WHO certified Liberia Ebola free

The World Health Organization (WHO) has finally declared Liberia Ebola-free after no new cases were recorded in 42 days. In a statement on Saturday, may 9, WHO said “the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over." Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the BBC, "we will celebrate our communities which have taken responsibility and participated in fighting this unknown enemy and finally we've crossed the Rubicon. Liberia indeed is a happy nation." As the country celebrate the end of sorrowful episodes, WHO has warned against complacency, saying that there is a high risk that infected people cross into Liberia – given the region’s exceptionally porous borders. The last confirmed death from Ebola in Liberia was on March 27. - See more at: http://www.9janewsarena.com/2015/05/liberia-finally-certified-ebola-free.html#.dpuf

Dakore Akande lecture mothers on parenting (Must Read)

In her most recent blog post Nollywood actress Dakore Akande talks about the challenges of raising children in a world that has had more advancement in technology than the one she grew up in.

In the post titled ‘Digital Media, My Babies & I’ she talks about having to be extra vigilant with the things are daughters are exposed to. 

Read her post below:

On today’s post I want to share the challenge I face as a parent on a daily basis as it concerns digital media/new technology/television.

Growing up we didn’t all have access to it or only had ‘restricted’ access. In my case when school started we weren’t allowed to watch TV so we could concentrate. Yeah, my folks were hard-core like that. We didn’t have much choice in terms of what to watch, it was either “Voltron”, “Sesame Street” or “She-Ra” on television or music videos on Betamax or VHS cassette. Wow, my age don dey show o!

Nowadays my daughters are spoilt for choice as to what to watch on TV with so many different cartoon channels and YouTube on my phone or iPad. I have nothing against mankind’s advancement in technology considering it has made life a lot easier in many ways and saved lives especially in medicine, etc., but as a new parent it’s something we all need to be mindful of.

My 1st born is already a whiz on my phone and IPad and I usually let her watch her favourite shows like “Sofia the 1st”, “Frozen”, “Peppa-Pig”, etc and I did not worry about it too much because most times I have to help her type what she wants to watch so that way I can monitor what she’s doing. Right? Well, sort of. It turns out that there are so many suggestions that pop up based on previous history that can lure kids to get into some adult stuff with parodies of these shows such as “Barbie life in the Dream House”- let me just say it was borderline porn! I was shocked but of course I had to play it cool and just changed it to something more wholesome! Phew!

From then on I always ensure to extra double check what she’s up to. It is not as if she’s deliberately searching for naughty stuff because she’s only 3 years old, but if it’s dangled in front of her like a lollipop, then I can’t blame her for her curiosity but it will not be curiosity killing my little kitty if I can help it! That was my first shocker so I brought my husband’s attention together we became more vigilant.

Another issue is with music videos and shows. As we all know, we live in a highly sexualized world where sex sells just about everything and I find myself worrying about the impact that has on the children we are raising today. In my household we are huge lovers of music of all genres, be it our very own Naija pop, hip-hop, or R&B. And one of my favourite things to do is to dance with my daughters. In the past, I would leave the TV on and watch TraceTV or SoundCity and let it keep showing, now I have to be extra vigilant with all the nudity and shaking of bum-bums. This is coupled with the fact that I have two baby girls and I can’t particularly say I’m happy with the way certain women allow themselves to be portrayed. However that is an entirely different topic for another day.

But back to the matter at hand, I find I have to reduce watching those shows or leave it to when they’re asleep or play the audio version only, or just switch to another channel entirely. When the video that comes up is too risqué and that always causes troubles with my feisty 3 year old.

We really have to contend with a lot these days and I want to encourage us as Mums to be more vigilant with our kids so they don’t grow up too fast and start dealing with things they don’t understand.

Till next time.

Blessings,

Dakore.

Photos: Tunde & Wunmi Obe host Kate Henshaw, Ras Kimono, Femi Kuti, others at their mansion

Celebrity couple, Tunde and Wunmi Obe played host to superstars Femi Kuti, Kate Henshaw, Dare Art Alade and DJ Jimmy Jatt at an exclusive event for their entertainment industry colleagues at their home. The celebrities gathered to celebrate with the couple on the launch of their latest album, T.W.O PLUS. Other Guests Include Essence, Funke Kuti, Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi, Kenny Saint Brown, Ras Kimono,Yeni Kuti, Tony Okoroji, Tosyn Bucknor and Yinka Davies.

See Picture below:

8 years old boy found in suit case at Spanish border

An 8-year-old boy from Ivory Coast was found locked up in a suitcase in a failed smuggling attempt into Spain.
CNN reports that he was bundled up tightly in a fetal position, in a pink, medium-sized polyester suitcase, that also contained a few personal belongings. He was locked up in the suitcase for several hours.

The boy, who is now in custody of Spanish police, was discovered Thursday in El Tarajal, a terrestrial point of entry at Spain’s border with Morocco.

According to the report, here is how the boy was discovered:

On Thursday, police officers in El Tarajal became suspicious when a 21-year-old woman, a Moroccan National, showed signs of nervousness as she attempted to cross the border wheeling the suitcase down the street.

“Our officers asked her if she needed help as the wheels began to give in,” a police spokesman said.

Suspecting a drug smuggling case, police brought the suitcase in for an x-ray. That is when they found the boy.

He was immediately taken to a state child custodian and awaits judicial process, the official said.

A man who is apparently his father, identified as A.O., was arrested a few hours after the boy was found. The man, who has permanent residency in Spain, awaits formal charges.

Photo Credit: CNN.com

Toni Payne Set For Baby No.2

 Toni Payne, the controversial ex-wife of one Nigerian singers 9ice, hinted via her Instagram page, plans to add a little princess to her growing family.
 

The single mum-of-one who has a 6-year-old son called Zion for 9ice, shared the above quote on her page, making it clear that she’s ready to have a baby girl – whom she intends to spoil rotten like a princess.

Her friends and followers who commented on her post, were literally egging her on to make the move and get pregnant.

Since her very messy public split from ex 9ice, Toni hasn’t been linked with any man.

Hilarious: Woman discovered her twins were of different father

Jersey only discovered that her twins have different fathers after she had DNA testing done to establish paternity when the children were 20 months old. This is not a photo of the twins in question. 

One New Jersey woman got the surprise of a lifetime when she discovered that her 2-year-old twins have two different fathers. 

The mother (identified as “T.M.” in court documents) got the news this winter, when she received the results of a paternity test mandated by family court as part of her application for public assistance, The New Jersey Law Journal reported on Thursday. The Passaic County Board of Social Services had required the mother to establish paternity of the twins — in order to make the toddlers’ father pay child support — because she revealed that she’d been intimate with another man during the same week in which she believed her children were conceived with her former partner. DNA test results revealed in November that T.M.’s partner was the father of only one of her children. 

Karl-Hans Wurzinger, the laboratory director of the Identity Testing Division at Laboratory Corporation of America where the DNA was tested, reportedly testified at the subsequent child-support hearing that, “The twins born to T.M. were born from two eggs that were fertilized from different fathers during the same menstrual cycle.” 

According to Passaic County Superior Court judge Sohail Mohammed’s ruling, “An article Wurzinger published in 1997 said approximately one in every 13,000 reported paternity cases involved twins with separate fathers,” reports the New Jersey Law Journal. (Wurzinger declined Yahoo Parenting’s request to comment on the case). 
 The phenomenon, known as “heteropaternal superfecundation” is so rare, a rep for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologistsconfirms to Yahoo Parenting that they don’t even have statistics on it, though a couple of instances have been chronicled in years past on the talk show Maury, previously called the The Maury Povich Show.

“This is definitely one of those, ‘Wow,” stories,” Shari Brasner, an obstetrician at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, tells Yahoo Parenting. But it may occur more often than we realize, she adds, because “paternity isn’t always contested so there are probably scenarios in which this has happened but nobody knows. You don’t blink an eye at fraternal twins looking different after all.” 

How it happens isn’t all that complicated actually. “Twins in general, especially fraternal twins, result from two different eggs being fertilized by two different sperm,” says Brasner. “But ovulation doesn’t necessarily happen in the same moment.” Sperm is viable for up to five days, says Brasner, so if a woman has sex with a man, ovulates, then has sex with another man within that five-day window, it could result in twins from two different men. “It’s not the most common thing I see in my practice,” she adds. “But I could see scenarios where that happens. It’s definitely possible.” 

And with the use of reproductive technology on the rise, it may happen more often in years to come. “Fertility drugs are designed to stimulate ovaries to produce more than one egg in ovulation cycles,” says Brasner, noting that there are also instances in which another man’s sperm is deliberately added to the mix. “Combining donor and spouse sperm improves the chances of conceiving in general,” she says, “and that creates yet another scenario that could result in twins from two different men.” 

I party with fans and friends after my election loss says Funke Adesiyan

Popular Yoruba actress, Funke Adesiyan, didn’t go home to sulk after losing in the last election. The reverse is just the case for her.

Funke, who fought for a legislative seat in Oyo State under the Peoples Democratic Party, said she is not feeling bad at all.

“I threw a party immediately after the election. Didn’t you hear about it? Ah! I don’t feel bad at all. I threw a big bash where I invited my fans and friends to come and celebrate with me. There was no need for me to feel bad in any way,” she said.

The actress said she is going back to her acting career and nothing is going to dampen her mood.