Mandela's lying in state!

Thousands of people lined the streets on Wednesday as Nelson Mandela's funeral cortege proceeded through the streets of Pretoria from 1 Military Hospital to the Union Buildings, the seat of the South African government.

Mr Mandela's body will be moved back and forth from the hospital at 07:00 local time to the Union Buildings every day for the next three days, and the casket with Mandela's body will be on display for the public to pay its respects at stipulated times.

The Union Buildings are where Mandela was inaugurated as the country's first black president in 1994 after the end of South Africa's apartheid system, which segregated whites and blacks under white-minority rule.

On Friday evening, his body will be flown to Eastern Cape province for a traditional service on Saturday. On Sunday, there will be a state funeral and burial at Mandela's ancestral village of Qunu.

 Route to lying in state:

Mandela's death last Thursday at the age of 95 has sparked mourning and expressions of grief both in South Africa itself and in the international community, where he was widely seen as an icon of racial reconciliation and a moral authority.

Uruguay legalises production and sale of cannabis!

The world's most far-reaching cannabis law has been passed by the Uruguayan parliament, opening the way for the state to regulate the production, distribution, sale and consumption of the planet's favorite illegal drug.

The law, effective from next year, will: allow registered users to buy up to 40g of marijuana a month from a chemist's; registered growers to keep up to six plants; and cannabis clubs to have up to 45 members and cultivate as many as 99 plants.

A government-run cannabis institute will set the price – initially likely to be close to the current black market rate of $1 a gramme– and monitor the impact of the programme, which aims to bring the industry under state control and push illegal traffickers out of business.

Julio Bango, one of the politicians who helped draft the bill, said it would probably be four months until the first harvest of legal cannabis, by which time the government would have a licensing system in place. "We know this has generated an international debate and we hope it brings another element to discussions about a model [the war on drugs] that has totally failed and that has generated the opposite results from what it set out to achieve."

Before the passage of the bill, president José Mujica called on the international community to assist in what he admitted was an experiment aimed at finding an alternative to the deadly and unsuccessful war on drugs.

"We are asking the world to help us with this experience, which will allow the adoption of a social and political experiment to face a serious problem – drug trafficking," he said earlier this month. "The effects of drug trafficking are worse than those of the drugs themselves."

If the results of the law prove negative, Mujica has said it could be rescinded. The current illegal market in Uruguay is estimated to be worth $30m (£18m) a year, according to Martin Fernández, a lawyer working for the Association of Cannabis Studies, who says one in five Uruguayans have tried marijuana. The government estimates 115,000 people are regular users.

Consumption of marijuana has been permitted for many years in Uruguay – one of Latin America's most tolerant nations – but production and sales are prohibited and largely run by gangs who smuggle drugs in from Paraguay.

The government is taking a political risk by trying to regulate the business – a move not supported by most voters. Opposition politicians have demanded a referendum.

"Public perception, reflected in public opinion polls, is that this measure is the wrong way to address a serious problem," Gerardo Amarilla of the National party said.

Drug rehab workers have mixed views about the likely risks and benefits. Nancy Alonso, a psychologists who runs an addiction treatment centre, believes the law will create social and health problems.

"Marijuana is highly addictive. It's 15 times more carcinogenic than tobacco. It produces psychological disorders like depression, anxiety and – for big consumers – schizophrenia," she said. "As a healthcare agent, I think the social harm will be huge."

However, staff at the government-funded Ciudadela treatment centre are more upbeat. "I think the law is a positive step," said Pablo Anzalone, a programme co-ordinator. "State regulation will reduce problematic consumption. We also hope that it will generate more money for us and other treatment centres."

Growers were ecstatic that their pastime will no longer get them thrown in jail. To celebrate, several planned what they called "a final march with illegal cannabis" through the streets of Montevideo.

Marcelo Vazquez said he now had the opportunity to fulfil an ambition. "It's a utopia," he said. "I want to work, pay taxes and grow cannabis for clubs, for medicine, for whatever."

Juan Guano, who runs a small shop selling growbags, heat lamps and books on cannabis cultivation, said he expected his market to expand. More hopefully, he predicted the measure could help Uruguayan and world society.

"Uruguay doesn't need to prove anything to anyone, but obviously the outside world will be watching how this works. We are not regulating marijuana with the aim of encouraging others to follow our lead, we are doing it because this is what we need as a society. But one possible positive is that, if things go well, other countries in the region could take this as a model for marijuana regulation."

With Many Police On Strike, Looters Hit Argentina's Stores!

Chaos is visiting the Christmas season in Argentina, 

as police in many regions have refused to work until 

they get a pay raise.

The lack of law enforcement has spurred looting

 in which at least five people have died 

and hundreds more have been injured. Some shop owners 

have taken up arms to defend themselves.

In Chaco province, the casualties include police 

deputy superintendent Cristián Vera, who died after 

being shot by looters in a supermarket, Data Chaco 

reports. Photos of the looting depict stores with broken 

windows and metal security bars wrenched open. Some 

stores were forced to close ahead of the upcoming holiday.

"The violence has spread to 19 out of 23 provinces, and 

local news describes shocking scenes: A shop owner was 

killed when looters set his store on fire," NPR's Lourdes 

Garcia-Navarro reports. "Banks, supermarkets, retail 

businesses and public transportation have shut down 

in many cities."

Lourdes says other workers in the public sector are 

considering staging strikes of their own "in order to 

get a bigger paycheck that will give them what they 

say is a living wage."

Here's more background from journalist John Otis, 

who filed a report for NPR's Newscast unit:

"The looting first broke out in Cordoba province last

week, leaving two dead and more than 100 people

injured before the local police agreed to a deal that

doubled their monthly salaries to about $1,900.

"Police are demanding pay raises to keep up with

the country's 25 percent annual inflation. One

person died when he tried to defend his supermarket

that was set afire. Other victims were killed while

inside stores that were being looted. 

"President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has sent federal police and border patrol officers to hot spots where people have armed themselves in fear of mobs. The unrest takes place as Argentina prepares to celebrate the 30th anniversary

of the country's return to democracy."

In some provinces, officials have fired police officers in 

retaliation. Others are capitulating, guaranteeing police 

a minimum monthly salary of around $1,300. And in some 

cases, that's only the start of the problems.

"Río Negro Governor Alberto Weretilneck settled his 

province's 21-hour police strike by raising base salaries to 

8,500 pesos [around $1,360]," reports the Buenos Aires Herald, 

"only to see health and sanitation workers walk off the job 

yesterday,  demanding their own raises."

We'll remind you that it's summertime down in Argentina. 

The Herald reports that the summer heat, coupled with power 

outages, have also played a role in the unrest.

Nelson Mandela memorial service: In pictures!

Tens of thousands of people are joining world leaders at a memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg.

The service is being held at the FNB stadium, where Mr Mandela made his last public appearance. It is also being shown on big screens at three "overflow" stadiums.

KIM KARDASHIAN INVITES FAN TO WATCH KANYE WITH HER!

A Keeping Up With The Kardashians fan got a surprise when she tweeted about looking out for Kim Kardashian at a Kanye West show recently.

No sooner had Myleeza Kardas sent her message on the social networking site than she got a reply from the US reality TV queen herself - inviting her to join her in a VIP box.

Myleeza was attending Yeezy's show in New Orleans when she sent the tweet, and she swiftly got a reply from Kim which read: "I'm sending someone to go get you so you can come sit with me!!! Need your seat # and section. DM me ASAP!!!"

And as well as hanging with Kimmy for the show, Myleeza also got to go backstage and meet Kanye afterwards.

The fan tweeted later: "From the bottom of my heart, sis THANK YOU. You never cease to amaze me with your kindness and loyalty! I love you SO MUCH."

To which Kardashian responded: "I had the best time, so happy you did too! Xo."

Myleeza has been busy fielding questions from other Kim fans since her big day out.

CAR- French troops to begin disarming rebels!

It has been reported that French troops will begin to disarm militants in the Central African Republic come Monday December 9th, 2013, It was also reported that French presence in the capital of Bangui and nearby towns was creating tensions with former Seleko rebels on ground.

A French soldier in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital of Bangui.

French troops are set to start disarming militias in the Central African Republic (CAR) following a wave of sectarian violence in the capital of Bangui that has left around 400 people dead.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said French soldiers would begin disarming rebels on Monday morning. “The period of impunity is over,” he said on French RTL radio on Sunday evening.

Calm has been largely restored to Bangui since French troops began patrolling its streets and neighbouring towns in the wake of a new UN Security Council-backed mission that allows the use of force to protect the lives of civilians.
Many terrified residents of the capital still refused to leave their homes after rival militia groups attacked civilians with knives and machetes last week.
“People do feel safer. This doesn’t mean that there are no militias left in Bangui or the countryside,” said FRANCE 24’s Alexander Turnbull in Bangui.
“It’s true that tensions have eased a little but people still stay at home as much as they can. The real difficulty for them at the moment is trying to find food supplies," he said.

Tensions rising
French army spokesman Colonel Gilles Jaron said the French military mission had reached its full strength of 1,600 by Sunday.
Following the deadly violence, the African Union plans to boost the regional MISCA force on the ground to 6,000 troops from a planned 3,600.
Jaron also noted tension between the French soldiers and former Seleka rebels who have largely been in control of Bangui since a March coup.
“I think they have understood they will have to be re-grouped, disarmed, that the French force is imposing itself in the capital at their expense, which is creating tension," Jaron noted.
A French patrol came under fire near the airport on Sunday but a military source said no one was injured.
The Seleka rebels mostly come from CAR’s Muslim minority. While the transitional president, Michel Djotodia, officially disbanded the Seleka alliance, in reality, the former rebel leader lost control of rebel fighters.
Meanwhile, Christian vigilante groups known as the “anti-balaka” sprang up to defend their communities but some also have committed revenge attacks  on Muslim communities.


Source: FRANCE 24 and  AFP

Cyber Bullying: This Toke Makinwa and Linda Ikeji Issue!

Toke Makinwa and Linda Ikeji Pictured below:

Let me start by saying, we sometimes avoid those 
touchy subjects because we wish to avoid “drama” 
but Cyber Bullying is one concept it seems we are 
yet to get a full grasp on its consequences. Currently, 
in America there is a full campaign launched against 
bullying in general, where different celebs have been 
actively campaigning to stop bullying. We have seen 
cases of young ones committing  suicide because 

they couldn’t handle the bullying. I pray and hope 
things don’t get this far in my motherland, although 
I suspect it may have and we just don’t document it 
as much.


For the sake of time, I will try not to over talk but a 
lot has to be said to make my point very clear so kindly 
excuse the long read, (I tend to do that when i am 
passionate about something). I know a lot keep quiet 
to avoid backlash but hey, it is what it is.

There is this ”trend” of making vicious comments about 
others that has become popularized by certain blogs. 
Overtime, its now seeming like the norm, with more 
people appearing to see nothing wrong with it. 
We even have corporate brands willing to identify 
with such sites irrespective of the damage or harm 
they cause.

I have seen it happen to celebrities and non celebrities 
alike, some notable names being Tonto Dikeh, Dbanj, and most 
especially Karen Igho, just to name a few. Its like the general 
mentality has become, if you ever become the topic on certain 
blogs, get ready to either grow thick skin or have a mini heart 
attack. We are not all built the same so lets hope those 
who will still be victim, do the former.

This trend of Vicious, Nasty, Bitter comments can make your 
skin crawl. Yeah, nobody holy pass and I am certainly not an 
angel, we tease each other all the time, some of us even enjoy 
a bit of fashion police when we see things outright wrong but 
we should also know where to draw the line. I am sure we 
can all make our point without being outright wicked. I 
have seen some comments about an outfit I wore to a 
concert on Bella Naija that made me laugh, like, these 
people got jokes for days. They were not what I would 
have liked to hear but they were also not wicked or cruel. 
but I digress!

They say as a celeb you are meant to have thick skin, but in 
the same token, as a human being we must all set good examples 
for those who look up to us. Imagine having a generation of people 
who see nothing wrong with hurting each other all in the name of fun.

Anyways lets fast forward to why we are here. There is a blog 
very notable for nasty comments, in fact more people visit the 
blog because of its comments than its content. The blog is owned 
and run by a lady named Linda. Please keep in mind,  I have nothing 
against her, she is a hard working lady who has made a name for 
herself, but I also wont for the sake of status not call a spade 
a spade. I am not singling her out just for the sake of it, 
but she just happens to be the 2nd party involved in the 
issue I want to discuss.

I will make my case based on my observations about her blog 
or her (it gets confusing seeing as she approves the comments 
that make public view so if she wasn’t ok with it, we probably 
wouldn’t see it). You are probably asking yourself, as long as 
its not me being targeted, why should I be concerned? guess 
what, it is all of our business because God forbid what is being 
seen as “ok” now, may affect you someday.

Aside from being a simple to read source for news, overtime, 
the blog has grown into some sort of “haven” for anonymous 
commenters who wish to pour out the darkness inside them all 
in the name of commenting about others. They have even taken
it several notches up and attack each other. Today, I saw tweets 
to the effect that Toke Makinwa was being attacked on a certain 
blog. One of the retweets took me to the source and my heart 
was like, something has to be said. If it changes something, fine. 
If it doesn’t, that’s fine too.

What I noted was that the past few days has seen blogger Linda 
hammer on and on about Toke’s Relationship breaking up, or 
posting a reference to being engaged for too long, or posting 
pictures of the babe calling it ”stunning” in her usual sarcastic 
style, and allowing her readers do the rest. When I mean 
“the rest” I am talking about the outright nasty, vicious, 
malicious comments posted about this lady from people 
who do not even know her.  Lets not forget some past 
commenters who would even claim to know the subject 
personally and proceed to post “personal” information 
about the person.. if they are lies, we do not know, 
but we still get to watch the defamation go on and all these 
are approved by the blog owner.


Toke may not say anything because she wishes to appear strong
and non chalant, but damn, she isn’t made of steel and has blood 
in her veins and emotions  like we all do. Last time I checked, most 
people that have been a victim of cyber bullying such as this are 
human too. Also, there is no age restriction on these blogs so 
your kids are reading and learning. To those who make 
these comments its “fun”, but when does fun turn into torment 
and emotional abuse?

Toke and I are not close friends so I have nothing to gain from 
defending her except calling a spade a spade. Everything beyond 
and above this point is my opinion and analysis of the situation. 
If I am wrong, my apologies in advance but I seriously doubt ill
 be far from the truth.

In my opinion I feel she(Linda) put Toke under the “hate” radar 
simply because she(Toke) made a statement on her radio show 
that “Linda was not a role model”. Linda took it very personal 
because she took to her blog to post one long epistle about bla 
bla bla. After that, its been Toke this, Toke that, knowing full 
well the type of readers she has and the type of comments 
it will generate (its like the same ol thing, different person).. 
ahh ahhh. If Toke doesn’t see Linda as a role mode, She(Toke) 
is entitled to her opinion and as long as she was not abusive 
when she said it, I see no harm in that. So why take it 
so personal to the point of being vindictive?

You see, the irony in the comment Toke made is that, by constantly
 putting her under attack from her readers, she is indirectly proving 
Toke right. I sure as hell would not want my child seeing someone 
who promotes hate as a role model and I am sure neither would you. 
Like I said, this trend did not start today, its been ongoing and has 
easily become what her blog is known for. Lets not get into the 
“Failed Model” comment from Tonto Dike that got Tonto 1st place 
“lets verbally bash her” position. At least Tonto can rest small as 
it seems Toke is the hot new “lets verbally bash her” in town.

If someone is having personal issues, offer words of support and 
move on, if she likes going to parties, free her because she is using 
her legs and not yours. If she wants to vlog about her life, take 
what you can from it and keep it moving. Try and distinct 
constructive comments from vicious ones. Try to distinct funny 
from wicked.

From the little I know about her, Toke Makinwa is a sweet lady. 
She is friendly, funny and down to earth so it leaves me wondering, 
what all these people raining hurtful abuses about her stand to gain. 
Even if she is not all these things, if they don’t know her personally, 
what do they stand to gain? You want to know the answer? 
Absolutely NOTHING!. They comment, laugh, and move on. 
To them its entertainment but to the person who is being 
picked on, its not close to funny. When it becomes a family 
member, its not close to funny. If it is your child someday, 
it will not be close to funny.

With that said, I hope people search their conscience before 
they comment. If not, no problem. We can’t see you as anonymous 
but God knows how its going down. Please keep in mind, I know 
some will try to make a mountain out of a molehill about what 
I just wrote no be today una don dey do am, I will not engage 
you so don’t waste your time.  ps:Its easy to say American 
blogs do it to, but I ask, why must we copy the negative

Lastly if Linda decides to post another one of her “epistles” 
simply because I have said something a lot of people who 
smile in her face and a lot of celebrities, say behind her back. 
Its all good, free world. I write not to offend anyone. 
I understand that the truth can sometimes be a bitter pill to 
swallow. All the same, its all love.

I have had some deep discussions about this wieght a few 
big name celebrities and hopefully, as the years progress, 
something can be done to see a big reduction in cyber 
bullying. Lets aspire to love more and hate less.

Sorry for the long post, if there are any typos or grammatical 
errors, sorry for that too.  God Bless.

By Toni Payne