Sister: Mother who drove with children into ocean thought there were 'demons'

CNN reported that, -- She was trying to get help for her sister.

Help for a woman who was distraught and uneven, having driven to Florida to get away from her husband. Who had gone, at her sister's urging, to a hospital only to sign herself out earlier in the day. A woman who was "talking about Jesus and that there's demons in my house," her sister said on a 911 call.

"I'm trying to control her," the sister said, expressing worry about her sister's three children. "... I'm trying to keep them safe."

At first, the plea appeared to pay off: Police caught up to the woman -- later identified as Ebony Wilkerson -- after she sped away from her sister's Daytona Beach apartment. An officer questioned her as her three children sat in the Honda Odyssey's backseat, smiling and seemingly calm. Wilkerson explained that she feared for her safety, worried that her estranged husband would harm them.

Mom charged after driving into ocean

 

Why would a mother try to kill her kids?

 

Sister's 911 plea for ocean crash mom

 

Warning signs in Ebony Wilkerson case

According to a Daytona Beach Police report, the officer believed she might have a mental illness. Despite these concerns, the officer talked to a detective also at the scene and let her go on her way, concluding she couldn't be held under a Florida law that allows for detention of people believed to be impaired by mental illness and who possibly pose a risk of harm.

Almost two hours later Tuesday, Wilkerson drove her black minivan -- with the three kids still inside -- into the surf of the Atlantic Ocean.

Tim Tesseneer was driving along Daytona Beach on Tuesday with his wife when they noticed the minivan driving through shallow water. They heard the screams, he said, of two children, who were crying and waving for help out of one of the rear windows.

Tesseneer threw the car in park and raced over to help. One child was screaming, Tesseneer recalled Wednesday to CNN's Piers Morgan. "'Please help us, our mom is trying to kill us.'"

The other child he could see was wrestling a woman for the steering wheel. But the woman just kept saying, "'We're OK. We're OK. We're OK,'" as another man joined Tesseneer trying to get the driver to stop.

With the minivan in the cold, heavy surf of the Atlantic, the second man, Stacy Robinson, opened a door and pulled out the two panicked children. There was a good chance if he and Tesseneer hadn't been there, the children, ages 10 and 9, would have drowned inside the van as it pitched in the water, officials said.

Another child, a 3-year-old girl, was strapped in a car seat. A lifeguard dived in through a front window and unbuckled the child and handed her to another lifeguard as the vehicle bobbed in water about 3 feet deep.

Meanwhile, Wilkerson walked away quietly with a strange, almost "possessed" look on her face, witnesses said.

Not for long. Authorities quickly caught up to her. And on Friday she was officially arrested on three counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson.

Given what authorities have said since Tuesday's incident, the charges hardly come as a surprise. Still, as more details come out -- like the sister's 911 call and the charging affidavit -- they paint an ever more disturbing picture, especially for Wilkerson's children.

For evidence of their ordeal, one need only listen to what all three continuously uttered when officers caught up with them at Halifax Health Medical Center.

"Mom tried to kill us."

Mom said: 'I am keeping all of us safe'

The story begins in South Carolina, where Wilkerson and her children had been until she made the decision to leave the state, to leave her husband behind. Her children later detailed the fractured relationship between their parents, as well as the time her son got into trouble after speaking to authorities probing a domestic situation there.

"She came down to me for protection," Wilkerson's sister explained in her 911 call, of the quartet coming to the eastern Florida coast.

Wilkerson's sister was especially concerned about protecting the three children. Wilkerson's fragile mental state led her to call police to ask for a well-being check "because she's ... having psychosis or something or postpartum."

The sister explained they'd gone to the hospital Monday, only to have a pregnant Wilkerson check herself out the next day even though "she's still not all there." And she'd taken away the minivan's keys so her sister couldn't drive away with her children.

Or so she thought.

However she did it, Wilkerson drove off as her sister talked with police.

That was followed by the initial encounter with the officer and detective, then later the incident on Daytona Beach.

The children later told investigators that their mother told them "to close their eyes and go to sleep." As they screamed as the minivan went into the water, she insisted she was taking them to a better place, saying repeatedly: "I am keeping all of us safe."

After their rescue, Wilkerson herself talked to authorities. "She seemed confused and jumped from one religious topic to another," states the charging affidavit.

Wilkerson explained at one point that she'd been driving "too close to the water (when) the waves pulled her in." Then, near the end of their talk, she said she did not want her husband around her children.

On Thursday night, an arrest warrant was signed for Wilkerson. And shortly after 11 a.m. -- after being released from Halifax Health -- she was arrested.

Wilkerson was being held on three counts of aggravated child abuse in addition to the first-degree murder charge, Johnson said Friday.

Her bond has been set at $1.2 million, said James Purdy, the elected public defender for the 7th Judicial Circuit of Florida. Purdy said he would seek a court hearing on that bond, which could occur in the next week or so. He said he was going to speak with Wilkerson on Saturday.

Investigators have claimed in the charging affidavit: "Ebony Wilkerson acted with premeditated design to kill her three children.

Source: CNN

Heinrich Himmler's love letters reveal private life of monster who killed six million Jews in the Holocaust.

Chilling letters to wife end with Himmler signing off "I’m off to Auschwitz. Kisses. Yours, Heini"

Evil pair: Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler

Getty

It is a simple sign-off in a love letter from husband to wife – but just a few words betray the brutal and horrific reality of the author’s day job... “I’m off to Auschwitz. Kisses. Yours, Heini.”
For Heini is Heinrich Himmler, the SS chief who ordered the extermination of six million Jews during the Second World War and grew to be one of Nazi Germany’s most feared men.
And he was off to inspect the death camp that saw more than 1.2million people slaughtered as part of the Third Reich’s Final Solution.
A newly-discovered collection of letters, diaries, notes and pictures –thought to have been lost forever – has shed light on the private life of the man who organised the Holocaust.
In his own words, Himmler reveals himself as an insecure romantic fantasist who kept his mass murder programme from those closest to him. He was happy to have millions killed, but did not want to upset wife Marga with details of the horrors committed under his command.
Himmler gives away only fragments of information about his role in the Nazi regime. Letters and photos of his trips across German-occupied Europe were sent home but the detail of what he was doing and what he experienced was not.

Family man: Himmler, his wife Marga and their loved ones

 He leaves out the horrors of his mission to track down and kill millions of Jews. And there is hardly a mention of the ghettos and extermination camps he oversaw and which were manned by his SS and police force.
Mass murderer and family man – Himmler was both. He had millions of people executed and always felt “decent” doing it, reveal the documents, which were published yesterday in the German newspaper Die Welt.
As Himmler prepared for an inspection of camps in occupied Poland in July, 1942 and a demonstration involving the gassing of several hundred innocent people, he wrote mundanely:
“In the next few days I’ll be in Lublin, Zamosc, Auschwitz, Lviv and then in the new quarters. I’m curious if and how I will be able to phone, it will probably be around 2000 kilometers to Gmund. All the best, have a nice trip and enjoy your days with our little daughter. Many warm greetings and kisses! Your Daddy.”
His favoured sign-offs to Marga were “Euer Pappi” (Your Daddy) or “Dein Heini” (Your Heini) and he would often address her as “My dear sweetheart” and “Dear Mummy”.

Father figure: Letter to one of his children signed 'Pappi' (Daddy)

 The pair met on a train from Munich to Berchtesgaden in 1927. It was around the time the 26-year-old Himmler was put in charge of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s “protection squads”, the monstrous Schutzstaffeln that would come to be known more commonly as the SS.
He and his new love shared a pathological hatred of Jewish people, the letters reveal. In early correspondence between the courting couple, their radical anti-Semitism is  stark. In the run-up to their 1928 wedding, Marga – who was seven years older than Himmler – writes of “Jewish scum” that scared her. Later she simply referred to them as scum.
Her fiance only encouraged her: “Poor Lovey, you have to deal with the miserable Jews because of money”.
When Marga sold her shares in a private clinic to the Jewish co-owner Dr Bernhard Hauschild, she wrote: “This Hauschild! A Jew will always be a Jew!”
Himmler replied: “But don’t get worked up about the Jews, dear, dear woman, if I could only help you.”
Within a decade, Himmler had grown to become one of the most sinister top Nazis and was coordinating the Hitler regime’s sick ethnic policies.
He orchestrated the attacks of November, 1938 – known as Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass – that saw Nazi stormtroopers ransack and smash Jewish homes, hospitals, schools and synagogues.
At least 91 Jews were killed in the attacks, and 30,000 were locked away in concentration camps. For many, it signalled the start of the Nazis’ Final Solution, the plan to exterminate Jews in Europe.
But even that was not enough for Marga, who wrote in her diary: “This thing with the Jews, when will this scum leave us so that we can lead a happy life?”.
As Germany marks National Holocaust Day today, Himmler’s love letters to Marga chart the rise and fall of the Third Reich before he killed himself in British custody in Lüneburg, Germany on May 23, 1945. She played the good wife to Himmler, advising him not to forget the “one can of caviar in the fridge” as Germany invaded supposed ally, the Soviet Union. Operation Barbarossa would leave four million dead yet Himmler complained: “I didn’t sleep well at all.”
And the mother to their daughter, Gudrun, stayed by his side when he fathered two more children with his mistress, Hedwig Potthast. News of the affair with Potthast, Himmler’s private secretary, is said to have hurt Marga but the SS leader justified it as “the reproductive duties of Aryan men”.
Himmler kept his first family well stocked during a war that saw Germans struggle to survive on pitiful rations. While normal Berlin households made do spending 50-100 Reichsmarks a month, according to Marga’s household accounts book she blew 500-1,300 marks, the equivalent of as much as £16,000 today.
Himmler frequently sent treats in the post with chocolate, cheese and “150 tulips from Holland” finding their way home.
During their early days together, the lovebirds frequently referred to each other as “bad” and used the word “revenge” flirtatiously.
“I am so fortunate I have a bad husband who loves his bad wife... as she loves him,” Marga wrote. “The revenge - it will be fun,” he wrote to her on January 9, 1928, while on a train to Munich. “I am nothing but revenge. Forever,” he added. “My black soul thinks about impossible things.”
“We, the thugs of the German struggle for freedom, are meant to be lonely and banished,” he wrote to her on Christmas of 1927. And on December 30 of the same year, he wrote: “I can imagine the horror waiting for us in the future, that sooner or later I will bring pain and suffering to the dearest to my heart on Earth.”
Soon after, in January of 1928, Marga called her husband, a “bad man with a hard and coarse heart”. In response, he described her as a “small woman”.
The letters, photos, memorandums - even a recipe book - of the ice-cold Himmler are believed to have been taken from his home in Bavaria by two American soldiers in 1945. They remained hidden until surfacing in the early 1980s in the hands of a Holocaust survivor who only ever hinted as to how he got them. One version saw him buy them at a flea market in Belgium while another claims Himmler’s confidant Karl Wolff sold them on.
They eventually wound up with Belgian diamond dealer David Lapa who gave them to his daughter Vanessa, a film director, whose documentary about them is out next month.
In 2011, she approached Die Welt and proposed that the material be published. In the three years since, the paper has been authenticating the letters with the help of the German Federal Archives.
The newspaper, which will publish more over the next week, wrote that Himmler’s letters “reveal a lot about the mindset of a cold-blooded, self-righteous bureaucrat, who became the mastermind and chief organiser of the Holocaust.”
He might have been Heini to his wife, but the world will remember him as a monster.

Source

Naija Hot Babe Kills Herself After Her Facebook Lover Wed Her Friend.

This is what you get these days when ladies only love men by what they can see; no true love again!  A big girl identified as Nkechi who hailed from Onitsha, Anambra State but settled in Asaba with her parents after graduation while searching for employment, got involved in Facebook Love at the centre where she was learning Computer. 

Somehow she met a rich young man online, a Nigerian. The man decided to disguised himself as a ‘cripple’ to her whenever he arrive Nigeria, but he is actually a lawyer trained in the United Kingdom...

Continue

It was gathered that after series of chats, the 'cripple' asked for her hand in marriage and Nkechi immediately accepted, not knowing that the man will disguise as a cripple to test her. After their relationship which lasted about seven months online, the young lawyer, who was identified as Henry (surname withheld), returned to Nigeria on a wheelchair.
Nkechi, accompanied by her friend, went to the airport to welcome him, but was shocked to see him on a wheelchair and when he begged her to marry him, she refused.
According to reports, Nkechi continued to refuse his proposal, despite his pleas and a visit to her house. She also did not listen to her friend. Her friend, identified as Onyinye, a fashion boutique owner, living somewhere around Infant Jesus area of Asaba, was shocked at her friend’s decision after pleading with her to reconsider her "wheel chair" lover, but Nkechi refused.
Unfortunately for Nkechi, her friend Onyinye started feeling pity for Henry's condition, not knowing that the man is not actually a cripple. Onyinye thus accepted to marry Henry since Nkechi has turned him down.
Consequently, Ọmọ Oódua gathered that Henry went ahead to finalise wedding plans with Onyinye. They had the traditional marriage and white wedding last weekend in Asaba. 
However, at the wedding reception, Henry got off his wheelchair to the amazement of all and told everyone present that he was never a ‘cripple,’ but had to disguise himself because he was hoping to get married to a Nigerian lady who would have genuine love for him, irrespective of his "condition".
It was jubilation all the way and people started praising Onyinye for being a virtuous woman.

When the news got to Nkechi to her lover was actually not a cripple but just testing her, she collapsed.
Disillusioned 30-year-old Nkechi, a graduate of Micro-biology later committed suicide due to the shame that her finacee, who she met on Facebook, had gotten married to her best friend.
In her suicie note, Nkechi wrote:
“I have gone to rest as I cannot stand the situation after the house I built has collapsed. This is a lesson for single ladies; never reject any suitor, so that you don’t end up dead.”
The Police in Delta State confirmed Nkechi's unfortunate action, her parents are said to be in shock.

SOURCE

Okonjo-Iweala must answer 50 questions on economy – House of Reps

The House of Representatives on Monday said the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, must answer the 50 questions asked by its committee on Finance during the presentation of the 2014 budget minister on December 19 last year.



The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, had insisted that the 2014 budget would not be considered until the minister answers the 50 questions asked at the forum.

The committee had given Okonjo -Iweala two weeks to submit a written response to the questions which bordered on the economy, but she has requested for more time to respond.

Speaking at a pre- resumption press briefing on Monday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Zakari Mohammed, said the Committee on Finance was acting under the mandate given to it by the House and as such, the minister should answer the 50 questions as it would aid the House in the consideration of the budget.

He said, “The Finance Committee has a mandate of the House and the Committee must report back to the House what it was asked to do.

“It is the House in its wisdom that will devise the next line of action, the Finance Committee has done the assignment given to it by the House and will have to go back to the House to take a decision.

“Definitely on resumption, the Finance Committee would brief the House and thereafter we draw conclusions and inferences. We must consider the budget because it’s a money bill but we will not be blackmailed or bamboozled to just assume it’s a case of garbage in, garbage out. Anybody who thinks it is going to be like that is just joking because we are going to ensure a sense of fairness in its consideration to the benefit of Nigerians who are our employers.”

Source

CHRIS OKOTIE AGAIN: Pastor Chris Okotie joins 2015 presidential race

Pastor Chris Okotie of the Household of God Church has announced his intention to run for
President in 2015 under his Faith, Responsibility, Equality, Security and Hope (FRESH) Democratic Party.

“I will run in 2015, God willing. God spoke to me about my participation in the political process, which was why I took the step in the first place.
He has not said anything contrary.’’ He told Punch If he goes ahead this will be his third attempt. He ran against Obasanjo in 2003 and against late President Umaru Yar'Adua in 2007.

SOURCE: Gist Arena

Business News Anchor Terryanne Chebet Quits K24

K24's business news anchor Terryanne Chebet has quit the station after a short stint that saw her spearhead business news efforts of the newly relaunched Media Max owned TV station.
Terryanne left  CCTV as a business anchor when K24 was poaching top shots.  Royal Media lost a good number of its staff to their new rival on Kijabe Street during that period.
Her reasons for quitting are unknown but Alice Odera's departure from Citizen TV may have occasioned the move. Alice and Michelle Morgan  were left holding fort in business news anchoring at Royal Media after Terryanne's departure.
However both of them have since left with Alice Odera taking up a corporate communications position at Kenya Airways while Michelle Morgan got poached by a new cable TV station, Ebru TV setting up shop in Kenya.
This left a gap in business news and Terryanne is probably the best replacement Citizen TV can have. The anchor has been one of the most accomplished and consistent business news reporters in Kenya having worked for CCTV and CNBC, one of Africa's most recognized business new outlet.

SOURCE: VIBE WEEKLY

List of the richest pastors worldwide

This is a list of the richest pastors worldwide and amazingly Nigeria produced five preachers in the Top 10.

Bishop TD Jakes

1. Bishop T. D Jakes: Bishop Jakes lives in a $1,700,000 mansion, he has been called America’s best preacher and has been featured on the cover of TIME magazine. He is a writer, preacher and movie producer. Thomas Dexter “T. D.” Jakes, Sr. is the bishop/chief pastor of The Potter’s House, a non-denominational American mega church, with 30,000 members, located in Dallas, Texas. T.D Jakes wears custom made suits and sports a diamond ring the size of a coin. This man of God has been endowed with a $150 million net worth.
2. Bishop David Oyedepo: Bishop David Oyedepo is a Nigerian Preacher, Christian Author, Founder and Presiding Bishop of Winners Chapel known as Living Faith Church World Wide. Has been hailed as the wealthiest preacher in Nigeria with a total net worth of $150 million and properties like 4 private jets and homes in the United States and England. After the foundation of the Living Faith Outreach Ministry in 1981, it has evolved to be one of the largest congregations in Africa and has a flourishing mission in Nairobi.
3. E A Adeboye: This messenger of God was listed in an African magazine, NEWSWEEK, as the most powerful man in Africa and one of the top 50 global power elites in 2008/2009, among others such as President Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy. Pastor Adeboye heads the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), something he has done for the last 28years.Amongst his posessions are private jets.
4. Benny Hinn: Israeli televangelist,Toufik Benedictus “Benny” Hinn has an estimated net worth of $42 million. He is best known for his regular “Miracle Crusades” – revival meeting/faith healing summits that are usually held in large stadiums in major cities, which are later broadcast worldwide on his television program, “This Is Your Day”. Hinn was born on December 3, 1952.
5. Chris Oyakhilome: This is the man behind Believers’ Loveworld Ministries, a.k.a Christ Embassy.His church has an estimated net worth of $30 million – $50 million last year, the charismatic preacher was at the center of a $35 million money laundering case in which he was accused of siphoning funds from his church to foreign banks.
6. Creflo Dollar: American Bible teacher, pastor, and the founder of World Changers Church International, Creflo Dollar, has an estimated net worth of $27 million. As his name suggests, this preacher’s “manna” comes in form of the green buck.
7. Kenneth Copeland: He runs Kenneth Copeland Ministries, was one of several televangelists whose finances were investigated from 2007 to 2011 by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa.
According to an article by the Associated Press that ran in 2008, “His ministry’s 1,500-acre campus, behind an iron gate a half-hour drive from Fort Worth includes a church, a private airstrip, a hangar for the ministry’s $17.5 million jet and other aircraft, and a $6 million church owned lakefront mansion.
The article later added that while Copeland has not released up-to-date salary statements, “the church disclosed in a property-tax exemption application that his wages were $364,577 in 1995; Copeland’s wife, Gloria, earned $292,593. It’s not clear whether those figures include other earnings, such as special offerings for guest preaching or book royalties.”
8. Billy Graham: American evangelical Christian evangelist, William Franklin “Billy” Graham, Jr., has a net worth of $25 million. The Southern Baptist evangelist rose to celebrity status as his sermons started getting broadcast on radio and television. Graham was born on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina in 1918, he has conducted many evangelistic crusades since 1948 . He is now a world renowned televangelist raking in millions of dollars.
9. Matthew Ashimolowo: Ashimolowo, the owner of Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC) gets an annual income of $200,000. Having his humble beginnings as a priest in Foursquare Gospel Church, a Nigerian church that sent Ashimolowo to open a satellite branch in London. Pastor Matthew had other ideas and decided to set up his own church instead. Today, his Kingsway International Christian Center is reportedly the largest Pentecostal church in the whole of the United Kingdom.
10. Temitope Joshua: Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) has an estimated net worth: $10 million – $15 million Nigeria’s most controversial clergyman is also one of its richest and most philanthropic. T.B Joshua heads the Synagogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN), a congregation he founded in 1987, which accommodates over 15,000 worshipers on Sundays. VibeWeekly.com

SOURCE: Nehanda Radio

We cheated in WAEC exams

■ 15 now Born Again Christians return certificates to examination body
By GABRIEL DIKE
In what may come as a big surprise to most people, no fewer than 15 persons recently returned certificates issued to them by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC). They said they had to give up the certificates because they cheated during the examination, and now as Born Again Christians, they could not live with “the sin.”
Some individuals, Saturday Sun gathered, had approached WAEC through letters seeking restitution after they had confessed how they dubiously acquired their certificates when they wrote the examinations at various periods.
The council wrote back to them, stating that what they were expected to do was to return the certificates awarded in line with the rules and regulations guiding the conduct of the examinations. However, only few responded, including a holder of Teachers’ Grade 11 certificate.
It was learnt that those who complied with the directive returned their certificates to various WAEC offices nationwide and the council took their case to the Nigeria Examinations Committee (NEC), which, at its 55th meeting in Lagos, cancelled the returned 15 certificates.
According to the council’s letter to NEC, “the listed candidates, in their letters of restitution, confessed that they were involved in various forms of examination malpractices in various years as indicated against their numbers. They have returned the original certificates issued to them.’’
The returned certificates by the Born Again Christians were for both the May/June (school exam) and November/December (private candidate) West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
A breakdown of the year the examinations were taken revealed that the oldest dates back to June 1983 with certificate no SG 288999. Next is June 1990 (RS0680084c), June 1992 (NGSS 0994156), June 1995 (NGSS0265147) and December 1995 (NGSP 0169397), December 1996 (NGSP 0575264), December 2000 (NGWASSCP 038771), June 2001 (NGWASSCS 2451037).
Others are June 2002, two certificates with NGWASSCP 4100224 and NGWASSCS 3894794 were returned and cancelled, June 2003 (NGWASSCS 5009313), June 2006 two born again Christian returned certificates with NGWASSCP 7747466 and NGWASSCS 8423755, December 2008 (NGWASSCP 05790031) and June 2010 NGWASSCP 13327157.
There are several Verses in the Bible to support restitution, which conform to what the 15 Born Again Christians did by confessing their sins and sought restitution from WAEC. In 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, the is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’’.
While Numbers 5:6-7 says ’’When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, he shall confess his sin that he has committed. And he shall make full restitution for his wrong’’.   Efforts to get the names, and perhaps pictures, of the 15 persons were abortive, as WAEC officials said it would amount to violation of the rights of the individuals involved and that of their (officials) ethics.
In a related development, the N55th and 56th NEC meeting of WAEC has hammered 493 candidates who sat for both the May/June and November/December WASSCE by ordering the cancellation of their certificates/result slips taken at various periods.
A document available to Saturday Sun reads partly: “The under listed candidates were confirmed to have been impersonated in the various examinations and years indicated against them. The result slips/certificates have been returned by the Zonal/Branch Offices concerned to the Post Examinations Department for cancellation.’’
A breakdown of the statistics revealed that at the 55th NEC meeting (result slips and certificates of impersonators in previous GCE/SSC/ WASSC examinations), no fewer than 241 candidates were sanctioned while at their 56th deliberation (result slips and certificates of impersonators in previous May/June and November/December WASSC examinations), a total of 252 candidates had their certificates cancelled according to the rules and regulations guiding the conductor of WAEC exams.
A remarkable thing which Saturday Sun noted in the 55th NEC meeting decision was that the 241 cancelled certificates involved private candidates who wrote either the Nov/Dec GCE or WASSCE. Thus confirming stakeholders’ position that exam fraud is more rampart during the private candidate examinations.
A breakdown of the 241 cancelled certificates revealed that the highest number occurred in 1998 (34), followed by 1999 and 2001 with 26 certificates each.  In 2000, it had 24, 1997 (23), 1995 (22), 2002 (19), 1994 and 1996 each had 15, 2003 (14), 1993 (12), 1987 (3), 2005 (2) while 1985, 1986, 1991, 2006, 2007 and 2009 had one cancelled certificate each.
For the 56th NEC decision, again statistics from the document indicate that majority of the 252 candidates whose certificates were cancelled sat for the Nov/Dec WASSCE (240) while 12 others wrote the May/June WASSCE.
Detail breakdown of the 252 cancelled certificates at the 56th NEC meeting showed that 2009 recorded the highest number with 33, 2002 (26), 2007 (24), 2001 (20), 2008 and 2010 had 18 each, 2000 (17), 2004 (14), 1999, 2003 and 2006 had 13 each, 2011 (10), 1995 (eight), 1990, 1992, 1996, 1998 and 2005 recorded four cancelled certificates each, 1993 and 1997 produced two each and one in 1989.

SOURCE: THE SUN

NUPENG Will Still Go On Strike, Says Official

Mr Tokunbo Korodo, the Chairman, South-West Chapter, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), on Thursday said that the union would still go on strike if Federal Government privatised refineries.

NAN reports that NUPENG and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on Dec. 31 shelved planned nationwide strike over the government’s plan to privatise its four refineries.
The strike was scheduled to begin on Jan.1
Korodo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that it was improper for the government to privatise the refineries without consulting stakeholders in oil and gas.
“It is ridiculous that the Federal Government did not deem it fit to deliberate with our union before it went on air to announce a plan to privatise refineries.
“When it privatises the four refineries, most of the workers will be thrown into the labour market again.
“The government has not negotiated with the workers on their severance package or what the future will hold for them,” he said.
The chairman said that the union had yet to schedule a date for discussions with government officials on the issue.
He gave the assurance that NUPENG would not go on strike until it met with government representatives.
Korodo, however, said that the union had already informed members nationwide to proceed on strike if the government began the process of the privatisation.
According to him, the government will begin the process of the privatisation in the first quarter of 2014.
NAN reports that NUPENG and PENGASSAN had on Dec. 17 threatened to embark on strike in January over Federal Government’s decision to privatise the refineries.(NAN)

SOURCE: LEADERSHIP

Exploring Prof Wole Soyinka’s take on romance chemistry

This is one side of eminent Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka you hardly see or hear about. During  the  Ake Arts and Book Festival lately  in Abeokuta, Ogun State, he seemed to have been left with no other choice than talking. During the interview session at the festival, he was asked about how he wooed and got a favorable response from his first love.
According to a report by Akintayo Abodunrin, the Prof tried to parry the question. “I have a reputation for total recall. People are astonished by how I remember images, events from childhood and this is one of those areas where they fall down,” he ducked.
What Prof said
But upon the insistence of his eager audience, he obliged.  Kongi said : “I’m not a great scientist but I believe in chemistry. When chemistry happens, you know at once. So just follow the vibes from the person. If you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
Well, we all know it. We know when it washes all over us, making us foster instant connections with some people. Sometimes the feeling is so strong, we tend to lose control of our emotions.
Cecilia’s dilemma
Cecilia sat on her bed waiting for Tunji, who had called to say he was on his way. By her estimation, he would be there in five minutes, but the initial excitement had long gone awry. He heart beat her ribs intensely and she was drenching in her own sweat in an air-conditioned room. Maybe it was a sign that he was headed  for danger,  she thought, but she still needed to see the gentle but warm guy she had met at a shopping mall. She had a similar feeling when they first met, only that it was worse this time.
When the door bell rang, she felt her legs wobble as she made for the living room. Her throat had run dry, making her swallow and gasp for breath. Like it started, everything was magical. As she ushered him in, the wild visceral reaction stopped. She felt calm and comfortable in his presence.
Truly, Cecilia could have been in a big mess but for  Tunji’s maturity. She was already engaged to a man who loved her so much, but tried as she did after the visit, she couldn’t get Tunji off her mind. “The chemistry was and is still there. While there is no fire in the other relationship, this one with Victor is burning hot, and I don’t seem to be able to handle it,” she explains.
Victor is, indeed, matured. He also likes her but he would not sleep with another man’s woman. They are good friends now.
Causes
Although, the causes of this love trigger are still being investigated, experts  agree on the symptoms, as is captured here by Wikipedia. “There are various psychological, physical and emotional symptoms of having good chemistry with another person. It has been described as a “combination of basic psychological arousal combined with a feeling of pleasure”.
“The nervous system gets aroused, causing one to get adrenaline in the form of rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and sensations of excitement that are often similar to sensations associated with danger”.
Other physical symptoms include “blood pressure rising  a little and a feeling of weakness in the knees. One can also uncontrollably smile whenever thinking about the other person.”
Spiritual connection?
An often quoted expert on the causes of chemistry is Dr. Kelly Campbell. According to the Professor of Psychology at California State University, people are more likely to experience friendship chemistry if their personalities were open (i.e adventurous, imaginative, and emotionally in-tune), conscientious (i.e competent, disciplined, hard-working), and agreeable (i.e  friendly, cooperative, and considerate).
This is part of Campbell’s study I find compelling: “In the end, my journey to understand chemistry afforded many answers. But even after the personal reflections, discussions with friends and research studies, I still question whether chemistry involves something that cannot be explained by science. Part of me thinks so. Maybe it is caused by a spiritual connection, remembering the future, or destiny, I don’t know”, she said.
Spiritual connection? Many of the people I have spoken with admit being overpowered by the chemistry, making them happy on the inside and rejuvenated, but they admitted  they do not think it is all due to physical attraction. I can attest to that.
Caution
Whatever causes chemistry, one thing is certain. People tend to be attracted and feel chemistry with people who make us feel good. As one expert puts it, if we feel chemistry with people who hurt us then that is a matter to discuss in therapy.
Chemistry is a romantic catalyst, so strong that some experts conclude that without it, there can be no relationship. But they are quick to warn that because of the power of chemistry to blind us, it could be one of the most dangerous and self-destructive emotions if left unchecked.

SOURCE: THE SUN

Flying object: It was fun toy that lost contact - Owner

ADVERTISEMENT

THE inventor of the alleged mysterious flying object which crashed into a house in Awotan, Ido Local Government area, Ibadan, Engineer Sunday Folayan, has disclosed that the object was quadrocopter and one of the many flying toys in his custody.

Our sister publication, Sunday Tribune, published the story.

But Folayan said as a “proud Nigerian” and one that cannot be used against the interest of Nigeria, he has no link with the US, adding that he was only satisfying his hobby.

Folayan made this disclosure in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune on Sunday, saying the alleged flying object was “a fun toy that went wrong.” He added that the object, identified as quadrocopter, was no near a drone on an espionage mission as was speculated.

He said “I am an orbits person with passion for flying objects which I usually operate within my environment, but since the one in question is a quadrocopter which has better stability we decided to calibrate it. It was very unfortunate that it flew out of control specifically on Sunday, December 22. However, I informed my neighbours but was embarrassed when I discovered that it had been linked to espionage.

“I don’t know where they got their fact from but I think it was exaggerated. Even if espionage is involved, it should be handled with caution and left for the experts. It is not in the interest  of both countries, USA and Nigeria, I don’t work for the two countries either but I’m a proud Nigerian and I believe we should all work for the development of our great nation.”

The caretaker chairman, Ido Local Government, Professor Adeniyi Olowofela, said there is no cause for alarm, adding that security agents were abreast of the development. Although he said his observation of the object as a physicist clearly guided him that such  cannot last with acclaimed energy if it actually came from the US.

Olowofela, in his submission, said he rushed down to the scene of the incident before he discovered that it was a toy. He stated that there was no plane crash, no case of espionage in the local government area as reported.

Meanwhile, Professor Olowofela has stated that the local government authority should have been contacted and warned media practitioners to exercise caution especially in cases involving two countries. He said such report could portray the US as a spy while it could also strain the relationship between Nigeria and the US.

SOURCE: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Flying object crashes into home in Ibadan

•Controversy trails mission of spacecraft •Object believed to be US drone

ADVERTISEMENT

According to Nigerian Tribune, a mysterious spacecraft, which residents of Awotan in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State called a “drone”, was reported to have crashed into a building at Omiremi Quarters in the community, leaving a crater on the roof of the building, just as aviation sources confirmed the object as a United States’ drone on an espionage mission in Nigeria.
Considering the registration number, TX 5803, inscribed on a black battery under the craft, a source said the space craft must have taken off from  NASA base in Texas in the US, stating that the battery attached to the spacecraft powered it and enabled it to move around so that it could do the bidding of those who sent it.
Though many aviation sources told Sunday Tribune that the object could be a device used in espionage, another source, however, believed that the craft was a “nondescript aviation device”.
It will be recalled that the United States of America has, in recent times, come under attack by other countries for spying on their activities which may have confirmed the discovery of the spacecraft in Ibadan.
The craft, which was said to have dropped down from the orbit, flew into a toilet in the house of Ashipa of Awotan, Chief Tajudeen  Adetoro, a few minutes after his grandson, Afeez  Adewale and daughter-in-law, Adikat, left the toilet where they had gone to answer the call of nature.
According to Chief Adetoro, the mysterious aircraft forced itself into the toilet through the roof making deafening sound, saying it could have killed Afeez and his mother, if it had met them in the toilet.
The spacecraft, with a product number QR X30, has four stands and a rounded compartment housing its engine. It has a dry cell battery, USB drive, a censor and cables, while each of its stands has a two-way roving fan mounted on them.
The residents of the sleepy community told Sunday Tribune that the object was not a toy due to the fearful noise it made and the way it flew about, adding that it could be an explosive.
“When it flew out, we rushed after it and it was found hanging on the antennae of our neighbour...making a terrible noise and emitting heavy smoke,” Chief Adetoro narrated.
He said they ran for safety on hearing the loud bang made on the roof of their house only to discover that the object had entered the toilet hitting its wall in an attempt to exit.
Information obtained about the object from the internet revealed that it shares similarities with a device called Walkera QR X350 GPS which is sold for roughly $500.
Though the product description on it is not intelligible, Sunday Tribune learnt that it could be a remote-controlled transmitter that gives no signal when in the air, but which is used for gathering information.
How flying object crashed into building in Ibadan Mother, son escaped death
It is almost unbeliavebale, but it is real. A drone-like object fell from the sky on the roof of a house in Ibadan last Sunday shattering the roof of the house. MARUF BELLO writes that luck saved a mother and her son from being killed by the object.
FOR Afeez Adewale, a 16-year-old boy, sheer luck saved him and Adikat, his mother, from being sent to their early graves a few minutes after they left the toilet in their house, last Sunday, at Omiremi Quarters, Awotan, Ibadan.
Afeez had gone to the toilet to answer the call of nature not long after his mother had come out of the same toilet only to hear a loud bang on the roof of their house, specifically the toilet.
The object was said to have forcefully fallen on the roof of the toilet breaking through and shattering its asbestos.
According to the Asipa of Awotan and landlord of the house, Chief Tajudeen Adetoro, it wasn’t long after Afeez and his mother left the rest room when they suddenly heard a frightening sound on the roof of the toilet.
Chief Adetoro, who is Afeez’s grandfather, said it was God that saved the mother and son, saying the source of the drone-like object was unknown.
“We were in panic; we were almost dead when we heard the sound suddenly and all of us scampered for safety. It was after a few minutes that we thought that hiding in the house was not the solution but to find a way to get the object out of our house due to the horrible and disturbing noise it was making that my son and I fearfully moved to the scene to know what it was.
“When we got there, we stood a little away looking at it from a short distance. It was then we saw it clearly and it was seriously struggling making a frightening noise in its bid to find an escape route. As it was struggling, it was hitting every angle of the toilet walls forcefully shrieking and trying to exit the toilet.
“It was during the struggle that it escaped through the same point it gained entry. When it flew out, we rushed after it and it was found hanging on the antenna of our neighbour. It hung there making a terrible noise and emitting heavy smoke. I think in the process of struggle to get it out, it lost one of its components, a stand. I asked my son to climb the facial board to remove it.
“When he brought it down, it was heavy and there were so many red illuminating lights all over it blinking every second,” the chief narrated.
He said when the material had been removed from where it was stuck so that they could examine it thoroughly, the object repeatedly tried to fly away.
“It  was then I asked my son to remove some of its compartments to render it inactive. We removed the battery, its censor, among others. At that time, everybody in the neighbourhood had gathered to see the wonderful object,” he added.
Chief Adetoro said they initially thought it was a mere toy but after a close look, it was discovered that “the material could be a bomb, more so that ever since we captured and incapacitated it nobody had come looking for it because we initially felt that it was one of the toys parents bought for their children for Christmas and New Year.
“Also, when we considered the manner with which it got in and exited, we felt that the object was being monitored and controlled from somewhere. After careful consideration and examination of the compartments of the object we thought it could be an explosive.
“When nobody from this community came to claim it, we concluded that the object was more than what we thought it to be; it must have travelled a long distance,” Afeez’s father said.
The Chief Imam of Awotan Central Mosque, Sheik Abdulai Adesina, and a woman who are both neighbours of Chief Adetoro confirmed the incident, saying “the sound of the object was highly terrifying and fearful.”
When the object was examined, it is made up of components such as a dry cell battery, a censor housed by a white case, a USB  (memory card) drive and a panel that is well cased as well as lots of cables.
According to Chief Adetoro, the community had informed security agents about the incident and called for investigation on it, noting that if left unravelled, it would be difficult to douse tension and erase fear among the residents of the community who now believed that they were being targeted for attacks.
The object, Sunday Tribune investigation revealed, has since been handed over to security operatives.

SOURCE: NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Jonathan unveils Nigeria’s first indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle

Vanguard Newspaper reported that ,

Jonathan unveils Nigeria’s first
indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle

Kaduna – President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday in Kaduna unveiled the country’s first
indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle, GULMA, designed and constructed by the Nigerian Air Force.

Speaking at the ceremony, Jonathan said that the unveiling of the vehicle marked another landmark moment in the nation’s history. He said that besides its diverse military
application, the vessel would provide a range of benefits in disaster management, power line
surveys and law enforcement.
Jonathan said that the vehicle would also be useful in aerial imaging/mapping telecommunications and weather monitoring.

“It is also rapidly becoming an important tool in news coverage, environmental monitoring, and oil
and gas exploration. “Considering the potential impact of its benefit
and versatility, I cannot but say how proud I am of the men and women of our Armed Forces.

“Apart from their commitment to the protection of our sovereignty, they are helping to keep our nation ahead in military science and technology
and to keep their civilian. counterparts on their toes. “Today, as we stand in appreciation of the gallant men and women of our Air Force, we are reminded that hard work and diligence can break many barriers,’’ he said.

Jonathan commended the Chief of Air Staff and all officers and men of the Nigerian Air Force for the achievement, noting that it would strengthen the country. He said it would also enhance the nation’s role in peace keeping and conflict prevention.

The president said he was optimistic that this stride by the Nigerian Air Force would mark a turning point for indigenous technology in every
sector of the nation’s life.
“Let me assure the Air Force of the Federal Government’s support for this and all other research projects.
“We will encourage and assist private sector concerns to key into mass production of the project to achieve the highest and best
commercial use of this prototype Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

Read more

Obasanjo bombs Jonathan

Punch Newspaper reported that Obasanjo bombs Jonathan.

President Goodluck Jonathan is under a fresh attack . This time, it is a stinker from a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

The Balogun of Owu, Abeokuta, did not make an impromptu speech at a public forum, he took his time to pen what he felt to be Jonathan’s
failings.

In an 18-page letter to the President,
Obasanjo accused him, among other things, of not honouring his words and taking actions calculated at destroying Nigeria.

The letter dated December 2, 2013 and titled, “Before it is too late” became public knowledge on Wednesday. Only on Monday, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal,
said Jonathan was paying lip service to the anti-corruption campaign in the country.

In the letter, Obasanjo accused the President of pursuing “ selfish personal and political interests
based on advise from his “self-centred aides.” He also alleged that the President had failed to deliver on his promises to Nigerians and to curb insurgency and corruption in the country.

“Nigeria is bleeding and the hemorrhage must be stopped,” an obviously angry Obasanjo lamented. He went ahead to declare that
“Jonathan had betrayed God and Nigerians,” who voted him into power.

Obasanjo further alleged that Jonathan had not only placed more than 1, 000 Nigerians on a political watchlist, he had succeeded in
destroying the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and polarised Nigeria along regional and religious lines. He also said the President was involved in anti-party activities.

• PDP crises and Jonathan’s personal agenda.

He said the President was using the PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, to cause the lingering crises in the party.

Obasanjo said, “Let me start with the leadership of the ruling party. Many of us were puzzled over
what was going on in the party. Most party members blamed the national chairman. I understand that some in the Presidency tried to create the impression that some of us were to blame.

“The situation became clear only when the national chairman spoke out that he never did anything or acted in any way without the approval or concurrence of the party leader (Jonathan) and that where the party leader disapproved, he made correction or amendment, that we realised most actions were those of the chairman but the motivation and direction were those of the leader.

“It would be unfair to continue to level full blames on the chairman for all that goes wrong with the party. The chairman is playing the tune
dictated by the paymaster (Jonathan). But the paymaster is acting for a definitive purpose for
which deceit and deception seem to be the major ingredients.”

Obasanjo stated that Jonathan’s failure to keep his promise not to seek a second term had also worsened the crises in the PDP.
“Up till two months ago, Mr. President, you told me that you have not told anybody that you would contest in 2015. I quickly pointed out to you that the signs and the measures on the ground do not tally with your statement. You said the same to one other person who shared his observation with me. And only a fool would believe that statement you made to me judging
by what is going on. I must say it is not ingenious. You may wish to pursue a more credible and more honourable path.”

He added that before the 2011 general elections, the President told some governors and the PDP stakeholders, including himself,
that he would not seek reelection.
He specifically mentioned Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, as having told him that Jonathan accepted not to run for Presidency
in 2015.

The former head of state said, “ He (Suswam) told me that you had accepted a one-term Presidency to allow for ease of getting support
across the board in the North. I decided to cross-check with you. You did not hesitate to confirm to me that you are a strong believer in
a one-term of six years for the President and that by the time you have used the unexpired time of your predecessor and the four years of your first term, you would have almost used up to six years and you would not need any more term or time.”

According to the former Nigerian leader, Jonathan’s failure to keep the promise had made him appear like a man without honour. Obasanjo told the President that it would be
“fatally morally flawed” for him to contest in 2015.

He wrote, “As a leader, two things you must cherish and hold dear among others are trust and honour both of which are important
ingredients of character. I will want to see nyone in the office of the Presidency as a man or woman who can be trusted, a person of honour in his words and character.”

The former President accused Jonathan of supporting the candidates of opposition parties
in governorship elections in Lagos, Ondo, Edo and Anambra states and causing disagreements between party members.

He said, “Maybe you also need to know that many party members feel disappointed in the double game you were alleged to play in support
of party governorship candidates in some states where you surreptitiously supported non-PDP
candidates against PDP candidates in exchange for promise or act of those non-PDP governors supporting you for your election in the past or for the one that you are yet to formally declare.”

He claimed that a former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu “was nocturnally brought to Abuja to strike a deal for support “ for
Jonathan’s personal election at the expense of the PDP and its governorship candidate.

“If you as leader of the party cannot be seen to be loyal to the PDP in support of the candidates of the party and the interests of such party
candidates have to be sacrificed on the altar of your personal and political interest, then good luck to the party and I will also say as I have had occasions to say in the past, good luck to Goodluck,” he said in the letter.

• Insecurity/Boko Haram

Noting that the President had not been able to tackle the remote causes of insurgency in the country, Obasanjo again advised him to adopt “a carrot and stick approach” to stem the problem.
Read more .....

South Africa's Nelson Mandela dies

BBC NEWS reported that,
South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela has died, South Africa's president says. Mr Mandela, 95, led South Africa's transition from white-minority rule in the 1990s, after 27 years in prison. He had been receiving intense home-based medical care for a lung infection after three months in hospital.
Read more

South Africa's Nelson Mandela dies http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25249520

US plane lands at wrong Airport

BBC NEWS reported that,

US plane lands at wrong airport

A Boeing 747 Dreamlifter cargo plane will attempt to take off from a minor airport in Kansas after it landed there by mistake. The giant cargo jet was heading for McConnell air force base in Wichita but instead touched down at nearby Colonel James Jabara airport. Airport officials believe the plane will be able to depart despite the much shorter runway at Jabara. An attempt is scheduled for noon local time (18:00 GMT) on Thursday. The aircraft normally needs a runway of 2,780m (9,119ft) to get airborne at maximum weight; Jabara's runway is only 1,860m long.

A tug was dispatched to the airport to turn around the giant cargo plane. Brad Christopher of the Wichita Airport Authority told the Associated Press news agency the company that operates the aircraft had "assured us they've run all the engineering calculation and performance and the aircraft is very safe for a normal departure at its current weight and conditions here". The Dreamlifter, which landed at Jabara on Wednesday evening, is a modified 747-400 passenger aeroplane, which can carry more cargo by volume than any aeroplane in the world, according to Boeing. The aerospace company uses its fleet of four Dreamlifters to transport large assembled components of its 787 Dreamliner from suppliers  the world to the final assembly location in Washington state. The City of Wichita tweeted that no-one was injured and no property damage occurred when the plane landed.
Read more .........

US plane lands at wrong airport http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25032380

Rare solar eclipse sweeps Atlantic

BBC NEWS reported that,

A rare solar eclipse allowing a view of the Sun that is totally or partially blocked out by the Moon is under way. It was first visible in the southern United States, and is moving east. The best view of the total eclipse on land was visible from Gabon. The total eclipse will then sweep east across the African continent. Partial views will be available in eastern North America and southern Europe. Experts warn that no-one should attempt to view the Sun with the naked eye. A safe view of eclipses can be obtained by using special welder's glasses or a pinhole camera. Halo This solar eclipse is a rare occurrence in that it is "hybrid" - switching between an annular and total eclipse. In a total eclipse, the Moon completely covers the sun, while an annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is at its farthest from the Earth and does not block out the Sun completely, leaving a halo of sunlight still visible around the Moon. The eclipse event began about 1,000km (620 miles) east of Jacksonville, Florida with an annular eclipse visible for four seconds at sunrise. As the Moon's shadow raced east the eclipse switched from annular to total along a narrow corridor.
Read more

Rare solar eclipse sweeps Atlantic http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24793350

India to impose email restrictions

BBC NEWS reported that,
India to impose email restrictions

October 30, 2013 15:31India's Communications and IT Minister, Kapil Sibal, intends to introduce the ban before the end of December

India is planning to impose a ban on the use of foreign cloud-based email services to send official communications, before the end of the year. It would prevent civil servants using Gmail, Yahoo! or Outlook.com. Instead they would be required to use a service provided by the country's own National Informatics Centre (NIC). The move follows the publication of leaks about US cyber-spying operations. According to documents given to the Guardian and subsequently reported by The Hindu newspaper in June, 6.3 billion pieces of information were collected from India's computer and telephone networks over the course of a month by the US National Security Agency (NSA), making it the fifth most "intensively watched" country. Spying allegations India's communications and IT minister first announced his intention to restrict which email services officials could use in August.
Read more
India to impose email restrictions http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24744695

NZ balloon crash pilot 'used drugs'

BBC NEWS reported that,

NZ balloon crash pilot 'used drugs'

The pilot of a hot air balloon that crashed in New Zealand, killing 11, is likely to have smoked cannabis shortly before the flight, investigators say. Pilot Lance Hopping showed poor judgement which contributed to the 2012 crash, an official report said. The crash near the town of Carterton, Wairarapa, occurred after the balloon became entangled in power lines and burst into flames. It was New Zealand's worst air disaster in decades. No one on board survived. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission said post-mortem tests had found an active ingredient of cannabis in Mr Hopping's blood, which indicated that he was a long-term user of cannabis. Based on eyewitness testimony and the tests, "it was [also] highly likely that the pilot smoked cannabis on the morning of the flight," the report said.
Read more

NZ balloon crash pilot 'used drugs' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24739266

How is the NSA’s vault of secrets being unlocked?

BBC NEWS reported that,
How is the NSA’s vault of secrets being unlocked?

October 30, 2013 03:21A summary of US spying allegations brought about by Edward Snowden's leak of classified documents

By Tara McKelvey BBC News Magazine Media organisations have revealed startling details about US espionage in recent weeks. The disclosures can be traced back to three people who don't play by the rules - intelligence leaker Edward Snowden and his chief disseminators, the Guardian newspaper reporter Glenn Greenwald, and independent film-maker Laura Poitras. The National Security Agency (NSA) reportedly collected data on millions of US customers of Verizon, a telecom firm, and on 60 million calls in Spain. It is also said to have obtained data on 70 million digital communications in France - and spied on Chancellor Angela Merkel for years.
Read more

How is the NSA’s vault of secrets being unlocked? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24677237