Don't redeploy us from Plateau, corps members tell NYSC

Despite the resolution by the House of Representatives for the redeployment of Batch 'A' 2010 National Youth Service Corps members from Plateau State, some of the corps members have rejected the redeployment.

A News Agency of Nigeria correspondent who visited the Jos Orientation Camp on Thursday reports that no fewer than 1,015 out of the 1,211 corps members have registered, with more still arriving.

Some of them told NAN that they were ready to serve their fatherland in Plateau and that the security problem was not limited to the state but was a national issue.

Jemila Benzi, an indigene of Adamawa State, said that although the National Assembly was representing the people and had the interest of the citizens at heart, she was comfortable serving in Plateau.

She said, "I am comfortable wherever I am sent to serve my fatherland. Anywhere I am sent, I will go because I believe that God has a plan for me.

"Even though we are not happy with the crisis, we believe things will get better. Definitely I am not getting any redeployment, I am staying here because I am enjoying the weather, the food and the hospitality of the people.

"You can never get some of the foods and the weather they have on the Plateau elsewhere in this nation. I love this state even though there are challenges, I believe things will be okay."

Another member, Joshua Danjuma from Gombe State, said, "I am not seeking for any redeployment because I have made up my mind that since I've already prepared my mind to serve the country, I will definitely stay and serve.

"My advice to government is to provide adequate security for all Nigerians. It is not only in Plateau."

Yetunde Aluko from Osun State said she would not have considered redeployment but for the pressure from her parents and other family members.

She said, "I want to redeploy simply because my family members are not happy that I'm here now and they are very worried. And because of that, I really feel I should redeploy to another state in the north."

A News Agency of Nigeria correspondent who visited the Jos Orientation Camp on Thursday reports that no fewer than 1,015 out of the 1,211 corps members have registered, with more still arriving.

Some of them told NAN that they were ready to serve their fatherland in Plateau and that the security problem was not limited to the state but was a national issue.

Jemila Benzi, an indigene of Adamawa State, said that although the National Assembly was representing the people and had the interest of the citizens at heart, she was comfortable serving in Plateau.

She said, "I am comfortable wherever I am sent to serve my fatherland. Anywhere I am sent, I will go because I believe that God has a plan for me.

"Even though we are not happy with the crisis, we believe things will get better. Definitely I am not getting any redeployment, I am staying here because I am enjoying the weather, the food and the hospitality of the people.

"You can never get some of the foods and the weather they have on the Plateau elsewhere in this nation. I love this state even though there are challenges, I believe things will be okay."

Another member, Joshua Danjuma from Gombe State, said, "I am not seeking for any redeployment because I have made up my mind that since I've already prepared my mind to serve the country, I will definitely stay and serve.

"My advice to government is to provide adequate security for all Nigerians. It is not only in Plateau."

Yetunde Aluko from Osun State said she would not have considered redeployment but for the pressure from her parents and other family members.

She said, "I want to redeploy simply because my family members are not happy that I'm here now and they are very worried. And because of that, I really feel I should redeploy to another state in the north."

Nigerian deportee dies in Swiss airport

A Nigerian deportee died at Zurich airport after collapsing in handcuffs as he was being placed onto a special flight for expelled criminals or failed asylum seekers, the Swiss police said on Thursday.

Zurich police said in a statement that the unnamed man had been arrested for drug dealing and was meant to have been sent back to Nigeria on the flight with 15 other people, Agence France Presse reports.

"The 29-year-old, whose asylum application was not accepted by the Federal Migration Office, had refused food for several days, and was trying to resist arrest. He could only be handcuffed with use of force.

"Shortly after, he suddenly showed health problems."

The police added that the accompanying officials had unlocked his handcuffs and tried to resuscitate him.

However, the man died shortly after.

Local police assured that investigations were ongoing into the cause and circumstances of his death.

The FMO said in a statement that it "deplored this tragic incident" and that it was suspending special flights while a probe was taking place.

Source:AFP

Sauce Kid - Under G Official Video. Produced By Don Jazzy

United States mis-prioritized rebuilding of Iraq After Post Saddam Hussein:Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

HONG KONG – Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday she would "many times over liberate" Iraq again, but she regretted the Bush administration failed to work closer with Iraqis to rebuild the war-torn country.

Rice, speaking at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said she believed history would eventually vindicate many of the decisions made during the presidency of George W. Bush.

"I would many times over liberate Iraq again from Saddam Hussein," Rice said. "I think he was a danger to the Middle East."

However, she suggested the U.S. government failed to understand "how broken Iraq was as a society" and should have focused its rebuilding efforts outside of Baghdad, the capital.

"We tried to rebuild Iraq from Baghdad out, and we really should have rebuilt Iraq from outside Baghdad in," she said.

"We should have worked with the tribes, worked in the provinces," she said, adding that smaller projects should have been favored over big ones.

"That's something that in retrospect that we finally got right" several years after the 2003 invasion. "And it's one reason I think Iraq has a chance."

Rice served Bush as national security adviser and later as America's chief diplomat. She now is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution public policy research group at Stanford University.

She is en route to the Chinese island of Hainan for the Boao Forum, an annual conference where executives hobnob with global leaders, early next month.

Source: Associated Press

Togo's presidential election

Nigerian Tribune, Wednesday, March 17, 2010

FAURE Gnassingbe's margin of victory in Togo's presidential election held on March 4 was decisive, but not embarrassingly crushing. He ran as the incumbent and some incumbents, especially in Africa, claim to have won more than 80 per cent of the vote. PRESIDENT Gnassingbe appears more sensible than many politicians. In a governorship election in Nigeria, the turnout was said to be more than 90 per cent in wet conditions and the incumbent won almost every vote of the more than two million reportedly cast!

PRESIDENT Gnassingbe won 60.92 per cent of the vote, almost double that of Jean-Pierre Fabre of the Union of Forces for Change (UFC) at 33.94 per cent.

MR. Fabre immediately cried fraud. He said he was the winner of the election and led his supporters to the streets to protest President Gnassingbe's victory. Many of the demonstrators dissolved into tears; their eyes were stung by a floating cloud of tear gas. A tear gas grenade landed at Mr. Fabre's feet; it was a grim greeting.

MR. Fabre said he was ready to die, but the police prevented him from leading his supporters on the second day of protest. The government had set up a special security unit before the election. The leader of the unit, Damhane Yark, did not try to hide the fact that his loyalties were to President Gnassingbe. "Some people from outside the country came to Togo to make trouble during the election. And they were paid by one of the country's opposition parties."

PRESIDENT Gnassingbe has strong military support. The army made him president after his father's sudden death in February 2005. His father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, seized power in 1967 in a military coup. He discarded his colonel's uniform and began to wear sharp suits. Mr. Eyadema was in dictatorial power for 38 years.

MR. Eyadema allowed multiparty elections in 1993 but he was never in danger of losing power. This was not because he was popular, but because state officials feared his power. The state-owned radio station praised him before beginning the broadcast of news.

HE routinely abused human rights, as an African Union - European Union panel had no hesitation in concluding after investigating allegations against him. He lauded Mr. Gilchrist Olympio whose father, the country's first president, was murdered in 1963. The younger Olympio was seriously wounded in an assassination attempt.

MR. Olympio was barred from running in the 2003 presidential election. A referendum held by Mr. Eyadema in 2002 had removed presidential term limits. Mr. Eyadema would have remained in office - and he was 'only' in his 60s - if he had not died.

THE installation of Faure Gnassingbe as president by the army after his father's death greatly offended most Togolese and the international community. Mr. Gnassingbe was forced to step down, a candidate in the election to choose his father's successor.

MR. Gnassingbe runs on the ticket of the Rally of the Togolese people. More than two million votes were cast in the April 24, 2005, election and Mr. Gnassingbe was said to have won 60.15 per cent of the ballot. His closest rival was Mr. Emmanuel Bob-Akitan of the Union of Forces for Change with 38.25 per cent of the votes. The declaration of Mr. Gnassingbe as the winner of the election led to violent street protests.

IT seems Mr. Gnassingbe has become more popular, though marginally so, since the last election in 2005. He won 60.92 per cent in the March 4 election compared to the 60.15 per cent he won in 2005.

DOES this show modesty or honesty? Modesty is not honesty, though both can be false. General Sani Abacha gave the impression of honesty when he signed the decree to punish top bank executives whose robbery led to the collapse of their banks, but he salted hundreds of millions of dollars away in foreign bank accounts, money that he stole from the Nigerian people.

INTERNATIONAL observers said the election was free and fair, but one of the defeated candidates said the wool had been expertly pulled over their eyes: "The vote was so expertly stolen by the ruling party that electoral observers will never understand what really happened."

MR. Fabre claimed that many of his supporters did not go out to vote because they were intimidated. But some of the same supporters were not afraid to confront the same security forces after the results of the election were announced.

THE election was probably free, but there is a question mark over the results. The satellite system that was used to transmit results from polling station was said to have crashed.

THE reality on the ground is that Mr. Gnassingbe will remain in power for the next five years. As term limits have been removed, he may remain in office for as long as he wants. He is a young man and has firmly checked the rivalry of his half brother.

THERE are presidential dynasties in three African countries - Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Togo. Egypt may be next. This bodes ill for democracy on the continent.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour moves to ABC News

Christiane Amanpour

Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour was named on Thursday to anchor the ABC News' Sunday morning program "This Week" starting in August, after 27 years as an international correspondent for CNN.

Amanpour, 52, was hired to replace George Stephanopoulos, the former White House aide who became the new anchor of ABC's weekday breakfast-hour show "Good Morning America" in December.

ABC News senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper will serve as the regular, interim anchor for "This Week" until the debut of Amanpour in August, the Walt Disney Co-owned network said.

The London-born journalist, whose father is Iranian and mother is British, built her career reporting for CNN from some of the world's most troubled and conflict-ridden regions, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Rwanda and the Balkans.

She married U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin in 1998.

Her departure from CNN after 27 years comes at a troubled time for Time Warner Inc's cable network, whose ratings are in a slump, and for ABC News, which recently undertook a reorganization involving one of its biggest cutbacks in years.

She is set to join ABC after "This Week" had managed last year to almost catch up with the No. 1 Sunday morning talk show, NBC's "Meet the Press," hosted by David Gregory, only to slide back this season to No. 3 in viewership behind CBS's "Face the Nation," starring Bob Schieffer.

This season, "This Week" has averaged about 2.7 million viewers weekly, trailing "Face the Nation" by just 90,000 people, while "Meet the Press" leads with 3.3 million a week, according to audience tracker Nielsen Co.

Related Posts:

• CNN’S Christiane Amanpour Interviews Nigeria's Acting President Goodluck Jonathan

Ghadafi should be ignored ––David Mark

Written by Ayodele Adesanmi

The Senate President, Senator David Mark, said on Wednesday,  that the Libyan leader, Mamman Ghadafi,  was a mad man who should be ignored and not be given any publicity.

The Libyan leader, while speaking with some students in his country called for the division of Nigeria into two nations to avoid further bloodshed between Muslims and Christians.

He proposed that the partitioning should follow the example of Pakistan , which was excised from India in 1947 after the Muslim minority of predominantly Hindu India founded their own homeland, led by Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

The Senate President  at the plenary  reacted that “Why should we take him serious, Ghadafi needs not be glorified and given attention with a reaction. He deserves no attention, he said the same thing to Switzerland, , he said the same thing to England , he said the same thing to Sweden , why should we give him attention?.”

This was sequel to the contribution of  Senator Ayim Ude  to the amendment of prayers of the Senate on the bomb blast incident  in Warri, Delta State, last Monday and made mention of Ghadafi solutions to the problems of Nigeria.

Related Article: Muammar Gaddafi: Nigeria Should Be Divided Into Two.

Muammar Gaddafi:Nigeria should be divided into two.

Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has advised that Nigeria should be divided into two nations to avoid further “bloodshed between Muslims and Christians and the burning of places of worship.”

Gaddafi, in a speech he made to students, praised the example of India and Pakistan, where he said partition had saved many lives.

The British Broadcasting Corporation which quoted the Libyan news agency, Jana, as crediting Gaddafi with the comment, did not say when and where the Libyan leader spoke.

But the BBC, in a report on Tuesday, added that a senior Nigerian diplomat in Tripoli, said he did not take the suggestion seriously.


Gaddafi, who until recently was the chairman of the African Union, described the recent Jos violence as a “deep conflict of religious nature” caused by a federal state, “which was made and imposed by the British in spite of the people‘s resistance to it.”

The Libyan leader said that the partition of India was a “historic, radical solution” which saved the lives of “millions of Hindus and Muslims.”

Splitting India in 1947 caused a breakdown of law and order in which at least 200,000 people died. Some estimates say one million people were killed. About 12 million people were left homeless and thousands were raped.

Although crises in Jos, Plateau State are usually between Muslim and Christian communities, the underlying causes are believed to be a complex mix of political, social and economic grievances.

Nigeria is roughly split between its largely Muslim north, and a Christian-dominated south.

Gaddafi’s advice, however, drew flak from the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria which said it believed that he(Gaddafi) was being used.

The PFN, through its President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, said there was no arguement that Muslims and Christians believed in one Nigeria.

It said, “Is that what our Muslim leaders want and they are using Gaddafi to speak their mind? Christians are praying for one united nation.

“I would have dismissed the report but the reality in the country today is Jos, Bauchi and Jigawa.

“We believe in one Nigeria and not the division of the country. We must have respect for one another. Why should the nation be divided, after all, there are strong Christians in northern Nigeria.

“What happens to them if there is division. The solution to the bloodlettings will come when we learn to respect the rights of everyone to freedom of worship.”

A former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, also faulted Gaddafi’s advice.

Ajibola, who is the founder of the Islamic Foundation for Africa, said that Gaddafi was wrong in taking such position as the problem in Jos was not essentially caused by religion.

He said, “With due deference, Gaddafi is wrong. The problem in the North and particularly in Jos is not intrinsically caused by religion.”

In Abuja, the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Adetokunbo Kayode (SAN), said on Tuesday that there was no collapse of faith by Nigerians in Nigeria.

Kayode, at an interactive session with members of the justice sector, however, acknowledged that the nation “is facing serious challenges.”

He was quick to add that the challenges should not be interpreted to mean a collapse of faith in the Nigerian system.

The minister also cautioned that the American standard should not be used to judge Nigeria.

He argued that some Nigerians expressed confidence in the country when they win cases in courts while those who lost would say that the country was doomed.

Kayode expressed Federal Government’s readiness to prosecute those involved in the Boko Haram and Jos crises.

“We shall maintain zero tolerance for impunity and extra- judicial killings and other forms of violations of human rights,” he said.

Besides, he harped on the need to implement the Justice Muhammadu Uwais Electoral Reforms‘ proposals especially the areas that would usher in a sound electoral system.

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolves the Federal Executive Council

Acting President Goodluck Jonathan this afternoon dissolved the Federal Executive Council. Since February when Jonathan was proclaimed Acting President by the National Assembly, various groups and individuals had been advising him to dissolve the cabinet and form a new one made up of people loyal to him. The dissolution, however, confirms earlier speculations that the cabinet would be dissolved this week

Fashola Hands Over Equipment To Fight Fire In High Rise Buildings.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) on Monday handed over new fire fighting equipments made up of two new aerial ladder platform fire trucks, one foam fire truck, five rapid response utility fire fighting vehicles and eight 10,000 litres water tankers, restating the increasing capacity of the State to fight fire. 


Governor Fashola who spoke at the Alausa premises of the State Fire Service added that the newly acquired equipments represent the short term measures of the State Government to fight incidents of fire outbreaks. 


He explained that the fire rapid response utility vehicles would be deployed to fighting fire in difficult terrains before bigger fire trucks arrive and while traffic is being managed. 


Governor Fashola said in order to solve the problem of lack of water which sometimes aggravate fire incidents, the administration had earlier procured 10 water tankers with 10,000 litres capacity each and is boosting the capacity with another eight of the same capacity at the occasion thus making 18 water tankers available with a capacity for 180,000 litres of water. 


He added that in the last two and half years, there have been no newly reported case of firemen in the state fighting fire and having the problem of water shortage. 


The Governor explained that the two aerial ladder platform fire trucks were procured because the Government realizes that as more high rise buildings emerged and people continue to use the buildings, there may be cause to fight fire in high rise buildings. 


Governor Fashola who acknowledged receiving several e-mails and text messages from members of the public on the improved service now being rendered by men of the Fire Service, reiterated that the two ladder platform trucks can be deployed simultaneously with one rescuing trapped victims of a fire incident while the other one would be fighting the fire. 


The Lagos State helmsman noted that the State is now in a vantage position to fight petroleum and chemical related fire with the procurement of a foam fire truck just like the State firemen displayed last week while fighting fire from a tanker explosion at Ilupeju in Lagos. 


He promised that before the end of the year, some parts of the State with high concentration of people like Abesan, Ejigbo and Lekki will have dedicated operational fire service stations. 


Said he: “There is a continuing audit across the State so that we can know how to redistribute our capacity and to increase our response time”. 


Governor Fashola said on the long term, the State Government is working on the possibility of returning the State to compete with other international cities and states by reintroducing fire hydrants to major public roads, installations and public institutions across the State. 


The Governor reiterated that safety of life and property remains one of the primary responsibilities of the Government and this explains why government has always emphasized that as long as humans exist accidents would happen, adding that it is totally impossible to prevent fire. 


He emphasized that in this part of the world where there are two distinct weather dimensions, the dry season and rainy season, each season comes with its own unique challenges. 


In his words: “Government responsibility include going round Local Government to Local Government, improving safety awareness, improving safety practices and recognizing that accidents are more likely to happen at this time of the year which is the dry season”. 


The Governor advocated that the people need to be more careful about how they handle electrical appliances and how people manage fuel even when there are shortages, emphasizing that there is a need to resist the temptation of keeping fuel at home. 


“A lot depends on us as a people. How many of us switch off our electrical appliances when we live home, how many keep an extra eye on how the gas cylinder is fitted, how many of us store fuel at home and realize that it is a most dangerous practice, because only the living can use the fuel”, Governor Fashola advised. 


Earlier in his address, the Commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, Alhaji Tunde Balogun said the new four set of firefighting equipment being handed over by Governor Fashola would open a new vista in fire fighting in Nigeria. 


Also speaking the State Director of the State Fire Service, Mr Julius Ajose said with the new fighting equipments, Lagos State is moving far ahead of others in terms of quality facilities to fight fire. 


He added that Lagos is the first to purchase two high rise fire fighters at a go, promising the firemen are ready to give their best in serving the State. 


Governor Fashola and some of the dignitaries later observed a practical demonstration of how the new aerial ladder platform fire truck functions with the equipment being used to rescue victims of an imaginary fire and also fighting the fire. 


The event was attended by Deputy Governor Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, members of the State Executive Council traditional rulers and other dignitaries from across the State. 

What are the differences between subsidized & unsubsidized federal loans?

Subsidized loans are loans for which the Federal Government pays the accrued interest during any approved deferment periods.

Unsubsidized loans are loans for which the borrower is responsible for paying the interest that accrues on the loan from the date of disbursement until the loan is paid in full, regardless of enrollment status.

How does interest accrue?


Interest accrues on your student loan from the day the loan is disbursed until the day your loan balance reaches $0.00. We use a simple-interest formula to calculate your daily interest accrual:
Interest rate x current principal balance ÷ number of days  in the year = daily interest

Actor Peter Graves Dead at 83

Actor Peter Graves, best known for his starring role on TV's "Mission: Impossible," died Sunday. He was 83.

While the cause of the actor's death was not immediately known, he apparently suffered a heart attack, his publicist said.

Graves had gone to brunch with his family Sunday morning. After they returned home and entered the house, one of his daughters began to wonder why he hadn't come back inside with them, said publicist Sandy Brokaw.

The family went outside and found Graves had collapsed. His daughter performed CPR but was unsuccessful in reviving the actor, Brokaw said.

Graves had been in good health and was celebrating 60 years of marriage and 60 years in the entertainment business. He was still pursuing work when he died, the publicist said.


He is best known for playing the character Jim Phelps for all but one of the seven years "Mission: Impossible" ran on CBS, from 1967-1973. He won a Golden Globe in 1971 for his work on the show, and was also nominated for an Emmy.

He reprised the role from 1988 to 1990 when the show resurfaced on ABC.

In an interview with CNN in 1996, Graves expressed disappointment with Hollywood's movie version of "Mission: Impossible" -- starring Tom Cruise -- which included none of the stars from the original TV series. Actor Jon Voight played the Phelps character.

"I am sorry that they chose to call him Phelps," he said at the time. "They could have solved that very easily by either having me in a scene in the very beginning, or reading a telegram from me saying, 'Hey boys, I'm retired, gone to Hawaii. Thank you, goodbye, you take over now.' "

Graves also appeared as Capt. Clarence Oveur in the 1980 movie spoof "Airplane!" -- a role he originally turned down, according to the Web's Internet Movie Database. He changed his mind after meeting with the film's writers, according to IMDb.

In recent years, Graves was part of a larger group that won an Outstanding Informational Series Emmy for the 1997 TV documentary "Judy Garland: Beyond the Rainbow." Graves hosted the documentary.

He is survived by his wife, Joan Endress, and three daughters, Kelly, Claudia and Amanda Graves, according to IMDb. Graves was the younger brother of actor James Arness, who starred in the long-running TV series "Gunsmoke," as Marshal Matt Dillon.

John Edwards’ Mistress, Rielle Hunter, GQ Photo Shoot

 Mistress of Former presidential candidate John Edwards,  Rielle Hunter has gone public. Rielle Hunter was seen giving an interview for GQ Magazine and posed for a photoshoot which was rather different and something not expected from the lady. The pictures has been posted on almost all online magazines were her dressed in her night PJ’s, picture of her with a stuff bear and much more for you to see and droll around.

Rielle Hunter wearing a man’s white oxford shirt

                                                     Rielle-Hunter-and-Frances-in-GQ

Rielle-Hunter-with-her-stuffed-animals.

Photo Credits: GQ

Michael Jackson estate in record deal worth up to $250 million

The estate of Michael Jackson has landed the late King of Pop the biggest recording deal in history: a $200 million guaranteed contract with Sony Music Entertainment for 10 projects over seven years, according to a person familiar with the deal.

The record-breaking contract through 2017 could be worth up to $250 million if certain conditions are met. One of the albums will be of never-before-released Jackson recordings that will come out in November, the person said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement is expected Tuesday.
Future projects may also include a video game, a DVD compilation of videos and a re-release of "Off the Wall," Jackson's fifth studio album, which first came out in 1979, accompanied by some unreleased material. Before his sudden death in June at age 50, the pop star had wanted to re-issue the album, people familiar with the deal said.

One of the projects already counted in the contract was the two-disc album that accompanied "This Is It," the film based on footage of concert rehearsals for what was to have been Jackson's comeback at London's O2 arena.

Including the more than 5 million copies of that special release, Jackson has sold some 31 million albums since his death in June, about two-thirds of them outside the United States.
"During his life, Michael's contracts set the standard for the industry," said John Branca, the co-administrator of the Jackson estate, in a statement prepared for release Tuesday. "By all objective criteria, this agreement with Sony Music demonstrates the lasting power of Michael's music by exceeding all previous industry benchmarks."

Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music's Columbia Epic Label Group, said in prepared remarks, "We're dedicated to protecting this icon's legacy and we're thrilled that we can continue to bring his music to the world for the foreseeable future."
The landmark deal is worth more than all other benchmarks, such as the all-encompassing rights deals that concert promoter and ticket-seller Live Nation Entertainment Inc. had previously signed with Madonna at $120 million and Jay-Z for $150 million.
The deal with Jackson's estate is even more remarkable because it does not include royalties from merchandise.

The contract shows the value of legacy artists. It also comes at a time of decline for the music industry, with sales down about half from their peak in 2000 mainly due to free file-swapping.
The money will go a long way to settling Jackson's debts, estimated at around $400 million at the time of his death.

The singer whose life was plagued with scandal has had a resurgence in popularity in death.
Distribution rights for "This Is It" were sold to Sony Pictures, another unit of Sony Corp., for $60 million and the movie went on to gross $252 million worldwide, the most of any concert film ever.
Revenue from that, song sales and merchandising agreements brought into the estate revenues of about $100 million, lawyers for the estate's administrators told a Los Angeles Superior Court judge in December, when they sought a percentage as an administration fee.

The Walt Disney Co. even brought back the 17-minute Jackson movie "Captain EO" to its Disneyland theme park in Anaheim last month. The original began running at the park in 1986 but was pulled in 1997.
Jackson's most lasting and valuable asset is the 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a company that owns publishing rights to music by The Beatles and numerous other artists, including Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. The copyright catalog itself is estimated to be worth $2 billion.

The new financial windfall comes even as circumstances around his death remain in legal limbo.
Dr. Conrad Murray faces an involuntary manslaughter charge for allegedly giving Jackson a lethal combination of sedatives. He is due back in a Los Angeles court April 5.

ABC of Friend

Friend...
(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up ! ! on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffer support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality