NELSON MANDELA'S LIFETIME IN PICTURES!

On February 11, 1990 the whole world watched as Nelson Mandela walked to freedom. He had been a political prisoner held in a tiny cell for 27 years.

Tribute to Nelson.
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Nelson Mandela dead at 95!!

Nelson Mandela, the former freedom fighter and South Africa's first democratically elected president, has died, according to the president of South Africa.

"We've lost our greatest son," South African President Jacob Zuma said.

Mandela was 95.

Zuma said Mandela died surrounded by his family.
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8 reasons why sleeping naked is good for your health

While Africans and Brits have always had a bad rap for being buttoned-up in the bedroom, a recent survey has shed light on the cultural differences about our sleep habits and has shown that we are twice as likely to sleep nude in comparison to our American counterparts. According to the US National Sleep Foundation, 30 per cent of Brits said they like to drop off in their birthday suits, compared to just one in 10 Americans. But did you know there are many surprising benefits to ditching our pyjamas and sleeping nude? Check out the health advantages:
 
1. You will sleep better
 
Sleep experts often tell us that the optimum room temperature is between 16 and 18 degrees and there is a good reason for this. Thick, heavy covers may interfere with our ability to reach deep, restorative levels of sleep.
 
Lisa Artis from the UK Sleep Council says: 'Body temperature certainly affects sleep quality and for lots of people, sleeping naked is one way of avoiding overheating. A room that's too hot or too cold, too stuffy or too draughty can disturb your sleep. Comfort - whether that's the bed, the bedding or the temperature of the room - plays a large part in getting a good night's sleep. If you're not comfortable in bed your sleep won't be as deep, you'll move about more and will wake up feeling unrefreshed.'
 
2. It keeps you looking and feeling young
 
When we drop off into slumber, our bodies naturally cool down and release anti-aging and growth hormones, including melatonin. Research has shown that among other things melatonin guards the nervous system against degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and strokes.
 
Dr. Joshi explains: 'As your temperature drops, growth hormones are released and works its regenerative magic.'
 
3. It increases feel-good hormones
 
If you sleep alongside your naked partner you increase the levels of feel-good hormone oxytocin, which is also released during sex, or skin-to-skin contact. This special hormone not only counteracts stress, anxiety and depression by fighting the harmful effects of cortisol but it lowers blood pressure, reduces cravings and protects against heart disease. Less clothes may also lead to more sex and therefore, more oxytocin.
 
Dr. Raj Joshi, Medical Director to 360 Expeditions says: 'Oxytocin can be a magical hormone that as well as all the above can help bring you and your partner closer together and more intimate.'
 
4. You'll burn more fat
 
Sleeping naked helps us sleep more soundly and allows levels of the stress hormone cortisol to decrease and keeps our appetites in check. A study by the University of Warwick showed that when quality and quantity of sleep in insufficient we release the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates appetite and causes a surge in insulin. This has the knock on effect of glucose tolerance, leading to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Another recent study in the US also showed that people who slept badly were more likely to choose doughnuts and other junk food the next day rather than whole grains and vegetables.
 
5. It boosts your metabolism
 
As well as many other things happening in our bodies as we sleep, going nude allows our bare skin to absorb more nutrients and accelerates the repair process to the skin. An uninterrupted airflow will also allow the sebaceous glands to work best, releasing sebum and allowing skin to regenerate. This helps to boost the metabolic rate of the body, which also helps us lose weight.
 
Dr. Joshi says: 'If you increase your metabolic rate by sleeping naked, this can burn more calories and help you lose weight.'
 
6. It Increases confidence
 
Feeling the cool sheets next to our skin and being naked every night in bed can make us feel sexier and more confident in our everyday lives.
 
Dr. Joshi says: 'If one feels more confident this can have other added benefits such as improving your job through better interaction at work and a more fulfilling social life.'
 
7. It boosts circulation
 
Cuffs and waistbands of pyjamas can sometimes restrict circulation so by shedding the extra layer you will allow blood to move more freely around your body, helping with health conditions such as chronic constipation and lumbago.
 
Dr. Joshi says: 'Good circulation is important in keeping all your muscles and vital organs healthy by improving delivery of essential nutrients and oxygen to your body's tissues.'
 
Not only that, without the restriction of clothes, your body is more relaxed. In one study, insomnia sufferers slept better when they were naked as it had a calming effect on them.
 
8. You'll be healthier down there
 
This is great for men because it has been proven that keeping the testes at a good temperature improves fertility, while for women being naked increases airflow to the vagina, allowing it to stay dry. While its normal to have yeast and bacteria down there, a warm environment can sometimes cause an overgrowth, leading to a yeast infection.
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'Let me keep my dead husband's sperm'

"Hmmm..this is strange....just saying...lol"

A woman has begun a legal bid to prevent her dead husband's frozen sperm from being destroyed.

Beth Warren, 28, has been told by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that the sperm cannot be stored beyond April 2015.

Her husband, Warren Brewer, a ski instructor, died of a brain tumour at the age of 32 in February 2012.

His sperm was stored before treatment, and he made it clear his wife should be allowed to use it posthumously.

The couple, who were together for eight years, married in a hospice six weeks before his death. She subsequently changed her surname to Warren.

"I understand that it's a huge decision to have a child who will never meet their father, " said Mrs Warren, who lives in Birmingham.

"I cannot make that choice now and need more time to build my life back. I may never go ahead with treatment but I want to have the freedom to decide once I am no longer grieving.

"My brother died in a car accident just weeks before my husband's death, so there has been a huge amount to cope with."

Mrs Warren was initially told that her husband's last consent form lapsed in April 2013, but has subsequently been granted two brief extensions amounting to two years. The frozen sperm is stored at the CARE fertility clinic in Northampton.

Her lawyer, James Lawford Davies said the 2009 regulations created injustice.

"Common-sense dictates that she should be allowed time to recover from the loss of her husband and brother and not be forced into making such an important reproductive choice at this point in her life."

Mr Lawford Davies, whose firm is not charging Mrs Warren to represent her, said there were a number of inconsistencies about the regulations.

The sperm has to be used by April 2015, but if it was thawed and used to create embryos, these could be stored for a further seven years.

The time limit also means that Mrs Warren could use the sperm to create one child but not a second.

There is also no restriction on the sperm being exported, which would mean Mrs Warren could be treated abroad in the future, but not in the UK.

The case will be heard next year by a judge from the Family Division of the High Court.

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Beth Warren: "I really just need more time to make a decision"
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In her legal submission Mrs Warren said: "I am aware that I may decide not to use the stored samples in the event that I meet someone in the future and choose to have a family with him.

"I do not know what will happen in the future, and I would like to have the choice left open to be able to have my husband's child - as I know he would have wanted."

In a statement the fertility regulator said: "The HFEA has every sympathy with Mrs Warren and the tragic circumstance in which she finds herself.

"We have been in discussions with Mrs Warren's solicitors for some time and each time new information has been presented to us, we have reconsidered the legal situation in as responsive a way as possible.

"However, the law on the storage of gametes is clear and the HFEA has no discretion to extend the storage period beyond that to which her husband gave written consent."

The case will renew the debate over the ethics of posthumous conception.

In 1997 Diane Blood won the right to conceive a child using sperm from her dead husband.

The Court of Appeal ruled against the HFEA and said that Mrs Blood should be allowed to seek treatment abroad.

But in that case the sperm had been removed when he was in a coma and without his written consent. Mrs Blood went on to have two sons after treatment in Belgium.

In this case Mr Brewer had his sperm stored prior to radiotherapy treatment in 2005, and in subsequent years signed several forms stating that his wife could use the samples.
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Fire engulfs Conoil station, Abuja, threatens Total office

A serious fire has engulfed the Conoil filling station located opposite NNPC towers, Abuja.

The fire, which has so far defied the spirited efforts of fire fighters, is spreading to the Total headquarters and a Total filling station beside it.

Details later.
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Nigeria: Abuja Airspace Closure - About 200 Passengers Forced Into Transit Stay in Addis Ababa

Nigerian passengers enroute Abuja airport via Addis Ababa yesterday were forced to an emergency landing in Ethiopia due to the closure of the Nigeria's airspace.
The passengers numbering over 200 who had boarded the Ethiopian national carrier, at about 10:20 am for an 8: 40 am. flight, spent over an hour after boarding, while the engine was warming up for take-off.
However, after waiting intermittently for the announcement from the pilot which usually heralds plane's take-off, the minutes had begun to stretch into hours and many of the passengers were beginning to get agitated.
About an hour later, the pilot announced that he had received information from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, that a plane had disembodied at the tarmac of the airport, asking the passengers to disembark from the plane.
While filing off the plane, the passengers which also included other nationals were at this time still hopeful that the country could still rise up and remedy the situation.
But their hopes were however, dashed when the Ethiopian airport officials, again made another announcement to the chargin of the passengers who though have been fed this time, have waited for another three hours that Nigeria's airspace has been closed. They said the flight had been cancelled and. hotel accommodation would be provided, while they collected their passports.
Not so pleasant reactions greeted the announcement as many held the view that nothing ever works in the country.
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ASUU Strike: Presidency Provides "Proof" Of Payment Of N200bn Into Designated CBN Account

The presidency on Wednesday laboured to prove it has actually paid the sum of N200bn into an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria designated for funding the nation's comatose universities.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said at a press briefing in Abuja that the account, a "revitalization of Universities Infrastructural Account," was authorized by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation on November 13.
Arguing that there were enough reasons for the nation's striking university lecturers to return to the classroom, Okupe said, "I state categorically that I have personally seen the balance in the account as of today and confirm that it contains the requisite amount and disbursement will commence as soon as on going administrative processes are sorted out."
He said he wanted to re-affirm that the President and the administration have no credibility issues whatsoever.
"Mr. President has always honored his words and obligations to the Nigerian people as and at when due," he said.
Okupe dismissed the four items mentioned by ASUU as preconditions for calling off the strike, stating that none of them "remain substantially pending or weighty enough to justify" the continuation of the strike even one day longer.
"Having come this far, we believe it is time that we all come together once again as major stakeholders in the affairs of the country and the educational sector in particular to move on and begin to chart a new course for advancing the sector and improving the standard of our institutions for higher learning," he said.  "There are no victor or vanquished in this protracted disagreement."
The federal government last week indicated it would fire the striking teachers today, but ASUU yesterday ignored the threat, opting to continue. 
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