The Palms Shopping Mall

MANGO LAGOS SHOPPING NIGHT!

2010-06-18T03:47:00.000-07:00

AGAIN IT IS ON! ABUJA SHOPPING NIGHT.

FRIDAY, JUNE 18.

HUGE DISCOUNTS FOR 3HOURS ONLY!!!

Below are images from the MANGO LAGOS SHOPPING NIGHT.

2010-06-18T03:40:00.000-07:00

2010-06-18T03:28:00.000-07:00

WATCH THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOR FREE AT GENESIS DELUXE CINEMA

2010-02-25T03:00:00.000-08:00

Get to the Cinema and request for your FREE Ticket on any GAME Day, first come, first serve!

HOUSE OF TARA UNVEILS THE H.I.P RANGE

2010-02-25T00:35:00.000-08:00

It was an afternoon of drama and glitz as House of Tara, an indigenous beauty company that manufactures its own line of product to empower Nigerian women and to train young people launched its new range tagged ‘DRAMATICALLY BOLD’.

Present at the Press Briefing was the founded of House of Tara, Tara Fela-Durotoye, who addressed the audience consisting of Makeup Artist and the Media. Among the Press were Bola; Editor of fashion & style; City People, the Vanguard Newspaper, The Sun, Thisday and a lot more. Just Face Makeover was also present.

Tara Fela-Durotoye announced the launch of House of Tara new product H.I.P which stands for High. Intensity .Pigment and was created in response to today’s’ market where there is a high demand of glitz by the Nigerian woman who has become more glamorous and the dramatic, loud & fashionable look of the young models on the red carpet. The H.I.P range is ultra-shiny glittery colours available in Lip Glosses, Single Pot Shadows and 12-in-1 Palette Shadows. She explained that the range just like the Orekelewa range comes in a variety of colors tagged with Nigerian names; such as Ediye, Eleko, Queen Amina, Madam Tinubu and more, this she said, is so in order to promote ethnicity and our cultural heritage through languages.

Like other House of Tara products, she described this as fit for the Nigerian woman and avoidable, you could view prices at www.houseoftara.com.

Bola from City People and Tonia from Just Face Makeover who applied H.I.P Shadows on her Client attested to the radiance that the HIP product exhibits and the commendations and positive reaction from friends & Clients respectively. An observation from Tonia on a particular Orekelewa Shadow that breaks easily when not handled with care brought about a tip from Tara and some makeup artist present that shadows are to be treated with care, especially when being moved around by makeup artist. Hopefully, Tara stated, in response to the experiences of make-up artist of shadows being very fragile House of Tara will develop in the future a shadow less fragile and ideal for frequent movement with less worries.

Tara further stated that the H.I.P is a new line within the House of Tara brand, which is the same brand with the ‘Orekelewa line’ and the ‘Be Inspired line’ of which she stated that more lines and products will emerge as House of Tara response to the Nigerian Market and the ‘un-predictable’ Climate.

Makeup Artist where advised to patronize and promote the Makeup Brand that stands for our cultural heritage.

HOSTEL FACILITIES ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THE HOUSE OF TARA MAKEUP SCHOOL.

2010-02-08T00:48:00.000-08:00

VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT PACK FROM HOUSE OF TARA

2010-02-04T00:33:00.000-08:00

Order Gift Pack for Valentine's Day

"Be Inspired" by Tara is an exclusive fragrance from House of Tara. Its unique 50ml package is designed for women of style and class. It is the ideal gift for that special Lady this special season.

VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT PACK: BE INSPIRED PERFUME + VALENTINE’S DAY CUSTOM LOVE MESSAGE [CARD]

§ Free Deliveries to Lagos, Ibadan, & Port-Harcourt. Charges on deliveries to Abuja.
§ Make Payments to our bank account; details will be given on request. Or, purchase at the House of Tara studio or make Payments on delivery.
§ TOTAL COST: N6,500

You can also order other products at discounted rates.

Celebs Who Wear ‘BE INSPIRED’
Rita Dominic
Ifeoma Williams
Ty Bello
Titi Adelagun

Order Now http://houseoftara.com/orderpf.php OR CALL 08033577487

Are You a Shopaholic?

2010-01-29T03:18:00.000-08:00

Definition
A slang term for Compulsive shopping also known as Oniomania
Disorders
It has only been accepted as a disorder by the German organization for obsessive-compulsive disorders. Compulsive buying is a maladaptive preoccupation with buying or shopping, or maladaptive buying or shopping impulses or behaviour, as indicated by either: frequent preoccupation with buying or impulses to buy that is/are experienced as irresistible, intrusive, and/or senseless, or frequent buying items that are not needed or cannot be afforded or shopping for longer periods of time than intended.

Symptoms
Victims often experience moods of satisfaction when they are in the process of purchasing, which seems to give their life meaning while letting them forget about their sorrows
Causes
 Personal
 Systemic

Personal
The addicted person gets into a vicious circle that consists of negative emotions like anger and stress, which lead to purchasing something. After the buying is over, the person is either regretful or depressed. In order to cope with the feelings, the addicted person resorts to another purchase.
Shopaholism often begins at an early age. Children who experience parental neglect often grow up with low self-esteem because throughout much of their childhood they experienced that they were not important as a person. As a result, they used toys to compensate for their feelings of loneliness. Adults that have depended on materials for emotional support when they were much younger are more likely to become addicted to shopping because of the ongoing sentiment of deprivation they endured as children. During adulthood, the purchase instead of the toy is substituted for affection. Shopaholics are unable to deal with their everyday problems, especially those that alter their self-esteem. Most of the issues in their lives are repressed by buying something.
Systemic
Social conditions may also play an important role, especially in capitalist societies that are dominated by a consumerist economy. Ubiquitous marketing and advertising promotes a culture of consumerism, by encouraging the creation of artificial needs. Debt such as facilitated by Credit cards, enable the casual spending beyond that of ones means. What differentiates oniomania from healthy shopping is this compulsive, destructive and chronic nature of the buying.

Are You One?

What do women want? In order of preference, most female compulsive shoppers buy clothes, shoes, jewellery, makeup and compact discs.

Men? Clothing, shoes, electronics (TVs, stereos, computers, etc.), hardware and CDs.

They don't buy one CD, they buy 10 CDs at a time, women buy five skirts, all the same, perhaps in different shades or slightly different styles, where a normal buyer would identify a need for something new or attend a sale and buy one item.

Find Out if You Are One, Take this Quiz
True or False? Evaluate the following statements:

1. When I am feeling depressed, I usually go shopping.
2. I spend a lot of money that I do not have on things that I do not need.
3. I get a rush when I make a purchase, but I “crash” soon afterwards.
4. I have closets full of clothes that I have never worn, and countless gadgets that I have never used.
5. I often feel reckless and out of control when I shop.
6. I lie to my friends and family about how much money I spend.
7. Even though I feel very distraught about my debt, I still shop.
8. I feel emotionally upset and disturbed by my own shopping habits.
9. After a big shopping trip, I sometimes feel disoriented and depressed.
10. My shopping has caused problems in my personal relationships in one way or another.
Did you answer “True” for four or more of the above statements? If so, it is possible that you have a real problem with compulsive shopping.
Quiz from www.essortment.com

Are You a Shopaholic? Six Steps to Curb Compulsive Spending
1. Cut up your credit cards. Do it today. “But I need them for an emergency.” “But I get cash back.” “But they’re convenient.” No buts. If you have a problem with compulsive spending, destroy your credit cards now. Don’t jot the numbers down someplace “just in case”. I’ve done this in the past, and I know how easy it is to go to your desk drawer, pull out the numbers, and place an order online. Get rid of the credit cards completely. (Do not attempt to cancel your accounts, however, until you’ve paid everything you owe.)
2. Only carry cash. Don’t use checkbook. Don’t even use a debit card. Inconvenient? Absolutely, but that’s the point. If you’re a compulsive spender, your goal is to break the habit. To do this, you’ve got to make sacrifices. You’ve also got to begin to make the connection between buying something and actually spending money. Plastic (and to some degree checks) make this connection fuzzy. Use cash.
3. Track every penny you spend. When I was addicted to shopping, I intentionally turned a blind eye to how much I was spending. But most of the time, I wasn’t even aware of how much I spent. Lunch every day, how much could that possibly cost? (Answer: over 100/month.) Picking up a few comics on my way home from work? What harm was there in that? Once I began to track my spending, certain patterns became clear. When I saw the patterns, I was able to act on them.
4. Play mind games. For some people, money is not an emotional issue. They understand it intuitively. They’re able to make the smart choices without temptation to do otherwise. For most of us, though, money is more about mind than it is about math. For us, it can be useful to play tricks on ourselves. What do I mean by mind games?
o Use the 30-day rule to control impulse spending.
o Ask yourself: “Is this a want or a need?” Try to discover what is motivating the purchase.
o Tax yourself: Whenever you buy something, force yourself to set aside some set percentage as savings.
o When you’re tempted to buy something, write it down. Make a wishlist. I do this at Amazon in order to control my spending. I have a gigantic wishlist which I prune occasionally. This wishlist keeps me from actually buying things!
Yes, these are simple little tricks. But they’re tricks that work. If they can help you stop spending, that’s all that matters.
5. Avoid temptation. The best way for me to avoid spending money on comic books is to not enter the comic book shop. If your weakness is music, stay out of the record store (or de-activate your iTunes account). If you tend to spend money at big department stores, then stay out of them. Avoid the places where you’d normally spend.
6. Ask for help. Beating an addiction can be tough when you’re going it alone. Seek support from your friends and family. Ask your spouse to help. (And be open when they call you on your actions — don’t get angry.)
Finally, consider seeking professional help. There is no shame in obtaining psychotherapy for problems that seem bigger than you. Ultimately you must look inward to overcome any form of addiction — a therapist is like a trained guide who can help you find the way.
www.getrichslowly.org

KIDS CLUB: Learn skills by increasing your Pokémon IQ with Gummis in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon!

2010-01-28T02:56:00.000-08:00

Learn skills by increasing your Pokémon IQ with Gummis in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon!

Understanding what IQ is and how it affects your Pokémon is a very important aspect of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, whether Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is your first foray into the series or you've been playing since Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team. Get a brief introduction to IQ, Gummis, and how they can help you conquer dungeon after dungeon!

The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games add a new dimension in Pokémon enhancement, moving beyond simply gaining levels and learning new moves. You can also raise your Pokémon's IQ-a stat that grants your Pokémon new skills the higher it climbs. These IQ skills include the ability to cross over previously inaccessible terrain, to target particular Pokémon during battle (such as enemies with the lowest HP), or to evade more attacks from foes than usual, among many others. Plus, there are other advantages to having a high IQ! Some Pokémon won't learn particular moves or evolve until their IQ is high enough, for example. IQ skills are enormously beneficial, and the earlier you start improving the IQ of your Pokémon, the easier later levels will be.

IQ skills can sometimes affect the behavior of your Pokémon in drastic ways and, because of this, they can be turned off or on at any time. You might find it beneficial to turn off a skill for a while then turn it back on when the time is right. For example, one IQ skill, Exclusive Move-User, makes a Pokémon use its Moves (not its basic attack) as much as possible-which isn't all that great when you're trying to conserve your Pokémon's PP. Additionally, you'll discover that most skills will work for anyone in your party, but there are certain skills that can be utilized only by the leader of your party or by one of his or her teammates.

All Pokémon that you befriend in the wild will have 0 IQ points to begin with. They'll know a few basic skills, such as Item Master (which gives them the ability to hold and throw items). As you nurture your Pokémon and its IQ rises higher and higher, it will gain new skills that you'll probably find much more useful.

Gaining skills is entirely independent of gaining levels, using particular moves, or holding items-the only way you can increase your Pokémon's IQ is to feed it Gummis. Gummis are tasty little snacks, and each time you feed one to one of your Pokémon, it will gain a little bit of IQ. Be sure to feed your Pokémon the Gummis-merely letting them hold Gummis won't do the trick.

You'll find Gummis in virtually every dungeon, and you can feed them to your Pokémon whenever you want. Gummis come in a whole rainbow of colors-one for each of the 17 Pokémon types, at least. This is important to know because Pokémon like to eat Gummis that match their Pokémon type. For example, Gold Gummis are favored by Electric-type Pokémon, and Fire-type Pokémon love to snack on Red Gummis. By feeding your Pokémon the Gummis they prefer, they'll gain IQ (and new skills) faster. You can find out which Pokémon prefer which Gummis by looking at the Gummi's info.

Be sure to feed your Pokémon every Gummi you come across to make your party as strong and versatile as possible!
www.pokemon.com

January 27th, 2002 'Bomb Blast In Lagos'

2010-01-28T01:25:00.000-08:00

Today we remember our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and friends who died on that day. It was a terrifying moment for all as we heard a loud defeaning sound and our windows vibrated, the house shook.

And then the breaking news, a lot had died, many died running in fear, some into the canal while some others were used as climbing stools, others as mats. I remember a story that was told of a little girl and her two brothers who survived the Stampede, the little girl got to the canal in the darkness and in the mist of the commotion without knowing what laid in front and decided against taking her brothers through the obvious part others were headed for unknowingly; the canal, she went the other way and saved her brothers and herself from plunging into the canal.

And today, we remember and pray for all the souls that passed on that fateful day. We also send our condolences to the families of all the deceased.

Story Below
27th January, 2002 : Explosions at amunitions store cause a huge explosion. in Lagos, Nigeria, which starts a stampede of fleeing people, during which more than 1,000 people are killed.

The Lagos armoury explosion was the accidental detonation of a large stock of military high explosives at a storage facility in the city of Lagos, Nigeria on the 27 January 2002. The fires created by the debris from this explosion burnt down a large section of Northern Lagos, and created a panic that spread to other areas. As people fled the flames, many stumbled into a concealed canal and were drowned. The explosion and its aftermath are believed to have killed at least 1,100 people and displaced over 20,000, with many thousands injured or homeless. The government of Nigeria launched an enquiry, which blamed the Nigerian Army for failing to properly maintain the base, or to decommission it when instructed to do so in 2001.

The Ikeja military cantonment was a large military cantonment and storage area in the city of Lagos, situated north of the city centre near the districts of Isolo and Onigbongo. In January 2002, the base was being used to store a large quantity of "high calibre bombs", as well as other sundry explosives. On the afternoon of 27 January, a fire broke out in a street market being held next to the base, which was also home to the families of soldiers. At around 18:00 the fire apparently spread to the base's main munitions store, causing an enormous explosion. This blast killed many of the base staff and their families and immediately destroyed several nearby streets, flying debris starting numerous fires further afield. Tremors from the explosion also collapsed many buildings in the area, trapping people in the ruins and starting new fires amidst from damaged cooking appliances. These tremors were so powerful that windows shattered 15 km away and the blast could be felt more than 50 km inland.

Also thrown up by the blast were thousands of as yet unexploded military munitions, which fell in a rain of exploding shells, grenades and bullets casting further destruction across most of the northern section of the city. Thousands of people from Ikeja and neighbouring districts, seeing explosions and fires breaking out, fled their houses in an attempt to leave the affected areas. As the streets became more and more crowded, explosions amid the fleeing crowds from shells falling from the initial explosion created panic. A stampede developed as panicking people fled in all directions, trampling those who fell underfoot. Reports also describe people jumping from burning high-rise buildings and being killed in desperate attempts to cross the busy Ikeja dual carriageway.

In central Lagos there is a large canal, which runs from north to south parallel to the Isolo-Oshodi expressway through the centre of the city. It borders a banana plantation, which many refugees thought might be safe from the falling shells and spreading fires. Unfortunately, the canal separated the plantation from the city and was covered by water hyacinth and thus invisible in the darkness. As the crowd surged towards the plantation, hundreds of panicking people fell into the water. Those on the bottom were crushed by yet more people falling into the waterway, and in the struggling confusion, at least 600 people were killed, many of them children. Many of these bodies drifted down the canal, some being found as far as ten kilometres from the explosion.

The affected areas of the city burned through most of the night, with explosions continuing to boil out of the wrecked armoury until the afternoon of 28 January. The emergency services were woefully inadequate to deal with the devastation, as there were not enough fire crews or water points available to cope with the fire, which consequently consumed large parts of the city's northern suburbs. City hospitals were also utterly overwhelmed, many injured going for hours without any medical attention even if they did manage to reach an undamaged medical facility. The military, too, having suffered the loss of many of its Lagos-based personnel in the initial explosion, was not in a position to assume control of the city and did not appear in large numbers until late on 28 January.

By the evening of the 28 January, most of the fires were under control and people began returning to the city and attempting to find loved ones lost in the stampede. Many of the dead were children, separated from their families in the confusion and subsequently crushed in the crowds that filled the streets and canal. On top of the dead from the canal, several hundred people had died in the city itself: killed by falling munitions, trampled by the crowds, or trapped in the fires.

The final death toll is hard to compute, although the Red Cross claims that at least 1,000 bodies were recovered and a number of people were reported missing and never found. In addition to the dead, at least 5,000 people were injured in the disaster and over 12,000 left homeless, with entire districts of the city gutted. About 20,000 people had fled the city on the night of the explosion, and the survivors gradually returned over the course of the next week.

The Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo arrived in Ikeja on 28 January along with most senior city and national politicians, and he publicly demanded answers from the military as to why such a huge ammunition dump was kept in such a poorly maintained and public location. It later emerged that a small explosion had occurred at the base the previous year, following which the army was advised by city officials to remove or modernise the armoury, but took no action. On the evening of the 28 January, George Emdin, the commander of the Ikeja base who had not been present during the explosion, issued a statement:

"On behalf of the military, we are sorry, this is an old ammunition depot with high-calibre bombs ... some efforts were being made in the recent past to try to improve the storage facility, but this accident happened before the high authorities could do what was needed"

This statement provoked fury from the people of Lagos, who claimed that the military was making excuses for their mistakes and that nothing would be done to improve safety at other neglected ammunition dumps, many of which have not been properly maintained since Nigeria gained democracy in 1999 following twenty years of military rule. There were widespread fears in the immediate aftermath of the explosion that it signified the beginning of a military coup, although the government later released a statement ruling out this possibility.

Numerous relief agencies, including the Red Cross and Red Crescent, provided aid to the thousands of homeless and lost people in the weeks following the disaster, attempting to reunite at least 2,000 separated or displaced families. People whose homes had survived were evacuated from Ikeja in order that military explosives experts could remove large quantities of unexploded munitions from the area. The evacuees and refugees were housed in temporary accommodation at the Ikeja Police College and the Abalti Barracks Yaba. The recovery process in Ikeja took some years as the rebuilding program was both lengthy and expensive, with many people suffering homelessness and poverty in this period due to the loss of their houses and livelihoods in the fire.

Article from en.wikipedia.org

'MUSHIN MAKEOVER’ 12th Dec, 2009. View Celebrity Endorsement Photoshoot!

2009-12-09T05:40:00.000-08:00

Few days to the 'Mushin Makeover' Have you Registered to be a part of a huge history coming up at Mushin on the 12th of Dec, 2009?

For more info visit http://www.gemstone2025.org/

View Celeb Endorsement Photoshoot

2009-12-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

A Young Woman's Tale of HIV/AIDS. She Still LIVES!

2009-12-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

More than two million AIDS related deaths reported globally in 2008 - two million children under the age of 15 now live with HIV
New figures released by the World Health Organization and UNAIDS estimate the number of new HIV infections have declined each year by about 17% from 2001 to 2008, but for every five people infected, only two start treatment.

Today, December 1st, 2009 marks the 20th World AIDS Day

Education and care could help reduce the spread of AIDS in Africa. Do you think the jingles and awareness programmes are enough to educate the people on AIDS?

This is a story of a young woman. Tonia, this is what we fondly call her, danced with joy into the reception hall as the hall stood rendering a thunderous applaud to this beautiful and newly wedded couple, it was the year 2000.

Late 2000, there was another gathering, it was Tonia’s baby boy, Junior. Once more it was a day of joy as we gathered at the child’s naming ceremony; he was a handsome child, smiled as if he knew why we were gathered. He definitely would be a great man as his grandmother called him Odogwu.

One morning in 2002, they heard a voice, quite low but it was obvious that it was an adult sobbing, this was coming from Tonia’s apartment and after sometime it died down. Days past and Tonia’s husband was nowhere to be seen. It was from our ‘nose-poking’ neighbour that we learnt that Tonia’s husband was admitted into the General hospital, he was very ill. Same year, he passed-on and the news from our ‘nose-poking’ neighbour was that the government discovered he was infected by the virus and was detained at the hospital to avoid the spread of the virus. Our ‘nose-poking’ neighbour also ‘said that’ Tonia avoided to hospital, scared of being diagnose of the same ailment.

Early 2003, Tonia was back to her widowed mother’s house, just two streets away from where she used to stay with her only son Junior. Junior, born in late 2000, was a cute piece to admire like every child of that age, the only problem was that he looked rather malnourished, but I see him with an older child about everyday crossing the street to purchase his lunch at ‘iya ibadan’s’ food shed.

According to some others who Tonia confided on the situation behind her husband’s death, they advised Tonia to go for a test to be sure that she wasn’t infected, but Tonia ignored probably scared of the result.

2004-2005, Tonia had gained a lot of flesh and looked well, she was fully recovered from the effect of her husband’s sudden illness and death, and she decided to move on. Within this year, she met men, who could not resist her looks and humour, she dated some, went out a lot and you could hear the walls echo as she said her morning and evening prayers; really I enjoyed her songs, it reminded me of the Swahili people that I hear on TV.

Neighbours trooped in and out of her apartment, Junior, the ‘great man’ had just passed-on this morning, it was early 2006. Again the advice came to Tonia, “I think Junior died of the disease, go for a test” “isn’t it obvious that I don’t have it” Tonia responded.

2009, Tonia our once robust and humorous lady has lost a whole lot of weight, she has a lot of terribly looking blisters on her skin, she doesn’t come out anymore. But I caught a glance of her.
“good evening” I greeted, she came out to pick an item and was about to rush back inside as I noticed but the greeting brought her back and you could see it lifted up her spirit as she answered “good evening”

This is where the story begins. To be continued.

2009-11-20T02:47:00.000-08:00

FREE REMY DRINKS COURTESY REMY MARTIN

2009-11-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

Enjoy LIVE MUSIC THURSDAY!!! Starting November 19^th in LET'S GO BOWLING BAR @ 7pm. FREE REMY DRINKS COURTESY REMY MARTIN till 8pm.

This Week’s Band is TEEZ 2 PLEEZ. See U there!!!

Chocolat Royal Opening At The Palms

2009-11-13T03:13:00.000-08:00

Our favorite Cafe, CHOCOLAT ROYAL is opening at The Palms. Be the first to visit and enjoy the varieties of creamy milkshakes, pizzas, ice cream with pure chocolate chunks, chocolate truffles, smooth chocolate eclairs, freshly baked pastries and lots more. It's another treat from The Palms Shopping Mall to you.

Please Read: Letter To The Palms Customers

2009-11-08T00:12:00.000-08:00

Christmas Traditions From Around The World

2009-11-06T02:41:00.000-08:00

It's November and Christmas is in my heart already, a thought of the many celebration, the gifts, shopping, masses, events and the meals. And i said to myself "i could write something about the Christmas tradition in Nigeria" Hmmm....could my Christmas tradition be the same as yours? Below are traditions from other countries as seen in www.advent2009.org. Please share your tradition with us.

The United States and Canada celebrate in similar fashion.

Christmas trees are decorated and stockings are hung on the fireplace for Santa Claus to fill with gifts. Christmas is celebrated on December 25th, with certain of the French Canadian communities preferring December 24th. Many families celebrate on Christmas Eve with presents, family feasts, and midnight Mass. Cards and gifts are exchanged with friends and relatives. Nativity scenes, once an annual appearance is even small town public squares have now been moved in certain communities to church grounds. In addition to the typically Catholic, and Protestant themed celebrations, there are also massive public celebrations of the Christmas season with non-religious themes. Additionally, in both the US and Canada, the people are known for massive outreaches to the poor and homeless during this Christmas celebration period.

China

The Christians in China light their homes with beautiful paper lanterns during Advent. Santa is called Dun Che Lao Ren. The children are encouraged to hang stockings like their counterparts in the US. Many of the traditions for celebration among the Christian communities in China were imported by the missionaries that delivered the message of Advent.

Belgian

The children in Belgium are always excited by the approaching Christmas season, and they celebrate the primary gift giving early, December 6th. Saint Nicholas, riding a horse, and carrying great bags of gifts, somehow makes the entire journey in one evening, and after gift giving and celebration, the theme of Christmas switches to the Holy celebration of the Christ Child.

Czechs

The Czechs celebrate Christmas by feasting, and gift giving. They also traditionally set a place at the table for the Christ Child. In as much as possible, the extended family celebrates Christmas together.

Denmark

The Danes celebrate the tradition of Saint Nicholas with Santa, known as Julemanden. He arrives as in the US, in a sleigh pulled by reindeer gifts for children of all ages. An additional tradition among the Danish children concerns Santa’s helpers, the Elves. They are encouraged to believe that they may live in the attic of their homes, and actually leave milk and rice pudding for the helpers, to make sure they send the word to Santa.

England

England exported several customs to the United States that we now take for granted in our Christmas Celebrations. Prince Albert imported from Germany the tradition of bringing in a fir tree and decorating it with ornaments and fruits during Queen Victoria’s reign. It quickly spread throughout England, as if the “royals” are doing it, it must be good.

Other imported features of the English Tradition include the making of Christmas lists, the giving of boxed gifts the day after Christmas to visitors, the hanging of stockings by the fireplace, and the general appearance of Santa with bright red robes. One tradition that even many in England now ignore is waiting until late in the day on Christmas to actually open gifts.

Few countries have more caroling groups then the English. The week of Christmas, and particularly the weekend before the actual Christmas day seems to pull every person with the slightest ability to carry a tune into the public square and on walk about singing troops singing the traditional Christmas melodies.

France

The French celebrate Christmas throughout the month of December, with many families actually beginning the gift giving on December 6th, having additional gifts on December 25th, and often opening other gifts on New Years Day, particularly for adults.

Many households have a type of Christmas Eve watch time, and actually celebrate Christmas day right after the stroke of midnight with a meal and celebratory cakes. When the children go to bed, they place their shoes rather than their socks by the fireplace for the receipt of special gifts, and rise early to celebrate Christmas on Christmas day.

Especially among Parisians, the manger scene figurines are dressed in modern French fashion provincial clothing. The preparation and selling of this years manger scene costumes is a big retailing event every year in France.

Italy

The Italians are well known for celebrating Christmas throughout the month of December, by do not actually have the significant exchanging of gifts until the traditional day of the arrival of the Wise Men (January 6th) for the first Christmas family. Italy claims the first nativity scene was actually demonstrated in Italy by Saint Francis as an object lesson for children and today, in nearly every town and village they have regular award as a result of contests the “best nativity scene.” Because of this type of focus, it is said that there are more animals in public squares in Italy during Advent, then perhaps in the rest of the world combined.

India

Only a small percentage of the Indian households celebrate the Christmas faith, and yet decorating for the season seems to permeate even non Christian households in every village. Houses are typically decorated in greenery, mango leaves, strings of light and the “Star of Bethlehem” is hung inside the home. Small personalized gifts are the norm and are exchanged even in non Christian homes.

Mexico and other Central American Countries

Mexicans celebrate Christmas, Navidad for a full nine days leading up to Christmas or Holy Eve. Costumes are the norm, and either in the public squares, or from house to house, families enjoy the theatre of knocking on the door, being turned away as the “Inn is full”, and then moving the party to either the back yard, or the public square. Music is played throughout the celebrations, great regional dishes are served, and the children are given sticks to strike the Pinata, a paper mache creation, often in the shape of a nativity animal, filled with candy, is made of paper mache and filled with all kinds of goodies. On the ninth night they celebrate the Joseph and Mary were welcomed by God, Angels, and shepherds into the Stable, enjoy a great feast, and when completed, the entire family of all ages moves the celebration to the church to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

The Netherlands

The traditions of celebration in the Netherlands are a combination of traditions that even address their geography. They celebrate the tradition of Saint Nicholas, known as Sinterklaas, and determined that he originally visited Sweden by boat, setting out on December 6th, the traditional day reserved in the church calendar, from Spain. Once onshore, he immediately mounts a horse, and makes his gift deliveries of candies, nuts, and small hard bread treats to the waiting shoes of children. Old Sinterklaas is a very tricky person, able to appear, whenever he is “accidentally witnessed in the act, as the father or grandfather of the child. Very tricky indeed.

Poland

Poland has a rich tradition of reserving space on the village and city squares for carnival like stalls or booths, called Joselki. The booths are decorated in the themes of Christmas, are celebrated from Christmas Day to New Years day. Families and businesses make special efforts to make their booth the favorite, featuring one of the many scenes from the biblical Christmas story. Small gifts, candy, and Christmas Cards are distributed from the booths to the passer-bys, and normally caroling troops move from booth to booth on Christmas Eve, after which the entire village makes their way to the Church to celebrate late evening Mass.

Spain

The citizens of Spain, largely Catholic, have traditionally celebrated all the great themes of Christmas but the gift giving tradition assumes that Wise men on horseback actually give the gifts to the children in some type of annual reenactment of the first Christmas gift giving. Special care is made to provide food for the horses and treats for the wise men.. They typically celebrate Christmas Eve, Nochebuena, with their families and friends with a meal. Nearly every family will have a Nativity scene, and some are incredibly elaborate. Families move from home to home to see their neighbor’s nativity scene

Sweden

The Swedes have created a number of unique perspectives around the Christmas celebration, not the least of which is referring to their version of Santa, Tomte, as a type of actually unattractive, and some children would say scary gnome, who only appears from out of a barn, or from under a building to deliver gifts. No reindeer here. Instead, the rather diminutive sleigh is drawn by a magic goat, and the gifts, only for the very good children are left sometimes well hidden throughout the house. The packages are typically wrapped in several layers of paper to make the opening of the gift more of an event.

The eldest daughter has the privilege of serving the entire family a special treat on Saint Lucia’s Day, December 13th. She dresses for the part with traditional white robe like dress, special jewelry for headdress, and wakes the family to a very traditional celebratory breakfast of fresh baked buns, and cookies. Later in the same day, the traditional dinner of fish is topped off with Christmas rice pudding.

Russia

The celebration of Christmas in Russia changed dramatically after the Revolution of 1917. Many are not aware that the many traditions of celebrating Christmas observed pre-1917 that were church based were actually made illegal. Long Christmas parades with costume, the star of Bethlehem on poles, and meals celebrated together before attending Christmas Mass after visiting the Nativity scenes in the public squares were all banned.

A different gift giver personality was created, and Saint Nicholas was replaced with Grandfather Frost.

The Russian communities now seem, in a more relaxed post USSR atmosphere to have a mixed theme celebration during the Christmas New Years season. The celebration with decorated tree takes place typically on New Years, and special children’s parties are sponsored by parents, grandparents, and even some churches. Gifts, when delivered come from Grandfather Frost, and his helper, the Snow Maiden.

Switzerland

The Swiss celebrate Christmas as a holy extended celebration, with the spirit of gift giving directed by a character called Christkind, who is a spiritualized present day incarnation of the original Christ Child. Though the gift giving, which all children look forward to, is certainly helped by his assistant Saint Nicholas’s spirit in the form of a brightly dressed helper, the Swiss have been careful to maintain the central figure of the holiday celebration is Christ. Plays, and music fill town squares, and the usually quiet, and somewhat reserved Swiss people get into the spirit of the holiday with living nativity scenes, street side theatre, and general good will flowing from walk by samplings of Christmas fruits, cakes, and cookies.

Please share your tradition with us.

THIS IS IT- Red Carpet Premiere

2009-10-27T03:12:00.000-07:00

Date: Red Carpet Premiere...Wednesday 28th October, 2009.....7.30pm

Daily from Wednesday 28th October, 2009 (for two weeks only, worldwide)
Time: 9.30, 12.00, 2.30, 5.00, 7.30
All for only N2,000= per show.

Buying A Gift

2009-10-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

We all mean well when we buy gifts for friends, family and co-workers, but sometimes we convince ourselves that something perfectly awful, is really a good gift for someone on our list. To avoid becoming the subject of family whispers, or the reason friends suddenly glance sideways at each other, take a look at the list of 10 Worst Gift-Giving Mistakes.
1. The "Good Intentions" Gifts
What you think might be filled with good intentions could ignite deep resentments. Gifts which target a specific short-coming is generally not appreciated. Such gifts could include:
• A gift certificate to the newest diet craze.
• Coaching tapes on how to be successful to someone who is unemployed or in a dead-end job.
• A month's supply of Nicorette to a chain smoker.
• Hypnosis tapes for overeaters, smokers, aggressive Type A personalities.
2. Worthless Gadgets
There are a million worthless gadgets out there that you may be tempted into believing will make the perfect gift for someone on your list who has no hobbies, no particular talents and who doesn't seem to need a thing. No doubt, such an individual is hard to buy for, but don't believe for a second the Orb Mood-Detection Device will end up anywhere but in the bottom of a drawer or more likely, the trash.
3. Expert Advice to Experts
Some people know a lot about a particular topic. They may excel in a sport, pride themselves on their deep knowledge of wine or they could be an expert tailor. Buying expert-related gifts is chancy because they already own it, already know it, or really do not need it.
4. Gifts With a Message
When the impulse hits to buy your pregnant sister-in-law the t-shirt with the huge arrow pointed at her stomach and the words, "bun in the oven" scrawled on it, just keep walking. If the over-whelming desire to get lawyer Uncle Bob, a t-shirt with the words "I Sue, Therefore I Am" printed on it, do not do it. Unless the person you are buying for is under the age of 16, chances are your wordy gift will end up as a dust rag.
5. Artwork
I am the proud owner of a huge framed graphic of buffaloes roaming the wilderness. Get the picture? Unless someone has specifically requested a particular piece of art, it is best to not assume you know his or her taste.
6. Themed Undergarments
As tempting as it may be to buy the cute reindeer boxer shorts for your significant other, ask yourself where he can wear them? The gym? Nope. The office? Nope. At home? That's about it and for about three weeks out of the year. And for guys, avoid the impulse of buying the tiny slinky baby doll nighty unless she specifically pointed it out as something she would enjoy.
7. Framed Pictures of Yourself
Every year my niece sends us a big framed picture of herself. I'm running out of display room, and to be honest, the shelves are beginning to resemble a shrine.
Loving yourself is important, but sending framed pictures of yourself is an odd gift. Including a photograph in with a holiday card will keep everyone updated on how you look, without making them add on a new room to the house just to display your picture.
8. The Re-Gift
Before you even think of wrapping up that awful present you've had hidden away, check out what the experts say about regifting and see if you are up to par with this now accepted trend in gift-giving. Guilty or not guilty.
9. Hostess Gift Blunders
Last year I invited friends to a small holiday dinner. One friend, a recently divorced guy, handed me a gift as he came through the door. I had a feeling it would be interesting because of his lack of eye contact. Sure enough, it was a dead-on last minute grab and run hostess gift - two giant bags of M&Ms. I didn't care, but I worried about him going to his new girlfriend's parent's house the next weekend. Avoid embarrassing yourself with last minute hostess gifts and stock up with a few nice bottles of wine.
10. Thoughtless Gifts
I have a friend who buys a ton of gifts at the beginning of the season because he thinks they are cool or neat. He figures he will match the gift to the person as the season rolls in. Obviously it should be the other way around - you think first about the type of person your cool friend is, consider their particularities and then try to find a gift to match.
Examples of Thoughtless Gifts:
• Giving a country CD to a person who loves the blues.
• Giving alcohol to someone who doesn't drink.
• Giving perfume to someone who is allergic to perfume.
• Giving coffee to someone who never drinks coffee.

Source
www.about.com

The Risks Factors For Stroke

2009-10-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

The theme of this year's World Stroke Day on 29th October is "What can I do?". As the World Stroke Organization says, everyone can do something: learn to recognise symptoms and take action, learn to recognise the risk factors and take action.

With this theme in mind, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) emphasises that most of the risks for stroke are also the major risks for coronary heart disease - and thus the object of the ESC's far-reaching prevention programme. Unhealthy diets, smoking, and physical inactivity are all unequivocally identified as fuel for a growing epidemic of hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes, all associated with a raised risk of both heart disease and stroke. Atrial fibrillation, the most common disorder of heart rhythm, has also been clearly associated with an increased risk of stroke.

Professor Lars Rydén, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and speaking on behalf of the ESC, says: "Stroke is not an inevitable consequence of ageing, so by identifying and modifying risk factors there are opportunities to reduce the incidence and mortality rate of this devastating condition. For example, there is much more to be done in lowering blood pressure, particularly in elderly people with high systolic measurements, and in ensuring that those at risk of thromboembolic stroke as a result of atrial fibrillation receive effective prophylactic therapy."

According to the World Stroke Organization, stroke now accounts for almost 6 million deaths each year and ranks second only to heart disease as the world's leading cause of death.(1) However, if basic preventive measures are not taken, the number of people predicted to die from stroke will rise by another million over the next six years. Six million deaths could be averted in the next ten years if what is already known is applied, said the World Stroke Organization in its inaugural proclamation in 2006.

For example, studies have shown that
• high blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke; in the Framingham Heart Study stroke risk in people with measurements within the normal range was half that of those with hypertension(2)
• smoking roughly doubles the risk of stroke (after adjustment for other risk factors)(3)
• atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke by around five times(4)
It is also clear that rigorous and regular physical activity reduces the risk of stroke. A study of walking and sports participation in 73,000 Japanese men and women showed that the risk of fatal stroke was reduced by 20-29% in those active in the highest category.(5) Similarly, in a study of 47,000 men and women in Finland stroke risk was reduced in those enjoying moderate and high levels of leisure-time physical activity.(6)

ESC Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Prevention, which were updated in 2007, list stroke alongside coronary artery disease, heart failure and peripheral artery disease as cardiovascular diseases within the scope of prevention initiatives. The Guidelines distinguish between haemorrhagic stroke (around 15% of cases) and ischaemic stroke, but add that the cause of many strokes remains undetermined.

The Guidelines note that "antihypertensive treatment reduces risk of both ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke", and that "stroke prevention is still the most important effect of antihypertensive treatment". The Guidelines stress that smoking should be discouraged, and exercise encouraged.

With the Guidelines providing a firm evidence base, the ESC is now pursuing a new European prevention initiative as a joint effort from several European health associations in their combined battle against cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory illness, diabetes and kidney disease. In June this year experts from ten European chronic disease associations agreed to focus their initial prevention efforts against smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, overweight, obesity and physical inactivity. It was in these areas that the highest level of evidence was thought available to support interventions with the greatest likely benefits in reducing the toll of premature deaths. "In addition to having common mechanisms," says Professor Rydén, "it was obvious to us that these diseases also require common approaches for management and prevention, and that will allow us the greatest overall benefit on European health."

Professor Ian Graham, Chairperson of the Fourth Joint Task Force of the ESC and Other Societies on CVD Prevention in Clinical Practice, added salt to the risks above, saying: "In addition, restriction of salt intake can help to reduce the burden of high blood pressure and consequent stroke."

As defined in the European Heart Health Charter, the declared targets for cardiovascular health throughout the European Union are:
• zero smoking
• three kilometres daily walking
• five portions of fruit and vegetables per day
• <140/90 mmHg blood pressure
• <5 mmol/l total cholesterol
• <3 mmol/l LDL-cholesterol
• zero diabetes
Realisation of such targets, says Professor Rydén, will only be achieved by the integration of curative and preventive medicine, alliances among professional and public health organisations, and political initiatives.

Source:
ESC Press Office
European Society of Cardiology
www.medicalnewstoday.com

Mata Hari, the Dancer

2009-10-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

A lot of event happened in the past that one most wonder if his activities of today will one day be read or publicize through a new medium, rather than the internet or books.
Everyday in man's life history is made, either documented or not. Today is the 15th of October, in the year 1917, same day as this, one of the most glamorous figures to come out of the shadowy world of espionage, and the archetype of the female spy was executed. Here is the story of Mata Hari.
On this day in 1917, the exotic dancer Mata Hari is executed by a French firing squad at Vincennes, outside of Paris, for the crime of espionage.

Born Margueretha Gertruida Zelle in a small town in northern Holland and formerly married to a captain in the Dutch army, Mata Hari had performed in Paris as a dancer since 1903. She adopted an elaborate stage persona, claiming she was born in a sacred Indian temple and taught ancient Indian dances by a priestess who gave her the name Mata Hari, which meant "eye of the dawn." Her exotic dances soon earned her fans all over Europe, where she packed dance halls from Moscow to Berlin to Madrid, largely because of her willingness to dance almost entirely naked in public.

A courtesan as well as a dancer, Mata Hari amassed an impressive catalog of lovers, including high-ranking military officers and political figures from both France and Germany. With the outbreak of World War I, these relationships immediately made her suspicious to French intelligence, which reportedly put her under surveillance. The circumstances of her alleged spying activities during the war were and remain unclear: It was said that, while in the Netherlands in 1916, she was offered cash by a German consul to report back information obtained on her next visit to France. When British intelligence discovered details of this arrangement, they passed them on to their counterparts in France; Mata Hari was arrested in Paris in February 1917.

Under interrogation by French military intelligence, Mata Hari herself admitted that she had passed outdated information to a German intelligence officer, yet she claimed that she had also been paid to act as a French spy in Belgium (then occupied by the Germans) though she had not informed the French of her prior dealings with the German consul. She was apparently acting as a double agent, though the Germans had apparently written her off as an ineffective one whose activities had produced little intelligence of value.

After a stay in a Paris prison, Mata Hari was tried in a military court and sentenced to death on July 25, 1917. Her trial was riddled with bias and circumstantial evidence, however, and many believed the French authorities, as well as the press, trumped her up as "the greatest woman spy of the century" to distract the public from the huge losses the French army was suffering on the Western Front.

After her last-minute plea to the French president for clemency was denied, French officers carried out the death sentence on October 15, 1917. Unbound and refusing a blindfold, Mata Hari was shot by a firing squad at the Caserne de Vincennes, an old fort outside Paris. Viewed by many as the victim of a hysterical French press contemptuous of her career as a dancer and courtesan and seeking a scapegoat, Mata Hari remains one of the most glamorous figures to come out of the shadowy world of espionage, and the archetype of the female spy.www.history.com

Game

2009-10-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Game is a one stop retail centre that boasts the best brands of electronics, grocery products, household and all you want in a super retail store.
The Game never stops to thrill you with the best brands.
Located at Shop 1, The Palms Shopping Mall.

Background of Nigeria

2009-10-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

British influence and control over what would become Nigeria and Africa's most populous country grew through the 19th century. A series of constitutions after World War II granted Nigeria greater autonomy; independence came in 1960. Following nearly 16 years of military rule, a new constitution was adopted in 1999, and a peaceful transition to civilian government was completed. The government continues to face the daunting task of reforming a petroleum-based economy, whose revenues have been squandered through corruption and mismanagement, and institutionalizing democracy. In addition, Nigeria continues to experience longstanding ethnic and religious tensions. Although both the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections were marred by significant irregularities and violence, Nigeria is currently experiencing its longest period of civilian rule since independence. The general elections of April 2007 marked the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in the country's history. https://www.cia.gov

Happy Independence.

DISCOUNT @ Let's Go Bowling!!!

2009-09-28T01:53:00.000-07:00

The competitive game of ten-pin bowling is as mentally and physically challenging as is as just plain fun!

Why not try your hand at an internationally popular game which will test your concentration, stamina and skill - all in a safe, friendly environment!

Book you corporate functions and kids party; enjoy time-outs with your family and friends.
You can book via www.thepalmsshopping.com

Celebrate Independence Day on the 1st of October at discounted rates.
Kids: N800=
Adults: N1,000=