Religious Mayhem Claims 30 in Bauchi

NO fewer than 30 persons, including four soldiers from the 33 Field Artillery Brigade, Bauchi, may have been killed in a fresh clash between members of an Islamic sect called kala-kato and security personnel in the Zango area of Bauchi Metropolis in the early hours of yesterday.

The kala-kato (which means “he has said”) sect claims to be an off shoot of the original Maitatsine sect of the 1980s.

Among the victims who died were 15 children between the ages of three and seven.

A cripple, Yusufa Abba, was said to have been slaughtered like a ram by the sect members.

A number of houses in Zango were set on fire by members of the sect who went on rampage demanding the release of their leader arrested by the authorities.

Affected, was Gambo Nabarasi whose house opposite the sect’s enclave in Zango area was burnt down completely. When The Guardian visited the Federal Low-cost House Estate, which is near the scene of the clash, sound of gunshot exchange between security personnel and the members of the sect still rent the air.

There was apprehension among citizens while all businesses in the area remained shut.

The bodies of the military personnel were being conveyed in a Hilux Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) by some of their colleagues.

The security operatives were seen trying to fish out the members of the sect who retreated into the hills nearby.

Governor Isa Yuguda, was again away in Britain when the crisis erupted. None of his officials was on hand to brief journalists on the situation. Among those killed, according to unconfirmed reports, were four soldiers drafted to the troubled area alongside other security operatives.

About four innocent children who fell victims were burnt when their parents’ house was set ablaze by the rampaging sect members.

According to an eyewitness, Ibrahim, who is one of the neighbours to the sect members, said that the residents started to sense trouble early yesterday when the preacher of the sect embarked on a sermon insulting other Moslem sects.

Ibrahim said that the preacher called other sects infidels.

“I live at the Zango Main Road but this street is called Saidawa. I was at the open preaching of the sect yesterday night (Sunday) and this morning (Monday) when the preacher questioned the rationale behind the killing of the dreaded Boko Haram members when all the sect members were preaching against is reality,” he said.

He added: “One of the listeners challenged the preacher and he was dealt with there while another who called on the people to leave the venue of the preaching was killed instantly and before we knew what was happening, the sect members had taken to the street burning down people’s houses and maiming others. It is very unfortunate this is happening again in Bauchi,” Ibrahim said.

When contacted, the State Police Command spokesman, Mohammed Barau, confirmed the crisis.

Barau said the command deployed a combined team of regular and Mobile policemen to the area to maintain law and order, adding that as at the time of this report, the command was still awaiting situation report from those on the field.

The spokesman said the Police Commissioner, Atiku Yusuf Kafur, was not ready to comment as he was awaiting directives from the Police Headquarters in Abuja.

Barau gave assurance that the situation was under control and it should be reported as such.

Meanwhile, as at the time of going to Press, a security meeting was going on between the Army and the Police Commands.

This will be the third religious crisis in Bauchi this year including the dreaded Boko Haram in June which claimed many lives and property.

From Ali Garba, Bauchi

Source: Guardian News

Christmas Bell

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

“Christmas Then and Now“

The Stars look down
On David’s town,
While angels sing in Winter night;
The Shepherds pray,
And far away
The Wise Men follow guiding light.
Little Christ Child
By Mary Mild
In Manger lies without the Inn;
Of Man the Son,
Yet God in One,
To save the lost in World of Sin.
Still stars look down
On David’s town
And still the Christ Child dwells with men,
What thought give we
To such as He,
Or souls who live in Sin as then?
Show we our love
To Him above
By offering others’ grief to share;
And Christmas cheer
For all the year
Bestow to lighten pain and care.

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Knowledge is Power

Act of Reading

When it comes to Acquiring, it costs much to do so. A young gentle man was asked what he fears about the growth of his young lads, he replied, “I do fear if they don’t acquire knowledge. The beauty of any society is the ability to provide qaulity education, through which knowledge is acquired.

Another man was shown how nice it was to do a particular thing better, he marveled when he discovered that he would have done it better than he did.

The only better way of achieving great is to read and acquire the basic and necessary info. Every man has the right to knowlegde, when one is deprived of this all important thing in life, he/she is doomed for life. Imagine a man born into a family of 9 in African setting, 5 out of the 7 children were able to acquire basic knowlegde. In his side, left education in pusuit of wealth through “hustling” where he thought he would have made millions. When the other of his siblings persisted and left school, every other things became a story.

Give your child the best gift in life via Education, with this, he won’t grow to forget you in a hurry, and you will always be grateful to yourself in doing that.

PREGNANCY

Pregnancy

The signs of the existence of pregnancy are of two kinds, uncertain and certain, or maternal and fœtal. Amongst the former class are included—Cessation of menstruation (which may occur without pregnancy); morning vomiting; salivation; enlargement of the breasts and of the abdomen; quickening. It must be borne in mind that every woman with a big abdomen is not necessarily pregnant. The tests which afford conclusive evidence of the existence of a fœtus in the uterus are—Ballottement, the uterine souffle, intermittent uterine contractions, fœtal movements, and, above all, the pulsation of the fœtal heart. The uterine souffle is synchronous with the maternal pulse; the fœtal heart is not, being about 120 beats per minute.

Evidence of pregnancy may also be afforded by the discharge from the uterus of an early ovum, of moles, hydatids, etc. Disease of the uterus and ovarian dropsy may be mistaken for pregnancy. Careful examination is necessary to determine the nature of the condition present. Pregnancy may be pleaded in bar of immediate capital punishment, in which case the woman must be shown to be ‘quick with child.’ A woman may also plead pregnancy to delay her trial in Scotland, and both in England and Scotland, in civil cases, to produce a successor to estates, to increase damages for seduction, in compensation cases where a husband has been killed, to obtain increased damages, etc. A woman may become pregnant within a month of her last delivery.

In cases of rape and suspected pregnancy, it must be borne in mind that a medical man who examines a woman under any circumstances against her will renders himself liable to heavy damages, and that the law will not support him in so doing. If, on being requested to permit an examination, the woman refuse, such refusal may go against her, but of this she is the best judge. The duty of the medical man ends on making the suggestion.

Introduction to African Slavery

Slavery

The institution of slavery as it existed in Africa, and the effects of world slave-trade systems on African people and societies. As in most of the world, slavery, or involuntary human servitude, was practiced across Africa from prehistoric times to the modern era. When we talk about slavery, many envision the form in which it existed in the United States before the American Civil War (1861-1865): one racially identifiable group owning and exploiting another. However, in other parts of the world, slavery was in many different forms. In Africa, many societies recognized slaves merely as property, but others saw them as dependents who eventually might be integrated into the families of slave owners. Still other societies allowed slaves to attain positions of military or administrative power. Most often, both slave owners and slaves were black Africans, although they were frequently of different ethnic groups.

Traditionally, African slaves were bought to perform menial or domestic labor, to serve as wives or concubines, or to enhance the status of the slave owner. Traditional African practices of slavery were altered to some extent beginning in the 7th century by two non-African groups of slave traders: Arab Muslims and Europeans. From the 7th to the 20th century, Arab Muslims raided and traded for black African slaves in West, Central, and East Africa, sending thousands of slaves each year to North Africa and parts of Asia. From the 15th to the 19th century, Europeans bought millions of slaves in West, Central, and East Africa and sent them to Europe; the Caribbean; and North, Central, and South America. These two overlapping waves of transcontinental slave trading made the slave trade central to the economies of many African states and threatened many more Africans with enslavement.

Slavery within African soceity

The pratice of slavery existed in some earliest organized soceities in Africa, about 3,500 years ago, ancient Egyptians raided their neighbouring soceities for slavery, and the buying and selling of slaves were regular activities in cities along the Nile River. However, whereas the Egyptians left behind written records of their activities, most other early African states and societies did not. Therefore, our understanding of slavery in other parts of Africa is based on tales and oral histories from aged ones and on much more recent observations of African traditions regarding slavery and kinship.

Origin of Slavery in Africa

Slaves

As in many places around the world, early slavery likely resulted from warring groups taking captives. Such captives were of little use, and often some bother, when kept close to their homes because of the ease of escape. Therefore, they were often sold and transported to more distant places.

Warfare was not the only reason for the practice of slavery in Africa, however. In many African societies, slavery represented one of the few methods of producing wealth available to common people. Throughout the African continent there was little recognition of rights to private landholding until colonial officials began imposing European law in the 19th century. Land was typically held communally by villages or large clans and was allotted to families according to their need. The amount of land a family needed was determined by the number of laborers that family could marshal to work the land. To increase production, a family had to invest in more laborers and thus increase their share of land. The simplest and quickest way to do this was to invest in slaves. To help service this demand, many early African societies conducted slave raids on distant villages.

Effects of Slavery in Africa

• The spread of Islam from Arabia into Africa after the religion’s founding in the 7th century ad affected the practice of slavery and slave trading in West, Central, and East Africa.
• The demand for labor increased as plantation agriculture developed in the region, the East African slave trade increased dramatically.
• The culture of the East African coastal regions was strongly influenced by Arab and Persian traders, many of whom intermarried with Africans, thus producing the Swahili people and culture.
• Neighboring states competed with one another for trade, leading to wars, which in turn led to the capture of more slaves.
• As the demand for slaves grew, so did the practice of systematic slave raiding, which increased in scope and efficiency with the introduction of firearms to Africa in the 17th century.
• Historians estimate that between 1.5 and 2 million slaves died during the journey to the New World.
• In most of Africa, slavery became a more central, structural element of African life, as rulers and wealthy elites sought to accumulate more and more slaves, for sale as well as for their own use.

End of Slavery in Africa

As humanitarian sentiments grew in Western Europe with the 18th-century Age of Enlightenment and as European economic interests shifted slowly from agriculture to industry, a movement to abolish the slave trade and the practice of slavery came into being in the Western world. In 1807 the slave trade was outlawed in Britain and the United States.

The ending of the slave trade and slavery in Africa had wide-ranging effects on the African continent. Many societies that for centuries had participated in an economy based on slave labor and the trading of slaves had difficulty finding new ways to organize labor and gain wealth. Meanwhile, colonial governments in Africa that outwardly disapproved of slavery still needed inexpensive laborers for agriculture, industry, and other work projects. As a result, African leaders and former slave owners, as well as colonial officials, often developed methods of coercing Africans to work without pay or for minimal compensation. Moreover, the outlawing of slavery did not erase the pain and stigma of having been a slave. Many descendants of slaves were affected by this stigma for generations after slavery was abolished.

Nenwe Day is a cultural event usually celebrated in 1^st January with lots of pageantry, entertainment, cultural activities to engage and satisfy all in attendance.

2010 event will be a multi-celebration, parades of traditional dance from Nenwe and beyond. The famous (ORIGINAL) IKWIRIKWO Music will be the climax of this colourful occasion, which MTN Communications and a foremost Philanthropist, Dr. C.O Onuora are the key sponsors of this year’s event which one cannot afford to miss.

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Christmas Gifts for Mom Silk Shawl Size

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Get Your Own Evening Shawls and Wraps Silk in Paisley Jacquard Weaving 44 x 72 inches (bssl022)

The Omron HJ-112 Pocket Pedometer is an advanced, high-tech pedometer that–thanks to unique dual

Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer

sensor technology–can be carried in your pocket or bag. Now you can just drop your pedometer in your purse to find out how much exercise you get in a typical day of work, errands, and other tasks. Of course, you can also attach it to your belt like a traditional pedometer.

The HJ-112 accurately measures your steps, as well as aerobic steps and minutes. You can also use it to measure calories burned during your workout, as well as the distance you’ve traveled.

The device’s large, easy-to-read LCD display can separately display aerobic steps and minutes walked more than 10 minutes continuously, so you always have the information you need right in front of you. Meanwhile, a seven day history lets you review a full week of exercise. The device also resets at midnight automatically so it’s ready to go every morning. Of course, the device can also function as a handy and highly accurate clock. It also comes with a detachable belt holder and security strap so it’s always close at hand.

The HJ-112 is powered by a replaceable lithium battery (CR2032) that will last six months when used for walking 10,000 steps a day. The device measures approximately 2.8 x 2.1 x .6 inches (H x W x D) and weighs 1.1 ounces (not including battery).

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Kyoto Dispute Threatens Climate Conference

Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed addresses Klima Forum 09, the people's climate summit, in Copenhagen, 14 Dec 2009

African delegates are back at the climate change talks in Copenhagen after a brief walkout Monday to protest what they said were efforts by rich nations to undermine the current global warming treaty and weaken a new agreement

African negotiators briefly walked out of climate talks in Copenhagen, angered by what they consider efforts to sideline poor nations and weaken support for a binding deal.  The talks have since resumed as delegates race to draft a global agreement at the final week of the climate conference.

African negotiators in Copenhagen expressed dismay at what they said were efforts to water down global-warming talks, saying binding emission reductions targets are essential.  At a morning press conference, they said the interests of poor nations on the front lines of climate change are being ignored.  And they warned against attempts to sideline the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012 and does set binding reductions targets.

One African negotiator said dismissing the so-called Kyoto track means the death of Africa.

“As you all know, Africa is the most vulnerable continent,” one African negotiator said.  “And in this process, the Kyoto Protocol is of paramount importance to us.  In this regard we cannot, repeat, cannot – we can never accept the killing of the Kyoto Protocol.”

But poorer nations want richer ones to commit to steeper, binding emissions reductions and provide more aid to adapt to climate change.

Earlier, British Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband outlined some of those problems to reporters.

“Can we get the emissions cuts that we need?  Europe wants to move to 30 percent reduction by 2020, but we need high ambition from others as well, and we will be pushing for that on the basis of our willingness to go to the 30 percent,” Miliband said.  “There are issues behind finance, which is how we get beyond the very welcome fast-start commitments that are being made to longer term finance, and that is something we are working on.”

Miliband said the third issue centered on ways to report and verify climate-change pledges are actually delivered.  Negotiators are hoping those issues are resolved before world leaders arrive at the week’s end to sign a climate agreement.

The European Union last week agreed to earmark $3.6 billion yearly in short-term climate financing between 2010 and 2012 for developing nations.  But other countries have not followed suit.

Richer nations have not agreed on long-term climate financing for poorer ones.  Experts say more than $100 billion in annual aid will be needed by 2020.

Source: VOANEWS.COM