Olaoluwa Hallowed-Oluwadara Is Africa’s Youngest Ph.d Holder

Dr. Olaoluwa Hallowed Oluwadara

A 24-year-old Nigerian on Wednesday made history in Africa as he received a Ph.D Degree in Mathematics at the convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for the 2012/2013 academic session.

Olaoluwa Hallowed Oluwadara, whose thesis was adjudged the best in Engineering and Science, having made a cumulative grade point average of 5.0, was described as the youngest Ph.D holder in Africa.

According to the university, Oluwadara was able to finish the programme within the three years of stipulated period.

He got two first and second degrees in Mathematics (Pure Option) and Physics in 2007 and 2008 respectively, at the age of 18, from the University de Bangui, Central African Republic.

Speaking on behalf of his colleagues at the convocation ceremony, Oluwadara said his achievement was not only a personal triumph but a triumph for mathematics as a useful subject of study in Nigeria.

How I emerged Africa’s youngest Ph.D holder at 24
24 year old Olaoluwa Oluwadara is University of Lagos youngest Ph.D graduating student, and also Nigeria’s and Africa’s. In this interview with ENCOMIUM Weekly, the Doctor of Mathematics gave a graphic report of how he achieved that feat and much more…

You achieved a rare feat as the youngest Ph.D holder in Africa. How does it feel?

It feels good and fulfilling. It is not my ultimate goal but I am honoured and humbled that my hard-work has been rewarded. I’m really grateful to God.

What do you think helped you achieve this?

I owe this success to God. Over the years, He has helped me to set incredible goals for myself and worked hard towards them with focus, discipline and consistency. Good mentoring from my parents, pastors and supervisor also helped.

During your programme, what was your daily routine like?

I woke up every day in front of my laptop. I hardly shut it down because it was a useful tool for my research. I spent time studying and researching both at home and in school. I also had time to pray in the morning and attend church services.

What was the driving force for you?

The desire to be the best has always been my driving force. I wanted to excel, to reach the goals I fixed for myself. I kept on pressing forward.

Tell us some of the ups and downs you had enroute to where you are today?

At 13, I failed my A’ levels during my first attempt for reasons other than poor performances. I say this because I had the best result in my school before the exam. It was a serious disappointment but it turned out to be very pivotal because not only did I learn how to be humble, patient, resolute and how to depend on God, I also channeled my frustration into better performances. I went on to have better scores and more outstanding successes after that setback.

What age did ‎​​​you start and finish pre-university?

In Central African Republic (C.A.R) and many francophone countries, primary school spans six years, secondary over seven and the University at Undergraduate level over three years. I started primary school at 5, secondary school at10, and reached A’ levels at 13, courtesy of four double promotions (one in primary school and three in secondary school).

Can you share with us your growing up days and the pre-university schools you attended?

I had a normal childhood. I was dearly loved by my parents and siblings. My parents really invested in my education. When they were chanced, they tutored me in Mathematics and other subjects. I attended the International Preparatory College (College Preparatoire International in French) at Primary and Secondary levels (from 1994 to 2003) and the Lycee d’Application de l’Ecole Normale Superieure (2004) for my second A’ levels.

Tell us about your family, your position in the family and what kind of family you are from?

I come from a godly family of three children. I am the last born of my parents. They are missionaries of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry to C.A.R.

You had your first and second degrees outside Nigeria. How would you rate the education system there viz-a-viz that of Nigeria?

French speaking countries are known for their solid mathematics background. However, the education system is not only about Mathematics. I think each education system has its strong points and weak points and differences are bound to be. The system in Nigeria has a lot more openings and benefits from better funding but we can do better in lifting our standards, especially at the secondary school and undergraduate level.

What were the challenges here in Nigeria that you didn’t face outside Nigeria?

Coming to Nigeria was a personal challenge for me since it was my first time staying away from my parents and adapting was always going to be a challenge. However, during my Ph.D. programme, I had challenges of having access to some relevant articles and there were no research grants to facilitate the publication of my works in open access international journals.

What did you actually study in your first and second degrees?

I studied Mathematics and Physics at undergraduate level, bagging two Bachelor degrees simultaneously in the process. I also have two Masters’ degrees in the same aforementioned subjects.

What were your cumulative points there?

The education system in C.A.R. did not operate CGPAs. We use aggregate scores often over 20 and converting to GPA is not really plausible. For example, I scored 16.36, 15.31 and 15.76 over 20 respectively in each of the years of my Bachelor Degree in Mathematics.

What had been your childhood dream?

As a child, I wanted to work at the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) of the USA. I also wanted to work for the CIA and for IBM.

Are your parent’s academics?

Even though they are missionaries, my dad studied Mechanical Engineering and my mom, Town Planning.

You are now a doctorate degree holder. What next?

I would like to work as a lecturer and a researcher. In the near future, I will go for my post-doctorate and another doctorate degree by God’s grace.

Did you envisage you will be the youngest Ph.D graduate in Africa?

Yes, I did. I was following other Ph.D candidates and their ages at graduation. There was a 26 year old doctor from University of Lagos and a 25 year old doctor from Babcock University. Thank God, I was able to beat their records.

funny pics

today in history

1995
U.S. space shuttle docks with Russian space station

On this day in 1995, the American space shuttle Atlantis docks with the Russian space station Mir to form the largest man-made satellite ever to orbit the Earth.

This historic moment of cooperation between former rival space programs was also the 100th human space mission in American history. At the time, Daniel Goldin, chief of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), called it the beginning of “a new era of friendship and cooperation” between the U.S. and Russia. With millions of viewers watching on television, Atlantis blasted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in eastern Florida on June 27, 1995.

Just after 6 a.m. on June 29, Atlantis and its seven crew members approached Mir as both crafts orbited the Earth some 245 miles above Central Asia, near the Russian-Mongolian border. When they spotted the shuttle, the three cosmonauts on Mir broadcast Russian folk songs to Atlantis to welcome them. Over the next two hours, the shuttle’s commander, Robert “Hoot” Gibson expertly maneuvered his craft towards the space station. To make the docking, Gibson had to steer the 100-ton shuttle to within three inches of Mir at a closing rate of no more than one foot every 10 seconds.

The docking went perfectly and was completed at 8 a.m., just two seconds off the targeted arrival time and using 200 pounds less fuel than had been anticipated. Combined, Atlantis and the 123-ton Mir formed the largest spacecraft ever in orbit. It was only the second time ships from two countries had linked up in space; the first was in June 1975, when an American Apollo capsule and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft briefly joined in orbit.

Once the docking was completed, Gibson and Mir’s commander, Vladimir Dezhurov, greeted each other by clasping hands in a victorious celebration of the historic moment. A formal exchange of gifts followed, with the Atlantis crew bringing chocolate, fruit and flowers and the Mir cosmonauts offering traditional Russian welcoming gifts of bread and salt. Atlantis remained docked with Mir for five days before returning to Earth, leaving two fresh Russian cosmonauts on the space station. The three veteran Mir crew members returned with the shuttle, including two Russians and Norman Thagard, a U.S. astronaut who rode a Russian rocket to the space station in mid-March 1995 and spent over 100 days in space, a U.S. endurance record. NASA’s Shuttle-Mir program continued for 11 missions and was a crucial step towards the construction of the International Space Station now in orbit.

joke of the day

During lunch at work, I ate 3 plates of beans (which I know I shouldn't). When I got home, my husband seemed excited to see me and exclaimed delightedly, "Darling I have a surprise for dinner tonight." He then blindfolded me and led me to my chair at the dinner table. I took a seat and just as he was about to remove my blindfold, the telephone rang. He made me promise not to touch the blindfold until he returned and went to answer the call. The beans I had consumed were still affecting me and the pressure was becoming unbearable, so while my husband was out of the room I seized the opportunity, shifted my weight to one leg and let one go. It was not only loud, but it smelled like a fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a garbage dump! I took my napkin from my lap and fanned the air around me vigorously. Then, shifting to the other leg, I ripped off three more. The stink was worse than cooked cabbage. Keeping my ears carefully tuned to the conversation in the other room, I went on releasing atomic bombs like this for another few minutes. The pleasure was indescribable! Eventually the telephone farewells signaled the end of my freedom, so I quickly fanned the air a few more times with my napkin, placed it on my lap and folded my hands back on it feeling very relieved and pleased with myself. My face must have been the picture of innocence when my husband returned, apologizing for taking so long. He asked me if I had peaked through the blindfold, and I assured him I had not. At this point, he removed the blindfold, and twelve dinner guests seated around the table, with their hands to their noses, chorused, "Happy Birthday!"

health tip of the day

 Beat the sneezes. There are more than 240 allergens, some rare and others very common. If you’re a sneezer due to pollen: close your car’s windows while driving, rather switch on the internal fan (drawing in air from the outside), and avoid being outdoors between 5am and 10 am when pollen counts are at their highest; stick to holidays in areas with low pollen counts, such as the seaside and stay away from freshly cut grass.

Burundi's President Storms Polling Unit On A Bicycle

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza came by bicycle to vote at a polling station in his hometown of Ngozi:

He stood in the queue with his supporters who came out in large numbers:

He voted surrounded by his bodyguards:

Burundi is holding parliamentary elections, which are being boycotted by the main opposition. Mr Nkurunziza will contest presidential elections next month, rejecting calls to step down.

today in history

1948
U.S. begins Berlin Airlift

On this day in 1948, U.S. and British pilots begin delivering food and supplies by airplane to Berlin after the city is isolated by a Soviet Union blockade.

When World War II ended in 1945, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet, American, British and French zones of occupation. The city of Berlin, though located within the Soviet zone of occupation, was also split into four sectors, with the Allies taking the western part of the city and the Soviets the eastern. In June 1948, Josef Stalin’s government attempted to consolidate control of the city by cutting off all land and sea routes to West Berlin in order to pressure the Allies to evacuate. As a result, beginning on June 24 the western section of Berlin and its 2 million people were deprived of food, heating fuel and other crucial supplies.

Though some in U.S. President Harry S. Truman’s administration called for a direct military response to this aggressive Soviet move, Truman worried such a response would trigger another world war. Instead, he authorized a massive airlift operation under the control of General Lucius D. Clay, the American-appointed military governor of Germany. The first planes took off from England and western Germany on June 26, loaded with food, clothing, water, medicine and fuel.

By July 15, an average of 2,500 tons of supplies was being flown into the city every day. The massive scale of the airlift made it a huge logistical challenge and at times a great risk. With planes landing at Tempelhof Airport every four minutes, round the clock, pilots were being asked to fly two or more round-trip flights every day, in World War II planes that were sometimes in need of repair.

The Soviets lifted the blockade in May 1949, having earned the scorn of the international community for subjecting innocent men, women and children to hardship and starvation. The airlift–called die Luftbrucke or “the air bridge” in German–continued until September 1949, for a total delivery of more than 1.5 million tons of supplies and a total cost of over $224 million. When it ended, the eastern section of Berlin was absorbed into Soviet East Germany, while West Berlin remained a separate territory with its own government and close ties to West Germany. The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, formed a dividing line between East and West Berlin. Its destruction in 1989 presaged the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and marked the end of an era and the reemergence of Berlin as the capital of a new, unified German nation.

joke of the day

Three men are traveling on a ship, when they are accosted by the Devil. The Devil proposes that if each man drops something into the sea and he cannot find it, he will be that man's slave. If the Devil does find it, however, he will eat that man up. The first man drops a pure, clear diamond, and immediately gets eaten. The second drops an expensive watch, trying to impress the Devil, and gets eaten. The third man fills a bottle with water and pours it into the sea yelling, "You think I'm a fool? Try finding that!"

health tip of the day

Pure water. Don’t have soft drinks or energy drinks while you're exercising. Stay properly hydrated by drinking enough water during your workout (just don't overdo things, as drinking too much water can also be dangerous).

France attack latest: - Security at highest level - Suspect Yacinne Sali & wife detained

Key Points

 One man has been killed and two others injured in a suspected Islamist attack near the city of Lyon
 Officials say one man has been arrested
 French President Francois Hollande says it was a "terrorist attack"
 The attack began with several explosions at a factory
 Security level raised in region

'Miracle' as mum and baby survive plane crash

A mother and her baby have been found alive in the Colombian jungle four days after their plane crashed - in what officials are calling a "miracle".

Nelly Murillo, 18, and her infant son Yudier Moreno were discovered on Wednesday near the site where the Cessna 303 came down on Saturday.

The pair were taken by helicopter to a hospital in the northwest of the country, but Ms Murillo has only minor injuries and burns while the boy was apparently unhurt.
"It's a miracle. It is a very wild area and it was a catastrophic accident," said Colonel Hector Carrascal, a commander of the Colombian Air Force.

He added: "His mother's spirit must have given him strength to survive."
The pilot, Captain Carlos Mario Ceballos, died in the crash and rescuers found his body in the small aircraft.

They discovered the plane's doors open and suspected that survivors may have clambered out.

A team of 14 spent several days scouring dense bushland before finding the pair.

The plane was travelling between Nuqui and Quibdo in northwest Colombia when it came down. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

One of the greatest Nigeria Fooballer

Korede belo with IGP Solomon Arase at the Stakeholders Consultative Meeting on Improving Police Response to Sexual issue.

health tip of the day

A for Away. This vitamin, and beta carotene, help to boost immunity against disease. It also assists in the healing process of diseases such as measles and is recommended by the WHO. Good natural sources of vitamin A are kidneys, liver, dairy products, green and yellow vegetables, pawpaw, mangoes, chilli pepper, red sorrel and red palm oil.

joke of the day

Three babies are in their mother's womb. One of them says, "I want to be an artist so everyone knows what it looks like in here." The next one says, "I want to be a swimmer because I get so much practice in here." The last baby says, "I'm going to be a hunter because if that snake comes in here and pokes me again, I'm going to chop that thing in half!"

Today in history

1997
U.S. Air Force reports on Roswell

On this day in 1997, U.S. Air Force officials release a 231-page report dismissing long-standing claims of an alien spacecraft crash in Roswell, New Mexico, almost exactly 50 years earlier.

Public interest in Unidentified Flying Objects, or UFOs, began to flourish in the 1940s, when developments in space travel and the dawn of the atomic age caused many Americans to turn their attention to the skies. The town of Roswell, located near the Pecos River in southeastern New Mexico, became a magnet for UFO believers due to the strange events of early July 1947, when ranch foreman W.W. Brazel found a strange, shiny material scattered over some of his land. He turned the material over to the sheriff, who passed it on to authorities at the nearby Air Force base. On July 8, Air Force officials announced they had recovered the wreckage of a “flying disk.” A local newspaper put the story on its front page, launching Roswell into the spotlight of the public’s UFO fascination.

The Air Force soon took back their story, however, saying the debris had been merely a downed weather balloon. Aside from die-hard UFO believers, or “ufologists,” public interest in the so-called “Roswell Incident” faded until the late 1970s, when claims surfaced that the military had invented the weather balloon story as a cover-up. Believers in this theory argued that officials had in fact retrieved several alien bodies from the crashed spacecraft, which were now stored in the mysterious Area 51 installation in Nevada. Seeking to dispel these suspicions, the Air Force issued a 1,000-page report in 1994 stating that the crashed object was actually a high-altitude weather balloon launched from a nearby missile test-site as part of a classified experiment aimed at monitoring the atmosphere in order to detect Soviet nuclear tests.

On July 24, 1997, barely a week before the extravagant 50th anniversary celebration of the incident, the Air Force released yet another report on the controversial subject. Titled “The Roswell Report, Case Closed,” the document stated definitively that there was no Pentagon evidence that any kind of life form was found in the Roswell area in connection with the reported UFO sightings, and that the “bodies” recovered were not aliens but dummies used in parachute tests conducted in the region. Any hopes that this would put an end to the cover-up debate were in vain, as furious ufologists rushed to point out the report’s inconsistencies. With conspiracy theories still alive and well on the Internet, Roswell continues to thrive as a tourist destination for UFO enthusiasts far and wide, hosting the annual UFO Encounter Festival each July and welcoming visitors year-round to its International UFO Museum and Research Center.

Photo: Nigerian Man Has The Strongest Teeth In Africa

Michael Oyenkachi Chukwuma lived in
one of the slums in Idi-araba, Lagos.
He discovered his talent in the
ghetto and that talent took him to
Germany two years ago. Michael
lifts 150k iron with his teeth.

Senators in Physical Combat over Sharing of principal offices

CRISIS rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC over the selection of principal officers for the Senate, Tuesday deepened as the meeting of the caucus members of the party in the upper chambers ended in deadlock.
At the meeting of the APC senators to address the problem, some senators engaged in physical combat thereby bringing the meeting to an abrupt end, leaving the wounds further opened.
At resumed plenary, Senate President Bukola Saraki had after adjournment announced that a meeting of the APC caucus was fixed for 2:00pm.

today in history

1992
Teflon Don sentenced to life
Mafia boss John Gotti, who was nicknamed the “Teflon Don” after escaping unscathed from several trials during the 1980s, is sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty on 14 accounts of conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering. Moments after his sentence was read in a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, hundreds of Gotti’s supporters stormed the building and overturned and smashed cars before being forced back by police reinforcements.

Gotti, born and educated on the mean streets of New York City, became head of the powerful Gambino family after boss Paul Castellano was murdered outside a steakhouse in Manhattan in December 1985. The gang assassination, the first in three decades in New York, was organized by Gotti and his colleague Sammy “the Bull” Gravano. The Gambino family was known for its illegal narcotics operations, gambling activities, and car theft. During the next five years, Gotti rapidly expanded his criminal empire, and his family grew into the nation’s most powerful Mafia family. Despite wide publicity of his criminal activities, Gotti managed to avoid conviction several times, usually through witness intimidation. In 1990, however, he was indicted for conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Paul Castellano, and Gravano agreed to testify against him in a federal district court in exchange for a reduced prison sentence.

On April 2, 1992, John Gotti was found guilty on all counts and on June 23 was sentenced to multiple life terms without the possibility of parole.

While still imprisoned, Gotti died of throat cancer on June 10, 2002.

joke of the day

On Thanksgiving day, a little boy overhears his mom and dad fighting. He hears his mom call his dad a bastard and hears his dad call his mom a bitch. He asks, "Mommy, what does bastard mean?" She answers, "Um, it means boy." Then he asks, "Daddy, what does bitch mean?" He says, "Uh, it means girl." Later that day, the boy sees his father in the bathroom shaving; the dad accidentally cuts himself and says, "Shit." The son asks, "What does shit mean?" The dad says, "It means shaving cream." Then he sees his mom in the kitchen carving the turkey; she accidentally cuts herself and says, "Fuck." The son asks her what that word means and she says, "It means carving." That evening, the family's guests arrive for Thanksgiving dinner. The son opens the door to welcome them and says, "Welcome bitches and bastards! My dad is in the bathroom rubbing shit on his face and my mom is in the kitchen fucking the turkey."

health tip of the day

Cool off without a beer. Don’t eat carbohydrates for at least an hour after exercise. This will force your body to break down body fat, rather than using the food you ingest. Stick to fruit and fluids during that hour, but avoid beer.

samsung innovative bus

It’s as simple as that: a wireless camera attached to the front of the truck, films the oncoming traffic, and sends the image to a video wall made out of four exterior monitors located on the back.

This way, the driver stuck behind the vehicle can have a better understanding of whether is safe to overtake or not.

A brilliant idea that seems obvious in retrospect: thing is, nobody had ever tested something similar to what Asian technology behemoth Samsung has been experimenting with recently.

If implemented, the system could be a game-changer. A pilot test was run in Argentina, one of the countries with the most dangerous roads in the world, with 12.4 road fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants per year, according to the 2014 edition of the Road Safety Annual Report.

funny picture

today in history

1944
FDR signs G.I. Bill

On this day in 1944, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the G.I. Bill, an unprecedented act of legislation designed to compensate returning members of the armed services–known as G.I.s–for their efforts in World War II.

As the last of its sweeping New Deal reforms, Roosevelt’s administration created the G.I. Bill–officially the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944–hoping to avoid a relapse into the Great Depression after the war ended. FDR particularly wanted to prevent a repeat of the Bonus March of 1932, when 20,000 unemployed veterans and their families flocked in protest to Washington. The American Legion, a veteran’s organization, successfully fought for many of the provisions included in the bill, which gave returning servicemen access to unemployment compensation, low-interest home and business loans, and–most importantly–funding for education.

By giving veterans money for tuition, living expenses, books, supplies and equipment, the G.I. Bill effectively transformed higher education in America. Before the war, college had been an option for only 10-15 percent of young Americans, and university campuses had become known as a haven for the most privileged classes. By 1947, in contrast, vets made up half of the nation’s college enrollment; three years later, nearly 500,000 Americans graduated from college, compared with 160,000 in 1939.

As educational institutions opened their doors to this diverse new group of students, overcrowded classrooms and residences prompted widespread improvement and expansion of university facilities and teaching staffs. An array of new vocational courses were developed across the country, including advanced training in education, agriculture, commerce, mining and fishing–skills that had previously been taught only informally.

The G.I. Bill became one of the major forces that drove an economic expansion in America that lasted 30 years after World War II. Only 20 percent of the money set aside for unemployment compensation under the bill was given out, as most veterans found jobs or pursued higher education. Low interest home loans enabled millions of American families to move out of urban centers and buy or build homes outside the city, changing the face of the suburbs. Over 50 years, the impact of the G.I. Bill was enormous, with 20 million veterans and dependents using the education benefits and 14 million home loans guaranteed, for a total federal investment of $67 billion. Among the millions of Americans who have taken advantage of the bill are former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford, former Vice President Al Gore and entertainers Johnny Cash, Ed McMahon, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood.

joke of the day

Roger is a hard worker, and he spends most of his nights bowling or playing volleyball. One weekend, his wife decides that he needs to relax a little and take a break from sports, so she takes him to a strip club. The doorman at the club spots them and says "Hey Roger! How are you tonight?" His wife, surprised, asks her husband if he has been here before. "No, no. He's just one of the guys I bowl with." They are seated, and the waitress approaches, sees Roger and says "Nice to see you, Roger. A gin and tonic as usual?" His wife's eyes widen. "You must come here a lot!" "No, no" says Roger "I just know her from volleyball." Then a stripper walks up to the table. She throws her arms around Roger and says "Roger! A table dance as usual?" His wife, fuming, collects her things and storms out of the bar. Roger follows her and spots her getting into a cab, so he jumps into the passenger seat. His wife looks at him, seething with fury and flips out on Roger. Just then, the cabby leans over and says "Sure looks like you picked up a bitch tonight, Roger!"

health tip of the day

Understand hormones. Recent research suggests that short-term (less than five years) use of HRT is not associated with an increase in the risk of breast cancer, but that using it for more than ten years might be. Breast cancer is detected earlier in women using HRT, as they are more alert to the disease than other women.

Where is she now?: The girl in the iconic Vietnam War photo -- on how she learned to forgive

today in history

1953
Rosenbergs executed

On this day in 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to the Soviets, are executed at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, New York. Both refused to admit any wrongdoing and proclaimed their innocence right up to the time of their deaths, by the electric chair. The Rosenbergs were the first U.S. citizens to be convicted and executed for espionage during peacetime and their case remains controversial to this day.

Julius Rosenberg was an engineer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps who was born in New York on May 12, 1918. His wife, born Ethel Greenglass, also in New York, on September 28, 1915, worked as a secretary. The couple met as members of the Young Communist League, married in 1939 and had two sons. Julius Rosenberg was arrested on suspicion of espionage on June 17, 1950, and accused of heading a spy ring that passed top-secret information concerning the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. Ethel was arrested two months later. The Rosenbergs were implicated by David Greenglass, Ethel’s younger brother and a former army sergeant and machinist at Los Alamos, the secret atomic bomb lab in New Mexico. Greenglass, who himself had confessed to providing nuclear secrets to the Soviets through an intermediary, testified against his sister and brother-in-law in court. He later served 10 years in prison.

The Rosenbergs vigorously protested their innocence, but after a brief trial that began on March 6, 1951, and attracted much media attention, the couple was convicted. On April 5, 1951, a judge sentenced them to death and the pair was taken to Sing Sing to await execution.

During the next two years, the couple became the subject of both national and international debate. Some people believed that the Rosenbergs were the victims of a surge of hysterical anti-communist feeling in the United States, and protested that the death sentence handed down was cruel and unusual punishment. Many Americans, however, believed that the Rosenbergs had been dealt with justly. They agreed with President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he issued a statement declining to invoke executive clemency for the pair. He stated, “I can only say that, by immeasurably increasing the chances of atomic war, the Rosenbergs may have condemned to death tens of millions of innocent people all over the world. The execution of two human beings is a grave matter. But even graver is the thought of the millions of dead whose deaths may be directly attributable to what these spies have done.”

joke of the day

China, Russia, and Poland venture to space. China says they'll go to Pluto because it's the farthest. Russia says they'll go to Jupiter because it's the biggest. Poland says they'll go to the Sun. Russia and China warn that they'll melt. They reply, "We'll go at night."

health tip for the day

‘Okay, now do 100 of those’. Instead of flailing away at gym, enlist the help – even temporarily – of a personal trainer. Make sure you learn to breathe properly and to do the exercises the right way. You’ll get more of a workout while spending less time at the gym.

accident scene in port harcourt

joke of the day

A German asks a Mexican if they have any Jews in Mexico. The Mexican says, “Sí, we have orange jews, apple jews, and grape jews!”

today in history

War of 1812 begins

The day after the Senate followed the House of Representatives in voting to declare war against Great Britain, President James Madison signs the declaration into law–and the War of 1812 begins. The American war declaration, opposed by a sizable minority in Congress, had been called in response to the British economic blockade of France, the induction of American seaman into the British Royal Navy against their will, and the British support of hostile Indian tribes along the Great Lakes frontier. A faction of Congress known as the “War Hawks” had been advocating war with Britain for several years and had not hidden their hopes that a U.S. invasion of Canada might result in significant territorial land gains for the United States.

In the months after President Madison proclaimed the state of war to be in effect, American forces launched a three-point invasion of Canada, all of which were decisively unsuccessful. In 1814, with Napoleon Bonaparte’s French Empire collapsing, the British were able to allocate more military resources to the American war, and Washington, D.C., fell to the British in August. In Washington, British troops burned the White House, the Capitol, and other buildings in retaliation for the earlier burning of government buildings in Canada by U.S. soldiers.

In September, the tide of the war turned when Thomas Macdonough’s American naval force won a decisive victory at the Battle of Plattsburg Bay on Lake Champlain. The invading British army was forced to retreat back into Canada. The American victory on Lake Champlain led to the conclusion of U.S.-British peace negotiations in Belgium, and on December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed, formally ending the War of 1812. By the terms of the agreement, all conquered territory was to be returned, and a commission would be established to settle the boundary of the United States and Canada.

British forces assailing the Gulf Coast were not informed of the treaty in time, and on January 8, 1815, the U.S. forces under Andrew Jackson achieved the greatest American victory of the war at the Battle of New Orleans. The American public heard of Jackson’s victory and the Treaty of Ghent at approximately the same time, fostering a greater sentiment of self-confidence and shared identity throughout the young republic.

health tip of the day

Cool off without a beer. Don’t eat carbohydrates for at least an hour after exercise. This will force your body to break down body fat, rather than using the food you ingest. Stick to fruit and fluids during that hour, but avoid beer.

habits of unsuccessful people

todsay in history

1885
Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor

On this day in 1885, the dismantled State of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of America, arrives in New York Harbor after being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean in 350 individual pieces packed in more than 200 cases. The copper and iron statue, which was reassembled and dedicated the following year in a ceremony presided over by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, became known around the world as an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.

Intended to commemorate the American Revolution and a century of friendship between the U.S. and France, the statue was designed by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (who modeled it after his own mother), with assistance from engineer Gustave Eiffel, who later developed the iconic tower in Paris bearing his name. The statue was initially scheduled to be finished by 1876, the 100th anniversary of America’s Declaration of Independence; however, fundraising efforts, which included auctions, a lottery and boxing matches, took longer than anticipated, both in Europe and the U.S., where the statue’s pedestal was to be financed and constructed. The statue alone cost the French an estimated $250,000 (more than $5.5 million in today’s money).

Finally completed in Paris in the summer of 1884, the statue, a robed female figure with an uplifted arm holding a torch, reached its new home on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor (between New York City and Hudson County, New Jersey) on June 17, 1885. After being reassembled, the 450,000-pound statue was officially dedicated on October 28, 1886, by President Cleveland, who said, “We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected.” Standing more than 305 feet from the foundation of its pedestal to the top of its torch, the statue, dubbed “Liberty Enlightening the World” by Bartholdi, was taller than any structure in New York City at the time. The statue was originally copper-colored, but over the years it underwent a natural color-change process called patination that produced its current greenish-blue hue.

In 1892, Ellis Island, located near Bedloe’s Island (which in 1956 was renamed Liberty Island), opened as America’s chief immigration station, and for the next 62 years Lady Liberty, as the statue is nicknamed, stood watch over the more than 12 million immigrants who sailed into New York Harbor. In 1903, a plaque inscribed with a sonnet titled “The New Colossus” by American poet Emma Lazarus, written 20 years earlier for a pedestal fundraiser, was placed on an interior wall of the pedestal. Lazarus’ now-famous words, which include “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” became symbolic of America’s vision of itself as a land of opportunity for immigrants.

Some 60 years after President Calvin Coolidge designated the statue a national monument in 1924, it underwent a multi-million-dollar restoration (which included a new torch and gold leaf-covered flame) and was rededicated by President Ronald Reagan on July 4, 1986, in a lavish celebration. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the statue was closed; its base, pedestal and observation deck re-opened in 2004, while its crown re-opened to the public on July 4, 2009. (For safety reasons, the torch has been closed to visitors since 1916, after an incident called the Black Tom explosions in which munitions-laden barges and railroad cars on the Jersey City, New Jersey, waterfront were blown up by German agents, causing damage to the nearby statue.)

Today, the Statue of Liberty is one of America’s most famous landmarks. Over the years, it has been the site of political rallies and protests (from suffragettes to anti-war activists), has been featured in numerous movies and countless photographs, and has received millions of visitors from around the globe.

health tip of the day

 Do self-checks. Do regular self-examinations of your breasts. Most partners are more than happy to help, not just because breast cancer is the most common cancer among SA women. The best time to examine your breasts is in the week after your period.

joke of the day

A woman starts dating a doctor. She eventually becomes pregnant and they don't know what to do. About nine months later, just about the time she is going to give birth, a priest goes into the hospital for a prostate gland infection. The doctor says to the woman, "I know what we'll do. After I've operated on the priest, I'll give the baby to him and tell him it was a miracle." "Do you think it will work?" she asks. "It's worth a try," he says. The doctor delivers the baby and then operates on the priest. After the operation, he goes to the priest and says, "Father, you're not going to believe this." "What happened?" asks the priest. "You gave birth to a child!" "But that's impossible!" says the priest. "I just did the operation," insists the doctor. "It's a miracle! Here's your baby." About 15 years go by, and the priest realizes he must tell his son the truth. One day, he sits the boy down and says, "Son, I have something to tell you. I'm not your father." The son says, "What do you mean, you're not my father?" The priest replies, "I am your mother. The archbishop is your father."

joke of the day

A boy is selling fish on a corner. To get his customers' attention, he is yelling, "Dam fish for sale! Get your dam fish here!" A pastor hears this and asks, "Why are you calling them 'dam fish.'" The boy responds, "Because I caught these fish at the local dam." The pastor buys a couple fish, takes them home to his wife, and asks her to cook the dam fish. The wife responds surprised, "I didn't know it was acceptable for a preacher to speak that way." He explains to her why they are dam fish. Later at the dinner table, he asks his son to pass the dam fish. He responds, "That's the spirit, Dad! Now pass the f*cking potatoes!"

today in history

1215
Magna Carta sealed

Following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on the Magna Carta, or “Great Charter.” The document, essentially a peace treaty between John and his barons, guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation’s laws. Although more a reactionary than a progressive document in its day, the Magna Carta was seen as a cornerstone in the development of democratic England by later generations.

John was enthroned as king of England following the death of his brother, King Richard the Lion-Hearted, in 1199. King John’s reign was characterized by failure. He lost the duchy of Normandy to the French king and taxed the English nobility heavily to pay for his foreign misadventures. He quarreled with Pope Innocent III and sold church offices to build up the depleted royal coffers. Following the defeat of a campaign to regain Normandy in 1214, Stephen Langton, the archbishop of Canterbury, called on the disgruntled barons to demand a charter of liberties from the king.

In 1215, the barons rose up in rebellion against the king’s abuse of feudal law and custom. John, faced with a superior force, had no choice but to give in to their demands. Earlier kings of England had granted concessions to their feudal barons, but these charters were vaguely worded and issued voluntarily. The document drawn up for John in June 1215, however, forced the king to make specific guarantees of the rights and privileges of his barons and the freedom of the church. On June 15, 1215, John met the barons at Runnymede on the Thames and set his seal to the Articles of the Barons, which after minor revision was formally issued as the Magna Carta.

The charter consisted of a preamble and 63 clauses and dealt mainly with feudal concerns that had little impact outside 13th century England. However, the document was remarkable in that it implied there were laws the king was bound to observe, thus precluding any future claim to absolutism by the English monarch. Of greatest interest to later generations was clause 39, which stated that “no free man shall be arrested or imprisoned or disseised [dispossessed] or outlawed or exiled or in any way victimised…except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.” This clause has been celebrated as an early guarantee of trial by jury and of habeas corpus and inspired England’s Petition of Right (1628) and the Habeas Corpus Act (1679).

In immediate terms, the Magna Carta was a failure–civil war broke out the same year, and John ignored his obligations under the charter. Upon his death in 1216, however, the Magna Carta was reissued with some changes by his son, King Henry III, and then reissued again in 1217. That year, the rebellious barons were defeated by the king’s forces. In 1225, Henry III voluntarily reissued the Magna Carta a third time, and it formally entered English statute law.

The Magna Carta has been subject to a great deal of historical exaggeration; it did not establish Parliament, as some have claimed, nor more than vaguely allude to the liberal democratic ideals of later centuries. However, as a symbol of the sovereignty of the rule of law, it was of fundamental importance to the constitutional development of England. Four original copies of the Magna Carta of 1215 exist today: one in Lincoln Cathedral, one in Salisbury Cathedral, and two in the British Museum.

health tip of the day

Burn fat during intervals. To improve your fitness quickly and lose weight, harness the joys of interval training. Set the treadmill or step machine on the interval programme, where your speed and workload varies from minute to minute. Build up gradually, every minute and return to the starting speed. Repeat this routine. Not only will it be less monotonous, but you can train for a shorter time and achieve greater results.

Basketmouth Transformed Into An Old Man and Old Woman (pics)

Popular comedian, Basketmouth took to his Instagram page to show off his old man and old woman look.

He captioned it Basketmouth at 90...

My Mum Cut My Hands After I Ate At A Party: 10-yr-old Boy(PHOTO)

Nine-year-old Abdullahi Taoreed has never known any other mother except Ronke Olayinka. He was just a year old when his biological mother abandoned him and ran away. The woman was said to have bolted after Abdullahi clocked one year and was still crawling when his mates were already walking. Scared out of her wits that she might be saddled with a cripple, the woman took off, leaving the child to her husband.
She would later remarry. Since her exit from Abdullahi’s life, the woman had never once bothered to check on her little son. The boy’s father, unsure of what to do with a crawling child, decided to hand him over to his elder sister, Ronke Olayinka. Abdullahi’s mother and father would later die in different years, places and circumstances, leaving the child an orphan.
Thus Abdullahi grew up to know only Olayinka as his mother and addressed as such. The boy however soon realised something was fundamentally wrong, when Olayinka took to spanking him with wood, while she would use a cane on his other siblings.
He had got used to being pounced on and beaten within an inch of life with sticks and wood by his mother, but on June 7, 2015, Olayinka went too far. On one of such occasions, she got a new blade and used it to slash Abdullahi’s hands. Neighbours later told the police that the boy’s screams of pains almost brought down their building at Pipeline Street in Oke-Odo area of Lagos State, where the incident occurred. Filled with pains and terrified to his bone marrows, as the blade sliced through flesh, Abdullahi had repeatedly tried to snatch his hands away.

But Olayinka held onto the little hands like her life depended on her brutality. Unfazed by the bloodied hands and pains on the boy’s face, Olayinka took pepper and poured into the fresh wounds, eliciting more cries of agony. When Sunday Telegraph asked to speak with the wounded boy, neighbours said he had been rushed to a nearby hospital by policemen from Oke-Odo Police Station.
On Monday, Abdullahi was able to speak with our correspondent. By December this year, Abdullahi will be 10. The boy looked unkempt and had a lot of scars on his body. He also has two fresh wounds on his head. He said the head wounds were inflicted on him by his mother. “My mummy used wood to hit me on the head,” he said, sighing heavily. “I don’t hawk anything, but I do the cooking.”
The primary two pupil continued: “Yes, it was my mummy who inflicted blade cuts on my hands because I went to a party opposite our house to eat. There was no food at home. I was hungry, so I assisted the people holding the party to carry chairs. I knew that if I assisted them, they would give me food. They gave me food. My sister went to report to my mummy. “We went for evening prayer.
After the prayer, my mummy called me and started cutting my hands with a blade. She went out to buy the blade. The cut was deep. She poured pepper into the wounds. She then gave me a hot pot of beans to carry to the kitchen with the bloodied hands. “One of our neighbours, a woman, saw me and took the pot from me. She went and told everyone in the compound. People saw my hands and started crying.”
Some of the neighbours, who said they were tired of Olayinka’s alleged maltreatment of Abdullahi, mobilised and alerted the police. Recalling his life so far with his adopted mother, Abdullahi said: “It’s not every time my mummy gives me food. She uses a piece of wood to beat me, but uses canes on her kids.” Recollecting how he sustained one of the fresh head injuries, he said: “My mummy said I should go and buy kerosene. When I got there, the people said the money was not enough. I went home to tell mummy. She then used a piece of wood to hit me on my head.”

Pastor And Family Poisoned In Abia, Buried Amid Tears (Photo)

What is this world turning into? What could make a man deliberately wipe out an entire family? Why does God allow such wickedness on his people? so many questions running riot on my mind. So hard to type R I P.

Fetish 419 Syndicate In Ibadan Arrested By Police (Photos)

The Oyo State Police Command yesterday paraded a gang of highly fetish 419 syndicate which specialised in defrauding unsuspecting citizens of huge sums of money.

The police said they deceived their victims by claiming to cure their various ailments.

The breakthrough was made by the Command’s anti-Kidnapping Squad who discovered the gang’s shrines at Baale-Ayo, Asejire and Balogun village off Eleyele/Ido road as well as two poultry farms each of which costs 50 million naira while the cummulative value of their illegal services is over 800 million naira.


Oyo State Police Commissioner, Muhammed Katsina parading suspected fraudsters arrested yesterday in Ibadan. On display are their juju costumes which the Police discovered in the building that harbours their shrines.


The suspects include Sherifat Badamosi, a female, 48 years who played the role of the witch, Samsondeen Abiola a male, 42 years, a photographer whose role was to lure rich victims to their trap, Oriyomi Adebayo a male, 41 years, who played the role of a spy, Alhaji Akeem Azeez Olayode, a male, 37 years, leader of the gang and Ayankule Ayanlowo a male, 43 years who played the role of a fake herbalist.





According to Azeez Olayode, who admitted to be a ‘419’ said “I was a Fuji musician and my stage name is Santana, I was duped and those who duped me told me to become a fraudster in a bid to retrieve my money and that was how I started.
I started 6 years ago, I don’t know those people we dupe personally, I am usually linked up when their is any job, they call on me. They call me when they have customers so that we can work together.
I help them in blending leaves for concoction. When someone who has problem comes to the Babalawo for diabetes, stroke or other ailments, the man whom we work together has juju, he will cure the diabetes or any other ailment they bring, when the problem is cured, we ask the person to pay a certain amount.

The Babalawo is not genuine, he is a fake Babalawo. I can say I have duped like 10 people, the first person paid 30 million naira to cure diabetes, he paid in batches like 5,7,8 million. Their was one that had injury in the leg which was not healing up and he paid 15 million naira”.

Another suspect, Ayankunle Ayanlowo, who admitted to be a fake herbalist said, “I know how to make concoction, I get connected through Azeez Olayode to the clients and they pay me 500,000 naira per operation, I don’t have a car but I have a house”.

For the photographer, Mr Samsondeen, ” I met Mr Olayode at Options, a club very close to officers mess, I am a photographer, I take photographs at options and that was how I got his contact. When his child was doing Islamic graduation I did three albums for him so I see him as a customer. When the Police came to my house that night, they asked if I was the photographer they called on phone and I was told to follow them. I move around, I don’t have a shop, I am even supposed to be in Ilorin presently” he said.

Among the items recovered from the syndicate are three assorted cars, a toyota venza saloon car which costs 4.8 million naira, 4matic mercedes benz jeep which costs 6 million naira, honda crosstour saloon car which 3.5 million naira and assorted criminal charms.

According to the Commissioner of Police Mohammad Musa Katsina, “this place is a place where many victims have visited and all of them came here but left this environment in bruises. The gentleman (Azeez Olayode) who spoke with you is the leader of this hypnotising syndicate that whenever you are brought here, they do everything to diminish your sense or any sense in you and as result they subdue you to the point of parting with anything that is valuable. He met an octogenarian who is in Ibadan and dispossessed him of the sum of 30 million naira. Somebody living in the United States of America who came to this place was also unfortunate enough to have fallen into their trap, he did not leave their trap until they defrauded him the sum of 20 million naira, they have duped many people here and today we are here and has I did tell you I have the capacity and well withal to deal with them to chase them wherever they are” he said.
On behalf of the people of Oloya village, the youth leader however expressed his gratitude and appreciated the efforts of the Police to save them from this menace saying all efforts made by them have been abortive”.