ith her twerking dance moves, raunchy image and flesh flashing antics, Miley Cyrus is clearly determined to move away from her wholesome Disney Hannah Montana image.

So it's unsurprising that a new set of promotional photographs for the singer's new album Bangerz show the star yet again trying rather too hard to ramp up the sex factor.

The 20-year-old, who has taken to copying Madonna and Rihanna's favoured crotch grabbing move, tries her hand at it again in one shot, where she makes the lewd gesture in a pair of  PVC black and white checked trousers and a white crop top, in front of a neon Bangerz sign.
Private: Miley's modesty is only just protected by braces and a smattering of red embroidery in one picture which features her holding balloons

Private: Miley's modesty is only just protected by braces and a smattering of red embroidery in one picture which features her holding balloons

Another shot combines the child-like act of holding colourful party balloons with a risqué outfit of black trousers with braces and well positioned red embroidery over a clear PVC top which only just protects her modesty .

More images include Miley looking back at the camera sporting a black coat which only just covers her seemingly naked posterior and a black and white shot featuring the top of a lacy white thong.

The new album is set for release in the U.S. on October 8 and includes Miley's hit single We Can't Stop and her new song Wrecking Ball.
She's at it again: Miley Cyrus grabs her crotch in a new promotional photograph for her forthcoming album Bangerz

She's at it again: Miley Cyrus grabs her crotch in a new promotional photograph for her forthcoming album Bangerz
Baring all: The 20-year-old wannabe shows off her pert posterior in a risque shot where3 she looks back at the camera wearing just a black coat

Baring all: The 20-year-old wannabe shows off her pert posterior in a risque shot where3 she looks back at the camera wearing just a black coat

The release is getting a slew of publicity following Miley's much lambasted performance at Sunday night's MTV VMAs.

The former Hannah Montana star stripped down to a flesh-coloured latex bikini, simulated sex with a foam finger and grinded her behind into the crotch of 36-year-old Robin Thicke during his hit Blurred Lines at the awards ceremony.

On Monday, the Parents Television Council issued a statement in which executives called her performance 'segxwally exploitative' and said it 'simply substituted talent with sex.'

One more brick in the wall: Miley pouts while showing off the top of her thong panties underneath a toned tummy

One more brick in the wall: Miley pouts while showing off the top of her thong panties underneath a toned tummy

The performance drew criticism from media commentators, fellow celebrities and even the star's  friends.

Thicke's 66-year-old mother Gloria Loring, herself a veteran actress and singer, called Miley's moves 'misbegotten,' and certainly didn't enjoy watching her shake her rear in her son's face.

'I don't understand what Miley Cyrus is trying to do.I just don't understand. I think she's misbegotten in this attempt of hers. And I think it was not beneficial,' she told Yahoo OMG.

And Miley's friend Kelly Osbourne said on Monday's edition of E! show Fashion Police: 'Look, Miley's my friend and I love her, and I have her back no matter what, but as her friend I'm going to tell her - put your f***ing tongue in your mouth!'
Blooming shocking: Miley looks extremely wide eyed and young in another shot which features her holding a bunch of flowers in a dark jacket and trousers

Blooming shocking: Miley looks extremely wide eyed and young in another shot which features her holding a bunch of flowers in a dark jacket and trousers

All grown up: Miley sports bright red lipstick and heavy mascara in another sultry photograph

All grown up: Miley sports bright red lipstick and heavy mascara in another sultry photograph
And Brooke Shields, who played Miley's mother in a few episodes of Hannah Montans called

She then expressed genuine concern, saying:  'I just want to know who's advising her, and why [the racy display] is necessary.... [Our children] can't watch that.

'I feel like it's a bit desperate,' she saidAnd Brooke Shields, who played Miley's mother in a few episodes of Hannah Montana, called the
Get ready to shock: Milley got fans talking with her lewd performance with a foam finger at the VMAs on Sunday

Get ready to shock: Milley got fans talking with her lewd performance with a foam finger at the VMAs on Sunday

Brooke Shields, who played Miley's mother in a few episodes of Hannah Montana, called the display 'a bit desperate'.

She told The Today Show: 'I just want to know who's advising her, and why [the racy display] is necessary.... [Our children] can't watch that.'

Bill Mayer likened the performance to a specific type of evening entertainment, tweeting:  'Watching VMAs. Haven't been in a strip club in a while but good to see nothing has changed.'

And Melissa Rycroft suggested she was not of the right age to appreciate Miley's moves.

'I feel I'm too old to appreciate the (ahem) new Miley Cyrus... feeling slightly violated,' she wrote.

Nick Cannon weighed in to the fray, tweeting: 'Remind me to never let my kids into showbiz... thanks.'

Kelly Clarkson even earned a rebuke from one of Miley's friends after she wrote: '2  words... pitchystrippers,' on her Twitter account after the show, seemingly referring to Miley and Lady Gaga's performances.

Miley for her part, has been busy defending herself via Twitter, citing the huge number of tweets which occurred during her performance.

'Smilers! My VMA performance had 306.000 tweets per minute. That's more than the blackout or Superbowl! #fact,' she wrote in one post.

She also retweeted two quotes from a review by Rolling Stone magazine: 'Miley was the one star in the room who truly understood what the MTV Video Music Awards are all about!,' she quoted in one post.

'Miley stole the night, which is why the nation is still in recovery today. Thanks, Miley - Rolling Stone,' she posted in another.

Meanwhile, Miley's fiancé Liam Hemsworth has also been drawn into the furore.

According to website Radar Online, friends of the Australian actor are worried that Miley’s inappropriate actions will have a negative effect on his flourishing career.

One unnamed friend told the website: 'Liam really does care about Miley, but her racy new look and sort of ghetto attitude isn’t exactly what he signed up for.'

The source also added: 'It’s not just Liam that Miley is pushing away…his entire team is urging him to part ways with her because she’s nothing but negative for his reputation and career.'

A simpler look: Miley shows off her natural beauty in a less made-up, soft focussed shot

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/not-again-miley-try-hard-cyrus-flashes_29.html

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The King of Pop would have been 55 today.  And we continue to celebrate his life as its still one of the biggest impacts on music today.  Check out how super producer Timbaland plans to salute Michael Jackson soon inside...

It's Michael Jackson's birthday.  And the late musical genius is still the prototype of this music industry.

We're loving the vintage pic (above) of Michael during the "Thriller" era that gives us a peek at his Jean-Michel Basquiat art collection.
And Timbaland recently unveiled his brand new Michael Jackson Project. Timbaland said this will be like 2 Kings working together--Michael's voice over Timbo's beats. The first single will be called "Chicago" and it will be out soon..
sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/happy-birthday-michael-jackson.html

A group called De Raufs' Volunteer Group - a group of supporters of Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, has offered 14 year old Daniel Oikhena, the boy who flew an Arik plane from Benin to Lagos hidden in the plane's undercarriage, a scholarship.

The Director-General of the group, Amitolu Shittu, in a statement released yesterday said the group is ready to give scholarship to Daniel up to university level and also help him achieve his target of travelling through the air.

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/teenage-stowaway-daniel-oikhena-offered_29.html

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Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z were amongst an array of stars attending Sunday's VMA after party on the glamorous rooftop of NYC’s Dream Hotel.

But the behaviour was reportedly not so glamorous.

Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Leonardo DiCaprio and Rita Ora became witnesses to a nasty display of fisticuffs, when P Diddy reportedly confronted rapper J Cole, who was ‘dancing too close’ to girlfriend Cassie and Diddy himself.
Diddy's VMA after party promoting his new line of alcohol.. maybe someone had a bit too much? Diddy's VMA after party promoting his new line of alcohol.. maybe someone had a bit too much?

Power couple Jay and Bey attended the after party thrown by Sean Combs, and attempted to break up the row that ensued between Diddy and J-Cole.

A guest at the party told a New York paper:

‘It was mayhem. Beyoncé was yelling to stop and Jay-Z was separating people and getting people away from Bey.’

‘We were all dancing and the fight breaks out, and it happened so quickly and bottles were crashing everywhere, and everyone was screaming. People got pushed into bottles’, said another party attendee.
J Cole is said to have got into handbags at dawn with Diddy J Cole is said to have got into handbags at dawn with Diddy

Another partygoer added:

‘J-Cole was saying inappropriate things to Sean Combs and his girlfriend, Cassie. Sean immediately pounced. Some pushing and shoving happened. No punches were thrown but it was a visible disturbance.’

Diddy’s drinks brand Ciroc sponsored the party, and the brawl supposedly started after multiple bottles had been consumed.
Sean Combs aka P Diddy, 43, with 27-year-old girlfriend and singer Cassie Sean Combs aka P Diddy, 43, with 27-year-old girlfriend and singer Cassie

But Diddy was quick to recover and he then took to the decks to wish his girlfriend a happy birthday.

Diddy told his guests: ‘Its all cool! Ya’ll keep having fun! It’s no big deal, it’s over.’

Despite the row Beyoncé left the party all smiles, wearing a black dress that showed off her trademark curves.
sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/beyonce-and-jay-z-caught-up-in-p-diddy.html

GP and TV presenter Dr Christian Jessen answers your health questions
Q: I have really large Bosom s that give me a lot of pain.
My GP has told me to wait before doing anything as I’m only 18, but are they really likely to get smaller? Anna, by email

A: Large Bosom s can be a real handicap for women – as well as potentially making you self-conscious, they can cause physical problems, too. Your posture can be affected and you may have aching muscles in your chest and shoulders.

A good supportive bra can help, but if your Bosom s are very heavy, the bra straps can cut into your shoulders. Your Bosom s’ shape and size will change throughout your life and you may feel a tension and swelling in them before your period is due, but it is very unlikely they will decrease to a size you are more comfortable with.
If they are really a problem, I suggest you plead a stronger case with your GP, explaining exactly how they make your life difficult – you may be considered for a reduction on the NHS if your Bosom s are causing you psychological distress or physical problems.

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/i-hate-my-big-boobs.html

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Teenage girls who suspect they are being taken abroad to be forced into marriage, have been given a new tip to escape their plight.

The girls hide spoons or other metal items in their clothing to set off an alarm, giving them a last chance to alert authorities or miss the flight.

Jasvinder Sanghhera, founder of charity Karma Nirvana, was disowned by her family aged 16 when she refused to marry a man in India.

The charity gets around 600 calls a month, with spokesperson Natasha Rattu revealing:

‘When youngsters ring, if they don’t know exactly when it may happen, or if it’s going to happen, we advise them to put a spoon in their underwear.'
There have been 400 reported cases of forced marriage in the last 3 months alone There have been 400 reported cases of forced marriage in the last 3 months alone

‘When they go through security, it will highlight this object in a private area and, if 16 or over, they will be taken to a safe space where they have that one last opportunity to disclose they’re being forced to marry.

‘We’ve had people ring and say that it’s helped them and got them out of a dangerous situation. It’s an incredibly difficult thing to do with your family around you – but they won’t be aware you have done it. It’s a safe way.’

    'I was raped by my husband and this abuse continued for about eight and half years of my life'

This comes as the Foreign Office’s Forced Marriage Unit revealed it has had 400 reported cases in the last three months alone.

The summer holidays are notorious red zone for school girls going missing as there is minimum risk of a child’s absence being noticed.

The Forced Marriage unit deal with around 1500 cases a year- the youngest victim they have come across was aged 2, the oldest 71.
Girls are often disowned or even killed by their families if they refuse to marry Girls are often disowned or even killed by their families if they refuse to marry

One victim told a UK radio station that she was forced into marriage aged 13 and pregnant by 14.

‘I did not know I was going to get forced into a marriage until a week before the marriage actually occurred. I had never seen the guy before. I was in the middle of nowhere and I did not know where I was,’ she admitted.

Another victim- whose identity has to remain protected by police after her dad threatened to kill her if she escaped, described her horrific experience.

‘I was shipped off with a total stranger. That night I was raped by my husband and this abuse continued for about eight and half years of my life,’ she said. She later escaped.
sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/girls-escape-forced-marriage-by-setting.html

When Judge Mrs Justice Eleanor King ruled that a disabled man could be sterilised last week, her controversial decision became a national talking point.

But for Alison Thorpe, 51, the landmark ruling came as a welcome surprise. Like the parents of the 37-year-old man, Alison has fought long and hard to get a hysterectomy for her severely disabled daughter Katie.

And although it might sound cold-hearted, Alison, from Billericay in Essex, insists that removing her daughter's womb is the best thing for her - and will spare her pain.
Tragedy: Alison Thorpe with her severely disabled daughter Katie, 21, who has the mental age of a baby

Tragedy: Alison Thorpe with her severely disabled daughter Katie, 21, who has the mental age of a baby

Difficult: Alison says Katie goes through excruciating pain each month when her period begins

In an interview with Closer magazine, Alison explained that she has wanted a medical intervention for Katie, 21, who has the mental age of a six-month-old, since she began her periods.

 

Katie has severe cerebral palsy and cannot walk, talk or feed herself. But despite her condition, NHS medical experts insist that a hysterectomy wouldn't be in Katie's best interests.

'Every month when Katie has her period, she screams and writhes in agony,' explains her mother. It's heartbreaking. Katie can't make choices in life, so why - as her mother who has cared for her for over 20 years - should that choice not be placed with me?'

Katie's condition was caused by being starved at oxygen at birth and was diagnosed when she was just four months old.

Devastated, it took Alison months to recover although a local support group came to her aid. Now in her 20s, Katie still has the mental age of a six-month-old baby but has come to enjoy the presence of horses and the sight of sensory lights.
Suffering: Katie, who has severe cerebral palsy, cannot walk or talk and has the mental age of a six-month-old

Suffering: Katie, who has severe cerebral palsy, cannot walk or talk and has the mental age of a six-month-old

Cause: Katie's condition was caused by being starved of oxygen at birth and was diagnosed at four months

Cause: Katie's condition was caused by being starved of oxygen at birth and was diagnosed at four months

Landmark: Mrs Justice Eleanor King ruled the 37-year-old man could be sterilised
Read the full story in this week's Closer magazine, out now

Landmark: The ruling made by Mrs Justice Eleanor King has inspired Alison, whose story appears in Closer

In 2005, as puberty began, Alison got in touch with her GP to raise the possibility of sterilisation and was referred to a gynaecologist.

But instead of a hysterectomy, the gynaecologist suggested the Pill or contraceptive injections instead - neither of which, Alison says, were suitable for Katie.

Rejecting the gynaecologist's advice, she battled on, taking her case to a succession of NHS boards, before the move was finally denied by a panel of doctors in 2008.

'Losing the case was heartbreaking,' Alison told Closer. 'I couldn't fathom why they couldn't see how much Katie needed it. When they said it was against her human rights, I could have cried.'

And then, her worst fears were realised. When Katie eventually began her periods at the age of 19 in 2011, the effect was traumatic.

According to her mother, she screamed and screamed and beyond giving Katie paracetamol, there was nothing Alison could do.

Now she hopes to take her daughter's case to the High Court in the wake of the latest ruling - and hopes a similar verdict will result.

'This ruling has given me hope that one day Katie will be able to have the operation,' she says. 'Her condition is incurable, but if I could take away this pain once a month, I could finally feel like I was doing something to make her physically better.'

Read the full story in this week's issue of Closer, out now


sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/every-month-when-she-has-her-period-she.html

It's alwalys tricky coming up with an original fancy dress costume for the village fete.

One family, however, appear to have gone with a current affairs theme - dressing up their children as accused British drug mules Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum Connolly.

Dressed in the same outfits, their hair in the same styles, stood with suitcases and holding a sign that says: 'The Peru 2. Drugs is for mugs...' the two young girls look like miniature versions of the girls who await their trial in Peru.
Caused a stir: The photo of two young children dressed as the accused drug mules Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum Connolly has gone viral online

Caused a stir: The photo of two young children dressed as the accused drug mules Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum Connolly has gone viral online

The picture, which has been posted online, appears to have been taken on a green at a village fair. In the background parents and children surround a bouncy castle and other games.

It's not known if the young girls were entered into a fancy dress competition, or if they won, but there's no doubting the resemblance they have to Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum Connolly who claim they were kidnapped and forced to unknowingly smuggle drugs from Peru to Spain. related]

Up until now Reid, from Glasgow, and McCollum Connolly, from Northern Ireland, have insisted they are innocent. If found guilty, they could be sentenced to 15 years in prison.

However, if they plead guilty, they may get off with only six years and eight months.

On Thursday the girls were moved to the Virgen de Fatima jail, which is surrounded by shanty towns just south of Lima.
Irish Michaella McCollum Connolly (L) and British Melissa Reid (R) were detained allegedly with 11 kilograms of cocaine on their way to Madrid, Spain, at the international airport Jorge Chavez in Callao, near Lima, Peru

Irish Michaella McCollum Connolly (L) and British Melissa Reid (R) were detained allegedly with 11 kilograms of cocaine on their way to Madrid, Spain, at the international airport Jorge Chavez in Callao, near Lima, Peru

The only Western inmates, they will endure a military-style regime alongside 1,000 other female prisoners, including murderers and terrorists.

Reid's father William Reid told the media last week he wants his daughter to plead guilty, work with authorities and tell them everything she knows.

'They were found to have drugs on them. They collected packages which transpired to be drugs. They are going to be guilty of that.

'If that’s the Peruvian law, regardless of the mitigating circumstances, then you are as well pleading guilty rather than defending that to the nth degree and be sitting there with 15 years that you’re trying to appeal and reduce.
Cuffed: The pair could spend up to three years in jail in Peru as they await their trial

Cuffed: The pair could spend up to three years in jail in Peru as they await their trial

The father of Melissa Reid, right, has urged her to plead guilty to avoid up to 15 years in prison
The father of Melissa Reid, right, has urged her to plead guilty to avoid up to 15 years in prison

The father of Melissa Reid, right, has urged her to plead guilty to avoid up to 15 years in prison if found guilty in a trial. McCollum Connolly, left, and Reid claim they were abducted by gun-toting Colombian gangsters in Ibiza who threatened them and their families if they did not do as they were told

‘These girls are young. They may be living in cloud cuckoo land and thinking that magically next week they’re going to go free. If you’re adamant that you’re innocent, you don’t believe that you’re even going to be given a sentence,' he said.

The pair could spend up to three years in jail awaiting trial.
sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/is-that-really-appropriate-parents.html

 

 Complaint: Murderer Dale Cregan is demanding to move prisons so he can be closer to his family

 

Dale Cregan has gone on hunger strike in prison in a bid to be moved closer to his family, it emerged today.

The one-eyed gangster is serving a life sentence at HMP Full Sutton, near York, for killing four people including two police officers.

He is now refusing to eat, apparently because he wants to be transferred to Strangeways prison in Manchester, near to where his family lives.

Cregan, 30, is said to have started his hunger strike in protest at being kept in segregation for his own safety.

Jonathan Reynolds, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, hit out against the killer and said he was obsessed with getting the attention of the public.

'Dale Cregan deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison and how he is held is a matter for the prison authorities,' he said.

'He is clearly proud of the reputation he has gained and this is now one of the few ways he has of getting the attention that he craves.

'Hopefully he will be dealt with accordingly and can get right back to serving his sentence in whichever way the authorities see fit.'

Cregan wants to move to Strangeways so he can be closer to his family in Droylsden, Greater Manchester.

He is currently believed to be in segregation at Full Sutton - 80 miles from Manchester - to shield him from ongoing safety threats, with reports suggesting there is an underworld reward of £20,000 for anyone who damages his remaining eye.
Current home: Cregan is one of several well-known killers being held in HMP Full Sutton, near York

Current home: Cregan is one of several well-known killers being held in HMP Full Sutton, near York

Move: Cregan is keen to be transferred to HMP Strangeways in Manchester where his family lives

Move: Cregan is keen to be transferred to HMP Strangeways in Manchester where his family lives

A Prison Service spokesman refused to comment on Cregan's status or condition, but said: 'We take food refusal extremely seriously.

'If a prisoner chooses to refuse food for any reason, the Prison Service works with healthcare staff to monitor their physical and mental health.
 

'Prisoners who are considered mentally capable are entitled to refuse health interventions, provided they fully understand the consequences of their decision.'

Fellow inmates at Full Sutton include Dennis Nilsen, who murdered 15 young men and kept their remains in his flat, and Jeremy Bamber, convicted of killing five members of his own family.
PC Nicola Hughes
PC Fiona Bone

Victims: PCs Nicola Hughes, left, and Fiona Bone, right, were killed in a gun and grenade attack last September

Cregan lured police officers Nicola Hughes, 23, and Fiona Bone, 32, to their deaths in a gun and grenade attack on September 18 last year.

He had gone on the run days before killing David Short last August after gunning down his son, Mark in Droylsden three months earlier.

The manhunt reached a ghastly conclusion when Cregan ambushed the constables following a bogus 999 call to a house in Hattersley.

He was given a whole life sentence at Preston Crown Court in June.

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/one-eyed-police-killer-dale-cregan-goes.html

The multi millionaire music exec and X-Factor judge was photographed kissing his pregnant married lover, Lauren Silverman, on the deck of his yacht in the South of France over the weekend. Lauren is still legally married to Simon's good friend, real property millionaire Andrew Silverman, though they are said to have reached a divorce agreement. More photos after the cut...



sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/dear-simon-cowell-thou-shalt-not-covet_8988.html

Martin Manley included photos throughout the website he built to explain his decision to commit suicide. He wrote: "Not only (do I) look 60, I think 60. I act 60... I am 60 ... ! I'll never have to see myself at 70 or 80 -- and that's a good thing." Martin Manley included photos throughout the website he built to explain his decision to commit suicide. He wrote: "Not only (do I) look 60, I think 60. I act 60... I am 60 ... ! I'll never have to see myself at 70 or 80 -- and that's a good thing."
HIDE CAPTION
Scenes from a life cut short

Martin Manley hated waking up early, but on his 60th birthday he did -- or more likely, never went to sleep the night before.

At 5 a.m. he entered a police station parking lot in a suburb of Kansas City, Kansas, walked to a spot beneath a tree on its far south end and pulled out his phone.

He dialed 911.

He said this:
 
Sportswriter commits suicide

"I want to report a suicide at the south end of the parking lot of the Overland Park Police Station at 123rd and Metcalf."

Then, the blogger and former sports reporter for the Kansas City Star pulled out his Saturday Night Special, a .380 pistol, and shot himself in the head.

The statistics -- Manley loved statistics; his "efficiency index" is still used by the NBA to rate players -- tell us that about 150 other Americans committed suicide that day, that somewhere around 38,000 of them will do so this year.

But chances are none of those people provided the world such a detailed picture of the event, the when, where, why and how of it. Because for more than a year, Manley had been secretly building a sweeping, intricate website that meticulously explained just that. He set it to publish later on the day he died.

Call it death in the time of Facebook. Never before in the history of human communication have suicide notes been such a public affair, easily accessible to the masses and potentially lasting forever.

"Let me ask you a question," Manley wrote on his website, which he divided into 34 categories and 44 subcategories. "After you die, you can be remembered by a few-line obituary for one day in a newspaper when you're too old to matter to anyone anyway ... OR you can be remembered for years by a site such as this. That was my choice and I chose the obvious."

'A natural way to communicate'

Manley's site may be unique in its scope and tone, which could be described, in parts, as upbeat. But sharing death on the Web is not new.

In the early days of the Internet, reports sprung up of "Internet suicide clubs," built around websites and chat rooms where young people would discuss taking their own lives and, in some cases, make plans to meet and perform the act together.

It's unclear how prevalent the groups have ever been, although Manley wrote that he studied the pros and cons of various methods of suicide online.

In 2010, a Japanese man live-streamed his own suicide, hanging himself as users of an online chat forum alternately urged him to seek help or egged him on. A morbid image of the 24-year-old man apparently hanging from a horizontal rod made the rounds online afterward.

Two years earlier, a Florida teen similarly trained a webcam on himself as he died in bed, after posting a suicide note on his blog in which he wrote that he had taken a drug overdose.

Lawrence Calhoun, a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, said the reasons people want to share their deaths on the Web appear to be, in some ways, common sense.

"First, young people have grown up using social media, so for them that is just a natural way of communicating with other people," he told CNN. "Second, posting one's thoughts on social media is likely to reach a lot more people than simply leaving one hard copy note; so, perhaps one reason to leave a 'suicide note' on social media is to reach as many people as possible."

At 60, Manley was no digital native. But the Web seems to have been perfectly tailored for someone like him. He reveled in spending long hours alone at the computer, poring over data and sharing his findings with folks in far-flung places who were similarly interested in the esoteric minutia of crunching sports numbers.

"I have communicated with hundreds of readers over the years and I've made a lot of internet friends," Manley wrote in his final blog post. "I'm impressed that there really are intelligent people still left out there considering the decline in our educational standards."

'I didn't want to die'

At least according to his site, Manley's death was also a numbers game.

He claimed to be in good health and happy. He was financially sound, with an investment in gold worth $200,000.

He said he wasn't depressed -- "anyone who says I was is either ignorant or a liar" -- and sang in his church choir, enjoyed hobbies like his monthly poker game and claimed to not be lonely.

He said he just decided 60 was old enough. His most productive years were behind him, he feared the infirmity of old age and simply wanted to go out at a time and in a manner of his own choosing.

"I didn't want to die," he wrote. "If I could have waved a magic wand and lived for 200 years, I would have. Unfortunately, that's not an option.

"Therefore, since death is inevitable, the better question is... do I want to live as long as humanly possible OR do I want to control the time and manner and circumstances of my death? That was my choice (and yours). I chose what was most appealing to me."

In the days afterward, some observers saw other factors, though.

Manley was twice divorced. He had no children, no nieces or nephews. His parents had both died: his mother in 2002, then his father in 2007. He had one sister and one brother and neither lived nearby or visited much.

Almost all of the recent photographs of him on his website appeared to be "selfies."

Those closest to Manley, though, backed his version.

"Well maybe he needed help, but he would never have admitted it or accepted it," his sister, Barbie Flick, wrote on a memorial site set up for him by a friend. "As far as lonely -- I believe that everyone who knew Martin, very much enjoyed his company."

When Yahoo, which Manley prepaid to host the site for five years, took it down, Flick fought to have it restored, saying her brother's final wish should be honored. Numerous "mirror" versions of the site, including one by people identifying as members of the "hacktivist" group Anonymous, popped up soon after, preserving access to Manley's final thoughts for those who are interested.

"I believe that he knew he could be around friends as much as he liked," Flick said. "I know I never got to see him as much as I would have like(d) to. He just really enjoyed being alone and working on his blog or researching this or that."

'Something I'm thinking about doing'

Todd Weller, who created the memorial site, wrote that in recent months, Manley leaned on his technology skills.

"He was asking me very specifically how to do certain things like, how to post an mp3 file or how to use FTP, etc.," he wrote. "I told him that on some (of) these things I could do it for him way faster than I could tell him how to do it. To which he would offer a lame excuse like, it's just something I'm thinking about doing."

Efforts to reach Weller and Flick for this story, through the memorial site and other online messages, were unsuccessful.

They and others remembered a unique and quirky man, facts Manley readily acknowledged.

He ate one meal a day, sometimes nothing at all, and had "consistently inconsistent" sleep habits. At one point, he experimented with staying awake 36 hours at a time, then sleeping for 12.

He had a collection of 25 fedora hats, boasted about wearing the same pair of $12 Wal-Mart shoes for 12 years and played a monthly game of dollar poker that welcomed obscure variations of the game with names like "Three Turds" and "No Peak."

He had a collection of more than 1,000 movies on VHS tape, along with a computer database that would sort them by title, rating, year and genre. (He had his own rating system for them, too. He only handed out 21 perfect "10" scores over the years and his absolute favorite film was the 1986 adaptation of "Little Shop of Horrors."

And it appears Manley may have even played a practical joke to tweak the greedy in his long farewell. In the section of his site detailing his collection of gold and silver coins, a random set of GPS coordinates appears, along with a tiny thumbnail image of Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.

Police say about 20 people, some with GPS units, metal detectors and shovels, showed up at the gardens and started digging. But the joke was on them -- Manley's family told police he had given the gold away.

'I am broken-hearted but I do not begrudge what he did," Flick, his sister, wrote on the memorial site. "He always had a difficult time conforming to this world. He was truly like a square peg in a round hole."

'Thrilled to death'

Hours before his death, Manley scheduled a final post to his blog, Sports in Review, to publish and sent e-mails and overnight letters via FedEx to Flick, Weller and others telling them what he'd done. With him was a detailed message for police, apologizing for subjecting them to the suicide and explaining that his family and friends would be contacting them in a few hours. He'd left them the number to the police station.

So, did Manley, as he predicted, spend his final moments "thrilled" that he'd been able to leave this world having created a digital legacy for himself? Calhoun wonders.

"In the immediate time period preceding the final act, people tend, perhaps somewhat irrationally, to see escaping from the pain and distress as only possible by ending their lives," he said. "It is not uncommon, however, for people who attempt and 'fail' to be grateful that they did not succeed, perhaps in part because they have come to see alternatives to the only path they could see at the time."

Manley would have argued, according to friends -- would have argued passionately.

"I guarantee you from having imagined my way through it a hundred times, the only thing going through my head was asking forgiveness, remembering those whom I love, being glad I was able to end it the way I wanted and thrilled to death that I left this website," he wrote. "Don't weep for me dying alone. We ALL die alone."

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-sportswriter-who-blogged-his-suicide.html

A 14-year-old boy has been left with the body of a 110-year-old in India because he has a rare disease which makes him age eight times faster than normal.

Ali Hussain has seen five of his siblings die from the same condition called Progeria which is known to affect just 80 people worldwide.

Two of his brothers and three of his sisters have died from the disease in Bihar, the poorest state in India.

Sufferer: Ali Hussain, 14, has Progeria which makes his body age eight times faster than normal

Sufferer: Ali Hussain, 14, of Bihar, India, has Progeria which makes his body age eight times faster than normal.  The rare condition is known to affect only 80 people in the world, but has killed five of his siblings

Progeria causes rapid ageing and sufferers of the genetic disease are prone to arthritis, eye problems, heart disease and baldness.

Sufferers are not expected to live much beyond the age of 14 - but despite the grim prognosis Ali has refused to give up hope.
 

‘I very much want to live and I hope there is medicine for my condition out there. I’m not scared of death but my parents have suffered a lot,' he said.

'I’d love to live much longer for them. I don’t want to burden them with any more pain.’

Ali’s parents Nabi Hussain Khan, 50, and Razia, 46, are first cousins and were the product of an arranged marriage 32 years ago.
Illness: Ali's genetic condition effectively has the body of a 110-year-old because of the rare condition

Illness: Ali's genetic condition effectively has the body of a 110-year-old because of the rare condition
Child victim: Ali Hussain is held by his mother Razia, 46. She has had eight children and six of them have suffered from Progeria

Child victim: Ali Hussain is held by his mother Razia, 46. She has had eight children and six of them have suffered from Progeria
 
Boy with the body of a 110-year-old thanks to disease Progeria

Their children Rehana, Iqramul, Gudiya and Rubina have all died from Progeria between the ages of 12 and 24.

A fifth child, a boy who died within 24 hours of being born, is also thought to have had the rare condition.

Nabia and Razia, who have had eight children in total, do have two healthy daughters - Sanjeeda, 20, who is married with two children of her own. Their youngest daughter Chanda, 10, also does not have Progeria.

When their first daughter, Rehana, was born in 1983 they had no idea anything was wrong at first. It was only after her second birthday when she couldn’t eat or walk properly did they visit a doctor.

But the doctor was baffled and he sent them home with some medicines. Progeria was so rare and poorly documented that most doctors had never heard of it.
Family victims: Nabi Hussain Khan, 50, (left) with his wife Razia, 46, (right) and their children.

Family victims: Nabi Hussain Khan, 50, (left) with his wife Razia, 46, (right) and their children. Sanjeeda, now aged 20, (back, centre) does not have Progeria
RARE DISEASE WHICH HAS KILLED FIVE MEMBERS OF THE SAME FAMILY

Nabi Hussain Khan, 50, and his wife Razia, 46, have had eight children and six of them have suffered from Progeria.

    Their first child was Rehana, a girl born in 1983 who died from Progeria in 2007 aged 24
    Their second child Iqramul was born in 1987 and died in 2009, from Progeria aged 22
    Progeria sufferer Gudiya, born in 1989, died in 2004 aged 15
    Progeria sufferer Rubina, born in 1992 and died in 2004 aged 12
    Sanjeeda, who is now 20, was born without the killer disease and is now married with two healthy children of her own
    Progeria sufferer Ali was born in 1999 and is 14
    The couple had an unnamed son who died within 24 hours of being born. They claim that he was also killer by Progeria
    Their youngest daughter Chanda, aged 10, is also healthy.

Two years later when their son Iqramul was born,and showed the same symptoms, the family went back to the doctor.

But again, they were not offered any tests or possible diagnosis.

Nabi, who works as a gatekeeper at a factory earning 2,000 rupees - or £20 - a month said: ‘We never heard of the word Progeria, the doctors never mentioned it. They were stabbing in the dark; they were as clueless as us.

'If a doctor had perhaps told us that our children were suffering with some kind of genetic problem and we were connected we would’ve stopped having children. But nothing was said.’

Nabi and Razia carried on having children hoping they would conceive a healthy boy or girl eventually. Their wish was granted when they had Sanjeeda.

In 1995, after years visiting different doctors, a consultant in Kolkata finally diagnosed four of their children with Progeria and broke the devastating news that there was no cure for ay of them.

‘The diagnosis didn’t help,’ Nabi added. ‘People were sure there was a cure. No one in our community believed there was nothing that could be done.

'Neighbours and extended family tormented us for not getting them help, they couldn’t understand a disease with no cure.’

Life was made unbearable for the five children growing up with Progeria and they were mocked in school and called names like ‘big-eyed boy’ and ‘Patlu’ meaning skinny.

Eventually they all stopped going to school.

Ali, who weighs just 1st 8lbs, said: ‘None of us have had a childhood, we were confined to our homes.

'We had each other but that was it. We had no life. When we did go to school we were pushed and shoved, called names, kids tried to harm us. We can’t do much physically either; our lungs are so small we get breathless easily.
Illness: Ali is fed by his mother. Progeria causes rapid ageing and sufferers of the genetic disease are prone to arthritis, eye problems, heart disease and baldness

Illness: Ali is fed by his mother. Progeria causes rapid ageing and sufferers of the genetic disease are prone to arthritis, eye problems, heart disease and baldness

‘I would love to be a normal person who can play, go to school, do some sports, take some risks. Sometimes I get depressed but most of the time I make the most of the life I have.’

Ali is now the family’s only surviving Progeria sufferer. When his brother Ikramul died four years ago he was devastated.

‘Iqramul was my best friend,’ he said. ‘I was very young when my other siblings died, so it were just Ikramul and I for a long time.

'He was very strong and didn't pay any attention to the bullies. When he died I cried for weeks and couldn't eat but then I realised I’d be doing him a huge injustice if I crumbled. I have no one now, no friends, but I have to stay strong.’
Victim: Ali, 14, who weighs just 1st 8lbs, is not expected to live more than a few years longer

Victim: Ali, 14, who weighs just 1st 8lbs, is not expected to live more than a few years longer

Ali and his parents are now supported by a Kolkata-based charity called SB Devi Charity.

Pediatrician Dr Chandan Chattopadhyay, from Kolkata, introduced the family to the organisation and now they help Ali pay for his medical needs.

Ali spends all of his time with his mother and sisters, Sanjeeda, 20 and Chanda, ten, and he believes there’s no one else like him in the world.

But when told about the famous annual Progeria Reunion, run by the Sunshine Foundation, he would love to attend.

‘It’s very lonely living this life, especially since my siblings have gone,' he added.

'I don’t know if there’s anyone else like me. I’d like to be in the company of other people like me again. And I know my brother would be proud of me for doing so.’  

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-boy-with-body-of-110-year-old-ali.html

tholics in Italy shocked to answer the phone and hear: 'Hi, it's the Pope'

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 14:45 GMT, 24 August 2013 | UPDATED: 14:45 GMT, 24 August 2013

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A word of warning to those who write personal notes to Pope Francis: He might just call you back.

Francis has already charmed the masses with his informal style, simplicity and sense of humour.

But a handful of strangers have gotten the treatment up close, receiving papal phone calls out of the blue after writing him or suffering some personal tragedy.

So the Catholic faithful are being warned: Be ready, especially if the landline rings.
Down to earth: Pope Francis has been surprising Catholics who write to them by personally calling them back

Down to earth: Pope Francis has been surprising Catholics who write to them by personally calling them back

The 76-year-old Francis has a fondness for making calls the old-fashioned way, using land lines and placing the calls himself, often surprising recipients by simply announcing: 'It's the pope.'

After his election in March, Francis reportedly called his newspaper stand in Buenos Aires to cancel his daily delivery and his shoemaker to tell him not to bother with papal red leather loafers but to keep making his regular black orthotics.
 

The receptionist at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome thought he got a crank call when Francis phoned two days after being chosen pope looking for the Jesuit superior.

Francis has since called an Italian man whose brother was killed and a Colombian woman who works in Rome to thank her for a book.

After another random phone call from the pope this week, Italy's leading Corriere della Sera daily offered etiquette tips for the lucky recipients, proposing conversation starters and no-go areas on its front page Friday.
Stefano Cabizza, 19, from Padua, was the recipient of this week's papal phonecall after he left a letter for Francis at a Mass he attended

Stefano Cabizza, 19, from Padua, was the recipient of this week's papal phonecall after he left a letter for Francis at a Mass he attended

Beppe Severgnini, a noted humorist and Corriere columnist, suggested:

    Listen first, then talk, and if the conversation permits, ask the soccer-mad Francis about the recent friendly between Italy and Argentina.
    Always ask how Benedict XVI is doing. 'It'll make him happy,' Severgnini noted. Francis frequently refers fondly to his 86-year-old retired predecessor who is living on the other side of the Vatican gardens.
    Avoid touchy subjects like Vatican policy or scandal.
    Don't ask for any favours.

Severgnini also said even though Francis is fond of using the informal 'tu' in conversation, stick with the formal 'lei' but don't overdo it with exaggerated titles like 'magnificent.'

The recipient of this week's call, a 19-year-old student Stefano Cabizza, was quoted by Corriere as saying that Francis had told him to refer to him with the informal 'tu,' noting that 'Even Jesus and the apostles used the "tu".'

Mr Cabizza said he received the call after leaving a letter for Francis following his Mass at Castel Gandolfo on August 15.

He declined to say what he had written.

Finally, Severgnini advised people not to be worried about what to say.

'Just be natural,' he wrote. 'If he wanted to get bored, he would have called a government minister.'

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/write-to-pope-and-he-may-call-you-back.html

Alec Baldwin's wife Hilaria gave birth to their first child on Friday and his 17-year-old daughter Ireland is delighted to be a big sister.

The excited model posted a letter to baby Carmen on her Tumblr page after the birth was announced.

In the letter, the teen shares some words of wisdom with her little sister and welcomes her into the world.
Big sister: Ireland Baldwin has written a letter of advice to her new baby sister Carmen

Big sister: Ireland Baldwin has written a letter of advice to her new baby sister Carmen

'You have been born into one crazy family,' the daughter of Alec and Kim Basinger writes. 'You are both lucky and cursed at the same time. We are going to have so fun much fun together.'

Ireland composed the 1800 word letter before meeting Carmen, and wrote: 'I can’t wait to meet you soon. I promise you I will always be there for you no matter what! Never forget!'

In particular, the statuesque 6ft 2in blonde advises Carmen on how to deal with her famous father and life in the spotlight.

'Remember that your parents will always love you,' Ireland urges. 'As a kid, you forget that sometimes. When they are screaming about this and bickering about that. It hurts.
Words of wisdom: The model passed down advice to Carmen in the letter posted on her Tumblr on Friday

Words of wisdom: The model passed down advice to Carmen in the letter posted on her Tumblr on Friday

New parents: Ireland's father Alec and stepmother Hilaria, pictured August 10, announced the birth on Friday

New parents: Ireland's father Alec and stepmother Hilaria, pictured August 10, announced the birth on Friday

'Grown ups yell. I don’t know why, but they do. No matter what your mom or Dad says or does, simply remember that they love the s*** out of you.'

And the precocious teenager also advises to be careful who to trust when 'you have parents who are in the public eye.'

She explains: 'A lot of people are going to want to be your friend because of it. Don’t buy everyone dinner or tickets to the One Direction reunion concert because you feel obligated to do it. Make sure your friends love you for who YOU are, Carmen. NO other reason.'

Ireland is clearly already feeling protective of her sister and has lots to say on the matter of alcohol and marijuana.
Pouting: Ireland, 17, appeared to be grumpy on Thursday when she posted this picture on Twitter

Pouting: Ireland, 17, appeared to be grumpy on Thursday when she posted this picture on Twitter

Loved up: Ireland, who shared this photo of herself and boyfriend Slater Trout last week, had lots to say on the subject of boys

Loved up: Ireland, who shared this photo of herself and boyfriend Slater Trout last week, had lots to say on the subject of boys

'When you want to try your first drink, it should be with me,' Ireland says, adding: 'Don’t be that girl that gets wasted at parties and crawls on bathroom floors. It ain’t cute.'

The model goes on: 'As for weed, don’t smoke it at a party. Be somewhere safe. With people you trust. Like in a treehouse with me and pizza hut…I… I mean friends. Not me. Ha. I’ll be like… 40….  But I’ll still come anyway.'

Ireland is currently loved up with boyfriend Slater Trout and naturally has some sagacity to pass down on the subject of boys.

'Just remember, always look for someone who respects you,' Ireland writes. 'Someone who loves you for the beautiful soul that you possess. Never let a boy abuse you. Physically or verbally.
Ready to pop: Yoga instructor Hilaria is seen here on Wednesday, two days before the birth of Carmen Gabriela

Ready to pop: Yoga instructor Hilaria is seen here on Wednesday, two days before the birth of Carmen Gabriela

'The moment a boy messes with you, he will be very sorry. Between Dad and I…OH IT’S ON. But in all seriousness, be with a boy who treats you like you are his world.'

She adds: 'You are going to have your pick of the boys, believe me. But I have to approve of them.'

Alec, 55, and his 29-year-old yoga instructor wife joyfully announced the birth of their baby girl on Friday evening in New York.

'We are overjoyed to announce the birth of our daughter Carmen Gabriela,' Hilaria tweeted. 'She is absolutely perfect.'


Hilaria Baldwin        ✔ @hilariabaldwin

We are overjoyed to announce the birth of our daughter Carmen Gabriela. She is absolutely perfect. @ABFalecbaldwin @IrelandBBaldwin



sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/you-have-been-born-into-one-crazy.html

 Football fanatic: Rhys Jones, who was shot dead aged 11 after being caught up in gang violence as he walked home from football practice in 2007

Football fanatic: Rhys Jones, 11, who was shot dead aged 11 after being caught up in gang violence as he walked home from football practice in 2007

The football team of murdered Rhys Jones has been forced to disband after opponents threatened to shoot his old team mates.

Steve Geoghegan, coach of Fir Tree FC in Liverpool, stepped down as manager of the team after becoming disgusted with on-pitch aggression and violence.

Mr Geoghegan, 54, who is a close friend of Rhys's parents Stephen and Melanie Jones, revealed his horror after an opponent threatened to shoot his players during a match.

Mr Jones, 49, described the comments on the pitch as 'appalling' and has supported the coach's decision to step down from his role.

Mr Geoghegan, a social care worker, told The Sun: 'All the current kids are coming up to 18 now and as they get older the arguments on the pitch get worse. I'm not doing it any longer.'

Eleven-year-old Rhys was shot dead by gang member Sean Mercer as he walked back from football practice across the car park of Croxteth's Fir Tree pub in August 2007.

Mercer, then 16, was firing at rival gang members when a bullet ricochet off a wall and struck Rhys.

Since the killing, Fir Tree FC have travelled across Europe to spread an anti-violence message, urging youngsters to 'join a team, not a gang'.

But Mr Geoghan says that despite their efforts problems have remained.

In one terrifying episode that occurred after a row over a tackle one team threatened to come back and shoot his players, he said.
 
More...

'They were about 14 or 15 and they ran across the pitch and hurled a volley of abuse at the parents and threatened to come back and shoot them,' he said.

'It wasn't taken lightly, given what happened to Rhys.'
'Appalling': Rhys's parents Melanie and Stephen Jones outside court after Sean Mercer was convicted of their son's murder. Mr Jones said he felt players were copying the violent behaviour from top-level football

'Appalling': Rhys's parents Melanie and Stephen Jones outside court after Sean Mercer was convicted of their son's murder. Mr Jones said he felt players were copying the violent behaviour from top-level football

Rhys's father, Mr Jones, added: 'It's such a shame that this is still going on and it's incredibly dangerous behaviour.

'Mainly because these youngsters can get out of control and end up carrying out the threats because of some sense of bravado - that's when it ruins lives.

'Steve's the man that's been running the teams and he's had to deal with some shocking and appalling threats and actual violence on the pitch.

'He's the man that was taking the brunt of it so it's ultimately his decision. They'll still be running an under-eights side but sadly these things come to an end.

'A lot of it stems from top level football and sadly we see it at these levels and it has forced our son's old club to close down.'
Rhys was shot dead by Sean Mercer as he walked the car park of Croxteth's Fir Tree pub in August 2007. Mercer, then 16, was firing at rival gang members when a bullet ricocheted off a wall and struck Rhys

Rhys was shot dead by Sean Mercer as he walked the car park of Croxteth's Fir Tree pub in August 2007. Mercer, then 16, was firing at rival gang members when a bullet ricocheted off a wall and struck Rhys

Mercer was convicted of Rhys's murder in 2009, when he was 18, and sentenced life with a minimum term of 22 years before he could even be considered for parole.

He had been trying to shoot rivals from the Strand Gang who had strayed onto his turf.

Rhys was shot with a First World War Smith and Wesson revolver, and a gang-member was caught trying to buy a replacement weapon just weeks later.

Four other gang members were jailed for helping Mercer try to cover up his involvement in the shooting.

And Mercer's mother Janette received a three-year jail sentence for denying all knowledge of the distinctive mountain bike her teenage son was riding when he shot Rhys.


SOURCEOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/omg-football-team-murdered-schoolboy.html

Sabrina Moss, 24, was shot dead while out celebrating her birthday with friends

Gunned down: Sabrina Moss, 24, was shot dead while out celebrating her birthday with friends

A 24-year-old mother was shot dead in the early hours of this morning while out celebrating her birthday with friends.

Sabrina Moss, who had a four-year-old son, is believed to have been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, a senior Police officer said.

Police were called after reports of gunshots on Kilburn High Road in north west London at around 4am.

Another 24-year-old woman is in hospital. Her injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Detective Chief Inspector John Sandlin of the Metropolitan Police said: 'Enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances of this tragic incident.

At this early stage, I believe the two women were innocent parties who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.'

Officers from Operation Trident - which investigates gang crime and shootings in London - are at the scene and the death is being investigated by detectives from the Homicide and Major Crime Command.

Tributes to Ms Moss, of Edgware, north London, flooded onto social networking site Twitter.

Adjei Adu wrote: 'My heart goes out to her family and the lil one she's left behind, sleep well Sabrina Moss.'
 
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Leila Hassan tweeted: 'My Thoughts Are With Your Family... A Beautiful Young Woman, Mother and Daughter!'

Another tweet read: 'Lost the cousin I was close with when I was a child.. R.I.P Sabrina Moss.'

Scroll down for video
Double shooting on Kilburn High Road in North London leaves 24-year-old woman dead

Fatal shooting: Forensics officers investigate the scene of the double shooting in north London in which a 24-year-old woman was killed

Two police officers stand guard at the scene where a woman was fatally shot in the early hours of this morning

Two police officers stand guard at the scene where a woman was fatally shot in the early hours of this morning

Police investigate street where birthday Woman, 24, was shot dead

Scotland Yard said officers were called at 4.12am to reports of shots fired in the street in Kilburn High Road, Kilburn, north west London, at the junction with Messina Avenue.

Police and London Ambulance Service found two women suffering from gunshot injuries and both were taken to London hospitals. Sabrina was pronounced dead later.

A police spokesman said: 'I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the shooting, or who saw anything suspicious in the Kilburn area early this morning, to call police.
An upturned cardboard box is used to cover evidence at the scene of a double shooting on Kilburn High Road in North London

An upturned cardboard box is used to cover evidence at the scene of a double shooting on Kilburn High Road in North London

Two forensics officers enter a restaurant on Kilburn High Road in North London believed to be part of the scene where two women were injured in a shooting

Two forensics officers enter a restaurant on Kilburn High Road in North London believed to be part of the scene where two women were injured in a shooting

A sniffer dog is used to search for evidence at the scene of the double shooting. No arrests have been made

A sniffer dog is used to search for evidence at the scene of the double shooting. No arrests have been made

'In particular, I need to hear from anyone who saw two males who came into the High Road from Messina Avenue and, after the shooting, made off on foot back along Messina Avenue.'
One man has been arrested in connection with the investigation.

Anyone with information that might assist the investigation was asked to call the incident room at Hendon on 020 8358 0300. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course. Anyone with information was asked to called the police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/pictured-young-mother-shot-dead-while.html

A 24-year-old man who ignored warnings to stay out of a river in northern Australia is feared to have been killed by a huge crocodile.

A shocked friend told staff at a caravan and camping park east of Darwin that the man and a friend jumped into the crocodile-infested Mary River for a swim on Saturday (local time), ignoring all warnings.

The friend then watched helplessly as a huge crocodile grabbed hold of the man and pulled him under.
Lethal: Saltwater crocodiles pull their victims to the riverbed and roll them around until they drown, before partially eating them - and storing the rest for later

Lethal: Saltwater crocodiles pull their victims to the riverbed and roll them around until they drown, before partially eating them - and storing the rest for later

The victim has not been seen since.

Northern Watch Commander Peter Lindfield said water police were on the scene searching for the missing man with the help of Parks and Wildlife rangers in the hope that he might have been able to break free from the crocodile's jaws and swim to the river bank.

Miss Erin Baynard, who works at the Mary River Wilderness Retreat and Caravan Park, said the friend reported the incident around 4pm.

She said the two men went swimming somewhere between the accommodation block and the nearby Arnhem Highway bridge but she was unsure exactly where, and that they would have been well aware of the dangers of venturing into the water.

'The friend came back in deep shock and it was obvious just by looking at him that something bad had happened,' she said.

'He was saying over and over that a crocodile had taken his friend.
Idyllic: The Mary River, where the attack took place, is a popular destination for campers east of Darwin

Idyllic: The Mary River, where the attack took place, is a popular destination for campers east of Darwin

'The tragedy here is that everybody knows that the river is dangerous - there are more crocs in it than any other river in the Northern Territory.

'We tell everybody not to go into the water because of the lurking danger.'
 
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A few small groups of campers remained by the river.

'There's nothing much I can say, it's just a tragedy,' one of the campers said.

The saltwater crocodiles of the Northern Territory are among the deadliest species on earth, likened in their ferocity to the great white shark.

'Salties', as they are known, will pull their victims to the bottom of a river and roll them around until they drown before eating part of them.

They then 'store' the remainder of the victim in some underwater area to be consumed later.

The last fatal crocodile attack in the Northern Territory was in December 2012, when a nine-year-old boy was killed near Dhania, 100km south of Nhulunbuy, when he was swimming with a group.

Adults tried to save the boy but the crocodile dragged him into deeper water.
Infested: The calm waters hide the hundreds of crocodile living in the Mary River

Infested: The calm waters hide the hundreds of crocodile living in the Mary River

Community members turned out to have been feeding 13ft-long crocodile with fish and wallaby carcasses for several years.

]In November 2012 a seven-year-old girl was killed by a crocodile at Gumarrirngbang outstation, near Maningrida.

Three other people, including two children, have been killed by crocodiles since 2009.

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/man-24-grabbed-by-huge-crocodile-and.html

Before you read the report, here is what someone said about Marijuana:

    Cannabis Sativa (Marijuana) has some medicinal properties quite alright but the harmful properties is more and it's too addictive. The most harmful property of Cannabis is Tetra-hydracanabinol (THC). The chemical compound in Cannabis can destroy most vital organs of the body eg: the heart, kidney, lungs. It can cause stroke or trigger heart attack or cardiac arrest. The disadvantages out weighs the advantages. Do not indulge in its intake please!!!
    --Unaegbu Amah

Now you can read the report on Why Marijuana May Be Good below and decided for yourself:

Unknown to people, there are many hidden nutritional values in the mostly condemned Marijuana. While majority condemn its intake, many youths see that as the only source of inspiration with many nutritional values.

For a 24 year old Nathaniel , an undergraduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, who is in Lagos because of the ongoing ASUU strike, he started smoking Marijuana at the age of 20 when he gained admission into the higher institution. His first experience when he smoked it still remains evergreen in his memory, that he felt he can never be normal again.

“The first day I smoked Igboo is one of the days I cannot forget in a hurry. I had a friend, who is an addict in smoking. So, one day when we hung out with some friends, after drinking, he brought the wrap and told me that if I take this, it will clear the alcohol I took and it will make me look and appear very smart. So, after much conviction, I decided to try it. I first drew the first smoke inside, they clapped for me and said that was the way to do it, that I should take it gradually.

I never knew when I finished almost one wrap alone. When I was done with that, it was obvious to me that I was in for a big trouble. It was as if they added an extra flesh on one side of my skull. My skull was going towards one direction. I felt as if there was gutter all over the road and I started leaping.

My friends started laughing but when they noticed the thing was getting out of hand, they grabbed me, sat me down in one place and prepared a very big bowl of garri without sugar for me. After drinking the garri, I was still hungry.

I felt very weak and slept off and woke up in the middle of the night. When I woke up the next day, I was feeling very hungry as if I had been starving for more than one week. I ate like never before and I slept off again. When I woke up, I was very happy. Everything around me made me laugh. Even when you cursed me, I would laugh over it,” he recalled.

According to Nathaniel, though his parents were seriously against his consumption of Marijuana, he made them to believe that, he felt so comported and understood everything he read whenever he smoked.

“It was not easy making my parents see reasons why they should allow me smoke, though I never did that in their presence. For me to read and understand well, I must smoke. Even when I want to go in for any examination, I must smoke so that I will remember all that I have read and be able to put them together well. I am in my third year now and I made good grade.

So, smoking has never stopped me from reading and passing my examinations. If I am about to write an exam and I have not smoked, I’d feel I have not read. So I don’t seem to believe it when people say that Marijuana is not good for health. But if you know it does not work for you, stop smoking it,” Nathaniel advised.

As against the belief of most people that Marijuana is very bad to health, Peter, has a point to prove. To Peter, the best medicine a depressed man who lost appetite could take is Marijuana. He is one of the people that used to believe that Marijuana is not good until he confirmed from a medical practitioner that most sleeping drugs that also boost appetite are produced with a higher percentage of that.

“ I strongly disagree that Marijuana makes people mad, it is all lies. If you take it the first two to three times and you cannot stand it, I will advise you to quit.

It is very good and highly medicinal. I started smoking at a very tender age and up till now, I am still intact, I am even better than some people that do not take it. Whenever I want to be in my best mood, I normally go for that. I talk less when I smoke and I think more. You can’t say I have quarrelled with you after smoking, why would you not want me to smoke since it is good for my own health?, ” he said.

Peter also insists that as far as he is concerned, he doesn’t think anything can make him not to do his thing.

While some seem to applaud this weed, Kunle, a graduate of Lagos State University, LASU, has a different side to this story. He strongly believes that behind every big crime committed in an area, you’d find out that most perpetrators of the crime are Marijuana smokers and in most cases, they smoked before executing their crime. In his words,

“ Why would a normal man tell me that Marijuana is good for health when most criminals are smokers of marijuana. Though I have not tasted that before , I know and people around me know that Igboo inspires people to think about crime, it has no positive inspiration,” Kunle cautioned.

According to Kunle, if there is a way to stamp out the intake of this weed, we are going to find out that there will be higher rate of responsible youths.

“Many youths are out of school because they joined their friends in taking what they know is not good for their health. Generally, smoking is not good for health. I have this young and vibrant dude in my village, he is one of the boys I respected so much. But, where is he today?

He now walks about the village mad, no thanks to Marijuana. When he started this earlier, everybody in the village were against that.He was warned to desist from it, but youthful exuberance led him to that. Now he has ruined his future. I will advise youths to stay away from that. It has no nutritional value. Anybody that says Igboo is good for health is a liar. Parents should warn their children to desist from this act.”

By Vanguard's Zie Egole

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/see-why-marijuana-may-be-good-for-you.html

A British holidaymaker has died after a drink and drugs binge on the Spanish party island of Ibiza.

John Sharp, 31, was found floating dead in the water off the resort of Playa d'en Bossa near Bora Bora nightclub on Saturday morning.

Police spent days trying to identify him after he was pulled out of the sea in a pair of swimming trunks with no ID on him.
Party island: Tourists leave the Bora-Bora Bar at the Playa d'en Bossa close to where British tourist John Sharp, 31, was found floating dead in the sea after taking cocaine, ecstasy and speed, drinking heavily

Party island: Tourists leave the Bora-Bora Bar at the Playa d'en Bossa close to where British tourist John Sharp, 31, was found floating dead in the sea after taking cocaine, ecstasy and speed, drinking heavily

A post-mortem examination revealed he had taken several drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and speed.

Clubbers who partied with Mr Sharp before he was found dead have told investigators he was also drinking heavily.

A source close to the probe, being led by an investigating magistrate, said: 'We believe he had been dead around 24 hours when he was found floating in the sea.

'He went out partying last Thursday night and was last seen alive by witnesses police have spoken to around 8am the day before he was found dead.'

Mr Sharp's parents flew to the island to identify him after being contacted by the Foreign Office.

It is not known where in Britain he is from.
Good times: People dance in Bora Bora. Clubbers who partied with Mr Sharp before he was found dead have told investigators he was also drinking heavily. It is not known which nightclub he had been visiting

Good times: People dance in Bora Bora. Clubbers who partied with Mr Sharp before he was found dead have told investigators he was also drinking heavily. It is not known which nightclub he had been visiting

Ibiza's drugs scene has been under the spotlight since the arrests in Peru earlier this month of suspected drugs mules Melissa Reid and Michaella McCollum.

They were working in Ibiza over the summer when they claim they were kidnapped by Colombian gunmen and forced to fly to Lima to bring back nearly 12kg of cocaine hidden in their suitcases.

They are currently awaiting trial in a Lima jail after being charged with drugs trafficking.

Spanish police say they have not ruled out arrests in Ibiza in connection with the failed drugs smuggling operation.

Eleven members of a Brit-led drugs trafficking gang arrested in Ibiza in 2009 were sentenced to a total of 32 years in jail in Spain in June after striking a last-minute deal with prosecutors.

Ringleader Shachar Cohen was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

Mum-of-one Janine Mallett, 31, from Stockton-on-Tees near Middlesborough, drowned in nearby San Antonio at the start of July after binging on a cocktail of drugs.

She was found after becoming separated from a friend she had gone on holiday with during a night out.

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/briton-31-found-floating-dead-in-sea.html

Chinyere Ukoha (real name withheld), looked forward to getting married after undergoing the compulsory one year national youth service programme three years ago. Eventually, she met a young man who took her to the altar and eleven months into the marriage, she had a baby girl.
But for inexplicable reason, the relationship between the once happy couple turned sour just four months after the arrival of the baby. One thing led to another, and before one could say ‘Jack Robinson,’ the marriage had broken down irretrievably.

    It is trite to say we live in an era of marriages collapsing like a pack of cards. What can today’s couples do to make their unions last till death do them part? Kalu Igwe Kalu, a marriage counsellor, gives some tips.

In our society today, there are several young women in the mould of Chinyere. Our customary courts today have registers filled with applications for dissolution of marriages that have hit the rocks. And although there are no realiable statistics on the phenomenon, the courts have dissolve quite a number of frosty marriages in recent times.



What could be the reason for the increasing number of broken marriages in the country today? At a recent forum in Lagos, lawyers olinked rising divorce cases to intolerance, infidelity and wife battering.

Regardless, marriage is viewed in several climes and cultures as a sacred institution that must be kept intact irrespective of the problems arising from the relationship between couples.

Indeed, there is a groundswell of opinion that the rising cases of armed robbery, prostitution and other social vices in the country are partly due to the increasing number of broken marriages, since children from such homes are subjected to inadequate parental care.

And, apparently to stem the tide of broken marriages, KaluIgwe Kalu, a marriage counsellor, writer, public speaker, and economist, recently organised a seminar with the theme, ‘Marriage is Beautiful Couples Banquet’ in Aba, Abia State.

The seminar dwelt on steps to make marriages enjoyable and successful. Kalu described marriage as “beautiful” as well as “a gift from God,” noting that a beautiful marriage is not achieved in one fell swoop. Rather, it takes a gradual process.

He said during the early stages of marriage, the husband and wife are attracted to each other, but submitted that with the passage of time, the bond that holds the couple together may start waning.

“This is when marriages begin to come under severe attacks, and if care is not taken disintegration sets in”, he said.

Nevertheless, Kalu stressed that marriages could be sustained as long as the couples are physically attached to one another.

His words: “Couples should always develop the habit of touching each other… studies have shown that couples that touch themselves more frequently do better than those who do not’’.

He counselled couples to see their bodies as joint possessions, and to always give love and gifts to one another.

He said: “Marriage is where you give and not just receive ….start the giving and your spouse will reciprocate. As you give, you begin to receive. “Whatever you give your wife is what you get from her. If you give her love, she will submit to you.

“You should date your wife as you did before you got married to her. This will bring freshness reminiscent of those days of courtship... Also, take her out to a nice eatery you can afford or on a picnic for a two-hour talk. Get engaged in discussions and you will be surprised how both of you would be flowing.

“Spouses must recognise and appreciate each other, which may involve discovering and developing common interests and values, finding perspectives, creating shared expectations and life time smart goals as conflicting values, standards, morals and ethics may not allow the beauty of marriage to manifest.

“In situations where there are conflicts, you just need to work on your differences and arrive at a compromise. Either of you have the right not to agree on everything, but you have to feel safe to be yourself - holding on to your own values and ideals without threat”

Kalu advised couples to come to a level in their martial life where they will have common interests as well as know each other’s tastes in music, clothing, food, art and many other issues of life.

The marriage counsellor stated: “It is possible to come to this level of marital beauty as it is absolutely an awesome experience… Appreciation in marriage is a beautiful lifestyle of holding one’s spouse in high esteem. It is necessary to understand what your partner enjoys; the type of stories he or she likes. What is it that he or she enjoys that you don’t?

“What is his or her attitude to sex? Does he or she enjoy long foreplay, adventure and sensual love-making? The ability of one to answer these questions will help in the showing of appreciation in marriage.”

He stated that the ability of a man to tell his wife that “you are beautiful”, has the potency of making marriage beautiful. “It is one word one says that makes a whole world of difference in a woman’s world”, said Kalu.

According to him, “husband and wife who see and appreciate each other’s beauty; couples who don’t just internalise their appreciation of each other’s beauty but voice it out experience the beauty in marriage more.

“Another thing that makes marriage beautiful is the ability to say sorry. There is nobody that does not make mistakes. When we wrong our partners, saying ‘sorry’ can open up the room for conversation that will eventually lead to a resolution. In a beautiful marriage, no spouse waits for the other to be the first to say ‘I am sorry’. A beautiful marriage is a place for givers and forgivers.

“Express your love verbally to your wife. I love you is a statement you cannot say enough to your spouse. Women especially, never get bored hearing ‘I love you’ from their spouse as if it is a creed in marriage. “Love your wife man, love your husband woman. When you say I love you, you should mean it.”

Kalu described segxwal connection as an important ingredient of a beautiful marriage. However, he regretted that most couples have remained extremely conservative, making it difficult to discuss segxwal matters, even where it affects their personal segxwal enjoyment.

According to the marriage counsellor, the seminar will be held in Aba on a monthly basis, and would be mounted in Abuja in September.

sourceOlokunbolablessing.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-to-save-your-relationship-marriage.html