European pedigree can take Arsenal to top four – Wenger

Arsene Wenger believes the experience gained from Arsenal’s long run of successful attempts to qualify for the Champions League will serve his team well in the battle to finish in the top four.

Wenger has overseen 15 consecutive years in Europe’s elite club competition, but Arsenal’s place in the Premier League’s top four has appeared more under threat than ever this season.

Despite Arsenal’s spluttering form, the Gunners boss has been encouraged by the win over Swansea before the international break and their failed effort to overturn a first leg deficit against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16.

“We just want to continue our form,” Wenger said ahead of Reading’s visit to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

“Bayern and Swansea is a good inspiration to continue our run-in. There are nine games to go. We play five at home and four away. With the form we have shown at Bayern and at Swansea, I think we have a very good chance to finish in the top four.

“We have experience of a few years. We have a special desire to do it together. That’s a good opportunity for us because we are back with a very good chance to do it. We want to grab this chance.”

Fourth-placed Tottenham looked certainties for a Champions League place until defeats to Liverpool and Fulham opened the door for Arsenal and Wenger is confident the Gunners, who are currently four points behind their north London rivals, can close the gap.

“We know that if we are consistent, we will do it,” Wenger said.

“We do not focus on Tottenham at all. We focus on the way we want to play and on our results. If we are consistent in the last nine games, we will do it.”

Although Wenger remains confident of finishing in the top four, he is looking for solutions to his injury problems this weekend.

Abou Diaby will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury and Theo Walcott is sidelined with a minor groin problem picked up while on England duty.

Kieran Gibbs has flu and Jack Wilshere is still not back from his ankle injury.

On Wilshere’s injury, Wenger said: “We deferred a little bit his rehab by one week. We gave him one more week rest because it was wise medically to do it.”

Wenger also has a selection dilemma over his goalkeeper as Wojciech Szczesny has suffered a dip in form.

“He has a great future. He is a very young goalkeeper. You do not find very many goalkeepers at his age who have the experience he has already,” Wenger said.

“That’s why I believe he has a great future. But he lives in a world where competition exists.”

Meanwhile, Reading will have Nigel Adkins in the dug-out for the first time since he was appointed to replace Brian McDermott.

The Royals are second bottom but Adkins is encouraged after a team meeting following the international break.

“We got a good interactive talk going and there is a belief there, what we have to do is galvanise ourselves in what is an eight-game season now,” Adkins said.

“We are in the Premier League and we want to remain here. Everyone has worked extremely hard to get in this position.

“We have to be efficient in everything we do to give us a chance to win games.”

source: vanguardngr

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Bolt signs on for London Diamond League – report

 

LONDON  (AFP) – Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt has signed a contract to race at the London Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium, according to a report on Friday.

Bolt has agreed to compete on both days of the Diamond League meeting in the English capital on July 26 and 27, the Daily Telegraph reported.

The meeting is expected to attract a host of star names as it marks the one-year anniversary of the London 2012 opening ceremony.

It will also be the first time the Jamaican has competed in Britain in a non-Olympic event since 2009.

He has stayed away because under British law the double Olympic 100, 200 and 4×100 metres champion would have had to pay tax on his lucrative endorsement earnings, but the British government recently announced a one-off exemption for overseas athletes taking part in the London meeting.

The London Anniversary Games takes place two weeks before the World Championships in Moscow.

Bolt has already confirmed he will race over 100m in Rome on June 6, over 200m in Oslo on June 23, in the sprint relay in Ostrava on June 27, over 200m in Paris on July 6 and over an unconfirmed distance in Brussels on September 6.

He is due to race over 150m on a track on Copacabana beach on Sunday.

However, a UK Athletics would not confirm whether an agreement had been signed with Bolt, saying only: “We are working hard to put together the best possible field.”

source: vanguardngr

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10 Simple Things Girls Want in Life

WHEN IT COMES TO WOMEN, THE LITTLE THINGS COUNT.
Here are ten seemingly simple things that women crave….

1. Someone who shows an interest in her life, who she is, and how she became that person
Ask questions! Show an interest! Don’t you really want to know who you are with?  And if you are really interested in that person, you would want to know all of this information.


2.   Acknowledgement of special occasions

True: some girls will say they don’t want anything for Valentine’s Day, and secretly do. Basically, she is looking for a thoughtful gesture. Because even though she’s not asking for anything, she’s still looking for proof that you care.

3.   Appreciation on ordinary daysDid she make you a cake? Dinner? Do your laundry? Make you smile?  Watch your favorite TV show with you?  Tell her—a simple and sincere “thank you” will suffice.

4.   Someone who likes her imperfections and embraces his ownNo one is perfect. Accept it.  Don’t get too picky, because someone could point out your imperfections just as easily.

5.   Someone who is excited to see her and proud to be with herIntroduce her to your friends (when you are ready, of course!) and always let her know that you are happy to see her.

6.   Someone who is already on their own pathI get it! Sometimes, especially in this economy, we have to compromise regarding our living situations.  But honestly, if you aren’t on a road to independent living, grown-up style, that is a problem.

7.   Someone who wants a commitment and marriageIf you have commitment issues or are just looking for simple, unattached companionship, make it known early and often.

8.   Someone who compliments her and accepts her complimentsBe confident enough in yourself to welcome compliments, and confident enough to give them.

9.   Someone who gives as much to her as she gives to them
It is exhausting doing all of the work. Just sayin’.

10.  Someone who likes simple things

Ordinary things are just plain awesome sometimes. Spending 20 minutes to walk with your lady says more than you realize. I think guys sometimes overthink what we really want.

Now, if you have the qualities on this list, have pride in yourself. I am not going to lie. Yes, there are superficial things that MAY or MAY NOT be added bonuses, but let’s get real here, people, you can’t be satisfied EVERY time.

Expect and give these basics and you’ll have a more fulfilling relationship. If you find a girl that’s after much more than this, or find that your list is too complicated and detailed, you’re not going to find that long-lasting relationship you’re after.

source: naijaonpoint

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Manchester United still in race for Dortmund defender

Mats Hummels FIFA WC-qualification 2014 - Austria vs. Germany 2012-09-11
Hummels with Germany in 2012

Personal information
Full name:              Mats Julian Hummels
Date of birth:         16 December 1988 (age 24)
Place of birth:         Bergisch Gladbach, West Germany
Height:                  1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position:     Centre back

Club information:
Current club:             Borussia Dortmund
Number:                   15
Youth career:            1995–2013             Bayern Munich

Manchester United are hopeful of concluding a summer deal for Borussia Dortmund center-back Mats Hummels, according to reports from The Express.

The Premier League leaders have been interested in the German international for some time, and were even linked with a move for his signature last summer.

But, recent reports have suggested that he is Barcelona’s top transfer target, and that negotiations between the player and the club are at an advanced stage.

But, Hummels has denied these claims, stating that there is not sort of agreement in place.

He did go on to suggest that he would consider a move to one of Europe’s elite clubs as he is an “ambitious thoroughbred footballer.”

These admissions have re-opened the door for United, who could rival Barca in the race for the 24-year-old.

Sir Alex Ferguson is believed to be keen on drafting in defensive players this summer, after having to use midfielder Michael Carrick as an emergency center-half earlier in the season due to injuries.

The Scot would be hopeful that Hummels could form a string partnership with Nemanja Vidic in the short-term and eventually succeed the Serbian at old Trafford.

Local rivals Manchester City are also interested, and could trigger a bidding war for the defender.

source: footballfancast

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How to Live Successfully on a Retirement Income

In order to write about living successfully on a retirement income, I need to define what I mean by success. My favorite definition, and the one I am using for this post, is one I am borrowing from author and career coach Dan Miller: “[Success is] a progressive realization of worthwhile goals.”
A Bible Story

When Jesus encountered the Samaritan woman at the well (see John 4:4-34), he incrementally revealed to the woman who he was (from a Jew in verse 9 to a prophet in verse 19 to Christ in verse 29). His disciples, in the meantime, had gone to buy some food. When they    returned, they were astonished that Jesus was not hungry. His response?

Here is my point: As Jesus was living out his purpose in life, he was nourished spiritually. In the same way, when we are doing what we were created to do, we will not be tired, exhausted and depressed. To the contrary, we will be energized, excited and enthusiastic. In fact, I believe that Jesus’ words in John 4:34 are a great guideline to let us know when we are on track.

Living Successfully

I believe that retirement is, for many of us, the years of do-over and second chances. Hopefully, we figured out our purposes long before retirement came along, but many of us (myself included), got caught up in a career which paid the bills but never quite plugged us into the joy of being in the center of God’s will.

As an engineer, I never hated my vocation but I was never passionate about it either. I did my job; I was good at it, and it provided for my family. But over the years, I often voiced to my wife what became a running joke: “I wonder what I will do when I grow up.” After engineering, I led “listening skills” workshops, both for my church and for industry . . . an activity which definitely fed me. I then began to counsel people regarding their finances – a new challenge which utilized my analytical skills from engineering, my listening skills, and my teaching skills (I have taught adult Sunday School classes for 35 years). Is my retirement successful? According to Dan Miller’s definition (a progressive realization of worthwhile goals), I would have to say yes. Have I somehow arrived? No. I on a journey, but I am excited about whatever future worthwhile goals the Lord will place in my path.
Your Retirement Income

You might be saying, “Sure Joe. This sounds good for retirees who have a decent income. But we don’t, and the task of making ends meet on our retirement income seems to drain us both financially and emotionally. What about us?”

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First, I want to encourage you, regardless of your income, to seek the Lord’s guidance for this stage of your life. Who knows? His plans may lead to an income which you never considered.

Secondly, there are several practical things you can do to help your retirement cash flow:

    Get out of debt. All of the money which you are currently paying to creditors will become additional income once your debt is gone.
    Pay off your house. I realize this is a biggie, but if you didn’t have that $800 house payment, your retirement income would jump by $800 per month. If paying off the house is not feasible, consider selling your home and using the equity to downsize.
    Get rid of a car. Many married couples have assumed that they will always need two cars, but, during retirement, one will often serve your needs. Saving on upkeep, insurance, and payments could make a big difference in your retirement budget.
    Eat right and exercise. You obviously want to be healthy during your retirement years, so be intentional about taking care of yourself. The good news is that you don’t need to spend a fortune to do so: a Community College in my Southern Illinois town offers very inexpensive exercise classes for senior citizens, giving them access to all the high tech exercise equipment offered at pricier health clubs. Besides feeling good, you will also save on an expense which can decimate retirement incomes: healthcare.
    Delay Social Security. If, instead of starting your Social Security pension at age 62,  you wait until Full Retirement Age, you will receive 25% more each month for the rest of your life. Besides, if you continue to work until that time, whatever retirement nest egg you are building will continue to grow and won’t be needed for as many years once you actually tap into it.

How about you?

My hope is that your retirement will also be a progressive realization of worthwhile goals. After being in the workplace for many years, you may have been so caught up in earning a living that you never had a perspective on exactly where God has been taking you. But retirement gives you that perspective. It is time to look back, look up and look forward. Your life is about to get very exciting as you discover more of yourself, more of God, and more about serving others. When your journey becomes one of connecting the dots which brought you to where you are today, and as you celebrate this stage of your life while looking forward to the next one, you are living a successful life.

source: christianpf

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How to Handle Financial Stress

Financial stress affects your entire life. To compartmentalize financial stress to a tiny corner of your world is nearly impossible. It affects everything: your marriage, your health, your mindset, you name it! So how do you effectively handle financial stress? Here are some steps and tips to reduce – and eventually eliminate – this life-hindering condition.

3 Steps to Reduce Financial Stress

1. Write down all of your financial responsibilities.

A major portion of your stress probably has to do with you keeping all of your financial responsibilities in your head. When you try to remember that you have to pay that bill, call that collection agency, hire that financial advisor, refinance the house, etc., you’re going to feel overwhelmed.

Have you ever noticed when you make a list you feel a sense of relief?

You can do the same thing with your financial responsibilities. Block out an hour to write them all down! You’ll be surprised at how much you’ve been trying to remember all at the same time.

2. Organize and identify the most important tasks and projects.

Now that you’ve written down all of your responsibilities, it’s time to organize them into individual tasks and projects. Some items you’re going to be able to complete in 15 minutes or a day. Other items you’ll need several weeks or maybe a few years! With each item on your list, ask yourself if it is a task or a project. Here are two examples:

    1.Cutting up a credit card is a task.
    2.Getting out of debt is a project.

After you’ve organized everything into tasks and projects, it’s time to identify the most important tasks and projects. Remember that sometimes the tasks and projects that are urgent aren’t necessarily the most important. Figure out what you value most and free up some time for those tasks and projects.

3. Act with a plan.

You now know what is most important. You have everything written down. And, you’ve identified projects that might take you a while to complete. Now what?

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It is best to take a look at some financial plans that can help you achieve the goals you’ve identified.

Bob at ChristianPF has written an excellent Getting Started Course that can help you identity even more goals you can add to your list. You’ll also learn how to get out of debt, better organize and manage your finances, and prepare for your financial future. Best of all, it’s free!

Dave Ramsey, a popular Christian financial advisor has a “big picture” plan with his 7 Baby Steps. This too is free!

An important part of handling financial stress is acting on your plan. It’s not enough to have the head knowledge, you have to do something about your stress!

6 Additional Tips to Reduce Financial Stress

As you move through the three steps outlined above, here are some helpful tidbits that can put you on the fast track to financial freedom. These have been a lifesaver for me, and I believe they will be in yours as well.

1. Say “No” to new debt.

If you have financial stress, a major portion (if not all of it) is probably due to being in debt. The good news is that if you don’t take on more debt, eventually you’ll pay it off – even without a plan! But hey, you and I both know it’s better to have a plan.

If credit cards are ruling your life, cut them up. Try a cash back debit card instead. You’ll be spending your own money and earning rewards at the same time.

2. Eat healthy and exercise!

If you don’t have enough energy to work a second job so that you can throw some extra money at your financial goals, it might be because of your lifestyle.

What are you putting in your body? Fruits and vegetables or cupcakes and donuts? The fuel you feed yourself matters. Try this: Eat nothing but natural, whole foods for a week and see if you feel better – you might never go back!

Exercise is important too. Try for at least three times a week to start and do more if possible. Even just walking or running three times a week will do the trick!

These healthy lifestyle choices aren’t easy to make (I’m always trying to improve on this one), but if you do make them, you’ll have more energy to put into your financial plan.

Oh, and did I mention eating right and exercising naturally reduces stress?

3. Focus on one goal at a time.

You can’t clean up your mess in a day. It’s going to take time. So why try to do everything at once?

There’s a power to focused intensity, and it will get you to where you want to go faster.

4. Make a budget.

This is a big one, folks. By learning how to make a great budget, you’ll have a skill that will literally save you thousands of dollars over your lifetime. Prioritizing where you spend your money is essential so that you can not only survive, but thrive!

5. Find unique ways to save money and have fun with it!

While working a budget can do wonders, you’re going to have to make some behavioral changes as well to succeed. Sometimes, that means finding unconventional ways to save money. You know, like installing L.E.D. light bulbs, keeping your dryer vent clean, and other interesting ways to save money on electricity – you get the picture!

6. Pray. For real this time.

You don’t have to make your prayer fancy. You’re talking with God, and he knows what you’re going to say anyway! Have a conversation with your Heavenly Father, and ask him to help you deal with your financial stress! The Lord loves you more than you could ever imagine, and wants to help you in your time of need. Keep it real, and ask God lighten your load!

source: christianpf

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Bill Gates the unknown explores Ghana’s health progress

AHENTIA –  (AFP) – The freckled man with the rectangular glasses instantly recognisable to much of the world stood in the West African heat, staring at data that had nothing to do with selling software.

But it was exactly where Bill Gates said he wanted to be, at a tin-roof clinic in a village in Ghana, listening to local health-care workers explain the progress they had made in vaccinating babies.

“These are the countries where I’m the least known,” the 57-year-old Microsoft co-founder told AFP later Tuesday, after a journalist pointed out that several of those at the clinic did not know who he was.

“I mean, nobody knows me here,” he said, before adding: “Maybe in the capital, but that has nothing to do with why we do the work.”

Gates’ foundation has been on a high-profile campaign to improve health by increasing vaccinations in poorer nations. Ghana, with an immunisation level above 90 percent for some diseases, is being held up as a success story.

That’s why Gates, who Forbes says is the world’s second-richest person as well as its most generous, was here this week to visit health clinics and speak with officials about their efforts.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a major contributor to the GAVI Alliance, which helps make vaccines available to developing countries, including Ghana.

His visit came ahead of a so-called Global Vaccine Summit set for Abu Dhabi on April 24 and 25, where Gates and others will try to highlight the need for continued support for immunisations, as well as discuss a six-year plan to eliminate polio.

These have not been easy times for the vaccination campaigns that Gates promotes with both his star power and his money.

The global economic slowdown has led to concerns over aid contributions and violence has hit polio immunisations in Nigeria and Pakistan.

He said he visited Ghana to get an on-the-ground view of what worked and what did not.

Gates also called Ghana’s primary health care system “probably the best” in Africa, while also singling out Rwanda and Botswana for praise.

But the story in certain other countries remains problematic — particularly in nearby Nigeria, which remains one of the world’s three polio-endemic countries despite its position as Africa’s largest oil producer.

And while Ghana has distinguished itself, there is some concern over whether its efforts will continue at the same level: for as the country continues its economic march that will eventually disqualify it for the aid that pays for much of its vaccination work.

For the time being however, it is a point of pride, with polio eradicated about 10 years ago and no child deaths from measles since 2002.

“With such achievement, it convinces them that immunisation works,” said Dr. K.O. Antwi-Agyei, immunisation programme manager for the Ghana Health Service, referring to discussions with politicians on maintaining financing.

“And once it’s working, then it’s worth investing into.”

Ghana has had a number of factors working for it, beginning with its political stability, with the country seen as a democratic success story in West Africa. It has held six successful elections since the 1992 end of military rule.

Its economy has also been strong in recent years, with 14-percent growth in 2011 and some eight percent last year.

But Gates and others point out that one of the real secrets of its success has been the way its health service is organised, with efficient community health centres that conduct outreach to ensure as many babies are vaccinated as possible.

A district health centre visited by Gates collects data on immunisations and posts it on a web-based system — a key point for the former software geek, who stresses that quality data is needed to assess health efforts.

A pilot programme is also being run that allows health centres to communicate with mothers by mobile phone text messages, sending them health tips and reminding them it’s time for their child’s immunisation.

As for what will happen when Ghana advances further along economically and begins to be phased out of major GAVI financial support, opinions differ.

Antwi-Agyei’s boss, Dr. Frank Nyonator, director of the human resources division in the ministry of health, said he is confident Ghana will pick up the slack on its own. Antwi-Agyei is more concerned.

But for now, progress can be seen at places such as the Ahentia health centre, set among dusty roads and where public electricity only recently arrived, one of the nurses said.

Mothers and their children looked on as nurses and volunteers weighed a baby from a sling hung from a tree branch. Inside, a refrigerator equipped to operate with gas when electricity is not available kept the vaccines cold.

Faustina Havor, a 30-year-old volunteer, had no problem admitting she did not know who Bill Gates was. It did not matter.

“I just want to help my community — and my country as a whole,” she said when asked why she decided to volunteer.

source: vanguardngr

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Inyanya to perform at AYAC Warri 2013 opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of Africa Youth Athletics Championships will, as usual,  be the first spectacle fans will behold when the continental show  kicks off at the Warri Township Stadium today. This will be at 2 pm.

Popular artist, Inyanya of All I WANT IS YOUR WAIST fame will perform at the opening ceremony that will be brief. There would be cultural displays and a historic relay that will depict a transition from the past generation to the present and then to the future.
Ethiopians arrive for Warri 2013. Photo: Henry Unini

Ethiopians arrive for Warri 2013. Photo: Henry Unini.



Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan will declare the championship open.
Immediately after this, 100m, arguably the most exciting event of track and field will start.  The heats for the boys and girls will be followed by Long Jump for girls.  Shot Put, Boys, Hurdles,  Pole Vault, 800m, Discus will all follow. The interesting thing about today is that four gold medals will be up for grabs this afternoon.

The final of Pole Vault, Discus and 3,000 all for girls and Long Jump for Boys will come up this afternoon. The information was released by Commodore Omatseye Nesiama as related to him after the meeting of technical officials for the championships yesterday.

This is good for Africa – Moroccan official Tijani Hammou is a Track and Field Area Technical Official from Morocco.
He is among the foreign technical officials who will be officiating throughout the Africa Youth Athletics Championships that start today in Warri. He bared his mind on the championships while doing his accreditation.

’’The championship is good for Africa. It will help our athletes. It is the first edition in Africa but Europe and America and other parts of the world have had championships of this nature for long. It is part of the reason why they are doing better than us. I’m happy that we have started this.

We are in Nigeria with a lot of expectations from this athletes. This may be the beginning for many of the stars of tomorrow,’’ Tijani said.

source: vanguardngr

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Sunday Mba: NFF orders Wolves, Rangers to agree on transfer fee today

The Nigeria Football Federation has ordered Nigeria Premier League clubs, Warri Wolves and Enugu Rangers to agree on a transfer fee for Super Eagles’ attacking midfielder Sunday Mba before the close of work
today.

“Failure of the two clubs to reach a reasonable conclusion on the fee will compel the NFF to fix such a transfer fee by Friday, 29th March, which must be paid on the agreed terms before the player is cleared to play for his preferred club and continue his career,” said a statement by the Ad-hoc Commit tee set up by the NFF on the matter.

Having established that the player was transferred from Enyimba FC of Aba to Rangers in December 2006, loaned to Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt and duly returned to Rangers, the Committee also affirmed that Rangers gave a ‘provisional clearance’ to the footballer to play for Warri Wolves between 2011 and 2013, but the player left Warri Wolves without any documentation back to Enugu Rangers and in fact was registered for the 2013 CAF Champions League by the Coal City club.

Although the Committee established that the player no longer wishes to continue to play for Warri Wolves, it slammed the unhealthy and unwholesome practice in the Nigeria League whereby verbal agreements,

Against proper documentation, hold sway. It indicted the clubs thus: “Transfer and loan fees meant for player transactions were not written down in clear terms and club accounts were found not to have been used for most transactions, which promotes unhealthy dealings in player transfers.”

The Committee concluded: “Based on the available information as presented by the Nigeria Professional Football League Management Committee on the Club Status of Player Sunday Mba…the player is currently having his contractual obligations to Warri Wolves.”

source: vanguardngr

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Van Persie say's he is Happy At United

Robin van Persie

Born: August 6, 1983 (age 29), Rotterdam

Height: 1.86 m

Spouse: Bouchra van Persie (m. 2004)

Salary: 12 million GBP (2012)

Children: Shaqueel van Persie, Dina Layla van Persie
Teams: Netherlands national football team (Forward), Manchester United F.C.

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has hinted he may end his career at Old Trafford.

The 29-year-old says Sir Alex Ferguson's proven track record in getting the best out of older players such as 39-year-old Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes (38) may keep him at the champions-elect.
Van Persie told Dutch magazine Voetbal International: "For the next few years I will be at Manchester United - and maybe longer. United could be my last club."

"You have a number of clubs in Europe where older players can find it good, where they are valued. You used to have that at Juventus and AC Milan, Manchester United today is a good example. So who knows how long I will stay at the club.
"There is a new challenge for me every day at United. My development is an ongoing process. That gets an extra boost when you are surrounded by new coaches and team-mates, all with their own ideas, in a totally new environment."

For his part, Giggs believes he will soon be one of several over-40s playing football at the top level in England.
The veteran Welshman - English football's most decorated player - believes advances in sports science make it easier for players to prolong their careers if they retain the desire keep playing.
With the involvement of sports science, players looking after themselves more - and the facilities are so much better," Giggs said.
"So if they want to, and if they have the desire, players can go on a lot longer than they used to."

source: naijaonpoint

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Robin van Persie bagged a brace as the Netherlands

Manchester United star Robin van Persie bagged a brace as the Netherlands continued their march to Brazil in thrashing Romania 4-0 at the Amsterdam ArenA.

In so doing van Persie reached 34 international goals, bettering the haul of 33 goals in 48 caps by the legendary Johan Cruyff. Van Persie is now just six goals shy of Patrick Kluivert’s all-time goal record for the Oranje.

“Van Persie was very unlucky in the first half but in the second half he was actually very happy, because he made an incredible world-class goal,” boss Van Gaal was quoted as saying by Voetbal International.

“It was a ball that he could barely head, but he deliberately hit it into the top corner. And he also put the penalty well inside [the goal]. He was also a great target man, as you saw in his first goal.

Rafael van der Vaart scored the opener and Jeremain Lens added gloss in the last minute as the Dutch stretched their perfect record to six matches, and their lead at the top of qualifying Group D to seven points.

The Netherlands need just two more wins from their final four matches to ensure their passge to the finals in Brazil next year.

source: justmanunited.com

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Herniated Disks

Spinal discs are small gel-filled cushions that separate the vertebrae (bones) of your spine. The disks have a fibrous outer capsule and an soft inner, the nucleus pulposus.

Disks can deteriorate gradually over time (see causes below) and herniate with the smallest of movements. Or they can herniate suddenly from extreme pressure, such as from a traumatic accident.

A disc herniates either when the outer shell weakens or the pressure inside builds beyond its strength. The capsule or shell either ruptures, tears or bulges. The soft inner part protrudes out, and starts pressing against a nerve. When the soft part herniates (bulges out), the pain can be excruciating. For all the pain herniated discs might create, usually you are not in danger of long-term damage.

You may be without obvious symptoms until one day, you bend over and suddenly the small amount of pressure on your spine is "the straw that broke the camel's back". Just enough to make the disc herniate, causing immense pain, often shooting into your legs. More often then not, disc herniation is the result of gradual degeneration.

Rarely, a herniated disc might press on a nerve that controls your bladder or bowels, causing you to lose control of them. This constitutes a medical emergency requiring an immediate intervention.

Disc degeneration can start early. MRIs indicate that about 30% of 30 year old people already have signs of degeneration. Herniated discs are most common in people between the ages of 30 and 50. In older people, most spinal discs have flattened out too much to herniate, although the older spine is vulnerable to other problems.
Causes of Herniated Disks

The medical establishment research suggests that people have a genetic predisposition to the problem. But the truth is that the problem is cultural. It's your lifestyle, especially your diet, that causes these problems.
Enzyme Deficiency

A major element causing herniated disks is a lack of enzymes. By eating cooked food, we deplete our enzyme reserves so that by middle-age we start falling apart.
Heavy Metal Toxicity

Cigarette smoke poisons you with cadmium and mercury, causing spinal discs to degenerate.
Amalgam fillings and coal burning power plants poison you with mercury. Lately, fish have been implicated.
Old house paints poison you with lead.

The resulting heavy metal toxicity is a leading cause of weakening disks.
Viral Infection

The "last straw" that will contribute to this weakened disk phenomenon is a viral infection (herpes, coxsackie, small pox, Epstein Barre or others). Most people will have had one or more by the time they reach their twenties.

If you go to a conventional medical doctor, you will get an MRI, find out that the disc is herniated, receive epidural corticosteroid shots around the spinal nerves, and have relief for some time. Until the next episode. The next step will be more radical intervention, such as disc replacement or spinal fusion. You will continue to decline with intermittent episodes of extreme trouble that will be treated with pain killers and inflammation suppressants.
Help for Herniated Disks

If you read this information before surgery, please consider correcting your digestive malfunction that is causing your disc damage.

You should learn about supplementation with zeolite, amino acids, essential fatty acids, superfoods, vitamins, minerals, especially magnesium and natural crystal salt.

Our Platinum Plus Amino Acids are not just any ordinary formula. They contain a patented combination of sulfur and molybdenum that makes the correct synthesis of proteins required for rebuilding your back possible.

Contrary to what many doctors suggest, that herniated discs eventually require surgery, most people who change their lifestyle recover without it.

If you do experience this type of injury, ice the area immediately (a bag of frozen peas in a towel works great). Find a competent chiropractor or a physical therapist to set things back in line. And correct your dietary habits to not only prevent future damage, but to completely restore full function to your spinal cord and your joints - this method works. equally well on carpal tunnel and tennis elbow syndromes.

source:life-enthusiast.com

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My Girlfriend Want to Dump Me Because I Don’t Believe in GOD

I am a Yoruba boy and I’m dating an Igbo girl. I and my girlfriend have been together for almost three months but she wants to break up with me because I’m neither a Christian nor a Muslim, I don’t believe in God. I'm a freethinker.

I love her so much and I don’t want to loose her because of this issue. I have vowed never to be a Christian in my life. I’m an atheist. she is a God fearing Christian with good morals and she's very beautiful and intelligent, but she says she can't get married or date an "unrepentant pagan" like me.
please what should I do? Should I let her go or should I compromise and throw away what I believe to be truth and embrace what I think is false, all because of love, I'm confused.

•   FRIENDS, Please Kindly advice this man
•   What should he do? Remain a pagan and loose the girl?
•   Or convert to Christianity to win the girl’s love?

source: naijaonpoint.com

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Labors Untold Story

From "Labor's Untold Story" by Richard O. Boyer and Herbert M. Morais

Published by United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America, NY, 1955/1979.

One night, probably in 1880, John Swinton, then the preeminent New York journalist, was the guest of honor at a banquet given him by the leaders of his craft. Someone who knew neither the press nor Swinton offered a toast to the independent press. Swinton outraged his colleagues by replying:

"There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it.

There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone.

"The business of the journalists is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread.

You know it and I know it, and what folly is this toasting an independent press?

We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."

sourse:life-enthusiast.com

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EAGLES TO TRAIN IN GERMANY FOR KENYA

The Super Eagles will train in Germany ahead of a return leg World Cup clash against Kenya with warm-up games against Mexico and Jamaica confirmed.

  The Eagles are away to Kenya on June 5 in a crunch World Cup qualifier after the Harambee Stars snatched a draw in Calabar at the weekend. They also face hosts Namibia a week later in continuation of the qualifying series.

  The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have now concluded plans for the African champions to set up a training camp in Germany ahead of a hectic month of June, when they are also to feature at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

  According to Eagles spokesman Ben Alaiya, the team regroup at the adidas camp site in Germany in the middle of May to prepare for two crucial 2014 World Cup qualifiers and the friendlies against Mexico and Jamaica.

"We are leaving no stone unturned (ahead of World Cup qualifiers) and so we will return to camp in the middle of May at adidas camp site in Germany. It is from there we will go to play Kenya and Namibia. We have two friendly matches lined up for that period against Mexico and Jamaica," Alaiya disclosed.

Eagles must win their next two World Cup qualifiers away to Kenya and Namibia to stay in contention for a place in the final round of the qualifying tournament for Brazil 2014 after they laboured to a 1-1 draw with Kenya at home.

They remain top of Group F on five points from three matches, but Malawi are also on five points, while Nambia have three points. Kenya remain bottom of the standings on two points.

Meanwhile, coach Stephen Keshi has travelled to USA to be with his family.

"’Big Boss’ has left for the US to see his family. It has been a while he left them. He needs to rest a bit and see his family," Alaiya said.

source: naijaonpoint.com

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