The First Lady of the United States MIchelle Obama has released a weekly address to mark the mother's day period. In the video she mention the current crisis of the missing schoolgirls from Chibok, Nigeria and her hope of their safe return.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Camelle Daley has founded fashion label 'House of Ilona' with the aim of designing fashionable clergy wear. The Clergy Collection was born after one of her recently ordained friend was troubled at the thought of wearing an unflattering clergy shirt and asked the designer to make her a dress instead.
The dress has apparently been a huge hit so far amongst female minsters and Camelle. What's your take on it?
"I believe the kidnap of these girls will be the beginning of the end for terror in Nigeria," he said at the opening of the World Economic Forum meeting in Abuja.
The abductions and an attack this week that left more than 300 people dead have focused worldwide attention on Nigeria's fight with terrorists.
The world still doesn't know what happened to the 276 girls kidnapped almost a month ago, except that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau said he plans to sell them.
Now, the militants may be going after those trying to find the girls. On Thursday, Nigerian police said one officer was wounded in the neck during a gunfight with suspected Boko Haram militants on the road between Maiduguri and Chibok, where the schoolgirls were abducted April 14.
And on Monday, Boko Haram militants attacked Gamboru Ngala, a remote state capital near Nigeria's border with Cameroon that has been used as a staging ground for troops in the search for the girls. Some of the at least 310 victims were burned alive.
The assault fits a pattern of revenge-seeking by Boko Haram against those perceived to have provided aid to the Nigerian government.
"Every day when I wake up and I think about young girls in Nigeria or children caught up in the conflict in Syria, when there are times in which I want to reach out and save those kids. And having to think through what levers, what powers do we have at any given moment, I think drop by drop by drop that we can erode and wear down these forces that are so destructive," U.S. President Barack Obama said Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
Exactly how, he didn't say.
Witnesses described the Gamboru Ngala attack as a well-coordinated onslaught that began shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday at a busy outdoor market in the town.
Wearing military uniforms, the militants arrived with three armored personnel carriers, villagers said.
The attackers shouted "Allahu Akbar" -- "God is great" -- and opened up on the market, firing rocket-propelled grenades into the crowd and tossing improvised explosive devices, witnesses said.
Some marketgoers tried to take shelter in shops only to be burned alive when the gunmen set fire to a number of the businesses, the witnesses said.
A few Nigerian soldiers who had been left behind at the village could not hold off the assault and were forced to flee, they said. Many sought safe haven in nearby Cameroon.
The fighters also attacked the police station during the 12-hour assault, initially facing stiff resistance. They eventually used explosives to blow the roof off the building, witnesses said. They said 14 police officers were found dead inside.
Residents who returned to the village said they found 310 bodies.
The attack came about three weeks after militants snatched the 276 girls from their beds at the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok.
And Sunday night, villagers in Warabe said Boko Haram militants snatched at least eight girls between the ages of 12 and 15.
Amid the growing international outrage, world leaders lined up to provide assistance.
The United States is sending a team of law enforcement experts and military advisers. France said Thursday that it would send a "specialized team" to help. The British government is also sending a small team, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said. Neither country said exactly what expertise their teams would bring.
British satellites and advanced tracking capabilities also will be used, and China has promised to provide any intelligence gathered by its satellite network, the Nigerian government said.
It's unlikely U.S. combat troops would be involved in operations against Boko Haram, U.S. officials told CNN Wednesday.
Nigerian police also announced a reward of about $310,000 for information leading to the girls' rescue.
The increased global response came after a chilling video described what may happen to the girls.
A man claiming to be Boko Haram's leader, Abubakar Shekau, made the following claim:
"I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah," he said. "There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women."
Boko Haram translates to "Western education is sin" in the local Hausa language. The group has said it wants a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Africa's most populous nation, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south.
The militants have even been known to kill Muslim clerics who dare criticize them.
The United States has branded Boko Haram a terror organization and has put a $7 million bounty on Shekau. But his location is as uncertain as the whereabouts of the girls.
Source: CNN
For those recently diagnosed with diabetes and those who have been living with it for some time, diabetes can be managed by making dietary changes and maintaining an active lifestyle.
We know it’s one thing to talk about healthy living but it is an entirely different story trying to walk the walk so we have created a green, amber and red plan that we hope will be easy to follow and might make it easier for those struggling with making a lifestyle change.
Green
- Increase your intake of green vegetables, fish-especially those high in omega 3, egg whites, low fat yoghurt and pulses.
- Try to incorporate aerobic exercise and resistance training- start by taking walks and incorporate more fun exercises into your weekly plan as you go along
- Try a low glycemic Index (GI) diet or a Mediterranean diet to help improve your blood sugar control
Amber
Your intake of fatty food and simple carbohydrates should be limited and more complex carbohydrates should be introduced into your eating plan which will place you in the green (which is where you want to be).
Simple carbohydrates are sugars such as glucose and fructose. They are found in refined sugar and in fruits. Complex carbohydrates are starches found in beans, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains which include fibre.
Alcohol consumption should be limited to a glass or two during the week unless you are strong enough to abstain and drink infrequently.
Red
This is probably the hardest part of the change as the best things are usually the worst things to eat!
Avoid sugary food, fruit juices, refined starches (white rice, pasta and bread), most baked goods and full fat dairy as mentioned earlier.
This is easier said than done but your body will thank you for making the change and over time you will see a healthier happier you in the mirror.
For those who are living with type 2 diabetes, we would like to hear from you on how you have been dealing with this disease and any tips you can share promoting a healthier way of living.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Toke vlog's this week about the recent happenings in Nigeria. The abduction of the teenage girls from the Northern region.
Speaking about the situation, Toke say:
We are not there yet, there is so much to be done yet. Please lend your voice. Tweet, Facebook, Instagram as much as you can. It is not futile, you just never know how far we can take this.
My Thoughts and Prayers goes out to every family that has been torn apart by this madness, we remain hopeful and we unite as one.
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