Letter from Africa To BBC: Nigeria community divided over Boko Haram

I was going through BBC news when i saw this:

Letter from Africa To BBC: Nigeria community divided over Boko Haram

• 31 March 2016
 
• From the sectionAfrica

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionBoko Haram Islamist militants seized Michika in September 2014

In our series of letters from African journalists, novelist and writer Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani travels to a Nigerian town split along ethnic and religious lines by Boko Haram's Islamist insurgency.

Long after the last militant has been annihilated and the final suicide bomb exploded, the effects of Boko Haram's terror tactics in Nigeria's north-east will still be seen and felt. And not just in the bodies maimed or the properties razed or the offspring of rape.

The insurgents are leaving behind in some communities a dense cloud of internecine hatred and suspicion.

Last month, I travelled to Michika on a mission organised by the Adamawa Peace Initiative, an interfaith attempt to reduce violence and build peace through a collaboration of local religious, community and business leaders.

Since 2012 it has been engaged in a number of joint peace-building programmes in the north-eastern state of Adamawa, working with the American University of Nigeria, and Michika is currently top of their list.

The town, one of the largest in the state, has a mixed Christian and Muslim population, Click here to read the complete news and see what bbc is sayin concerning  our beautiful NIGERIA vs BOKO HARAM.

The seven hottest game of thrones actresses

Game of Thrones has the most diverse set of characters ever seen on a TV show. And while we all love the story and the devious plot twists spanning across nations and continents of Westeros, one other thing that’s fairly easy to appreciate is the stunningly beautiful actresses. And there’s a whole bunch of them. Although this top list only includes 7 of the hottest Westerosi women, trust me, there are plenty more.

1. Emilia Clarke
Daenerys Targaryen, the only daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen, was exiled from King’s Landing with her brother, who then sold her to a Dothraki in exchange for a golden crown. He did not like that one bit. She became the Khaleesi (Queen) and later on the Mother of Dragons. Hands down one of the best, if not the best, character in the whole show.

In real life Emilia Clarke started out taking small roles in commercials on television but after joining the Game of Thrones in 2011, she won an Emmy Award as the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. Of course, you might have also seen her in the recent blockbuster Terminator: Genisys as Sarah Connor. Her middle name should be badass… Emilia “Badass” Clarke.

2. Carice van Houten
Melisandre of Asshai, the priestess of the Red God R’hllor, who manipulated Stannis Baratheon into leading his army against his own brother. All she needed to do was show off her sexy body and predict some future events. Oh and let’s not forget her Shadow Baby. Creepy-creepy stuff.

Outside of the Westerosi drama, Carice has earned multiple Golden Calf Awards including Best Actress in movies like Undercover Kitty and Black Butterflies. Moreover, she even recorded her own pop-rock album aptly named “See You on the Ice”. And by the way, she is totally going to resurrect that one guy, just you wait.

3. Natalie Dormer
If I start describing Natalie’s character, I’ll end up spoiling a lot of the plot twists of the show, so let’s just say that Margaery Tyrell is one of the most cunning and manipulative (yet still extremely likable) Game of Thrones characters. Long live the Queen!

Not only did Natalie manage to snag a nice role in the first Captain America movie, she also stars in both parts of the Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Not to mention her quirky smile made the internet blow up with GIFs, memes and even some new smile-related fetishes. Keep doing what you’re doing, Nat.

4. Lena Headey

Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, mother of 3 royal children is one of the most cold-hearted b$%ches in Westeros. Unlike the character she’s portraying, Lena Headey is actually a really cool person. This only proves how great of an actress she is, since anyone can play a good guy but being a villain for this long and make the viewers hate you – that’s mad skills. She’s almost as good as Jack Gleeson, who will forever remain Joffrey in the hearts of millions.

5. Roxanne McKee

Doreah is not as well known as any of the previous characters but when it comes to blowing off steam between the sheets (or in this case animal skins), who’d do it better than a charming Dothraki sex tutor? Yeah, she’s the one who taught Khaleesi how to ride Khal Drogo’s you-know-what.

6. Sophie Turner

Sansa Stark used to be a shy and quiet little princess from the North with her own direwolf and a loving family. At the time when she was betrothed to Joffrey Baratheon she had no idea what kind of treachery and misery awaits her. Eventually, Sansa became the cornerstone of many important plot twists in the game of thrones.

IMHO, Sansa and Arya have the best dramatic story arcs on this show. Sure, she starts off a little whiny but what would you do if you were suddenly a prisoner at some under-aged psycho’s castle? You’d probably get yourself killed, that’s what.

7. Rose Leslie

Another burning-hot redhead on our list – Ygritte of the Free Folk, Jon Snow’s one and true love. Being his first and probably his last, she’s taught him quite a few tricks, if you know what I mean. Before they’ve met Jon Snow pretty much knew nothing. For purely subjective reasons I’d say Rose Leslie is the hottest GoT actress (so far) and I’d like to see you prove me wrong.

16 pictures that proves Australia is the craziest

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Australia is one of the craziest places on earth–but what else would you expect from a country founded by prisoners on a continent isolated from the rest of the world for some 40 million years!

Don’t believe us? Then check out this headline: Top End man attacked by croc, escaped by wrestling and poking it in the eyes, then drank beer as first aid. Yes, it’s real.

Still need more proof? Here are 17 pictures that prove Australia is the craziest:

ntnews.com.au

Not only are crocodiles present throughout Australia, but they’re also huge. This saltwater croc caught on film is estimated to be about five and a half meters–or some 18 feet–in length. Sure… the dinosaurs went extinct, but with creatures like this still around, the question remains: who needs them? We’re not sure how you feel, but we would certainly respond “not us.”

                                                ntnews.com.au

     

And what’s more, Australia’s crocodiles aren’t afraid to leave their aquatic habitat. Though the water remains their primary hunting grounds, crocodiles are certainly comfortable enough on land to get out and explore, occasionally clashing with humans in the process. For example, this croc was killed in a Northern Territory town after his presence there was deemed threatening to humans. Threatening? Yeah, I’ll say…

      

      

loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com

But crocodiles aren’t the only freaky animals that call Australia home. Another fine example of the country’s creepily gigantic animal life is the grey-headed flying fox, technically a “megabat” but large enough to earn the “fox” name. An average wingspan of over three feet makes this creature a truly frightening sight. Perhaps craziest of all is the fact that these creatures aren’t confined to the wilderness–in fact, here they are filling the daytime sky in Sydney

                        

10000birds.com

Now, here come the crown jewels of Australia’s craziest and most dangerous animals–its snakes. The creatures are such a normal part of everyday life in the country that you can find snakes like this snake eating bats in city parks, warning people not to let pets loose–you know, just in case Fluffy gets eaten alive by a massive, monster-like snake.

abc.net.au

And even when you’re careful not to go to the snakes, sometimes the snakes come to you. This photo of a nearly six meter (20-foot) python was snapped after it fell through the roof of a charity store in Queensland. Somehow, I feel better sleeping at night knowing that a massive legless creature isn’t going to collapse my roof and land on my body at any given moment.

reuters.com

Even in flight–you’re never safe! This python was found dangling precariously on the wing of a plane headed from Australia to Papua New Guinea in January of 2013. Though it took quite a beating during the hours-long flight, crew and passengers alike were surprised to find that their snake companion had survived the journey upon landing. This may seem like a charming story at first, but I believe it hints at the horrors that these snakes are capable of.

fearbeneath.com

Thought maybe you could escape the onslaught of frightening animals by heading offshore? Not likely. Australia’s coastlines are famous for their surfing, but it’s best you don’t spend too much timing thinking about what lurks beneath the waves. Check out, for example, this photograph of a surfer about to cross paths with what is almost definitely a great white shark. I’m sure he had no idea. Ah… ignorance is bliss

abc.net.au

And sharks aren’t the only creatures lurking off Australia’s shores. Besides the aforementioned crocodiles, which do occasionally head out to sea, Australia’s waters are apparently home to this species of giant jellyfish. If it’s any comfort, it’s true that jellyfish of this kind aren’t particularly common–this species was known to exist but only cataloged by science earlier in 2014. That said, floating into one of these as I’m out for a swim doesn’t sound so appealing to me.

aquaviews.net

And the list goes on… The reef stonefish, one of the world’s most dangerous fish, exists in abundance off the Australian coast. Perhaps the most dastardly aspect of the stonefish’s hunting strategy is its camouflage–it’s able to blend in almost perfectly with the rocks around it, giving it an advantage against its prey. This, of course, is bad for humans–a step on one of its barbed spikes can cause excruciating pain and a trip to the hospital.

bransonswildworld.com

And finally, the blue-ringed octopus. This admittedly cool-looking creature is known to hide out in the tiny rock crevices of Australian tide pools and is responsible for more than 20 recorded deaths–mostly of young children who didn’t know any better. Perhaps most frightening is that there is no known anti-venom for its powerful poison. Death generally occurs within two hours.

Chris Tangey-Alice Springs Film and Television

If you thought Australia’s wildlife was a bit crazy for your tastes, have you checked out its weather? For example, tornadoes are pretty scary, right? And fires? Well they can be pretty worrisome too. But have you ever thought about what might happen if the two joined forces? Maybe not–but if that’s the case, then you’re probably not Australian. This here is a classic Australian fire tornado.

heraldsun.com.au

Finally, here’s a chance to take a look at Australia’s greatest source of craziness–its people. Let’s start small: someone out there in Australia thought that this would be a good look for Miss World Australia, and then a whole bunch of other people must have agreed until it became her actual outfit for the competition. It apparently pays homage to an important WWII group called the Australian Women’s Land Army, but more immediately obvious is how silly it looks.

heraldsun.com.au

But don’t worry–if you didn’t think that last outfit was crazy enough, let’s bump things up a notch and look at the Miss Universe Australia national costume! I wish I had a story about what this one is supposed to represent, but alas, it was not to be. As such, I’ll leave it up to your imagination what in the world is supposed to be going on here.

xaxor.com

Then, of course, there is this picture, which I’m sure covers a few Australian stereotypes–unfortunately, I can’t tell what specifically they are. All I know is that when I look at it, I think two things: the first is “crazy,” and the second is certainly “Australian.” I also hope that the poor dog managed to get out of the way in time.

doobybrain.com

Anyone who spent a lot of time on the internet during the early 2000s probably remembers this guy, a then 16-year-old Australian teen named Corey who received his fifteen minutes of fame when a party he threw attracted over 5,000 attendees and led to some $20,000 in damages to local property. His attitude towards reporters after the event is what really sealed the deal though–check it out here.

johnsons.id.au

And lastly, this picture sums up everything you need to know about how crazy Australia really is. Yes, I know that the image itself specifically says that this doesn’t happen, but you know what? That sounds somewhat defensive to me, and mighty suspicious. Until proven otherwise, I’m going to continue assuming that people do in fact ride kangaroos right past the Sydney Opera House–it’s been working well for me so far.

For more loke this go to www.traveltips4life.com

Kanye west has a sex laptop worth $250K

"I had a cousin that stole my laptop that I was fuckin' bitches on / Paid that nigga 250 thousand just to get it from him"

First Thought: His own cousin stole his laptop and blackmailed him? That's messed up.

Second Thought: That laptop was worth $250K? Man, he must have had like a whole new album on there.

Third Thought: Wait, no, Kanye has a laptop he uses to "fuck bitches on"?

You know what they say, third thought best thought. When "Real friends" dropped I was initially equal parts relieved and excited to hear the return of a soulful and honest Kanye West. And then I spent some serious time sorting through its implications, comparing the family life he portrays in "Real Friends " to his past work. And then I tried to figure out what "Real Friends" meant in the context of SWISH. But after all that intellectual flexing, if I'm being honest, I've mostly just become obsessed with the story behind this $250,000 laptop.  

Let's intially pause to acknowledge that Kanye apparently not only has multiple laptops, he's got one solely dedicated to his...let's go with "amorous" pursuits, which I suppose makes sense. He doesn't want to be in the studio with Paul McCartney and have Sir Paul see that he's got a folder on his desktop devoted entirely to pictures of American Apparel models. But this isn't a porn laptop, at least not strictly. It's a laptop for "fuckin bitches on," which is far more proactive and confusing than mere porn.

So what? He....would only DM Instagram models on this laptop? This laptop was solely reserved for looking through Backpages escort ads? If "Runaway" is any indication, he mostly used it to email pictures of his wang to various women, and given his experience getting caught, I could see why he'd want that activity hidden on a separate laptop. (Although alternately he could just, you know, make sure he always signed out of his email, but who am I to tell the genius Kanye West the best method of distributing his wang pics?)

"She find pictures in my e-mail / I sent this bitch a picture of my dick"

And then how was it stolen? Was there a member of his entourage charged with keeping track and protecting his sex laptop? Probably not, I'd have to assume Kanye always kept it with him personally; he'd be packing for Hawaii, about to head out the door, and suddenly remember, "Oops, almost forgot the sex laptop" before grabbing it off the kitchen counter and throwing it in his bag. Something that important and potentially damaging you keep a secret and you keep close.

And so did this cousin know the laptop he was stealing was the sex laptop, or did he think he was stealing a musical laptop, only to get home and to his surprise see it filled not with a new album or mind-blowing instrumentals but with aforementioned images of his cousin Kanye's wang? 

All of these questions are absolutely ridiculous, I acknowledge that, but at the very least, unlike "Family Business," where Kanye used other people's family stories as his own, I believe this stolen sex laptop story is completely true. Stick with me here.

In March of last year a rumor circulated that Kanye had hired a private investigator to look into a stolen laptop. At the time the world of course assumed that laptop was filled with music, but only because we didn't yet know about the existence of the sex laptop. What if it was in fact the sex laptop that was taken? And then when Kanye's spokesman later vehemently denied that any laptop was stolen, that was a lie. A laptop had indeed been stolen, just not the one we all assumed, and Kanye wanted the story covered up while he negotiated with his cousin for the return of his sex laptop. It only makes sense. 

Like that time Kanye rapped about meeting with CIA director George  Tenet, it feels like this one will go down in the ever-expanding category of highly questionable Kanye West lines that we'll never get the full story on. But rest assured that I'll remain on the case.

Some stories are just too important to let die.