₦airaland Forum

I think GEJ thinks Nigerians can be fooled twice! He should ask His acclaimed godfather-IBB. Instead of the President to engage Nigerians with weekly discussions/broadcast on this very important, vital and sensitive issue, He wants to see if Nigerians "get liver" so to say. Subsidy must go but not in this climate!

GEJ is failing to learn from history, He should go ask shagari and Gowon! Let me remind GEJ that not much has changed in Nigeria since those era and His  government may just not live upto 2015.

Maintenance fee aint a bad thing if they actually carry out the maintenance and make the fee payable once in say every 2 years! But they abused it in that every time Nigerians go to pay their bills, they keep collecting this fee without any corresponding services being rendered!

What is even shocking is a recent development that the staff of the proscribed PHCN are delibrately refusing to distribute pre-paid meters even after customers have made full payment for them! A staff was interviewer in one of the regional office and He claimed that by the time they give every body the pre-paid, how will they eat every day , I could not believe when I heard that with my ears,

4teelaw:
thanks for your response.

That was the whole idea in the first place but a lady i met advised that i get my visa renewed 1st, and then use my visa and supporting documents in his application, since he is self employed and doesnt have employment records. She also said I should include our wedding invitation card, and luckily i have included all his details in my application for renewal.
Do you think he stands a chance using this method?

No, it does not affect His chances if you package His application with the appropraite documents, He will likely get His visas. I think what will make or marr it for him will be His business documents and financial statements. Also, visas usually are assessed on individual merit, hence His chances is not total decimated by not applying as a couple, just that doing so would have facilitated things.

If your renewal has been approved, then go ahead and submit His using your renewal as a back up. Include a letter to the ECO explaining that you have already being issued your visas for the purpose of the honeymoon trip and for the avoidance of doubt same documents were used by you to obtain your renewals.

Make sure His financial statements are in order 'cos being honeymoon trip, the ECO will expect to see financial statement(s) which will demonstrate that you and your would be husband can afford honeymoon trip to the UK and return back to Nigeria.

I can emphasize this enough! MAKE SURE ALL DOCUMENTS ARE ORIGINAL, OFFICIALS AND WITH CONTACT DETAILS FOR THE RESPECTIVE AUTHORITIES.

When I do assist in packaging visas, in my concluding end of the introductory letter I include with the applications, I always indicate that I am aware of the legitimate expectation of UKBA as per using fake documents, and I formal attest that all my documents are genuine, original and all include contact details of the issuing authority for verification. Make sure you index all the documents you are submitting in support of His application in the letter of introduction and STATE WHAT EACH DOCUMENT IS MENT FOR!

You mentioned He is self-employed, Hence no employment record. State this in the introductory letter, and let the ECO know that His TAX CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE for his business is attached to demonstrate the genuiness of His business here in Nigeria.

**if you need assistance with sorting out the introduction letter, then do let me know. ***

PHCN Pre-paid Maintenance Fees Are Illegal: NERC- PHCN Does Not Exist In Law!


The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has said it will sanction the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) if it is continues to it collect charges  for meter maintenance.

The Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, said the collection would be a violation of an earlier agreement it reached with PHCN, which was served and also advertised in the newspapers, that there would be no more meter maintenance charges   from November, this year.   

He noted that since then, none of the chief executive officers has  complained about his inability to comply with the resolution. He said the commission will “invoke our power, in that case deny them, or fine them financially, proportionally to their offences”as it is practiced globally. Amadi also insisted that the PHCN is no longer known to law.

The Federal Government, it was also gathered, has already issued circulars on the winding up, except that the some of the entities still bear the PHCN logo for no logical reason, adding that the distribution companies are already writing official letters in their letter heads.

He noted that the Federal Government has already issued  documents on PHCN winding, saying the issue is when they will be removed physically.

His words: “The government has issued a document on PHCN winding up, but when they will be removed physically is another problem. Salaries are being paid, but I don’t know if it is paid from market money or maybe budget, because the budget for the ministry would include that of TCN and for maintaining the headquarter’s office. I am not very clear where the money comes from. But definitely, that certainty about their final date of exit would affect confidence in the industry.”

He said with the Act, unbundling PHCN should have been over. But in their letter head, when they write you, they write you in their name, Abuja Distribution Company, Eko Distribution Company, Enugu Distribution Company. So, that shows you the incomplete struggle over PHCN privatisation. There is still some degree of push back. But as a matter of policy, PHCN should be over.

“ As a matter of law, the Act does not recognise PHCN Headquarters or PHCN anymore. But in reality, there is a place called PHCN, managing the building and the workers there,” he explained.

Source: http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/business/28637-nerc-to-sanction-phcn-for-meter-maintenance-charges.html

I think NIPOST has improved slightly with my most recent experience. A very sensitive company document mistakenly got sent from the UK through NIPOST (instead of DHL) to my house address in Nigeria, and surprisingly, when it arrived, NIPOST figured out that it was classified sensitive and they kept it in a special safe in house.

When I went to complain to them that a document of a sensitive nature was forwarded to me through NIPOST, they asked me to give them my details and that once the document clearance/verification is signed off, they would ring me up for collection. I had my doubts but then I had little option anyway.lo and behold, a week later, they phoned me up, asking me to come down for collection! I was really amazed.

What I must say is that the Federal Government must wake up to her responsibility and full upgrade NIPOST facilities nationwide! When I entered their sorting room, offices, and store room, I felt so sorry for the workers in there! Shocking is the word!

nwabobo:
Experts in the house,

I need some advice on how to go about this one; I want to invite my girlfriend to the UK. She is currently a student in one of the Nigerian universities whil I'm resident in the Uk on a Tier 1 (general) HSMP visa. How do I go about it and what documents do I/we need to present to make the application water tight.

Many Thanks

Kindly search this thread, we have very recently addressed your question in other posts.
Thanks.

To ensure fairness, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority ( NCAA) has  constituted an administrative appeal panel  to look into its finding and report on the discriminatory air fare price fixing by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The panel, chaired by retired Supreme Court Judge, Justice George Adesola Oguntade, is to address the airlines’challenge of  NCAA’s finding and subsequent imposition of penalties and a fine of $235 million on them.

The panel, the Director-General of NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren, explained, will  consider the legality and fairness of NCAA’s investigation, report and findings into British Airways  and Virgin Atlantic Airways’collusion, unfair and anti-competitive practices on the passenger fuel surcharge.

He said NCAA is determined to defend the rights of Nigerian consumers and ensure acceptable business practices and ethics, adding that NCAA will continue to  discourage  and penalise any conduct by any airline  that violates the law and disregards Nigerians, discriminates and exploits or takes undue advantage of them.

Demuren listed other  members  of the team to include Dr. Folarin Gbadebo-Smith,Alhaji Bala Ibn Na’Allah, a former  member of the House of Representatives, who had served on the Aviation Committee,  Kanayo  Oguakwa and Callistus E. Uwakwe, who will serve as Secretary.

Demuren said  of the panel: “ This underscores the fairness of the NCAA process and our desire that the best possible and most impartial evaluation of this extremely important issue occurs and to deepen and sustain the confidence the entire world has reposed in the aviation sector over the past years as we have developed a world class industry.  “ It is also a re-assurance to Nigerians that the NCAA, Federal Ministry of Aviation and the Federal Government  remain focused on protecting their rights, advancing their causes and ensuring that they are not subjected to unscrupulous practices that provide benefit only to specific interests, leaving both the consumers and the industry at large violated,” adding that NCAA welcomes people and entities who have genuine interests in exploring Nigeria’s market and taking advantage of our hospitality and opportunities.”

In a statement, the NCAA helmsman, explained that it  is conscious of its regulatory role in the industry, and took a balanced and objective posture to ensure that the rights of the investigated airlines were respected as well as the interest of Nigerian passengers. 

His  statement is coming as the  British Airways is challenging the regulatory authority’s legal rights to investigate something that happened before its creation, stressing that the British carrier has been confrontational in a letter it wrote challenging its action over the issue.

Demuren said: ” The only possible objective of such a confrontational approach is to condescend to and undermine the regulator.  It, again, demonstrates the repeated and continuing disregard BA has for Nigerian constituted authority and its exclusive desire to ensure that absolutely nothing interferes with its ability to continue to take advantage of our business without the reciprocal regard and deference required. 

Source: http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/business/28640-ncaa-constitutes%C2%A0panel-on-british%2C-virgin-atlantic-airways-%C2%A0%24235m-fine.html

you can while coming in but you may have to get the new e-passport during your stay in Nigeria. If you are by any where close to these Nigeria Immigration Service post (Benin or Akwa) you can get yuour passport issued same day.

Backward state! All they know is how to bury their loved ones alone roadside  , as for the election, Wada a certified madman is declared winner  , Audu is certified theif is crying wolf  

What about the useless NFF   Is't it time for them to quit? And Jonathan does He not understand that sports is part of the 'TRANSFORMATION'  of Nigeria? What has he done or is doing about the drastic decline in sports generally since He took over the helms of my beloved country?

As for Eguavoen, He did the right thing by stepping aside, I guess Obuh was right whe He called for the whole U20s' that played the last world cup to be kept together as a 'TEAM'. Those guys made me proud and gave me hope that Nigeria football wasn't dead afterall but this useless NFF having nothing to offer other than failures!

Only a lunatic will vote for GEJ! , I say God forbid me vote a perpetual liar and a slowpico

where's beaf to come defend his PDP crooks? , Elder in thief?

^ it just shows how mypopic you are when it comes to international security matters! I think it is better you settle in with your local "MEND" security know how and stay clear of the international security/intelligence issues.

FYI, the US raid in Pakistan was sanctioned by the highest level of Pakistani intelligence. If you were not told by your "heresay" Nigerian press, know it now that the Pakistani ISI agents along the Afghan boarder saw the two chonooks take-off from the US base in Afghanistan using thier night vision binocs! FYI, Pakistani have your so called MiGs as well! Not old Gen MiGs but the next variant to the recently developed MiGs.

You'r really a Fulani beaf! Showing US a RPA/drone! Haha if only you knew that drones are usless without foot soldiers aka 'first eye' which is what the Pakistani army has been doing for the US. Ask yourself, why is russian not investing in drones technology like the US? Instead they are busy working H/ICMVRs which is the future! Maybe you need to also refresh your memory that the base where the use lunch these drones from are operated jointly by both the US special forces and the Pakistani ISI.

Need I remind you that Pakistan posess missiles technology with capabilities to develope, test, deploy and lunch without any external assistance! Oh, remember them nukes?, they got 'em too!!

I think what is so important about budget is not so much about the final sums but rather how the government planned to generate the income to meet up with what is budgeted.

Looking at the budget itself, I think it reflects where Edo State is heading! The state needs massive infrastructral upgrading. Glad to see the flood issue being given a priority it truly deserves. This is how you know a government: Sees the looming troubles, stands firms, articulate and respond with vibrancy, profering solutions to the looming danger. However this is unlike what we know of the FG!

Kudos to Edo State government and the team working with Oshimohole. Thank God that state got rid of PDP for good! 2012 is ACN blues Edo will be singing!

I guess they want to be reduced to Amensty Haiti!

aurenflani:
@ beaf - beaf u are a real nama! what are u thinking? this is a paki general talking not a naija genera! pakistan will respond to nato attack and is not going to be a libyan case here. they are equiped with what nato is flaunting and threatening everyone with.

Leave that fulani cattle alone. He thinks modern warfare is about showing shinning planes in the sky! The US knows what the Pakistani can do and they obviously know how dangerous Pankistan is military wise.

Forget about the nonsense about $10bn yearly aid the US keep banging about. Pankistan is beginning to realize that the choose the wrong battle to fight in. Imagine if they had stayed out of the war on terror and concentrate more on advancing their technological prowess like India, maybe they would have today be named amongst the BRIC nations.

The next World war is ever so near that before!

4teelaw:
Hi, guys, Please Please reply to this my question.
I have just applied for a tourist visa to UK. I actually was there last year for a 2 weeks vacation, but this time i want to go on honeymoon, wedding is this weekend. I applied alone because mine is just a renewal.
Problem is applying for my husband. Personally, he doesnt want to go to UK for the honeymoon, I am just the one making it a big deal.
He is self employed, opened a biz last yr, we have a joint acct together with like 700k balance. I put the wedding IV in my application and made several references to him that we will go together.
How to I package it properly so that he doesnt get refused?

I think it would have made sense if the application was ssubmitted as a'couple' with a pre-arranged honeymoon package with a tour operator in the UK. Really, I do not see how your marriage would enhance your individual application under tourist visa application made on individual grounds. Each application would be asssessed as though each person is seeking to enter the UK on their own and not as a couple.Yes, with you having been issued UK tourist visas in the past, you still could have joined your would be husband with your application and apply as a couple.

As for the packaging of His application, do same like you did your first application, unles His has been granted visit/tourist UK Visass in recent past.

We know this is an attempt to sow a seed of disunity within the Oshiomhole's camp but it will fail!

Boyloaf:
Is anybody still wondering why
SW so desperately wants to hold
on tightly to one Nigeria, at the
expense of SS and some SE states.
Refusing to either go left or go
right. They just took a lopsided
stand at the middle. Jonathan is
not a fool. He know his people
has been rode like a donkey all
these years. The more reason he
wants to end it all, no wonder GEJ said nigeria will crash if subsidy stays! MEND/Boko HARAM here is a fresh list of new targets! So get to work boys, kill them all!

Misplaced comment! Ever wonder what your Orubebe did with over N1trillion budget for Niger Delta ministry? What about the massive waste/looting currently on going at NDDC? Maybe we SS needs to learn a lesson from how the north utilized PTF to their benefit.

SUBSIDY REMOVAL FOR NOW IS A MISPLACED POLICY - I SUPPORT THE 'OCCUPY NIGERIA' PROTEST!

GEJ should man up and explain to the nation why the mess in the oil sector still lingers on! As this subsidy debate lingers on, it is even moer obvious that the government have no idea of what it takes to get petroleum products imported and distributed to the pumps in this country! Even then, some may ask, what bussiness has the government with fuel importation when she can revamp existing refinaries, build new ones.

Get the present refinaries to work at 90% capacity and 99% utilization, build new ones before you can think of  subsidy removal! The money is there to build new refinaries, and within the first 3years of this government, if she is sersious at all, 4 refinaries can be built.

For NOW, I AM AGAINST REMOVAL OF FUEL SUBSIDY. When the government gets our refinaries working, build new ones and clean up the mess in the down stream sector of the petroleum sector, then subsidy can be removed.

Nigeria & West Africa’s largest commercial carrier, Arik Air, is set to recommence operations between Abuja and London, Heathrow on 12th December (2011).




Nigeria & West Africa’s largest commercial carrier, Arik Air, is set to recommence operations between Abuja and London, Heathrow on 12th December (2011).

The airline will operate a daily flight between the two capitals, complementing its daily Lagos – London, Heathrow service bringing Arik’s total frequency of flights between Nigeria and the UK to 14 per week. Arik will fly in to Terminal 4 operating a New Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a two class configuration with 16 Business Class cradle style seats with 8.6’’ TV monitors and 126 ergonomically designed Economy Class seats with a seat pitch of 34’’.

Business and Economy Class passengers alike will enjoy Arik’s signature colloquial Nigerian in-flight offering including foods such as hot-pepper soup and jollof rice as well as a selection of the very best of Nollywood movies.

It will depart Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 11:35am (local time) and arrive in London at 5:05pm (local time). The inbound flight will conveniently depart Heathrow at 9:45pm, arriving in to Abuja for 5:10am affording passengers time to connect on to any one of the 16 domestic destinations served by Arik from its secondary hub including Port Harcourt, Calabar and Kano.

Arik first started the Abuja – London route in November 2009 before discontinuing the service at the end of summer schedule due to a number of extraneous factors including operational considerations to support the regional programme ahead of the airline’s launch to new destinations in Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali on 6th December (2011).

The increased frequency on the route (up from five pre-winter schedule) gives Nigeria a total of 14 of its 21 agreed frequencies with both the UK and Nigeria governments having entered in to negotiations to find a solution to accommodate the requested increase.

Dr Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Group CEO/ President of Arik Air, commented on the re-launched service:



“We are delighted to offer an alternative service on the Abuja – London, Heathrow route again and I am sure many of our customers in the UK will be happy to hear that we now service London non-stop from Abuja and Lagos daily, offering them a greater amount of choice and convenience with the slightly revised schedule.

“We fully intended on flying the route again and we are glad that we have been able to fulfill this intention before the end of the year and we thank the respective governments for coming to agreeable terms which increases the capacity now and in to and out of Nigeria. The increased capacity on the route is desperately needed, especially for non-stop services, and we felt that recommencing ahead of the holiday rush would allow friends and families abroad a greater opportunity to travel home and spend Christmas with loved ones.”

Source - http://www.arikair.com/ng/MEDIA-CENTRE/Press-Releases/Arik-Air-recommences-Abuja-%E2%80%93-London,-Heathrow-serv.aspx

GEJ chop oyibo bread, He still look the way He look aka odechukwu, how Him go come look and reason after He don dey chop those bleeping naija cassava ridden bread?, , somebody shout ,,,mmehhh meeh, mehhh, goat!!

[quote author=aloy/emeka link=topic=815005.msg9669837#msg9669837 date=1322738796]It matters because investors will follow suit and stop coming to Nigeria and that's jobs down the drain. I called 1800[Lenovo] number the other day and someone picked up from Ghana and I started crying because another person told me that Ghana has gained over 20k American jobs in 2011 alone. American companies do not ship jobs to only China and India now. They've changed gear to Ghana and Kenya. When you have companies like Apple, Microsoft, HP, Dell, etc looking towards Ghana for their customer service instead of Nigeria, you may need to rethink your stance on Boko Haram.[/quote]Very stupid post indeed The job lagos has created b/w 2010 to 2011 is twice what Ghana would have created in the same period! Jobs are being created in Nigeria, and vast majority are in the private sector which is what Nigeria really needs. The problem we have is the pace at which jobs are being created is slow compared to the rate at which graduates/job hunters are coming through!

@topic! Whats the point of bringing in foreign entertainers when we have Nigeria stars that can rock the party? In fact recently, alot of the foreign entertainers they bring over end up complementing the works of our home grown when they go on stage to perform! Did you see the MTN project fame with Brenda/D' banj?

I said it before, beaf is a coward!

imperiouxx:
Hmmm! as a typical naija boy, I will prefer using some horse meats do some dry pomu and tinko which will last me very long.

, you need a double horse whip !!

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Can there be no trust between a kidnapper and his hostages?

A man who held a Kansas couple hostage in their home while fleeing from authorities is suing them, claiming they broke an oral contract made when he promised them money in exchange for hiding him from police. The couple has asked a judge to dismiss the suit.

Jesse Dimmick of suburban Denver is serving an 11-year sentence after bursting into Jared and Lindsay Rowley's Topeka-area home in September 2009. He was wanted for questioning in the beating death of a Colorado man and a chase had begun in in Geary County.

The Topeka Capital-Journal (http:///skb0Rl ) reported that Dimmick filed a breach of contract suit in Shawnee County District Court, in response to a suit the Rowleys filed in September seeking $75,000 from him for intruding in their home and causing emotional stress.

Dimmick contends he told the couple he was being chased by someone, most likely the police, who wanted to kill him.

"I, the defendant, asked the Rowleys to hide me because I feared for my life. I offered the Rowleys an unspecified amount of money which they agreed upon, therefore forging a legally binding oral contract," Dimmick said in his hand-written court documents. He wants $235,000, in part to pay for the hospital bills that resulted from him being shot by police when they arrested him.

Neighbors have said the couple fed Dimmick snacks and watched movies with him until he fell asleep and they were able to escape their home unharmed.

Dimmick was convicted in May 2010 of four felonies, including two counts of kidnapping. He was sentenced to 10 years and 11 months on those charges. He was later sent to a jail in Brighton, Colo., where he is being held on eight charges, including murder, in connection of with the killing of Michael Curtis in September 2009. A preliminary hearing originally scheduled for Dec. 6 has been rescheduled for April 12. No plea has been entered in the case.

Robert E. Keeshan, an attorney for the Rowleys, filed a motion denying there was a contract, but said if there was it would not have been binding anyway.

"In order for parties to form a binding contract, there must be a meeting of the minds on all essential terms, including and most specifically, an agreement on the price," he wrote.

Keeshan said the contract also would have been invalid because the couple agreed to let Dimmick in the home only because they knew he had a knife and suspected he might have a gun.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Horses could soon be butchered in the U.S. for human consumption after Congress quietly lifted a 5-year-old ban on funding horse meat inspections, and activists say slaughterhouses could be up and running in as little as a month.

Slaughter opponents pushed a measure cutting off funding for horse meat inspections through Congress in 2006 after other efforts to pass outright bans on horse slaughter failed in previous years. Congress lifted the ban in a spending bill President Obama signed into law Nov. 18 to keep the government afloat until mid-December.

It did not, however, allocate any new money to pay for horse meat inspections, which opponents claim could cost taxpayers $3 million to $5 million a year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture would have to find the money in its existing budget, which is expected to see more cuts this year as Congress and the White House aim to trim federal spending.

The USDA issued a statement Tuesday saying there are no slaughterhouses in the U.S. that butcher horses for human consumption now, but if one were to open, it would conduct inspections to make sure federal laws were being followed. USDA spokesman Neil Gaffney declined to answer questions beyond what was in the statement.

The last U.S. slaughterhouse that butchered horses closed in 2007 in Illinois, and animal welfare activists warned of massive public outcry in any town where a slaughterhouse may open.

"If plants open up in Oklahoma or Nebraska, you'll see controversy, litigation, legislative action and basically a very inhospitable environment to operate," predicted Wayne Pacelle, president and chief executive of The Humane Society of the United States. "Local opposition will emerge and you'll have tremendous controversy over slaughtering Trigger and Mr. Ed."

But pro-slaughter activists say the ban had unintended consequences, including an increase in neglect and the abandonment of horses, and they are scrambling to get a plant going — possibly in Wyoming, North Dakota, Nebraska or Missouri. They estimate a slaughterhouse could open in 30 to 90 days with state approval and eventually as many as 200,000 horses a year could be slaughtered for human consumption. Most of the meat would be shipped to Europe and Asia, where it's treated as a delicacy.

Dave Duquette, president of the nonprofit, pro-slaughter group United Horsemen, said no state or site has been picked yet but he's lined up plenty of investors who have expressed interest in financing a processing plant. While the last three slaughterhouses in the U.S. were owned by foreign companies, he said a new plant would be American-owned.

"I have personally probably five to 10 investors that I could call right now if I had a plant ready to go," said Duquette, who lives in Hermiston, Ore. He added, "If one plant came open in two weeks, I'd have enough money to fund it. I've got people who will put up $100,000."

Sue Wallis, a Wyoming state lawmaker who's the group's vice president, said ranchers used to be able to sell horses that were too old or unfit for work to slaughterhouses but now they have to ship them to butchers in Canada and Mexico, where they fetch less than half the price.

The federal ban devastated "an entire sector of animal agriculture for purely sentimental and romantic notions," she said.

Although there are reports of Americans dining on horse meat a recently as the 1940s, the practice is virtually non-existent in this country, where the animals are treated as beloved pets and iconic symbols of the West.

Lawmakers in California and Illinois have banned the slaughter of horses for human consumption, and more than a dozen states tightly regulate the sale of horse meat.

Federal lawmakers' lifting of the ban on funding for horse meat inspections came about in part because of the recession, which struck just as slaughtering stopped. A federal report issued in June found that local animal welfare organizations reported a spike in investigations for horse neglect and abandonment since 2007. In Colorado, for example, data showed that investigations for horse neglect and abuse increased more than 60 percent — from 975 in 2005 to almost 1,600 in 2009.

The report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office also determined that about 138,000 horses were transported to Canada and Mexico for slaughter in 2010, nearly the same number that were killed in the U.S. before the ban took effect in 2007. The U.S. has an estimated 9 million horses.

Cheri White Owl, founder of the nonprofit Horse Feathers Equine Rescue in Guthrie, Okla., said she's seen more horse neglect during the recession. Her group is caring for 33 horses now and can't accept more.

"A lot of the situation is due to the economy," she said, "People deciding to pay their mortgage or keep their horse."

But White Owl worries that if slaughterhouses open, owners will dump their unwanted animals there instead of looking for alternatives, such as animal sanctuaries.

Animal rights groups also argue that slaughtering is a messy, cruel process, and some say it would be kinder for owners to have their horses put to sleep by a veterinarian.

"Euthanasia has always been an option," Pacelle said. But "if you acquire a horse, you should be a responsible owner and provide lifetime care."

The fight over horse slaughtering has pitted lawmakers of the same party against each other.

Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said the poor economy has resulted in "sad cases" of horse abandonment and neglect and lifting the ban will give Americans a shot at regaining lost jobs and making sure sick horses aren't abandoned or mistreated.

But U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., is lobbying colleagues to permanently ban horse slaughter because he believes the process is inhumane.

"I am committed to doing everything in my power to prevent the resumption of horse slaughter and will force Congress to debate this important policy in an open, democratic manner at every opportunity," he said in a statement.

Though 365 days have gone by since you left us, in our hearts you remain! I know your soul have found peace, yes peace, oh true peace! Sincerely we miss you dearly and forever you remain in our hearts.

Continue to live in that Eternal Bliss you left us for, in our hearts you forever remain BAWOMOLO!

RIP dear Brother,    

@op, depends where you want to pitch your tent, and why you want to learn the programming language, whether as a hobbist or a Pro!

For a start, have a go at scripting languages like Python, then maybe you can decide where you want to pitch your tenth, web or desktop.

Python makes life so easy that you bother less of syntax and focus more on the solution. It is encompasses procedural and Object Orietend Porgramming (oop) concepts and you have an ever growing support and libraries for python. You can graduate from a novice to an intermediate in python within six months on self tutor!

South Korea's president has said he will wear thermal underwear during the winter, as part of the government's effort to avoid power shortages.

Lee Myung-bak, nicknamed "bulldozer" for his no-nonsense style, said the underwear was uncomfortable initially, but he gradually got used to it.

He said all citizens needed to co-operate to avoid power shortages.

A surge in demand in September caused a massive blackout for millions of South Koreans.

Officials say unusually warm weather led to increased demand.

The government issued instructions to businesses, civil servants and citizens earlier this month instructing them to save power because the country's reserves were likely to be low all winter.

Big companies have been told to cut power consumption by 10% compared with last year during peak days.

Mr Lee said the country faced an "uphill battle" to avoid blackouts.

"I, for one, have recently lowered the thermostat in the place I work. Naturally, I had to wear warmer underwear," he said in comments reported by Yonhap news agency.

"[It] was uncomfortable initially. But after a while, I got used to it, and now I am very warm and comfortable wearing it."


Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15914485

South Korea's president has said he will wear thermal underwear during the winter, as part of the government's effort to avoid power shortages.

Lee Myung-bak, nicknamed "bulldozer" for his no-nonsense style, said the underwear was uncomfortable initially, but he gradually got used to it.

He said all citizens needed to co-operate to avoid power shortages.

A surge in demand in September caused a massive blackout for millions of South Koreans.

Officials say unusually warm weather led to increased demand.

The government issued instructions to businesses, civil servants and citizens earlier this month instructing them to save power because the country's reserves were likely to be low all winter.

Big companies have been told to cut power consumption by 10% compared with last year during peak days.

Mr Lee said the country faced an "uphill battle" to avoid blackouts.

"I, for one, have recently lowered the thermostat in the place I work. Naturally, I had to wear warmer underwear," he said in comments reported by Yonhap news agency.

"[It] was uncomfortable initially. But after a while, I got used to it, and now I am very warm and comfortable wearing it."


Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15914485