Timlivintin

Strong earthquake shakes western China

noreply@blogger.com (chukwunwogor timothy) — Sun, 16 Feb 2014 22:23:00 +0000

BEIJING (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck a sparsely populated area of China's far western region of Xinjiang on Wednesday, damaging some houses, though no casualties were reported. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude-6.9 quake was centered 67 miles east-southeast of Hotan at a depth of 6.2 miles. The China Earthquake Networks Center measured the quake at magnitude 7.3 and said at least 20 smaller aftershocks ensued over the following two hours. The epicenter was in Yutian county, a mountainous area several thousand meters above sea level on the edge of the Taklamakan desert. A magnitude-7.2 quake in that area in March 2008 collapsed some houses but caused no injuries. China Earthquake Networks Center researcher Sun Shihong said any casualties from Wednesday's quake would likely be low. The director of the Yutian Civil Affairs Bureau, Zhang Chong, said by phone that no casualties had been reported. A police officer in Yutian said he had felt tremors shaking the police station and ran outside. Wang Gang, a fire brigade chief in Yutian County, told the national CCTV broadcaster he was heading from the county seat to the earthquake zone, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away, with a team of police and firefighters. Other officials interviewed by CCTV later said the quake had damaged mainly old houses in the area and that no casualties had been reported. The broadcaster showed footage of residents gathered in open spaces near apartment buildings that appeared largely undamaged. China's worst earthquake in recent years was a magnitude-7.9 temblor that struck the southwestern province of Sichuan in 2008, leaving about 90,000 people dead or missing.

Son-in-law charged in fatal Tennessee package bombing

noreply@blogger.com (chukwunwogor timothy) — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 10:26:00 +0000

The son-in-law of the elderly couple killed this week in a package bomb explosion at their Tennessee home has been charged in the case, authorities said Thursday evening. A grand jury returned indictments of felony first-degree murder and felony first-degree premeditated murder against Richard Parker, 49, police said at a press conference. Authorities would not elaborate on how they came to identify him as the suspect, and said he was arrested at his home on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if Parker, who lived on the same Lebanon property as Jon and Marion Setzer, had a prior criminal record. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bond at the Wilson County Jail Thursday evening, authorities said. Police said the package was placed at the Setzers' home, not shipped through the mail as originally speculated. Jon Setzer, 74, was killed on Monday when he discovered the package, and his wife, Marion, 72, died late Wednesday from injuries sustained in the blast. Several papers, notes and magazines were found by investigators in and around the blast area, although it's unclear whether any of them were attached to the device, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' Nashville Field Division told FoxNews.com. "We're in the process of piecing together those notes," ATF spokesman Michael Knight said. "There were notes and papers and such in the area. We have not determined if those are directly or indirectly associated to the bomb." An $8,000 reward was still being offered for information that leads to a conviction in the case, police said. Anyone with information is urged to contact authorities at 800-TBI-FIND.

The story of Terry Fox

noreply@blogger.com (chukwunwogor timothy) — Sat, 15 Feb 2014 07:34:00 +0000

He is one of the most famous athletes in Canadian history (not a hockey player). And that fact is quite a prove of what he achieved. After Terry lost his right leg to cancer in 1977 he decided that, if he was going to go on living, he was going to change something, that he was going to make adifference. So in 1980, he began the Marathon of Hope—He would run 26 miles per day, his goal was to try to raise money and awareness for cancer research by running all the way across Canada. After 143 and 3,339 miles his cancer spread to his lungs so he had to quithisMarathon of Hope– but not before he became anational herowhose name is as well-known as Wayne Gretzky, he managed toinspirean entire country. Definitely one of the best inspirational stories ever.

A Loan From Johnny

noreply@blogger.com (chukwunwogor timothy) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 19:59:00 +0000

Little Johnny was being questioned by the teacher during an arithmetic lesson. "If you had ten dollars," said the teacher, "and I asked you for a loan of eight dollars, how much would you have left?" "Ten," Little Johnny answered firmly. "Ten?" she said, "How do you make it ten?" Replied Little Johnny, "You may ask for a loan of $8 dollars but that doesn't mean you'll get it!"

St. Valentine, The Real Story By David Kithcart The 700 Club

noreply@blogger.com (chukwunwogor timothy) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 08:09:00 +0000

Flowers, candy, red hearts and romance. That's what Valentine's day is all about, right? Well, maybe not. The origin of this holiday for the expression of love really isn't romantic at all -- at least not in the traditional sense. Father Frank O'Gara of Whitefriars Street Church in Dublin, Ireland, tells the real story of the man behind the holiday -- St. Valentine. "He was a Roman Priest at a time when there was an emperor called Claudias who persecuted the church at that particular time," Father O'Gara explains. " He also had an edict that prohibited the marriage of young people. This was based on the hypothesis that unmarried soldiers fought better than married soldiers because married soldiers might be afraid of what might happen to them or their wives or families if they died." "I think we must bear in mind that it was a very permissive society in which Valentine lived," says Father O'Gara. "Polygamy would have been much more popular than just one woman and one man living together. And yet some of them seemed to be attracted to Christian faith. But obviously the church thought that marriage was very sacred between one man and one woman for their life and that it was to be encouraged. And so it immediately presented the problem to the Christian church of what to do about this." "The idea of encouraging them to marry within the Christian church was what Valentine was about. And he secretly married them because of the edict." Valentine was eventually caught, imprisoned and tortured for performing marriage ceremonies against command of Emperor Claudius the second. There are legends surrounding Valentine's actions while in prison. "One of the men who was to judge him in line with the Roman law at the time was a man called Asterius, whose daughter was blind. He was supposed to have prayed with and healed the young girl with such astonishing effect that Asterius himself became Christian as a result." In the year 269 AD, Valentine was sentenced to a three part execution of a beating, stoning, and finally decapitation all because of his stand for Christian marriage. The story goes that the last words he wrote were in a note to Asterius' daughter. He inspired today's romantic missives by signing it, "from your Valentine." "What Valentine means to me as a priest," explains Father O'Gara, "is that there comes a time where you have to lay your life upon the line for what you believe. And with the power of the Holy Spirit we can do that -- even to the point of death." Valentine's martyrdom has not gone unnoticed by the general public. In fact, Whitefriars Street Church is one of three churches that claim to house the remains of Valentine. Today, many people make the pilgrimage to the church to honor the courage and memory of this Christian saint. "Valentine has come to be known as the patron saint of lovers. Before you enter into a Christian marriage you want some sense of God in your life -- some great need of God in your life. And we know, particularly in the modern world, many people are meeting God through his Son, Jesus Christ." "If Valentine were here today, he would say to married couples that there comes a time where you're going to have to suffer. It's not going to be easy to maintain your commitment and your vows in marriage. Don't be surprised if the 'gushing' love that you have for someone changes to something less "gushing" but maybe much more mature. And the question is, is that young person ready for that?" "So on the day of the marriage they have to take that into context," Father O'Gara says. "Love -- human love and sexuality is wonderful, and blessed by God -- but also the shadow of the cross. That's what Valentine means to me."

The Florida Execution

noreply@blogger.com (chukwunwogor timothy) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 23:56:00 +0000

STARKE, Fla. –A man was executed Wednesday night in Florida for raping and killing a 9-year-old boy 18 years ago, a death that spurred the victim's parents to press nationwide for stronger sexual predator confinement laws and better handling of child abduction cases. Juan Carlos Chavez, 46, was pronounced dead at 8:17 p.m. Wednesday after a lethal injection at Florida State Prison, according to Gov. Rick Scott's office. Chavez made no final statement in the death chamber, though prison officials said he had submitted something in writing. He moved his feet frequently after the injection began at 8:02 p.m. but two minutes later stopped moving. Chavez abducted Jimmy Ryce at gunpoint after the boy got off a school bus on Sept. 11, 1995, in rural Miami-Dade County. Testimony showed Chavez raped the boy, shot him when he tried to escape, then dismembered his body and hid the parts in concrete-covered planters. Ryce's parents turned the tragedy's pain into a push for stronger U.S. laws regarding confinement of sexual predators and improved police procedures in missing child cases. Their foundation provided hundreds of free canines to law enforcement agencies to aid in searches for children. Despite an intensive search in 1995 by police and volunteers, regular appeals for help through the media and distribution of flyers about Jimmy, it wasn't until three months later that Chavez's landlady discovered the boy's book bag and the murder weapon — a revolver Chavez had stolen from her house — in the trailer where Chavez lived. Chavez later confessed to police and led them to Jimmy's remains. He was tried and found guilty of murder, sexual battery and kidnapping. Chavez's most recent state and federal court appeals have focused on claims that Florida's lethal injection procedure is unconstitutional, that he didn't get due process during clemency hearings and that he should have an execution stay to pursue additional appeals in the federal courts. The Florida Supreme Court, however, refused Wednesday morning to stay the execution to allow Chavez time to pursue those challenges, and the U.S. Supreme Court followed suit hours later. The appeals prompted a more than two-hour delay in Chavez's execution. Don Ryce, Jimmy's father said recently that he and his wife had become determined to turn their son's horrific slaying into something positive, in part because they felt they owed something to all the people who tried to help find him. They also refused to wallow in misery. "You've got to do something or you do nothing. That was just not the way we wanted to live the rest of our lives," he said. The Ryces created the Jimmy Ryce Center for Victims of Predatory Abduction, a nonprofit organization based in Vero Beach that works to increase public awareness and education about sexual predators. It also provides counseling for parents of victims and helps train law enforcement agencies in ways to respond to missing children cases. The organization has also provided, free of charge, more than 400 bloodhounds to police departments around the country and abroad. Ryce said if police searching for Jimmy had bloodhounds they might have found him in time. The Ryces also helped persuade then-President Bill Clinton to sign an executive order allowing missing-child flyers to be posted in federal buildings, which they had been prevented from doing for their own son. Another accomplishment was 1998 passage in Florida of the Jimmy Ryce Act, versions of which have also been adopted in other states. Under the law, sexual predators found to be still highly dangerous can be detained through civil commitment even after they have served their prison sentences. Such people must prove they have been rehabilitated before they can be released. Chavez had no criminal record, so the law would not have affected him. Chavez's only visitor Wednesday was his spiritual adviser, prison officials said.

The Indomitable Spirit Made Me A True Nigerian

noreply@blogger.com (chukwunwogor timothy) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 21:15:00 +0000

First half ended without a goal by Nigeria, my hopes were suffocating. Minutes into the second half, Nigeria scored two goals and my hope were back to life, but getting to 85min, I began losing hope again of nigeria equalising. At the dot of 89min, there came the equaliser which lead into extra time which we won. That's the "indomitable nigerian spirit" which has seen me sparkling like diamonds. It thought me that i can be the best despite the nature of my roots, if i work hard at it. It made me a true nigerian.

Visions Of Peace

noreply@blogger.com (chukwunwogor timothy) — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 15:50:00 +0000

When we were much younger there was this particular song we used to chant,especially when we are on adventure trips going 4 expenditure/excursion wherever.There's one particular song or will i call it rhyme we use to chant. The begins with "the more we are together,the happier we'll be; oh yea! u knw the #song am talking. On a cool friday evening when i was relaxing with my friends on a cafe enjoying the Cuban #Cofee ,this thought just struck on my mind. We all know the current security situation of this country,i now reasoned. Had it been that the lyrics of this perfect number was applied to certain areas of the economy of our great nation, it could have gone a long way to reducing the restiveness in dz country. Thereby, projecting nigerians as good people indeed....had it been that various tribes where allowed to inhabit together in a particular place instead of having a large concentration of them within different geographical confinements, which will make them to be seeing others in different vicinities as kinda rivals i may say. This can be achieved if you have different tribes working together as a team in the public and private sectors,it will make them to see their differences,appreciate the strengths and weakness of thier colleaques and teach them the love of being a brother's keeper,but can this still be possible? We all know what happened times back in Abia states, when non-natives were sent packing from the white collar jobs they had been earning thier living from,since 'God knows when',this almost resulted to the disintegrating of Ndiigbo states cox some states wanted 2 retaliate against the ill treatment melted out against their brothers. Today that we are all celebrating our democracy day i think is hightime for positive thinkers to be directing the affairs of this nation,we all want chief servants and not superimposers, that will be able to make the good people of Nigeria come together, achieving the #WaZoBia dream. Thisday i live u with this triple three
1.Let love reign.
2.Keep hope alive.
3.Stay outta trouble.
Tim.
(i actually composed this some years ago)