News Extra
By Rachel Ogbu
Sunday, September 28, 2008
HARAMBE group mobilises Youths for Agric
A group of young Nigerians schooling in American universities under a body called "Harambe Endeavour" were in the country recently to work with home-based students to promote agriculture and youth entrepreneurship. The group Harambe Endeavour is used throughout Africa to initiate projects that would unite the community while working together towards achieving a chosen goal.
Tola Sunmonu, president of the group said the Nigerian chapter decided to focus on agriculture under a programme called the Harambe Incubator of Sustainable Agricultural and Rural Development, HISARD. The programme employed 15 students studying agriculture and technology at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, to help communities tackle the issue that hindered the viability and expansion of local agricultural industry in their areas. Sunmonu said HISARD is committed to connecting the students with the necessary resources to help maximise the agricultural production of their local farms and communities.
The group chose to focus on agriculture because it is more relevant to the Nigerian people now than any other sector. "When we were doing our research on what to look at in Nigeria, we realised that we wanted to work on something that is not foreign to Nigeria. We are looking at agriculture because we have a situation where oil has been the main focus of the economy while agriculture has been neglected," Sunmonu said. The students would be paid for their services.
Uproar over Sagging pants
It came into Nigeria from the U.S. But even at its point of export, sagging pants fashion is causing problem. The fashion began in the US prisons where convicts had their trousers dropping from their waist because belts were prohibited. But recently, some US states found the style distasteful and passed a law banning sagging pants. Their reason is that it was promoting prison lifestyle as popular culture.
City voters approved the law in March after supporters of the bill collected nearly 5,000 signatures to put the measure on the ballot. Laws that ban low-slung pants are on the books in several US cities, including Delcambre and Louisiana, where offenders can be fined up to 500 dollars or jailed for up to six months. dallas, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia are among the larger US cities considering similar measures. Two weeks ago, a 17-year-old spent a night in jail after police arrested him for wearing low pants in Riviera Beach, southeast Florida. The teen would have received a 150 Dollar fine or community service, but he spent the night in jail due to a history of marijuana use.
But this new law is meeting stiff opposition from some citizens who asked that the law be declared unconstitutional. "We're not talking about exposure of buttocks. No. we're talking about someone who has on pants whose underwear is apparently visible to a police officer who then makes an arrest," Carol Bickerstaff, a public defender who was against the law said.
World's shortest man and longest leg-woman meet
What can be described as a unique meeting occurred at the Trafalgar Square in London. The shortest man who can walk met the woman with the longest legs. The rare meeting drew an exceptionally curious crowd as tourists gathered to watch He Pingping, 20, of China, who was born with a type of dwarfism, take pictures with Svetlana Pankratova, 36, who has legs that are nearly 52 inches long.
The two world record breakers met to publicise the release of "Guinness World Records 2009." He stands precisely 2 feet 5.37 inches tall while Pankratova who is Russian has legs that are more than 4 feet long. Her upper body has nearly typical proportions, giving her a giraffe-like appearance. He called Svetlana Pankratova's legs "very beautiful."
Dressed in a bright-blue mini-dress and low-heeled pumps, Pankratova said she liked her legs, though they can complicate things. "It's hard to find clothes, especially trousers," she said.
Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of the Guinness Book of Records, also said the latest edition of the book lists Britney Spears, American pop star, as the most-searched person on the Internet and the television show "Lost" as the most-downloaded show of all time. The book sells about 3.5 million copies each year.
Miracle of the Blood
Thousands of people trooped to Naples two weeks ago in search of a miracle. Their destination was the city’s cathedral where they witnessed the miracle of Saint Gennaro- whose dried blood is said to have the power to turn into liquid from twice a year, 17 centuries after his death.
Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, archbishop of Naples, announced that the blood turned to liquid at 9:45 a.m. and the glass phial was shown to crowds outside, who set off fireworks in celebration. "The saint's blood is the seed of hope for all of us," Sepe said.
There is a popular story that when pagan Romans beheaded Saint Gennaro in 305 A.D., a Neapolitan woman soaked up his blood with a sponge and preserved it in a glass phial. The substance usually turns to liquid twice a year - on September 19, the saint's feast day, and on the first Saturday in May.
The miracle was only first recorded in 1389, more than 1,000 years after Gennaro's martyrdom.
Some sceptics interpreted the "miracle" as chemicals present in the phial whose viscosity changes when it is stirred or moved.
Some Neapolitans fear disaster may strike the city if the Saint’s blood does not turn to liquid at its appointed time.
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