ASUU strike: Dear FG, your one-week ultimatum won’t work,

At a time Nigerian students earnestly await the announcement of a truce between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities regarding the ongoing strike, the former has in its usual manner of show of unnecessary force, issued a one-week ultimatum to the striking lecturers to call off their action.

This writer predicted this latest development hours after President Goodluck Jonathan announced the rejig of the federal cabinet on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. My friends and I discussed the matter. During our chat, I averred that now that Nyesom Wike, ‘strongman’ of Ikwerre (and by large Rivers State) is now in charge of the Education Ministry, more wahala had landed.
There is no gainsaying that the Thursday morning matching order to ASUU might have been sponsored by the Minister. But such pronouncement is not what we wish for; indeed, it falls short of the desire and expectations of stakeholders, including parents, teachers, and even food sellers as well as other business owners on campuses.
It is sad that negotiations between both parties take one step forward and two or more backward. The dilly-dally started with Anyim Pius Anyim-led committee on negotiations with ASUU. When that failed to produce any result, government in a not well-thought out strategy, delegated Gabriel Suswam, the Governor of a Federating State (Benue) to lead talks with a body comprising thousands of lectures across the country
In a chat with a lecturer in a state-owned varsity, he stated that “Asking a governor, whose educational qualification is still in doubt, to chair the Needs Assessment Implementation Committee for Nigerian Universities, is not the way to go. Firstly, a high-powered FG official should have been called in. Secondly, I don’t think he has the capacity, charisma and zeal to do the job. Mark my words, Suswam will fail.” As prophesied, he failed.
Then we had the Namadi Sambo-led committee, which according to ASUU brought nothing new to the table. Only one meeting with the Vice President was enough turn-off for the union.
Finally, the president deemed it appropriate to wade into the FOUR months impasse. Too late the day if you ask me; a leader needs not wait that long to personally take charge of such burning national issue. After the marathon meeting, Mr. Jonathan presided, it was agreed that N220,000,000,000 would be injected into the universities system for a period of five years, i.e, the sum of N1.1trillion. A fair deal no doubt. In fact, most citizens say the fund if well utilized was enough to turn around the system. The Union agreed and requested the opening of an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria where the money will be kept and released at specified dates.
But rather than build on this, government has gone ahead to issue (in my view) an empty threat of one week ultimatum. It has also impressed on Vice-Chancellors to declare the jobs of the lecturers vacant if they do not return to classrooms by Wednesday, December 4 2013.
Let me add that I have been studying the body language of President Jonathan on this matter and below are some pointers which puts a bold question mark on his seriousness in resolving the deadlock.
Recall that at the beginning of the strike in July, he posited, directly or indirectly, that ASUU cannot hold him to ransom because the 2009 pact does not bear his signature. The comment is goof in its entirety because he was part of the government that reached the deal. Mr. Jonathan wants the North to support him in his quest to return to Aso Rock in 2015, yet he feels comfortable to wave off some resolutions and policies of their late son, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He shoots himself in the foot without knowing, whereas he has advisers and strategists on his payroll.
Recall that he had directly or indirectly, asserted that the impasse is being deliberately prolonged and influenced by Northerners and leaders of opposition party. This doesn’t fit to be counted as a genuine reason for his administration’s failure to convince the lecturers to resume.
Recall also that upon his return from London to Abuja from the 15th Meeting of the Honorary International Investors Council, he only commented on his trip, his health issue, the purchase of bulletpoof cars for Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah and of course, his meeting with the seven aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“I don’t think I will be able to hold any meeting, you know six hours flight is quite a distance and also following from my health challenges. I don’t know how soon, but we will be able to meet within the week,” he said.
“Politics is about discussion, we belong to the same political party, even people from different political parties engage in political discussion and political discussion is a continuous process, even during election, people discuss. So, we will continue to discuss.”
So much for politics and less for education; that is the state we have found ourselves. Our leader gives a time frame to meet with governors, keeps mum on a matter that involves those who impact knowledge on tomorrow’s leaders. What a shame!
ASUU Chairman, Nasir Isa Fagge and his team do not appear like the kind of persons that develop cold feet at the mention of deadlines. While I agree that the union should resume and continue negotiations, Nigerians must not forget that successive administrations made several promises and commitments, but failed to implement. We need to understand the plight of the lecturers; they are fighting a just course. Needless to say that sending our wards to tertiary institutions abroad will continue to harm our image and deplete wealth that should remain here and boost our economy.
The sooner the Federal Government and its officials realize that forceful tactics no longer work in resolving civil disputes, the better for the nation. The FG should be informed that it makes more sense to drag ASUU to court, instead of the ill-advised ultimatum. It has never worked, this case won’t be an exception.




source:premiumtimes

SHOCKING!: Student Sets Teacher On Fire

A Tennessee high school teacher was set on fire by one of her students, cops said.
WATE reports that Gabriela Penalba, 23, turned her back to her class on Monday morning at West High School in Knoxville when a 15-year-old male student set her hair and shirt ablaze using his lighter, police said.
Students quickly put the fire out.
Gawker notes that the student allegedly "exploited the commotion" by throwing the lighter out the window and fleeing before being captured by police.
The quick thinking of her students helped Penalba avoid any burns, according to WBIR.

The student faces aggravated assault and evading arrest charges.
His name has not been released because he's a minor and has not been charged as an adult.


 source:hoffpost

We Didn’t Make Fresh Demands – ASUU

 
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has denied claims by the Nigerian government that fresh demands were made in a letter written to the government after the November 4 meeting with the president.
On Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, the chairman of the University of Lagos’ chapter of the union, Karo Ogbinaka, said that the content of the letter writing to the government was within the ambience of the agreement earlier reached.
Ogbinaka insisted that the government had not acted on the agreement reached in the November 4 meeting  with President Goodluck Jonathan.
“They said they will release 200 billion Naira (about 1.3 billion dollars) in 2013 for the funding of universities and we only have few weeks to go and they have not released the money. When it comes to implementation, government is always having problem,” he stated.
The lecturers are also demanding that the government should pay them the arrears of four months – the period they have been on strike- and the university lecturer also pointed out that the non-victimisation clause was part of the 2009 agreement.
‘Government Is Insincere’
He described the statement by the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, demanding that all vice chancellors and academic staff of federal universities resume duties on December 4 or face the chances of being sacked, as an insincere statement on the part of the government.
The union leader claimed that as much as students had been affected in the five month strike period, the lecturers are too.
“Festus Iyayi died because he was travelling to see how the strike issue could be resolved,” he said, refuting claims that some students have taken to social ills because they were made to sit at home.
“Any student that is bad is bad. Letting the student come to school and come out half-baked is not the best either. There are graduates without job and they are not bad.
Losing four months will not make somebody half-baked but putting somebody consistently in a system that is bad will make the person a victim of a bad education system,” he stressed.
The University of Lagos’ lecturer insisted that the government could not say they lacked finance to fund the agreement, as it was not captured in the budget.
“Was the money given to Golden eaglets after they won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in the budget of 2013?
“The only problem ASUU has now is that the government is insincere and we are saying that we cannot continue this way,” he added.
Dismissing claims that the union was bullying the government, he stressed that “any government that cannot do basic things is no longer a government and should be made to do what it is supposed to do.


source:channels

400,000 People Infected With HIV/AIDS in Ogun- Commissioner

Proximity to Lagos implicated as one of the reasons for the spread of the disease.
The Ogun State Government disclosed on Thursday that the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the state has risen to 400,000.
The Commissioner for Health, Olaokun Soyinka, noted that the current figure was a hundred thousand higher than the previous year’s figure.
He was speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta organised in preparation for the World AIDS Day celebration in the state.
Mr. Soyinka stated that the prevalence rate, which kept rising and falling and maintaining an undefined pattern since 1996, implied that the state was not winning the war against HIV/AIDS.
He said that the current prevalence rate stood at 3.1, but added that the state government had not relented in its fight against the virus. He said the fight was from all fronts including education, sensitisation, HIV testing and counselling, and provision of anti-retroviral drugs.
The Commissioner disclosed that the level of HIV infection was highest in Ijebu Ode with a prevalence of 5, followed by Abeokuta which had 2.7. He explained that Ijebu Ode was high because it thrived as an economic and social hub by virtue of being a transit point to other states. He also noted that the town had a high student and youth population, the ones hardest hit by the virus.
Mr. Soyinka described the state’s proximity to Lagos as a blessing but pointed out that it, however, increased the need to develop more portent methods to prevent the disease. He stressed that there was a continuous influx of people into the state from Lagos which has a relatively higher prevalence rate in Southwest Nigeria.
“Strategies must be in place to avert HIV transmission from Lagos State which records prevalence of 4.2,” he warned.
He regretted that in spite of the numerous amount of information being passed about the deadly virus, distribution of new infections was still highest among couples, whom he referred to as “low risk heterosexuals.”
He said demography represented 45.17 per cent of new infections.
“There is still low comprehensive knowledge about HIV, especially in rural areas. And apart from that, rate of infection is highest among couples because some don’t know their status, and still don’t use condoms. And in using condoms, we stress correct use of condoms,” he said.
He stated that this year’s World AIDS day celebration in the state was geared at achieving zero prevalence. With the sub-theme, “Take charge of your life, know your HIV status,” it would be aimed at encouraging people to know their status and avoid discriminating against people living with the virus.
On stigmatisation, the commissioner said it was a major reason why people were afraid of knowing their status.
“Stigmatisation is a very serious issue. It is one reason why people are afraid of knowing or disclosing their status. Even families are not willing to disclose the status of members living with the virus. So, how do you get treatment when you don’t know your status,” he said.
The Director of the State Action Council on AIDS (SACA), Kehinde Fatungase, told journalists that the state was sponsoring a stigmatisation bill, which would make discrimination against HIV/AIDS victims a serious crime.
“The stigmatisation bill is in the house. It has gone through second reading and I gather that there would be a public hearing on it next month. So, once this important bill is passed and signed into law, we’ll be able to fight stigmatisation frontally,” Mr. Fatungase declared.
He also said that operators of traditional birth areas were being partnered with in order to increase the prevention of mother to child transmission of the deadly virus.

Premium Times

Kanye West Reveals Why He Won't Appear On Kim Kardashian's Reality Show

 



Kanye West has been doing more press than ever in support of his Yeezus tour, and when he and fiancee Kim Kardashian stopped by New York radio station Hot 97 on Monday (Nov. 25), the couple didn't hold back.
The interview touched on everything from the couple's relationship, to West's frustration with the fashion industry, to his very surprising explanation for why he decided not to be filmed for the Kardashians' reality show.
"I don't really do her show just because I don't particularly like the way the producers shoot some of the shots. I'm very meticulous to that, right? I like to get a different [director of photography] or whatever," he explained. "And when we got engaged, I made sure the show was there [filming] because I felt like that was something that would make her happy. Regardless of how it was shot, I felt like this is a moment she would like to have and would like to share, and just have that documented. And we could decide later or not to air it."
With those comments in mind, it looks like those rumors about the couple's impending nuptials possibly being televised aren't as far-fetched as initially thought -- just as long as West retains creative control over how it's filmed.
The 36-year-old rapper, who is clearly head-over-heels in love with Kardashian, went on to talk about another admission he made during his show at Madison Square Garden on Sunday (Nov. 24), when he revealed that his 2010 song "Lost In The World," started out as a poem that he emailed to the reality star. It proves the couple has had a very long courtship, since they didn't officially start dating until April 2012.
Yes, West said he's in it for the long haul, and says, "Our love story's a love story for the ages."
"I felt like when we first got together, it was like a 'Romeo and Juliet' kinda thing where it's like she's a reality star and I'm a rapper, and people talking about how our brands connect and what doesn't fit and I'm just so tired of the conversation of brands," he told Hot 97's radio host Angie Martinez.
While West is smitten by the lady he sees as "the most beautiful woman of all time," or "arguably human existence," it's apparent that the relationship has changed Kardashian as well. When Martinez noted that it seems like Kardashian has "muted a little bit" since getting together with West, the rapper was quick to bring up the time Kardashian blasted Katie Couric on Instagram for being a "fake media friend."
"Katie Couric sent us a baby gift for our daughter. It was really sweet and I loved it. And then she went and did an interview and said, 'Oh, I don't know why the Kardashians are famous.' Like dissing us," Kim explained, adding that she found Couric's note with the baby gift and took a photo of it, before asking West if he thought she should put it on Instagram and "blast her for fake being nice."
Not surprisingly, West was all for it, he "just wanted to make the card symmetrical in the Instagram picture. I hate asymmetry, I want it ... but it was her idea," he chimed in.




source:hoffpost

Unbelievable! North Koreans Must Worship, Give Thanks to ‘Deceased Eternal President’ Every Day

By Abby Carr
Kim Jong Il statues Every North Korean must have photos of Kim Il Sung (left) and Kim Jong Il on the best wall of their home. (José Fernandes Jr./Flickr/Creative Commons)
Thanksgiving is fast approaching—a day every year when Americans stop to give thanks. But in the country of North Korea, thanksgiving to the nation’s “eternal president” Kim Il Sung must be given at every meal.
“The best wall on every house in North Korea must have well-cared-for photos of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il,” explains Seoul USA CEO Eric Foley. “At every meal, families look up at the picture and pray, ‘Thank you, Father Kim Il Sung, for this food.’”
While most Americans view the hermit kingdom as an atheist nation, Foley says in reality it is perhaps the most religious nation on earth because 100 percent of its citizens are required to worship Kim Il Sung. North Korea is the world’s only “necrocacy”—ruled forever by its deceased eternal president.
“This is challenging to Christians, who refuse to worship anyone other than God,” Foley says. “Those seen bowing their heads in prayer are considered seditious citizens and are persecuted.”
Overcoming this idolatry is the most pressing issue for the North Korean church. The way they’ve done this is to rely on four pillars: the 10 Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, the Lord’s Supper, and the Apostles’ Creed. Each of these is a protection against idolatry and helps them navigate through North Korea’s state religion known as Juche.
“As Americans thank God for our blessings and prosperity this Thanksgiving, let’s also consider our need to combat idolatry in our own lives,” Foley says. “We can grow stronger in this overcoming faith by learning from the example of our North Korean brothers and sisters in Christ. Reliance on the four pillars of worship is the key.”
The four pillars are integral to Christian life. That’s why they’re featured in Seoul USA’s 100 Days of Worship campaign running through Dec. 31.



source:vine

Deitrick Haddon Expecting another Baby Girl from Dominique

When I found out Dominique was pregnant, it was a surprise and a blessing at the same time. Both my children were surprises to me, but they’re here, and I am grateful. I always wanted kids, and God saw me fit to bless me with a family — and he’s blessing me fast! Dominique can certainly have babies really strong. Plus, Dominique and I are really attracted to each other, physically, spiritually and emotionally, so I have to be careful or I’ll suddenly have 12 children with her!
We’re having another baby girl! Destin really needs a baby sister, because she needs to stop bossing me around. We’re naming her Denver Monroe Haddon, unless I get an epiphany and decide to change it. But we’re definitely sticking with the D names: Deitrick, Dominique, Destin, Denver.
The wedding was perfect. When I saw Destin walk down the aisle, she let me know that the test, the trial, the persecution was all worth it. It was God telling me: “Deitrick through it all, I’m still rewarding you, even through your failures, I’m still blessing you.” Yet, according to people, I was wrong. I’m not a man of God…Because of my daughter? At the end of the day, a child is a blessing of the Lord. Seeing that really lifted a load off my shoulders, and at the end of the day, I’m winning.
Then, when I saw Dominique come after her, it was   overwhelming for me. I’m a man’s man. I don’t believe in crying, but I couldn’t contain myself. I was thinking about all that Dominique had gone through. She didn’t ask for this world. She’s beautiful, educated, she has degrees, she’s not trying to be a pastor’s wife and all that. I realize that I came with baggage. But at that moment, it was about us. Nothing else mattered, and I realized it was worth the fight.
I’ve come a very long way since Dominique and I first met. I come from a world where image is everything, but you can’t lose who you really are in all that. When my public image was smeared because of my actions, it left me in a place where I had nowhere else to go but to God, and to look to who I really was. I’ve learned more about me, Deitrick, not the public figure. Not the guy who gets up and preaches or the singer who does music videos, but about Deitrick, Dee Dee (my nickname back home).
One thing I’ve also learned is that, as a leader, we’re responsible to lead by example in our highs and in our lows. A pastor should be an example of what a man is supposed to be when he makes a mistake, or hits bottom. You can learn even more from your failures than you can from your victories.
This show gave me the opportunity to demonstrate how you walk through a situation like that, and come out okay. I now get messages from people saying they saw the show, and it made them want to go to church and reconnect with their spirituality again, or they proposed to their girlfriends because of seeing me marry Dominque. That’s huge! The thing to take away is: you WILL make mistakes. To expect to live 80 years and not fail somewhere – it’s impossible.



source:vine

Why did Pope Benedict XVI resign?

Benedict XVI shocked the world in February when he became the first pope to resign in almost 600 years. But attention shifted quickly to the succession, and the election of the new Pope, Francis. Amid the drama, one question was never fully answered - why did Benedict quit?

Pope Benedict's official resignation statement offered his waning physical and mental powers as the explanation, but it's long been suspected there was more to it. And my inquiries have confirmed that.
I went to visit the Nigerian Cardinal, Francis Arinze at his apartment overlooking St Peter's. He's one of the most senior figures in the church and knows the Vatican like the back of his hand. He was even, for a short time in March of this year, mooted as a possible successor to Pope Benedict. And he was one of the select handful of senior church officials who were in the Pope's Apostolic Palace when he broke the news to them personally.
I raised the subject of the scandals that had preceded the Pope's bombshell decision and, in particular the Vatileaks affair in which the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele, had leaked confidential documents exposing Vatican power struggles. Could that have been a factor in his resignation? His answer was unexpected.

'I have had to recognise my incapacity'

After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry... In today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the barque of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognise my incapacity to adequately fulfil the ministry entrusted to me.

"It is legitimate for a person to speculate and say 'Maybe,' because some of his documents were taken secretly. It could be one of the reasons," he told me.

"Maybe he was so pained that his own butler leaked out so many letters that a journalist was able to write a book. It can be one of the reasons. I don't expect him to be enjoying that event."
In the Vatican, young ambitious members of the church are advised to "hear a lot, see everything and say nothing". That such a senior figure should essentially countenance a departure from the official line is significant.
Essentially, Pope Benedict was a teaching Pope, a theologian and intellectual. "His idea of hell would be to be sent on a one-week management training seminar," one insider told me. His misfortune was to accede to the papacy at a time that there was a power vacuum, in which a number of middle-ranking members of the

Don't take my word for it, this assessment comes from the highest source - the current leader of the Church. And Pope Francis does not mince his words. "The court is the leprosy of the papacy," he has said. He has described the curia as "narcissistic" and "self-referential". This is what Joseph Ratzinger had to deal with.

Over a period of time dating back to final years of Pope John Paul II, the heart of the HQ of the Roman Church had become dominated by infighting cliques. This was what the Pope's butler, Paolo Gabriele said he wanted to expose by photocopying and leaking all those documents.

Benedict XVI pardoned his former butler Paolo Gabriele (centre)

But Gabriele said his relationship with Pope Benedict was like "father and son". So why did he act in a way that was sure to embarrass a man he was clearly close to?

"He said he had seen many ugly things inside the Vatican. At a certain point he couldn't take it any more," says his lawyer Cristiana Arru, clutching her rosary beads, in only her second ever public interview. "And so he looked for a way out. He says he saw lies being told. He thought that the Pope was being kept in the dark regarding key events."

Gabriele was found guilty of "aggravated theft" and spent three months in custody before being pardoned by the Pope. But that was not the end of it. The Church's leader set up an inquiry into the whole affair.
Three Cardinals produced a 300-page report. It was meant to be kept under lock and key, but a leading Italian daily claimed it had been briefed on its contents. The result? More embarrassing leaks, this time with claims of a network of gay priests exerting "inappropriate influence" inside the Vatican.
The headaches continued to mount for the German Pope. In many journalistic endeavours, "follow the money" is good advice for getting to grips with what is really going on, and it applies to the Vatican too. One of the most eyebrow-raising stories we encountered involved an annual Nativity scene in St Peter's Square.

Benedict XVI in front of the nativity scene in St Peter's Square in 2009

For years, deals were struck in which the Vatican paid several times the market rate. When a whistleblower tried to reform the system, officials in the papal court persuaded a hapless Pope Benedict to promote him to a role 4,000 miles from Rome.

Similar antics occurred at the Vatican Bank, for years a source of unwelcome headlines for the Catholic Church. It was set up to help religious orders and foundations transfer much-needed money to far-flung parts of the world. But when a sizeable proportion of the transactions are in cash and are being sent to politically unstable parts of the planet, it does not take a genius to see what might go wrong.

It appears that bank officials took key decisions without always informing the Pope. When the board ousted its reforming president, Ettore Gotti Tedeschi (conveniently, on the day that the news of the Gabriele's arrest was getting saturation news coverage), the Pope did not find out until it was too late. He was "very surprised" in the later words of his private secretary. Gotti Tedeschi was an Opus Dei member and thought to be close to the Pope, but in the end this did not protect him.
Did all this prove too much for the ageing Pope Benedict?

Examine the precise words of the papal press spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi: "The Church needed someone with more physical and spiritual energy who would be able to overcome the problems and challenges of governing the church in this ever-changing modern world." Maybe that is as near as you are ever going to get from a senior official that the church had become ungovernable and needed someone else at the helm to stop the rot.

This is a church that now has a huge opportunity to move on and face up to the challenges of the 21st Century. Often seen as remote, its leadership is now canvassing the views of ordinary Catholics on hot-button issues such as contraception and gay marriage. Reform has come on the back of scandal. This is a development that has not gone unnoticed by Cardinal Arinze.
"What you have to remember," he says, "is that God often writes straight on crooked lines."




source:bbcnews

Anambra Supplementary election: INEC commences distribution of materials

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the distribution of materials for the supplementary governorship election in Anambra scheduled for Nov. 30.
A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who visited INEC headquarters in Awka on Thursday, reports that many officials of the commission were seen collecting the materials.
The materials collected include inks and ballot papers, while the result sheets were still being waited for.
An official who spoke to NAN under the condition of anonymity said she was at the headquarters to collect the materials as was directed.
She confirmed that she had collected ink and ballot papers, but that she was yet to collect the result sheets for the exercise.

Mr Frank Egbo, INEC’s Public Relations Officer in the state, confirmed the distribution of materials in an interview with NAN.
He added that the commission had been having several meetings to ensure that the exercise was hitch-free.
NAN recalls that INEC’s Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had announced Nov. 30 as date for the Anambra supplementary election after the commission’s meeting on Nov. 22 in Abuja.
He said the supplementary election would hold in 210 polling units across six local government areas (LGAs) of the state, where elections were cancelled.
Jega had said there were no sufficient grounds or pieces of evidence to warrant a total cancellation of results of the Nov. 16 election which were already announced.(NAN)

Dailypost

World Cup seeding: How to play the game

The Swiss on top of England - again

Many football fans will be scratching their heads to see Switzerland among the top seeds at next year's World Cup finals, while thoroughbreds like the Netherlands and Italy are not. The truth is that it could be down to the choices made by football administrators, not players.

The eyes of millions of football fans will be focused on Costa do Sauipe in the Brazilian state of Bahia next week, for the 2014 World Cup draw.
A path to glory for the 32 teams that have qualified will be determined when eight pools are created - each containing four teams that will play each other in the group stages.
Eight of the teams are seeds. They are the seven highest-ranked teams in Fifa's world rankings plus the host nation, which is Brazil. Being a seeded team has one big advantage - it means you don't have to play one of the other seeds in the group stages.
The top seven rankings when the seedings were determined in October were Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Uruguay and Switzerland. Brazil, ranked 11th at the time, joined them.

Fifa rankings (Oct 2013)
Ranking	Country	Ranking points
1	Spain	1513
2	Germany	1311
3	Argentina	1266
4	Colombia	1178
5	Belgium	1175
6	Uruguay	1164
7	Switzerland	1138
8	Netherlands	1136
9	Italy	1136
10	England	1080

Seeing Spain, Germany, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay among the seeds shouldn't come as a surprise given their form or footballing history - between them they've won 13 of the 19 World Cups.
How did the Swiss get seeded while the likes of the Netherlands, Italy and England missed out?
Switzerland have had a very good run of results, dominating a weak qualifying group and beating Brazil. But to understand why the Netherlands and the Italians finished just below the Swiss, you need to understand the mysteries of Fifa's ranking system.

It's based on how a team has performed in the last four years, with most of the emphasis on the most recent year. If a country wins or draws a game, it earns points but if a team loses a game, it gets nothing.
Fifa is trying to compare all the national teams and some play many more games than others so to make it fair, the rankings are based on the average number of points earned in each game.

More or Less: Behind the stats

These points are based on who the game is against, whether it is a friendly or a qualifying game and which continent the opposing teams come from, because Fifa gives more points to matches against European and South American teams.

The number of points that can be earned for winning a match can vary hugely.
For example, the Dutch victory over Brazil in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup earned the maximum number of points possible from one match. That is because the Netherlands beat the number one team in the world at the finals of the World Cup.
In Fifa ranking points that's three points for a win multiplied by 200 points for beating the world's best team multiplied by four because it was at the finals, giving a total of 2,400 points.

Ranking points earned = M x I x T x C

• M: Result of the match - win (3), draw (1) defeat (0)
• I: Importance of the match - friendly (1), World Cup qualifier or confederation-level qualifier (2.5), Confederation level or Confederations Cup match (3) and FIFA World Cup match (4)
• T: Strength of opposition - No 1 ranked team (200) down on sliding scale to 150th ranked team (50) and all teams below also 50
• C: Strength of confederation of opposition - Europe/South America (1), North and Central America, Caribbean (0.88), Asia/Africa (0.86) and Oceania (0.85)

A more typical example would be a game against an average European team like Finland or the Republic of Ireland. If the Netherlands beat such a team in a World Cup qualifier they get around 1,000 points. If they do it in a friendly, they get 400 points.

But it is possible to get a much smaller number of points for a win. If the Netherlands were to play one of the teams outside the Fifa top 150 in a friendly match, like Indonesia, they would get only a tiny amount of points - just 139.5 for a win.
Of course it makes no sense for the Netherlands to play a game against a team like Indonesia, as whatever happens it will bring down their average number of Fifa points per game. You would have to be completely mad to do something like that in World Cup year, when the points have the most value.
Unfortunately for the orange hordes of Dutch fans, that is exactly what their team did in June 2013. If they hadn't played that game they would be one of the top seeds, not Switzerland, who played fewer friendlies than most teams in the final 12 months that counted towards World Cup qualifying ranking points.

But the Netherlands are not the only team to make this mistake - on 31 May, Italy played a friendly against San Marino, a team that has only won one game in its history. It earned Italy a paltry 150 Fifa points and of course it brought down their average number of points per game, possibly costing them a top seeding.
If you reassess Fifa's October rankings without using the points gained from friendly matches, then Netherlands leap from eighth to fifth and Italy from ninth to seventh, while Switzerland would fall from seventh to ninth and Uruguay from sixth to 10th.

A world without friendly matches
	Oct 2013 rankings	Points	Without friendlies	Points	Change
1	Spain	1,513	Spain	2,127
2	Germany	1,311	Brazil	2,012
3	Argentina	1,266	Germany	1,902
4	Colombia	1,178	Argentina	1,727
5	Belgium	1,175	Netherlands	1,652
6	Uruguay	1,164	Italy	1,641
7	Switzerland	1,138	Belgium	1,590
8	Netherlands	1,136	Chile	1,577
9	Italy	1,136	Switzerland	1,471
10	England	1,080	Uruguay	1,433

The San Marino and Indonesia games illustrate the way Fifa rankings systems evaluate friendly matches. If you want to be one of the top seeds at the World Cup it is only worth playing teams in the top 20 - although these matches are harder to win.

If England had followed this rule, while others carried on playing friendlies that carried fewer ranking points, Roy Hodgson's team might now be among the top seeds.

Eduard Ranghiuc Football rankings expert

In the last 12 months, England have lost to Sweden (ranked 27th), drawn with the Republic of Ireland (67th) and beaten Scotland (33rd), but even the win against Scotland brought their average points total down.

Eduard Ranghiuc, who runs a football rankings website, has taken a keen interest in the subject. In April, the Romanian computer programmer wrote to the English FA and advised them to cancel their upcoming friendly games - or try to make these matches "unofficial" by making too many substitutes.
"It was on April 26th, I still have the email. I saw the fixtures they [the English FA] announced against Brazil and the Republic of Ireland and I realised that they were making a mistake with regards to the seeding for the World Cup. I wrote to the FA and I told them that they needed to do something about it. I said treat the friendlies very, very seriously or consider breaching one of the rules… basically making more than six substitutions."
Of course, friendly games can have an important function. They provide commercial benefits to football associations through ticket sales and TV revenue. They also provide a manager with an opportunity to experiment with fringe players and try different formations.

Italy, Netherland and England were seeded in the last World Cup

But football associations spend huge amounts of time and money to give their national teams the best chances of success - the top medical treatment, hotels to stay in, and the best nutrition while travelling in style.
Perhaps in future they will pay someone to crunch the numbers and consider whether the cons actually outweigh the benefits when it comes to playing friendly games.
How important is to be one of the top seeds? In recent years, there has only been one team that has managed to lift the trophy without being a top seed.
That team was Argentina in 1986 and they had Diego Maradona. So England, Italy and the Netherlands shouldn't give up - they just need the best player in the world and the hand of God.



source:bbcnews

Legislation to stop the practice of "Moroccan teen, forced to marry her rapist"- Justice Minister

Justice minister says legislation to stop the practice is still underway

Last year Amina Filali, 16, killed herself after being forced to marry the man who had raped her. Here her sister, Hamida, protests outside the local courthouse that approved the marriage deal.

Abdelhak Senna/AFP/Getty Images

A Moroccan teen committed suicide last month after her family forced her to marry her rapist, rights activists told Al Jazeera after reports of her death surfaced in the North African kingdom's media on Friday.
The suicide happened amid protracted efforts to repeal a law, Article 475 of the Moroccan Penal Code, exonerating rapists who marry their victims, after the high-profile suicide last year of another teen, Amina Filali.
In March 2012, 16-year-old Filali killed herself in the northern town of Larache by taking rat poison after she was forced to marry her rapist. Her death provoked several demonstrations and the Twitter hashtag #RIPAmina to demand the repeal of Article 475.
The 16-year-old girl who died last month was from the northern port city of Tetouan and was raped by another minor, according to Abdel Ali El-Allawi, director of the local chapter of the international NGO the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH).
The girl's family has refused to grant interviews to the press.
"He was put in prison," said Allawi. "The family of the rapist entered negotiations with the family of the victim. They proposed the two get married."
"These are things that are common here in Morocco. When a man rapes a woman or girl, the justice authorities say, you have a choice — you can marry the girl or go to prison."
According to Article 475, a rapist can avoid a prison sentence by marrying his victim. The law is based on a similar measure in France, repealed in 1994. Morocco was a protectorate of France until 1956.
In Moroccan society, a woman who loses her virginity — even by rape — is considered unmarriageable, explained AMDH president Khadija Riyadi.
"There's a mentality that says that a girl that's no longer a virgin is worthless," she said.
For families who cannot afford to financially support an unmarriageable daughter, arranging for her to marry her assailant may feel like the only solution, Riyadi added.
"The girl is a victim of tradition and society — but also the law," said Allawi.
Both Riyadi and Allawi thought Article 475 had already been modified to bar rapists from escaping prison terms, but Morocco's justice minister told Al Jazeera the legislation is still waiting to be passed by lawmakers.
"Until now, it's still just a law project that's being considered by parliament but hasn't been rectified. We have not yet formally edited the article," Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid told Al Jazeera on the phone from Rabat.
On Friday, Morocco's King Mohamed VI is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama in Washington to further relations between the two nations. Despite a number of concerns raised by international human rights advocates about Mohamed's kingdom, Morocco enjoys strong diplomatic ties with the United States, primarily based on its cooperation in efforts to combat North African armed groups.

Aljazeera

Today On Asuu: We cannot be intimidated, not in the Military Era – Union

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday said that it would not be intimidated by the Federal Government’s directive to resume work on or before Dec. 4 without resolving the industrial dispute.
Mr Clement Chup, the Chairman of ASUU, the University of Abuja chapter, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that there was nothing like re-opening the universities or calling off the strike.
The Federal Government had on Thursday directed all Vice-Chancellors of the federal universities that were on strike to immediately re-open the universities for academic and allied activities.
The Federal Government also directed the universities’ Pro-Chancellors and Vice-Chancellors to ensure that lecturers who resumed for work were provided with the enabling environment for academic and allied activities.
The government, however, warned that any lecturer who failed to resume on or before Dec. 4, automatically ceased to be a member of staff of the institution.
It also directed the Vice-Chancellors directed to advertise vacancies (internal and external) in their institutions.
Some parents and students, who spoke with the NAN in Abuja, expressed mixed feelings concerning the Federal Government’s directive.
Mr Ekpontas Uwanna, a parent, said that it was improper for the Federal Government to order ASUU to call off its strike in such an abrupt manner, without reaching an agreement with the union.
“This is a civilised country and I think people have been trying to sympathise with the government over ASUU strike.
“’But with such pronouncement, I do not think that it is the right way that the Federal Government should handle this matter,’’ he added.
Another parent, Mrs Joy Amadi, said that it was a shame that the state of affairs of the country’s tertiary education sector was being handled in such a manner.
“We are not in the military era; this is democracy and any agreement entered into by the Federal Government, be it with anybody or association, must be kept.
“Issuing threat is not the option but with mutual understanding of both parties and patience, there will be peace and harmony in the sector,’’ she said.
Mr Dele Oluwadayo, also a parent, said that the strike had dragged on for too long, adding that parents and students were fed up with the industrial action.
“I think that the Federal Government and the Pro-Chancellors are doing the right thing by calling for the re-opening of the universities.
“But I want to say that the Federal government should not be hard on the lecturers.
“I think ASUU is fighting for a good cause but they should also be considerate,’’ he said.
However, a student, Mohammed Aliyu, urged ASUU to abide by the Federal Government’s directive.
“It is better for ASUU to work with the Federal Government’s terms and reference; we are tired of the strike,’’ he said.
Another student, Priscilla Ekoma, said that the Federal Government’s directive was not in order.
“Although it is not that I am happy that we are on strike, but it is very, very wrong for the Federal Government to order ASUU to resume work just like that.
“ASUU is making a case for all the universities in the country and an agreement should be reached, the crisis cannot be resolved via intimidation or threat,’’ Ekoma said.
NAN reports that all efforts to get the reaction of the ASUU National President, Dr Nasir Fagge, as at the time of filing this report proved abortive, as he did not pick the reporter’s calls. (NAN)

Daily Post

10 Great Movies That Will Make You Cry, Dare To Be Immune?

"About Time" may have looked like a simple rom-com about time travel. It was not, however, and something we realized after weeping through the poetic beauty of the film's father-son love story. Richard Curtis' film got us thinking: What other movies have held the emotive power to make us not just tear up, but sob in uncontrolled heaves?

Here, we round up the most effective tear-inducing films ever, telling you, dear readers, why they made us cry all the tears. Read our editors' picks and tell us what movies left you sobbing in the comments below.
"Armageddon"
"Armageddon" has me in tears every single damn time. It's really not hard to understand. Spoiler alert: Harry (Bruce Willis) sacrifices himself to save mankind by detonating a bomb on the asteroid that is spiraling toward Earth. Mostly, though, he does it so his daughter, Grace (Liv Tyler), can have shot at a life with A.J. (Ben Affleck). I repeat, he sacrifices himself so his daughter can be with the man she loves. There's a whole backstory about how he initially disapproves of the relationship, which makes everything even more emotional. Just try not to cry during the goodbye scene, when Harry tells Grace he won't be coming home. HEARTBREAKING. (Also: Aerosmith.) -- Stephanie Marcus

"A Walk To Remember"
"A Walk To Remember" wrecked me, and not just because Mandy Moore looked like a pale, Puritan angel, as she slipped away in Landon's (Shane West) powerful arms. I was 11 years old at the time and I think my biggest problem was establishing the necessity of a midnight bed time. Maybe it was the realization that our existence is finite and love is transitory. Or maybe I was overwhelmed by my newly pubescent attraction to the god among men that Shane West was in 2002. Either way, I left that movie theater, clutching my Limited Too purse, determined to find a fellow fifth grader with whom I could forge a connection as real as the one Jamie and Landon shared. -- Lauren Duca

"Blue Valentine"
There's no shortage of busted relationships in movies, but none is as authentic or heartrending as the one seen in Derek Cianfrance's acclaimed indie "Blue Valentine." The story, which pairs an unhappy pre-med student named Cindy (Michelle Williams) and a high school dropout named Dean (Ryan Gosling), chronicles the marriage they launch into upon discovering Cindy is pregnant. The vulnerable couple tries their damnedest to make it work, clinging to the spark that first ignited their kindred souls. But their sparring personalities render the relationship impossible, and watching them suffer through the agony of that revelation is like watching a beautiful swan disintegrate back into an ugly duckling. The film's final moments cement it as one of the most honest and sob-inducing portraits of human interaction seen onscreen. -- Matthew Jacobs

"Rudy"
"Rudy's" effect on me is Pavlovian. (The score alone can bring forth the waterworks.) The ultimate underdog story of the last 25 years, "Rudy" stars Sean Astin ("Goonies" really do never say die) as Rudy, a diminutive good guy whose told by everyone, including his own family, to forget his lifelong dream: playing football for Notre Dame. (He's five-foot-nothing, a hundred-and-nothing, after all.) Long story short (pun), everyone is wrong, and thanks to a bunch of twists of fate, Rudy finally reaches his goal during the final game of his senior year. Just typing this is making me tear up. HIS DAD IS SO PROUD LOOK AT HIS BROTHER "WHO'S THE WILD MAN NOW?" Ugh. -- Christopher Rosen

"Stepmom"
To be honest, I haven't watched the movie in years because I'm afraid of the waterworks that will flow when Jena Malone rejects cool-photographer-stepmom (Julia Roberts) in favor of dying-of-cancer-real-mom (Susan Sarandon). Released in 1998, this movie was prime Julia and Susan years, when sentimentality ruled and Ed Harris was hunky. But when the kids have to say goodbye to Susan's character, and when she finally accepts/ forgives Julia's character? I just can't. -- Jessica Goodman

"Up"
You sit down to watch an uplifting animated little Pixar gem, and no later than the opening credits you're bawling. The introductory montage of bright-eyed Carl and his adventurous wife, Ellie, as they go from painting their first mailbox to wrinkled, grey and saying goodbye to each other in a hospital room -- with their dreams of adventure never being realized -- is simply devastating. If you don't shed a tear for the pair who never got to put their penny jar to good use with a visit to Paradise Falls, you're not human. -- Kiki Von Glinow

"The Land Before Time"
As a child, my cinematic intake revolved almost entirely around "The Land Before Time" series. While all 12 sequels are beautiful and necessary chapters of the history of dinosaurs, nothing strums my heartstrings quite like the original. The movie tees you up with the birth of Littlefoot -- the sole offspring of a diminishing herd of "Longnecks" -- a scene that will have you squirming with all the cute feelings. Then the "Sharptooth" comes in and ruins everything. As Littlefoot's mom lies on the ground in the pouring rain, and tells her son with her dying breath, "I'll be with you, even if you can't see me," all happiness in life ceases to exist. Between the five young protagonists' ability to bridge the castes of their ancestors, Diana Ross' "If We Hold on Together" and the magical BFF hilltop embrace at the end, this movie will always be my man-crying marathon. -- Ryan Kristobak

"I Am Love"
Luca Guadagnino's 2009 film about an aristocratic Italian family could have been yet another study about a snooty set of society with too much money. Instead, told through the eyes of Tilda Swinton (outstanding as family matriarch Emma Recchi), the film swiftly and sometimes violently unravels in the name of love and sexual passion. The last 20 minutes are devastating. -- Youyoung Lee

"The Green Mile"
I first saw this movie when I was 17, and I completely fell in love with it. In addition to its valuable message about the death penalty, it really got the emotions going. I cried when Del bonded with his mouse Mr. Jingles, I sobbed when I found out John Coffey was innocent and every electric chair scene slayed me. Unfortunately, I cried so much that I'll absolutely never see "The Green Mile" again. -- Leigh Weingus

"Bridges Of Madison County"
It was a hot summer’s day as I sat in the cold dark theatre at Lincoln Center watching a screening of “The Bridges of Madison County” as part of a Clint Eastwood retrospective. Though I was (as every human is) a huge Meryl Streep fan, this 1995 film (directed by Eastwood) had been off my radar until my friend Maggie came out of her room one day a year earlier, eyes swollen from crying and shoved the DVD in my hand.

Now here Maggie and I sat watching one of our now-favorite films on the big screen, and I knew the waterworks were coming. Was it my recent bad breakup? The heartwrenching score by Lennie Niehaus? The age-old theme of lost love? Probably all of the above. It doesn’t matter what set it off because there I was, sobbing into my arm through the final half hour of the film. From the moment when Francesca (Streep) takes a bath preparing for her romantic dinner with Robert (Clint Eastwood) to the famous scene when she almost leaves to be with him, to her children finding their mother’s mementos from that romantic weekend. It’s. All. Too. Much. If you ever need a good cry sob, watch this movie. It’ll get the job done. -- Christopher Rudolph.

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