control.

“Last night, six churches were burnt, eight persons were killed   and several others seriously injured. We cannot count the number of houses that were burnt in Chinene village of Chikide-Joghode-Kaghum ward.

“The insurgents also attacked Amuda village in Chikide-Joghode-Kaghum ward where one person was killed and several others injured.

“All we are doing now is calling on the military authorities in the state to quickly go up there and help us rescue those poor villagers, their wives and children.”

He listed the names of some of those killed in Chinene village as Bulama Dajiba, Bulama John, Haruna Wadda, Bitrus Kurma, Haruna Kwatha, Haruna Waruda, and Shaibu Galva. A top security officer, who did not want his name in print, said, “We all have received the report from Chinene village. It was really another sad episode and we learnt that the insurgents hoisted their flag in Ashigashiya.” The Police Public Relations Officer,   Gideon Jubrin, could not be reached as all his telephone lines were switched off. Meanwhile, former president Olusegun Obasanjo has met with people close to Boko Haram in an attempt to secure the release of the   schoolgirls kidnapped in Chibok by the sect.

The meeting which took place last weekend at Obasanjo’s farm in   Ogun State, had   the   relatives of some senior Boko Haram fighters and intermediaries in attendance, Agence France Presse quoted a source on Tuesday as saying .

“The meeting was focused on how to free the girls through negotiation,” said the source who requested anonymity.

Obasanjo had previously sought to negotiate with the insurgents after Boko Haram bombed the United Nations headquarters in Abuja. Then, he flew to   Maiduguri to meet relatives of former Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf, who was killed in police custody in 2009. The 2011 talks did not help stem the violence and some at the time doubted if Obasanjo was dealing with people who were legitimately capable of negotiating a ceasefire.

A source told AFP that Obasanjo had voiced concern about Nigeria’s acceptance of foreign military personnel to help rescue the girls. He was quoted to have said he was worried that Nigeria’s prestige in Africa as a major continental power had been diminished by President Goodluck Jonathan’s decision to bring in Western military help, including from the United States.

Mustapha Zanna, the lawyer who helped organise Obasanjo’s 2011 talks with Boko Haram, said he was at the former President’s home on Saturday. But he declined to discuss whether the Chibok abductions were on the agenda.

“I was there,” he told AFP, adding that Obasanjo was interested in helping orphans and vulnerable children in   troubled North-East.

It was not clear if Obasanjo’s weekend meeting had been sanctioned by the government.

According to a source, Obasanjo supported a prisoner-for-hostage swap that would see the abducted girls released in exchange for a group of Boko Haram fighters. Meanwhile, Cameroon has deployed some 1,000 troops and Armoured Personnel Carriers in its border region with Nigeria to counter a rising threat from Boko Haram.

“Their mission will be to carry out reconnaissance and be ready to respond with enough fire power,” Cameroon’s Army spokesman, Lt.Col. Didier Badjeck, told Reuters by telephone from Yaounde on Tuesday. Boko Haram, which outraged international opinion with the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State on April 14,   has also carried out attacks in northern Cameroon.

8 Beers That You Should Stop Drinking Immediately.

Here are the 8 beers that are commonly found in bars in World that you should stop drinking immediately.

Many of us choose what we eat very carefully, or at least dedicate our minimum attention to it. But when it comes to drinks, especially alcoholic beverages, we do little to make the best decisions for our health. Which is a HUGE mistake. All the work for your body can be ruined in a weekend out. While foods and non alcoholic beverages are required to list their ingredients and are monitored by the FDA, beer does not belong in either. Alcohol industry had lobbied for years to avoid labeling its ingredients. Some to protect its recipes, but most – to hide harmful ingredients.

Here’s some harmful ingredients that are commonly found in beer:

• GMO Corn Syrup
• GMO Corn
• High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Fish Bladder
• Propylene Glycol
• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
• Natural Flavors
• GMO Sugars
• Caramel Coloring
• Insect-Based Dyes
• Carrageenan
• BPA
• & lots more!

1. Newcastle Brown Ale

The Newcastle beer has been found to contain caramel coloring. Class 3 and 4 caramel coloring is made from ammonia, which is classified as a carcinogen. While alcohol is a carcinogen itself, drinking it in moderation may decrease your chances at developing cancer. However, more added carcinogens will have the opposite effect. “The one and only” beer with extra cancer causing qualities.

2. Budweiser

   

One of the most popular beers, or most advertised is Budweiser. Budweiser contains genetically modified (GMO) corn. In 2007, Greenpeace discovered experimental GMO rice in Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser) beer.

3. Corona Extra

I used to love Corona’s commercials. They were so peaceful and relaxing. That is until I found out that the beer contains GMO Corn Syrup and Propylene Glycol. Propylene Glycol is controversial, and is said to may be potentially harmful to your health.

4. Miller Lite

This is another very popular beer in America that contains GMOs. Miller Lite contains GMO corn and corn syrup. It’s “GMO time”.

5. Michelob Ultra

 

Less popular but still readily available Michelob beer, should be eliminated from your choices. This beer has been found to contain a genetically modified sweetener (GMO dextrose).

6. Guinness

Guinness is often praised for it’s smoothness.  However, several investigations proved that Guinness ingredients are quite disturbing. The beer contains isinglass, an ingredient which comes from fish bladder and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup has been long banned from many stores and drinks.

Update: Good news! We’ve contacted Guinness and they have stated that they no longer use high fructose corn syrup in any of their beers.

7. Coors Light

Coors light is a drink that is very popular at bars and among college students.  Mostly because its cheap. The beer contains GMO corn syrup.

8. Pabst Blue Ribbon

Pabst Blue Ribbon contains GMO corn and GMO corn syrup.

Healthy Beer Alternatives

So when it comes to beer you have to be very careful. Your best option is to find a microbrewery that you can trust. As with everything, try to avoid cheap, low-quality products. Bars may offer Coors Light, Miller Lite or Budweiser specials, but they are cheap for a reason. The rest of the world is banning GMOs everywhere, while USA is lagging years behind, and only several states offer GMO labeling laws. Try to stay away from any American beers. Choose organic beer. Beers that contain 100% organic labels, have to have ingredients that are all 100% organic. While an “organic” label just means 95% of it will be organic.  European beer is most likely to be safe from GMO ingredients but unfortunately, most other beer contains GMO artificial ingredients, stabilizers, grains and preservatives, plus, HFCS.

GMO Free Beers:

Organic Beers (Unpasteurized & Unfiltered) 

• Wolaver’s – all beers
• Lamar Street – Whole Foods label (brewed by Goose Island)
• Bison – all beers
• Dogfish Head (organic when ingredients available)
• Fish Brewery Company – Fish Tale Ales
• Lakefront Brewery – Organic ESB
• Brooklyn – (organic when ingredients are available)
• Pinkus – all beers
• Samuel Smiths – Samuel Smiths Organic Ale
• Wychwood – Scarecrow Ale

Non-Organic Beers (Unpasteurized & Unfiltered)

• Sierra Nevada – all choices
• Duck Rabbit – Brown Ale, Porter, Amber Ale, Milk Stout
• Dogfish Head- 60 Minute IPA, Shelter Pale Ale, Chicory Stout
• Shipyard – Summer Brew
• Victory Brewery – Whirlwind
• North Coast – Blue Star
• Bridgeport – IPA (Bottle conditioned)
• Ayinger – all choices
• Royal Oak – Pale Ale
• Fraziskaner – Hefeweisse and Dunkel Weisse
• Weihenstephaner – Hefe Weissbier
• Maisel’s – Weisse
• Hoegaarden – Belgian Wit

Other

• Heineken
• Steamwhistle
• Amstel Light
• Duchy Original Ale Organic
• Mill Street Brewery
• Fuller’s Organic
• Nelson Organic Ale
• Natureland Organic

Share This with Fellow Beer Drinkers

It’s important to expose companies that use harmful ingredients in our products. This information is hidden from the public with millions of dollars of false advertising, laws, etc. You can always vote with your money. As this information about GMO beers spreads, we will see a decrease in production of these beers and the companies may eliminate the harmful ingredients altogether. Most importantly, when you hang out with your friends, you will be able to share beer that’s more delicious and healthier.

If you have any additional information about GMO or non-gmo beers, or want to correct some of the information, simply e-mail us or leave a comment with evidence bellow.

Stop abusing my husband, Patience Jonathan a.k.a Mama Peace tells Nigerians.

Stop abusing my husband, Patience Jonathan a.k.a Mama Peace tells Nigerians.

 

 

 

According to Punch: Wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, on Tuesday advised Nigerians to desist from abusing her husband because God Himself made him the head of the nation. Patience gave the advice while addressing children at an event she organised to mark the 2014 Children’s Day at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The children used the occasion to send letters of protest to the Boko Haram sect and President Goodluck Jonathan on the need to release the abducted girls. The letters were given to Mrs. Jonathan for onward delivery to her husband and members of the sect.

The President’s wife however said since she did not know members of the sect, she would forward the children’s letters to the National Security Adviser or the Chief of Defence Staff.

“Let me thank the children that gave me a letter to give Boko Haram. Well, I have received your letter, but I am not the one to give it to Boko Haram because I don’t know Boko Haram and I have never seen Boko Haram. But I will give it to the NSS or the Chief of Defence Staff who will submit your letter accordingly.

“To my children, thank you for your letter. Thank you for your deliberation. I have received what you gave to me. I will make sure I pass it to the President because it is addressed to him and the other one is addressed to Boko Haram. That is why the two are different,” she added.

Earlier, Patience had told the children that God’s instruction to mankind to honour their parents was not limited to their biological parents only.

She said, “It is bad to abuse our country and the President because God has made him the head. “The Almighty God commands us to pray for our leaders. We therefore need to pray for the development of our country and the President.

“Remember that a child that abuses his father and mother is disobeying God’s commandment because the Bible says in Exodus 20:12 that you should honour your father and mother so that you may live long in the land that the Lord your God has given you.”

She assured the children and adults who attended the event that the Federal Government was doing all within its powers to secure the release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted from Chibok, Borno State. While calling on Nigerians to be united in the fight against terrorism, Patience also advised that citizens should learn to encourage soldiers who are at the forefront of the terrorism war.

“It is the right of every child to go to school. It is only through education that you can be able to achieve your dreams and contribute meaningfully to your community and the nation. “We desire peace in our community and in our nation. I want you all to be ambassadors of peace in your schools and practise good manners. We have no other country than Nigeria.

“We therefore need to be patriotic and committed to our dear country. We should strengthen our covenant with our country as outlined in the National Pledge. “Let us therefore be united in fighting terrorism. We should encourage our soldiers who are in the frontline to rescue our beloved daughters,” she said.

Bisi Ibidapo-Obe Travels To Stock ‘Personal Pleasure Toys’ Store.

Bisi Ibidapo-Obe Travels To Stock ‘Personal Pleasure Toys’ Store.

 

 

 

Business seems to be booming for Nigerian actress, Bisi Ibidapo–Obe who recently opened her adult toy business brand in Magodo, Lagos called ‘Bio Lingerie’, as she has travelled to refill the new store.
 

The mother of one, who is involved in the wholesale and retail of her personal pleasure objects, left with few of her friends for the trip. From what an insider disclosed, her products costs from N3000 upwards and come in different shapes, sizes and colours, just as the underpants.

24-Year-Old Final College Student, Egwedo Josiah Shot Dead By Suspected Cultists (PHOTO).

24-Year-Old Final College Student, Egwedo Josiah Shot Dead By Suspected Cultists (PHOTO).

According to Punch: Some suspected cult members have killed a final year student of the Michael Otedola College of Education Epe, Lagos, Egwedo Josiah. The cultists, said to belong to the Eiye Confraternity, reportedly shot the 24-year-old while he was returning to his hostel after buying a pack of noodles.

Our correspondent learnt that the Delta State indigene was killed for allegedly abusing the leader of the gang sometime ago. It was gathered that on the fateful day, the cultists waylaid him around 8pm. He was said to have been taken to a dark spot on the campus, while the leader of the gang, one Segun Perry, asked him to open his mouth. Perry was said to have inserted a locally-made gun into Josiah’s mouth and fired a shot which killed him.

PUNCH Metro learnt that after the Epe Police Division was alerted to the incident, investigations led to the arrest of a student of the institution, 21-year-old Segun Adebayo, and a bricklayer, Azeez Tondunmo. The suspects were said to have been members of the killer squad of the gang who carried out the operation.

However, the key suspect and leader of the gang, who is on the run, had been declared wanted by the police authorities. Segun and Adebayo were arraigned before an Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court on three counts of murder and belonging to an unlawful society. The police prosecutor, Corporal Cyriacus Osuji told the court that the offence was contrary to sections 231, 221 and 42 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.

Osuji asked the court to remand the defendants in prison pending the release of legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions. He said, “We apply for the remand of the defendants in prison pursuant to Section 264 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011. The defendants, it must be noted, have already confessed to the crime.”

The defence counsel, F.S. Oladele and Imelda Adebambo, objected to the remand application. The magistrate, E.O. Ogunkanmi, upheld Osuji’s application, adding that the two suspects be remanded in prison for the first 30 days permitted by law while awaiting the outcome of the DPP’s advice. The matter was adjourned till June 23 for legal advice.

Obasanjo Moves To Free Abducted Chibok Girls, Establishes Contact With Boko Haram’s Lawyer.

Obasanjo Moves To Free Abducted Chibok Girls, Establishes Contact With Boko Haram’s Lawyer.

 

 

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a move to free the more than 200 girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram sect from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.

Obasanjo, who confirmed this to Vanguard last night, however, dismissed reports credited to a foreign news agency that he held talks with representatives of the sect in his Ota farm last weekend.

He nevertheless confirmed that he was set to open explorative talks with the Islamic sect, having re-established contacts with a lawyer who mediated his discussion with the sect three years ago. Chief Obasanjo, however, regretted that efforts he made to end the insurgency at that time came to nought after President Goodluck Jonathan dismissed the conditions and capacities of the group.

President Jonathan’s dismissal of the group’s capacities, he said, was despite the willingness of Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State to do all that was required by the sect for peace to reign.

Obasanjo, who has been globally acclaimed for his role in peace mediation especially among troubled African countries also played down claims that the insurgency would not have reared its head were he in power.

The foreign news agency had reported, yesterday, that Obasanjo held talks with representatives of the insurgents in his farm at Ota, Ogun State last weekend.

Asked to confirm the veracity of the report yesterday, the former president said: “Three years ago I tried to reach out to Boko Haram to find out what their problem was and if there was a leader one could talk to.

“I got a lawyer who provided the link between members of the group and I. They told me what the government should do to stop insurgency.”

He said that he subsequently passed on the conditions set by the insurgents to Governor Shettima who pledged his willingness to do all and more of what the insurgents required.

“He told me he was willing to do all that was stipulated and even more, but that his fear was that once he implemented those conditions he would be accused by the president and his people of being a member of Boko Haram,” Obasanjo quoted the governor to have said after the initial talks three years ago.

The former president, however, did not disclose the conditions laid down by the insurgents.

The former president said that following his discussions with the governor of Borno State that he followed up by briefing President Jonathan who he claimed, played down the capacities and conditions laid down by the insurgents.

He said that at that point he withdrew as he lacked the executive powers to proceed further.

Obasanjo said that given the present situation, the need to resurrect talks with the group had become expedient.

“In this instance, there are now two issues involved, the insurgency and the kidnap of the girls and I want to find out if the same lawyer would still mediate,” the former president said.

He said that having confirmed that the lawyer is alive, he had now set machinery in motion to reach out to the group towards releasing the kidnapped Chibok girls and thereafter ending the insurgency.

Asked if the insurgency would have risen to the present stage were in power, Obasanjo said: “My friend go away, go away, go away.”

Obasanjo’s secret talks is besides a secret effort by the administration to engage the Boko Haram group through three individuals reported to be close to the group.

A national newspaper, yesterday, quoted presidency sources as disclosing the enlistment of a former journalist Ahmad Salkida; a Tiv, Benue State born former adherent of the insurgent group, Aliyu Teshaku and an Australian negotiator Steve Davies to negotiate on behalf of the Federal Government.

The government’s decision to negotiate for the release of the kidnapped girls is reportedly informed by fears of a possible harm to the abductees in the event of a full scale military onslaught to effect their release.

Culled from Vanguard

Suspected Cultists Invade Benue University, Rape 20 Female Students.

Suspected Cultists Invade Benue University, Rape 20 Female Students.

 

 

 

Youths suspected to be cult members (leaders of tomorrow lolz), on Sunday, invaded the female hostel of Benue State University, Makurdi, raped and robbed the students of their valuables. No fewer than 20 female students were said to have been raped at gunpoint during the invasion.

Nigerian Tribune reliably gathered that the invaders stormed the Technical Block of female hostel about 10.00 p.m in commando manner and beat up the girls, before carting away their valuables. The armed men were said to have had a field day without disturbance by the university security operatives.

The latest incident was the third in the last one month, as it was gathered that a female student of the university was raped about a week ago by a group of young men numbering four, when she was returning from where she had gone to read around 9.00 p.m. Also, about three weeks ago, a 100-level female student was said to have been shot on campus by unknown gunmen, with her iPad, phones and cash snatched.

Following the developments, female students of the university, on Tuesday, marched in protest to the office of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Charity Angya, insisting they needed an explanation on while the attacks were directed at them.

The vice chancellor, who assured on security beef-up, also followed the protesting students into their hostel, while about seven students who were wounded in the last attack were said to have been taken to the school clinic for treatment.

Dean, Students Affairs, Professor Armstrong Adejoh, confirmed the developments, but insisted it was an internal security issue. He said the school would liaise with relevant security agencies so that surveillance would  be heightened around the hostels.

Barack Obama encourages girls to take up Science at Annual White House Science Fair.

US President Barack Obama met with students from all over the country, right from elementary to high school at the Annual White House Science Fair where he encouraged women to take up Science and Technology.

Seen here, US President Obama speaks to a group of girl scouts from Tulsa, who designed a flood-proof bridge. (Source: AP)

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The President examines the girls’ flood-proof bridge as he had a look at the different science projects 

                                   

                           
                                            on display at the 2014 White House Science Fair.

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President Barack Obama seems intrigued as he looks at a robot by John Moore (19), center, and Lydia Wolfe (18) from Chicago.

The science exhibition that took place in the Dining Room at the White House displayed projects by winners from the field of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. (Source: AP) 

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Josh Troutman and Tanner Schantz, of Bismark, N.D., demostrate the working of their vision of a future city at the Science Fair. (Source: AP)

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The President smiles widely as he posed for a group picture with students from Los Fresnon, Texas.


The students show off their creation – an app that helps visually challenged students navigate their school.

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       President Barack Obama looks serious as he speaks to Deidre Carillo (18) from San Antonio, Texas, as she sits in her electric car. The President took the initiative of launching the exhibition so as to encourage women to take up science. “There's so much talent to be tapped if we're working together,” he said at the fair.

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     Maria Hanes (19) of Santa Cruz, Calif., explains her invention to the President – cushioned football helmets. President Barack Obama called science, technology, engineering and math the "fields of the future, where the good jobs are going to be," adding: "I want America to be home for those jobs." 

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         The President also took time to play as he caught a basketball as some students showed him their basketball catapult.

           
   President Obama examines a model that demonstrates how polymers expand, as he talks with Peyton Robertson (12) of Ft. Lauderdale.

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   President Barack Obama shakes hands with the students as he congratulates them in the East Room of the White House in Washington. “We're blessed to live in a country filled with bright, eager young people who love science, love tinkering, love making things, who have the ability to see old problems and grand challenges with fresh eyes,” said the President.

Google building self-driving cars with no driver seat, steering wheels.

Google Inc. is building cars that don’t have steering wheels, accelerator pedals or brake pedals, in an ambitious expansion of the Internet company’s efforts to develop self-driving cars.
The small electric cars, which seat two passengers, are currently prototypes that Google has been building through partnerships with automotive suppliers and manufacturers, Google co-founder Sergey Brin said at the Code conference in Southern California on Tuesday.
Google aims to build up to 200 such cars in the near term and hopes the vehicles will be available in various cities within a couple of years, he said.
Google has been testing self-driving cars since 2009, incorporating laser sensors and radars into standard automobiles such as the Prius from Toyota Motor Corp and sport-utility vehicles from Toyota luxury car division Lexus.
While those vehicles require a human to remain in the driver’s seat and to take over in certain situations, the new cars operate completely autonomously.
Brin said the cars could operate as a service, picking up passengers when summoned, and potentially even operate as fleets of interconnected “trains”.
“Ten seconds after getting in I was doing my email, I had forgotten I was there,” Brin said of his experience riding in one of the pod-like vehicles, which resemble a cross between a Smart car and Volkswagen Beetle. “It ultimately reminded me of catching a chairlift.”
Brin declined to specify whether Google intended to build and sell the cars itself, saying only that the company would “work with partners”.
The driverless cars are currently limited to a maximum speed of 25 miles (40 km) an hour, but Brin said there was no reason the cars could not go as fast as 100 miles an hour or more once they had been proven to be safe.
The front of the cars contain about 2 feet (61 cm) of foam and the windshield is made out of plastic instead of glass to make the cars safer, he said.
“Within a couple of years I hope we will surpass the safety metrics we’ve put in place, which is to be significantly safer than a human driver, and we will start testing them without drivers and hopefully you’ll be able to utilize them at some limited cities,” Brin said.
A handful of U.S. states, including California and Nevada, have passed legislation to allow testing of self-driving cars on public roads. Brin said he was optimistic that the new, passenger-only self-driving cars would be approved for testing in the U.S. and overseas in the future.

‘Mannequin’ director Michael Gottlieb dies.

‘Mannequin’ director Michael Gottlieb dies.

 

Michael Gottlieb, who was behind classic big-screen comedies like ‘Mannequin’ and ‘Mr Nanny’, has passed away in a motorcycle accident. He was 69.

The filmmaker died on May 23 due to the injuries suffered from a motorcycle accident on the Angeles Forest Highway north of La Canada Flintridge, said The Hollywood Reporter.
Raised in New York, Gottlieb began his career as an assistant on film and photo shoots and found success as a fashion photographer.

That led to him becoming an award-winning commercial director and cinematographer.

In addition to helming and penning ‘Mannequin’, which starred Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall, and the Hulk Hogan-starring ‘Mr Nanny’, Gottlieb directed ‘The Shrimp on the Barbie’, with Cheech Marin and Emma Samms, and Disney’s ‘A Kid in King Arthur’s Court’, starring Thomas Ian Nicholas.
Gottlieb also produced several popular video game titles from 1995 through 2005, including Midway Arcade Treasures 3, Fire Blade, Mortal Kombat: Special Forces, Muppet Monster Adventure, Paperboy and Mortal Kombat 4, among others.
He is survived by his daughters Sarah, Grace and Julia.

Sandra Bullock to receive ‘Decade of Hotness’ award.

Sandra Bullock to receive ‘Decade of Hotness’ award.

 

 

 

‘Gravity’ star Sandra Bullock is all set to be honoured with a ‘Decade of Hotness’ award.
The 49-year-old actress, who will be honoured at the 2014 Guys Choice Awards conducted by Spike TV, has joined the likes of past winners Halle Berry, Charlize Theron and Jennifer Aniston, reported People magazine.

  “We’ve been courting Sandra so long for this award that she was eventually going to say yes or take out a restraining order,” Viacom Entertainment Group’s Casey Patterson said.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to be honouring Sandra Bullock with our Decade of Hotness award. She is as ridiculously talented as she is beautiful and our audience adores her,” he added.
Bullock will receive the award alongside Emily Ratajkowski, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and many more at the Guys Choice Awards, which is slated to take place on June 7.

Angelina Jolie’s a fun hero-villain in ‘Maleficent’

Angelina Jolie’s a fun hero-villain in ‘Maleficent’

 

 "Maleficent,'' tells us that one of the most evil characters in vulnerable and misunderstood.

Summary

"Maleficent,'' tells us that one of the most evil characters in vulnerable and misunderstood.

 

 

 

Angelina Jolie scared kids in Maleficent costume

Photographer names Angelina Jolie as lone modern beauty icon.

Maybe it’s too soon to say the tide has shifted definitively. But it’s certainly been a unique time for fairy-tale villains.
After hundreds of years of moral clarity, suddenly we’re getting a new look at these evil creatures, who are actually turning out to be complex beings, and not that bad at all. Really, they’ve just been misunderstood. (And, by the way, those charming princes? Highly overrated.)
The most obvious recent example is “Frozen,” the animated Disney blockbuster that showed us how the Snow Queen, long portrayed as an icy-hearted villain, was actually a tragic victim of circumstance, with a pure and loving heart. And now we have “Maleficent,” which tells us that one of the most evil characters in all of pop culture is equally vulnerable and misunderstood.
Plus, she’s gorgeous. Duh. She’s Angelina Jolie.

All this is a rather seismic development in fairytale-dom. There are numerous versions of “Sleeping Beauty,” stemming back even before Charles Perrault’s from 1697, but the fairy who casts an angry spell on the baby princess, dooming her to prick her finger, has always been, well, just nasty.
But now, 55 years after Disney introduced the character named Maleficent in its 1959 classic film_ and colored her skin an eerie green – the studio is back with a live-action (not to mention 3D) Maleficent who’s more superheroine than evil fairy. Think Maleficent by way of Lara Croft.
And though Maleficent is no longer green-skinned, it’s hard not to think of another green-skinned villainess who’s also been rehabilitated, by means of the durable Broadway hit “Wicked”: the witch Elphaba from “The Wizard of Oz,” who, it turns out, we just didn’t know enough about.
And so it is in “Maleficent,” in which director Robert Stromberg and screenwriter Linda Woolverton take us back to the fairy’s youth to better understand her. She’s a plucky young thing with lovely wings and bright pink lipstick, which will turn blood-red when she becomes an adult (the fairy world clearly isn’t lacking for cosmetics.)
One day she meets a young man from that other, darker world, where humans live. The two form a strong bond. But the ugliest human emotions – jealousy and ambition – will intervene. Young Stefan will grow into the power-hungry older Stefan (the wild-eyed South African actor Sharlto Copley.) And his stunning betrayal of Maleficent will instantly harden her, turning her into the villainess we recognize.

Alas, the story’s still all about a guy, in the end. But we digress.
“Maleficent” is surely targeted to the same audience – young and female – which has so lovingly embraced “Frozen” and its appealing message of female solidarity and empowerment. But “Frozen” felt clever, charming, and fresh. “Maleficent,” less so.

There can be only one Kareena Kapoor: Karan Johar.

 

 

 

Filmmaker Karan Johar today said that actress Kareena Kapoor Khan has set the bar high in film industry by sheer magnitude of her work.
“I think there can be only one Kareena. I am extremely close to her. I love her for what she is on celluloid and as a person. She has that certain spunk, energy in her. Kareena has a tremendous body of work and has set the bar high and it is not fair to compare (her) with anyone,” Karan told reporters at a function here.
There have been comparisons between Kareena and newcomer Alia Bhatt for quite some time.
Alia is playing a Kareena Kapoor fan in Karan’s upcoming film ‘Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania’.
In the trailer of the movie launched here, Alia is seen saying to her relatives, “Main shaadi karoongi to Kareena wala designer lehenga pehen kar..’ (I will marry wearing the designer lehenga worn by Kareena).
“Alia is new and I am sure she will work hard and go her way up and be known as Alia Bhatt than anyone else,” the filmmaker said.
In tune with the title of the film, ‘Humpty Sharma..’, lead actors Varun and Alia unveiled the trailer with zest and funny act in which Varun came in a ‘doli’ (palanquin) looking for his bride and Alia coming dancing with revellers.
“It (‘Humpty Sharma…’) is a filmy love story. We all talk about how our love stories are different. This film is different from ’2 States’,” Alia said.
Varun and Alia, who made their debut with ‘Student Of The Year’ are known to share a sizzling chemistry on and off screen. But Alia denied reports of the two of them dating each other.
She was also linked to Arjun Kapoor, her co-star from her latest release ’2 States’ and now again reports of Varun and Alia are making news.
On her link-ups, Alia said, “What to do? May be in my next film, I will be linked to other actor. But there is no truth in it (link-ups)”.
The film also starring popular TV actor Siddarth Shukla is releasing on July 11.
Shukla, of ‘Balika Vadhu’-fame, thanked producer Karan Johar and director Shashank Khaitan for giving him the break.
“I had a wonderful experience working on the film and it is a big thing to come from TV to films,” Shukla said.
Varun revealed on the occasion that Siddharth has more fan following than anyone of them. “He has an incredible fan following among every age group including (among) auntys, kids etc. We are trying to use that for the film,” Varun said.