2nd Bomb Blast explosion on New Year eve at Dunami...

OkoawoBluegate: 2nd Bomb Blast explosion on New Year eve at Dunami...: "Recent report reaching us from Abuja states that a second bomb explosion has occured in a Church (Dunamis Church). Details later.What is hap..."

5 African Breakout Artists of the Year: Iyeoka Ok...

OkoawoBluegate: 15 African Breakout Artists of the Year: Iyeoka Ok...: "15 African Breakout Artists of the Year: Nneka, Ice Prince, Navio, Jojo, Diamond, X.O Senavoe & More! Posted on December 24, 2010 by D..."

84yrs old Hugh Hefner engages 24yrs old

 

Hugh Hefner's Christmas was extra, extra jolly this year: He's engaged again!

The Playboy founder, 84, is engaged to Crystal Harris, his 24-year-old girlfriend and Playmate, a Playboy rep confirms to UsMagazine.com.

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Catch the Fowl....Lol

Catch the Fowl........lol

Ojukwu wishes to die Jan 13, 2011

The Punch:: Ojukwu wishes to die Jan 13

411daily: SHARON OMOLAYO HAS BEEN FOUND!!!

411daily: SHARON OMOLAYO HAS BEEN FOUND!!!: " Hurray... Kidnapped 5 year old girl Sharon Omolayo has been found Alive... She was found in Ifo, Ogun State.... It is not Confirmed..."

Pa Enahoro will always be remembered in Nigeria!

Nigerian elderstateman and foremost nationalist, Anthony Eromosele Enahoro, died yesterday December 15, 2010 in Benin, Edo state at the age of 87. Pa Enahoro was also a journalist and respected democracy activist.
A few weeks ago, he fell ill and was thought to have died at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital in Benin according to family sources. He survived the ordeal with a serious stroke that left him paralyzed before he finally died early yesterday.

Cell Phone Manners: Cellular Phone Etiquette

Cell Phone Manners For Ladies and Gentlemen
Increasingly we are growing depending on our cell phones. We almost have a relationship with them. Perhaps there is increasingly a need for cellular phone etiquette

Also I've included business phone etiquette which I've gathered for us to live peacefully with our phones and every one else's.

Cell Phone Manners In a Restaurant

Cell phones should be turned off to silent mode whenever you are in a restaurant.

If its fine dining, the cellular phone etiquette is to switch it off completely. It is quite rude to pay attention to a cell phone when your date is enjoying your company (and paying a hefty fee).

The less formal the restaurant, the more casual you can be with your cell phone.

However, it's best that you return the call after the meal. If you have to pick it up, tell the caller you'll call them back.

If you are at lunch on a workday, and your client or boss is calling, excuse yourself from the table.

If you really really have to talk at the table, do so quietly. Make it short and brief.

It is to the consideration of other patrons nearby.


Cell Phone Manners Driving

Do not text or use your phone when you are driving if you can help it.

If you do, please use a hands-free set or use the speakerphone function.

If someone calls you, the same cellular phone etiquette goes except if there is someone in your car and you are using the speakerphone, let the caller know the first thing. Tell them that you will call them back.

Cell Phone Manners On a Date or Social function.

Date does not mean a romantic date. It could be lunch with your mother, or coffee with the ladies.

Cellular phone etiquette is to try not to pay attention to your cell phone too much. Whenever your phone beckons, answer it quickly, make it brief. If you get a text message, quickly glance at it, and if it is not urgent, reply later.

Do not fall into an SMS conversation when you are in company. That is rude.

At a party or gathering, do not take your cell phone out and tinker with it, send text messages just because you are bored. If no one is talking to you, make an effort to talk to someone.


Cell Phone Manners On The Table?
It is more acceptable to place your cell phone on the table, though traditionally cellular phone etiquette is not to do so. Therefore, I urge you to only do that if you are expecting a call or message.

Otherwise, leave them unseen, in your bag or coat.

It is more acceptable to leave them on the table during lunch and on a workday than in the evenings or the weekends.

Understandably, we can make work as an excuse.

Cell Phone Manners In Meetings, the Movies, Conferences And Church

We should all be familiar with the cellular phone etiquette now, despite the hundreds of signs and notices we see.

Turn it off.

Or Keep it silent.

And silent without noisy vibrating alert sounds.

If you have to take a call, take it outside. Do this if only it is extremely urgent.

If you have to send an sms, do it quickly.

Cell Phone Manners With A Ringing Phone That is Not Yours

How to employ the cellular phone etiquette when it is not your phone.

The phone rings. Your date has gone to the washroom. Should you answer it?

The answer is NO.

Do not even pick it up to see who is calling.

When he returns. Let him know that he has a missed call.

The only time you should pick it up TO silence or stop the ringing if he has not switched to silent mode in the restaurant.

Only answer the phone that is not yours if you have been instructed to do so.

Answer in a manner that identifies yourself since the caller is not expecting you.

For example,"Kelly's phone, this is Cherise speaking."

Cell Phone Manners With Other People's Phone

The Proper Cellular Phone Etiquette:

Never touch other people's phones unless given the go ahead.

Never ask if you can read their text messages or look at their photos or videos.

Never try to snoop and read them anyway.

When your friend passes you their phone to make a call or look at something, call or look and give it back right away.

Cell Phone Manners Of An Elegant Woman

Her phone is always kept clean and pristine, free of make up.

She keeps at a safe and organized place in her bag so when she needs it, she does not go digging for it.

She does not have a whole gob of trinkets dangling from it.

She only attaches a mobile phone accessory if it helps her to identify it from her bag or for easier handling.

If she uses it for decorative purposes, she keeps it tasteful and clean.

She organizes her phone numbers and keeps the internal storage of her phone impeccable. She does not load it up with games and non-practical applications.

Cell Phone Manners Taking Pictures


Be aware what are random photo picture taking and what is an intrusion of privacy.

Turn off the camera's click sound if you can help it. It is distracting to passer-bys.

Refrain from distributing embarrassing photos taken of your friend.

If unsure, ask if you can take a picture first.

Cell Phone Manners Speaking


Most people forget what the purpose of a cell phone is.

Do not have lengthy chats on the phone simply because you are bored.

At lectures, conferences etc, do not ignore the speaker and simply look at your phone. If you are taking notes using your phone, make efforts to glance up.

Keep your voice low, soft but loud enough for your caller to hear you. Do not speak loudly when on the phone. If your caller can't hear you, move to a quieter place or send a text message.

Keep your calls brief.

Cell Phone Manners When You Want Another Person's Number

If you've met someone through a friend and want his number. Do not ask in this way, "Do you mind if I have Henry's number?"

Rather, it is more polite to ask, "Do you mind asking Henry if I could have his number?"

You could suggest, "Do you mind if you ask Henry to give me a call?"

If someone asks for a number of your friend and you are not right there on the spot, say you'll pass it to her later. That delay of time is for you to check if it is okay.

If you are placed on the spot, simply say, 'I'm not sure which number is the most convenient to call, I'll check with him which one is the best.'

Or find a gracious excuse to check with your friend first. If all fails, simply say, I'll check with him if that is alright.

My Cell Phone And Me

I have a love-hate relationship with my phone. When I was running my business in a retail shop, I thoroughly disliked phone calls during business hours because they were always problems about work.

Nevertheless, cell phones have invaded our lives and we need to learn how to live with it peacefully. And with that I mean with other people's phones as well as them having to live with yours!

Thank you for reading Cell Phone Manners!

8 Harmful Effects of Fat

By: Marci Lall

Fat, mainly fat around your waistline, increases your risk of some serious illnesses. Are you doing anything about it? Chances are, you've probably tried a bunch of things that were either to hard to implement or something that claimed you would lose a number of pounds in a number of days. But in order to really see results you have to understand that losing weight is a process and it does take time. If you are overweight and need a quick dose of motivation to lose the excess pounds I suggest you take a look at these 8 harmful effect of fat and what it can do to your body and lifestyle.



Losing weight may save your life.



Do you see yourself as a ticking time bomb ready to explode any day now? If heart disease, high blood pressure, or high triglycerides are common in your family or family history, then losing weight ca definitely change that. You can seriously cut your risk of having health problems by shedding a few extra pounds.



It's not only you.



Can you believe that two-thirds of all Americans are overweight and that one-third of them are considered obese? Unfortunately this has created a wave of high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart disease, heart-related deaths, strokes and diabetes. Also, many types of cancers have been related with obesity.



Don't hurt your heart with fat.



With excess weight every major system in your body feels the stress. The heart ultimately becomes the victim. As cholesterol builds your blood pressure rises and your arteries get clogged. Also, the blood loses its ability to clot which increases your risk of stroke.



Fat will turn you into a guy!



When women become overweight they begin to have higher levels of male hormones, which increases their risk of heart disease. These hormones also cause male pattern balding, excess facial hair, and acne outbreaks.



Fat activates diabetes.



Whatever you do, DO NOT skip this piece of advice. The extra weight affects another hormone called insulin, which leads to diabetes. Having diabetes increases your heart disease risk and can turn into a vicious circle of life and death.



Fat takes your sleep away.



If your overweight chances are you often suffer from sleep disorders. The most dangerous is sleep apnea. With sleep apnea, you stop breathing many times during the night, which makes your oxygen level drop. When your oxygen levels drop it affects your heart, blood vessels and increase your stroke, and diabetes risk.



Fat destroys your hips and knees.



The total impact of excess weight on your lower body creates tons of problems. You're risk of osteoporosis increase and you'll develop hip and back problems.



Lose weight now.



A change in eating habits and exercise - this is what it takes to lose weight and decrease your risk of any diseases. You've got to commit to making lifestyle changes that fit into your daily routine. i won't lie to you and say it will be easy, but it's not that difficult either. it's all about making that lifestyle change and having the discipline to consistently be focused on what you want to achieve.

About the Author

Marci Lall provides Personal Training Forest Hill in Toronto. If you would like to get his free Stability Ball Abdominal Workout that has 9 highly effective abdominal exercises for women just go to this link http://www.foresthillpersonaltraining.com/free-stuff

(ArticlesBase SC #601093)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - 8 Harmful Effects of Fat

5 Signs your spouse is involved in Online Affair !

Online affair is becoming so common in the today's society. Sadly, relationship online can break real offline relationships.

By knowing some of the signs of the online affair, you can at least be prepared when or what to suspect. Although clues are never a real confirmation, they are always good indicator and it's up to you to look into it further.

Let's start by looking at some typical clues:

1. Your partner spends excessive time online.

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Get Great Ideas Online!

It's A Bridal Thing!: Get Great Ideas Online!: "When you first meet your wedding planner, it's good to come with some general ideas about how you want your big day to look. Here are some w..."

First Lady Clara Adams Oshiomole is Dead!

The wife of Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomole, Clara Oshomole is dead. She allegedly died of cancer on tuesday night, just a few days to her daughter's wedding.
It would be recalled that she has not been in social circle in recent times as she was said to have been abroad receiving treatment for the ailment but returned to Nigeria a few days ago for the wedding slated for Dec.19, 2010.
May her soul rest in perfect peace....Our condolences to the Family of Comrade Adams Oshiomole and the Good people of Edo State.

First Lady Clara Adams Oshiomole is Dead!

The wife of Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomole, Clara Oshomole is dead. She allegedly died of cancer on tuesday night, just a few days to her daughter's wedding.
It would be recalled that she has not been in social circle in recent times as she was said to have been abroad receiving treatment for the ailment but returned to Nigeria a few days ago for the wedding slated for Dec.19, 2010.
May her soul rest in perfect peace....Our condolences to the Family of Comrade Adams Oshiomole and the Good people of Edo State.

CURVY KIM KARDASHIAN REVEALS SHE FELL OFF THE GYM WAGON

CURVY KIM KARDASHIAN REVEALS SHE FELL OFF THE GYM WAGON

DARWIN HOBBS-Free

Free
free from my past
Free from the pain
Free from the guilt that would cause me to be ashame
Once
Once i was blind
but now i see
clearly the debt that i owe Jesus paid for me
No more chains are binding me
i'm totally free

How to avoid identity thieves and scammers online

Thanks to sites like Facebook and Twitter, it's now normal to share pieces of ourselves online – even to random strangers. For some people, sharing updates on their lives with friends, families, and online contacts always feels good, leading to a minor high for every reaction generated.

But there's a danger associated with being too open. Share too much, and you give fodder for scammers and identity thieves to exploit. Here are some things you never ever share online, whether on your favorite social-networking site, through email, or even instant-messaging apps.
* Full real name. I won't make it easy for you, but you can find my whole real name on the Internet if you know where to look for it. When I started blogging regularly, I made the mistake of assertively addressing myself by my full real name. Out of a sense of unwarranted self-importance, I'm sure. Then I discovered that credit-card hotlines ask for your real name when verifying your identity over the phone. So that's one less mystery to solve for those who want to pretend to be me.

* Full birthday or age. Here's another tidbit credit-card hotlines verify to confirm your identity. Luckily, I was less forthcoming with it when I started my online career. I would freely share my birth date, but not my birth year. That way, you still get online greetings on your special day, without making it easier for other people to pretend that they're you. As far as I know, only my close friends know exactly when I was born – and I hardly think they have a good reason to broadcast that online. While some keep their age secret out of vanity, it also gives potential scammers less information to work with.

* Credit card CVV or CVC number. This is common sense. The 3 digits towards the right on the back of your credit card is an electronic signature of sorts. With it, anyone who knows your credit-card number, name, expiry date, and billing address can charge stuff to your account with impunity. If you get a call or email from someone claiming to be from your credit-card company and requesting your CVV or CVC for verification purposes, politely refuse – unless you want someone else to max out your card.

* "Secret" email address. I currently maintain at least 2 email accounts. One I make publicly available to people who want to contact me (rico-at-mossesgeld.com), and the other I keep secret. I use this secret email only as a login for sensitive accounts, like my PayPal and online-banking service, and for nothing else. Knowledge of my secret email address would make it a lot easier for scammers to gain access to my financial services online, as they would know what to target for their attempts to seize control of an account through the "Forgot your password?" feature available on many sites.

Keeping select personal info private makes it harder for people to pass themselves off as you and gain access to your accounts. The point is that scammers always look for marks who are foolish enough to make things easy.s.fanbox.com/Aninspirationalstorytoremindustokeepabal">Read More

John Travolta, Kelly Preston Welcome Baby Boy!

John Travolta and Kelly Preston are giving thanks...for their healthy new baby boy!

Their son -- named Benjamin -- was born at an undisclosed Florida hospital on Tuesday, their publicist told UsMagazine.com.

Benjamin Travolta weighed 8 pounds and 3 ounces.

Travolta, 56, Preston, 48 and daughter Ella Bleu, 10, are ""are ecstatic and very happy about the newest member of the family," the rep told Us in a statement.

Mom and child "are healthy and doing beautifully," added the rep.

Benjamin is the third child for the Hollywood couple, who have been married for 19 years. Tragically, their eldest child, son Jett, died in January 2009 at age 16 after suffering a seizure. The couple was then extorted by Bahamian paramedics who first responded to the call.

In June, Kelly Preson's mom, Linda Carlson, told UsMagazine.com that her actress daughter had been "longing for another baby," particularly after Jett's death.

"It's taken [Preston and Travolta] out of such deep grief and made them able to focus on new life," Carlson said. "It just couldn't come at a better time."

Is your life Unfair to you?

Some people say life is unfair, others believe that life is enjoyable, yet others believe life is a conbination of both. The truth is, life in its entirety is like a pregnancy, it goes through a period gestation and so many processes are involved. This takes time. Mind you there is time for everybody, as conception and delivery of everyone may not be the same, the pains and struggle are

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Are You Depressed?

There is no better yesterday, it is what you make of today. Make a good use of your time, you will be happy for each day. Are you depressed by circumstances of life?

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Is he a messenger

THE MESSENGER

 

I am the messenger

The oasis in the desert of life

I bore the light That Is

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A royal wedding next year for Prince William, Kate

 

Thirty years after the fairy-tale nuptials with the unhappy ending, Britain will finally have another big royal wedding: Its dashing helicopter-pilot prince — second in line to .

Royal officials said that while Middleton is commonly

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A royal wedding next year for Prince William, Kate

 

Thirty years after the fairy-tale nuptials with the unhappy ending, Britain will finally have another big royal wedding: Its dashing helicopter-pilot prince — second in line to the throne — will marry the lovely commoner who may someday become queen.

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New Release: Iyeoka "Say Yes" (Official Video)

Iyeoka sings her first single Say Yes on

New Release: Iyeoka "Say Yes" (Official Video)

Iyeoka sings her first single Say Yes on her new album of the same name. Directed by Simon Hunter, the video was shot in Underground Sun studio and at various locations around Venice and Santa Monica, California.
"SAY YES" IS AVAILABLE NOW AT WWW.IYEOKA.COM

Not Just a Mom!

Find words of wisdom in this inspirational story. A woman named Emily renewing her driver's license at the Licensing office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.

"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job, or are you just a...

"Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a mother."

"We don't list 'mother' as an occupation... 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically.

I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised,

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May This Encourage You, Always

Don't spend major time with minor people.
If there are people in your life who continually disappoint you, break promises, stomp on your dreams, are too judgmental,

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How Old Are You???????????

If we did not know our age, some of us would appear to be very young, and some of us would seem very old.

Sometimes, people use age as a convenient excuse. "I'm too old to start something new", or, "I couldn't learn that at my age."

Other

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How i made my Millions!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was working all day and took a break for my supper. I was flipping through the channels and just happened to come across CNBC's program, How I Made My Millions (http://www.cnbc.com/id/23131910/). I snickered when I saw the title of the program thinking, oh this must be one of those info commercials that promises to make you millions and most of the time you end up spending lots of money and making nothing.

The program came on and I was truly motivated by watching and listening. These were ordinary people, like you and me,

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Is your life unbalanced?

An inspirational story to remind us to keep a balance in our life. We hope you find words of wisdom in this story written byby Catherine Pulsifer.- Mary and Susan were friends for years. They grew up together and attended the same schools. They were now both in their 40's, and both had great careers. They both had a similar upbringing - same education, same family values, similar support and financial position. But there was one main difference. Mary never seemed to have enough time. She watched her life long friend Susan. She had similar responsibilities and interests. Susan had a career, she had three children, she had her hobbies, one of which included golf. Over lunch, Susan was telling Mary about the golf game that she played last weekend. "Susan, where do you find the time to play golf?" asked Mary. "I never seem to have the time, now with the children older and doing there own thing I thought I would have time to play golf like we did when we were in college."

Susan looked at Mary and laughed, "Mary, we both have the same hours in a day. You do have the time to play golf!" With a sigh Mary replied, "That's easy for you to say. I never seem to have time. My work takes so much of my time. I am in the office at 7:30, I leave at 6:30 in the evening. By the time I get home and have dinner, it is 8:00! And, then I usually have a briefcase full of work. The weekends are full of more work. Just to keep up, I have to put in the hours.

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A Car Accident…then came Success!!!!!

Have you ever wondered how some of the worst things that happen in your life turn out to be some of the best experiences you've ever had? Well, a fellow member of my church once told a story about one such experience that changed his life.

For years, he had difficulty saving to buy a house because something would always occur and consume more money than he had expected to spend. Despite his efforts he simply could not go long before spending the extra cash that he had saved. Then one day a car accident badly damaged the car his wife was driving. Their mechanic estimated the cost of repairs at five thousand dollars. Unfortunately, they were presently in a financial bind and so the car would have to wait. After contemplating the situation he realized that

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Do you have a bad/hot temper???????????????

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.

His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the

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Governor Uduaghan' sacked in Delta State!!

There is justice in the world,

A federal appeal court in Benin, Edo state has annulled the election of Delta State governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, and subsequently ordered fresh elections in the state within 90 days.

The decision followed the appeal brought by the Great Ogboru against Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, the current governor of the state. The appeal panel earlier dismissed the petition brought by AC candidate, Okocha, where he sought the nullification of Uduaghan's election because of his exclusion from the 2007 election by INEC.

The Edo state capital erupted in jubilation over the verdict. The speaker of the house will step in as "Acting governor" pending the next election.

The fresh election will also act as the first major test for the newly constituted Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), headed by radical university professor, Mahmud Jega, a former lecturer, vice chancellor at Bayero University in Kano.

Nigerian militants seize workers from oil rig.

Gunmen in Nigeria have attacked an oil rig and seized up to seven workers after a recent lull in such raids.
Afren, the company which operates the rig, said two workers had been wounded. Those seized are reportedly from the US, France, Canada and Indonesia.

The raid came as an e-mail was sent to journalists warning of new attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta.

Violence in the oil-producing region had subsided after the main militant group accepted an amnesty last year.

London-based Afren PLC said the gunmen had also attacked a support ship but that both the boat and the rig in the Okoro field off the coast of Nigeria's Akwa Ibom state were now under its control.

The wounded pair have been flown by helicopter for medical treatment, it said.

The company did not provide any further details of Sunday's attack but said drilling operations had been suspended.

It said five workers had been taken hostage but several other reports say seven people were seized - two from France, two from Indonesia, two from the US and one from Canada.

US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley confirmed that two US citizens had been taken.

An e-mail reportedly sent by the main oil militant group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) said it had carried out the attack and that all those seized were safe and well, Reuters news agency reports.

Violence in the Delta region had caused a sharp fall in Nigeria's oil output until the amnesty offer saw thousands of gunmen lay down their arms.

But a Mend faction is accused of carrying out twin car-bombings in the capital, Abuja as Nigeria was celebrating 50 years of independence on 1 October.

Obasanjo attacked at Lagos airport

A mild drama ensued at the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, Monday, as former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, was attacked by a middle-aged man who pounced on him inside his car.

The incident occurred at about 9:20a.m.

The former president’s attacker, whose identity was not immediately known, had earlier before Obasanjo’s arrival attempted to enter the presidential wing of the airport, but was turned back by Air Force personnel manning the gate, especially as he could not explain his mission at the wing.

The man was not only denied entry, but was also driven away from the precincts of the wing and told never to return to the area, particularly as President Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential jet was parked at the wing.

The ambush
Unknown to the Air Force personnel and some mobile policemen whose presence at the airport was due to the president’s presence in Lagos, the man had laid ambush, hiding behind the fence of the car park attached to the presidential lounge.
Former President Obasanjo’s chartered jet touched down a few minutes after 9:00a.m., and the former president, in his usual jocular manner exchanged banters with press men attached to the presidential lounge. He then hopped into his car, a Toyota Landcruiser special utility vehicle, SUV, sandwiched between two excort vehicles with his security aides, leaving behind Chief Kenny Martins who came to receive him.

The attack
As the convoy of three vehicles tried to negotiate its way into Airport Road, towards the local wing of the airport, the man emerged from nowhere. He ran towards the Jeep in the middle of the convoy, opened the door and started kicking and raining blows on the former President.

Rescue
The opening of the door of Obasanjo’s car drew the attention of both the Air Force personnel and Mobile Policemen some 100 metres away, and they quickly dragged the man out of the car and gave him the beating of his life.

When he recovered from the attack, the visibly shaken Obasanjo immediately asked his driver to drive off, while scores of security men had rounded up the attacker who, amidst beatings, screamed persistently “America is watching, …America is watching.”

The man attempted to escape, but when some of the military personnel cocked their guns to shoot, he quickly laid on the floor begging for leniency.

Aftermath
The man, who looked well fed and dressed up, was dragged to the Air Force wing of the airport, as he refused to explain his mission and motive behind the attack of the former President.

The development prompted tightening of security at the presidential wing, as every person or vehicle entering the lounge and car park were subjected to stringent security screening.

Woman falls asleep 100 times a day due to laughter

Claire Allen, a woman who suffers from an extreme form of narcolepsy, said her condition causes her to fall asleep 100 times a day simply by laughing.

Dr Allen, 35, a scientist, suffers from bouts of 'cataplexy', a rare symptom of narcolepsy, triggered by strong emotions - such as fear, surprise or laughter.

The attacks cause her to lose control of her body and she collapses into a deep sleep - although she remains conscious throughout.Each collapse lasts between 30 seconds to five minutes and at its worst Claire can endure up to 100 attacks each day.

A "surprise" as simple as a chair in a room having moved to a different place or giggling at a shared joke could spark an attack and leave her helpless on the floor.

But Claire has found a new lease of life and now only suffers several attacks every month thanks to Xyrem, a new drug developed to help narcoleptics.

Claire, from Cambridge, described how she first loses her speech and vision before her body buckles - but she remains completely "awake".

She said: "The attacks are caused by any emotional surprise or shock but laughter is definitely the strongest trigger.

"The very first symptoms were my head nodding like a child trying to stay awake and after six months I was having full collapses where my body would go from under me.

"A few years ago I stopped all my medications for a trial and I discovered the true extent of my symptoms - around 100 collapses a day.

"I find that they happen more often during social contact with other people, perhaps because I'm more self-conscious.

"There is no pain at all, but my speech will go first so I can't communicate what is happening, followed by my vision and then my body crumples beneath me.

"It doesn't feel any different to being awake, except that I can't see or move at all as I'm in a total state of paralysis.

"It's very odd for people around me to see me go down and then come round in a few minutes and be absolutely fine."

Narcolepsy causes severe disruption to sleep patterns and Claire, who works as a research scientist with the British Antarctic Survey, wakes up around 20 to 30 times each night.

But the new drug Xyrem puts Claire into a deep sleep for three-and-a-half hours so she must take a second dose in the middle of the the night to get a full seven hours sleep.

She said: "For the last five years I hadn't slept for more than an hour at a time so the first time I slept for more than three hours it was incredible.

"All of the things that your body normally does at night - like repairing your skin and your nails and hair growing - just weren't happening for me.

"Now I am much better at managing my lifestyle and getting plenty of rest to cut down on the cataplexic attacks.

"Many people go undiagnosed for many years. having only half of my symptoms could have a devastating effect on someone's life."

Researchers have found that narcolepsy may be caused by an irregularity to the brain cells which control the sleep hormone hypocretin.

An estimated 25,000 people in the UK suffer from narcolepsy but many remain undiagnosed due to the varying nature of the symptoms.

Dr John Shneerson, an expert at Papworth Hospital's Sleep Centre in Cambridge, said that narcoleptics can wait for more than a decade for diagnosis.

He said: "Quality of life can be badly hit if untreated. Their studies suffer. They avoid driving. They are afraid to look after young children on their own and take baths.

"They don't get into relationships, get promoted or do physical exercise.

"A great many lives would be improved if narcolepsy were better recognised. People are surprised by how well it's possible to manage.

Dr Allen said she was forced to stop driving five-and-a-half years ago after she was diagnosed with narcolepsy.

She added that a new type of medication which has allowed her to sleep normally at night has also improved the condition of her hair and nails.

She said: "The doctor told me that narcolepsy can dramatically slow down hair and nail growth because your body repairs them during sleep.

"Since I have been sleeping through the night my hair is in much better condition and I have been able to grow my nails."

TOP 6 EXAMPLES OF CLAIRE'S COLLAPSES

1 - Claire collapsed every time she arrived at the home of her goddaughter because she was so excited to see her. Since taking her new medication she has finally managed to get through the door without a collapse.

2 - Thinking of something funny can trigger an attack for Claire. On one occasion she was running to hide before 'ambushing' a friend. However, she thought the plan was so funny she collapsed before she reached the hiding place and her friend discovered her in a heap on the floor.

3 - Claire was shopping alone in a department store when she suffered a collapse. Staff rushed to help her and were so concerned they called an ambulance. When Claire came round she had to explain to the paramedics that she was perfectly fine - but suffered from narcolepsy.

4 - Claire would often collapse while walking down the corridor at work when she was surprised by someone coming out of a door unexpectedly.

5 - While using a pedestrian crossing Claire laughed at something a friend said to her and collapsed in the middle of the road. She did not come round for three minutes.

6 - One day a friend shouted 'hello' to Claire as she was riding her bike. The surprise caused her to collapse and fall off although she escaped with just bruises.

Bright ‘Basketmouth’ Okpocha wedding pictures!!!