Tour Bus Crash: 8 Killed In Collision On Mountain Highway In Southern California

By TAMI ABDOLLAH

YUCAIPA, Calif. — At least eight people were killed and 38 injured Sunday when a tour bus careened out of control while traveling down a Southern California mountain road, struck a car, flipped and plowed into a pickup truck, authorities said.
The accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. about 80 miles east of Los Angeles and left State Route 38 littered with debris, the bus sideways across the two lanes and its front end crushed. Emergency crews worked to free passengers who were trapped in the bus, which was returning to Tijuana, Mexico, California Highway Patrol spokesman Mario Lopez said.
The violence of the crash and severity of the injuries made for a chaotic scene, and authorities had a difficult time determining how many people were injured or killed. Lopez said at least eight and perhaps 10 were dead, and 38 transported to hospitals.
California Department of Transportation spokeswoman Michelle Profant said the scene was shocking.
"It's really a mess up there with body parts," she said.
The bus driver survived and told investigators the bus suffered brake problems as it headed down the mountain, Lopez said. It rear-ended a sedan and flipped, then struck a pickup truck pulling a trailer.
Lettering on the bus indicated that it was operated by Scapadas Magicas LLC, a company based in National City, Calif. Federal transportation records show that the company is licensed to carry passengers for interstate travel and that it had no crashes in the past two years.
A call to the company was not immediately returned.
Jordi Garcia, a manager for InterBus Tours, said his company ran Sunday's trip. He told U-T San Diego that 38 people departed Tijuana at 5 a.m. for a day of skiing at Big Bear.
"The information that we have is that the bus' brakes failed and the accident occurred," he said.
Route 38 runs through the San Bernardino National Forest and leads to Big Bear. The accident occurred as the bus was headed south and leaving the forest.
Patients were taken to several area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to life-threatening. Among them, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center said it had treated six people, including two women who were discharged early Monday. The hospital said two other women were in critical condition while two other patients were stable.
The California crash comes less than a day after a bus carrying 42 high school students and their chaperones slammed into an overpass in Boston. Massachusetts state police said 35 people were injured and that the driver had directed the bus onto a road with a height limit.
HuffingtonPost

Michelle Obama: 'Beyonce Was Phenomenal, I Am So Proud Of Her!' (TWEET)

The Huffington Post  |  By Paige Lavender  

First Lady Michelle Obama was one of millions watching Super Bowl XLVII on Sunday, and like many, she stuck around during half time for Beyonce's big performance.
Obama -- who dined on Chesapeake crab cakes in honor of Baltimore and San Francisco cioppino stew with sourdough toast during the big game, according to White House pool reports -- tweeted her excitement about the singer's halftime show:

Watching the #SuperBowl with family & friends. @beyonce was phenomenal! I am so proud of her! -mo
— FLOTUS (@FLOTUS) February 4, 2013

Beyonce has shown her pride for Obama in the past, once penning a letter to the first lady calling her "the ULTIMATE example of a truly strong African American woman."

ASP kills Inspector during argument in beer parlour

By Ameh Comrade Godwin

Tragedy struck in Okerowo area of Ondo State at the weekend when one Kazeem Sheu (ASP) a policeman attached to Ajagba Divisional Police Station reportedly shot a junior police officer, Inspector Adelakun Lawal during an argument at a beer palour in the State.
Until the unfortunate incident, the two officers, it was gathered, were long-time good friends.
DailyPost gathered that the officers were said to have gone to the beer parlour located at Ejankole Street in Okerowo area at about 5pm to relax, but in the course of their discussion, an argument ensued between them, which later resulted into a hot verbal war.
According to an eyewitness, all efforts by others present to broker peace hit the rocks as the one-time close pals later engaged each other in a verbal assault.
He disclosed that out of anger, the ASP brought out a pistol and shot the late inspector at a close range.
The inspector was reported to have fallen down after he was shot several times.

The ASP attempted to flee when he noticed that the Junior officer was dying, but the people around prevented him from escaping.
The quick intervention of some mobile policemen saved the officer from being lynched by some angry mobs.
The inspector died on the way to the state Specialist Hospital in Ondo town.
His corpse was later deposited at the hospital’s mortuary.
The victim, until his sudden demise, served as a police prosecutor at an Ondo Chief Magistrate Court.
The command spokesperson, Donald Odogo, who confirmed the incident said the killer officer has been transfered to the state CID for further interrogation.
DailyPost

CAN is an appendage of Jonathan’ govt – Bakare

 by Femi Akinola, Lagos

Pastor Tunde Bakare, overseer Latter Rain Assembly, has described Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), as an appendage of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, saying the Christian body is towing the path of hypocrisy as it tactically gives support to corrupt activities of the government.

Bakare also said failure of present leadership of CAN to stand as the voice of the voiceless across the nation and dragged itself into partisan politics has allowed President Jonathan “to think the way he thinks and talk the way he talks on various burning issues in the country because he is surrounded and encouraged by the likes of present CAN leadership ”

In his sermon at the church yesterday, Pastor Bakare said he has to continue to talk on issues going on in the country because part of the church in Nigeria is keeping mute because of what the leadership has benefitted and still benefiting from the presidency when majority of their followers are living in abject poverty.

Reacting to the response of CAN calling former Federal Capital Territory Minister  Mallam El-Rufai a ‘bigot’ over his  re-tweeted message, Bakare disagreed with CAN, saying Rufai is a liberal Muslim who respect the faith of others.

DailyTrust

[OPINION] Femi Fani-Kayode: The delusions of today’s men

I read Dr. Reuben Abati's article titled 'The Hypocrisy Of Yesterday's Men" (3rd Feb.2013) which was published in virtually every newspaper in the country with amusement. He sought to ridicule and demean those of us that served President Olusegun Obasanjo's government and that are not very impressed with the performance of his boss. The fact that we asked President Goodluck Jonathan to account for the 67 billion USD that he squandered from our foreign reserves has clearly upset him. We dared to ask about the money and so we were singled out and targetted for a tongue-lashing and a long lecture from the Presidency. Yet we remain undeterred. This is how weak governments that have nothing to offer and something to hide always behave. They come after their perceived enemies with full force and they are petty and oversensitive. This is all the more so when they lack experienced hands and when they do not have anyone with deep insight or wisdom about the art of governance or politics within their ranks. In his response instead of answering our questions, addressing the issues or making any pertinent and sensible points about the numerous allegations against his principal, Abati chose to go on a delusional and self-serving joy ride. He simply refused to address any of our numerous concerns but instead indulged vainly in what can only be described as an utterly vulgar and distasteful form of intellectual, spiritual and psychological masturbation by telling us that he and his master were "today's men" who needed no lessons from the "men of yesterday". The essay was nothing but the usual smear campaign and a crude attempt to intimidate which has been the hallmark of this Government whenever they are faced with even the mildest form of criticism. I will not dignify most of the insulting and childish submissions that Abati indulged in with a response other than to say that he told a shameless and pernicious lie when he wrote that as Minister of Aviation I "shut down Port Harcourt Airport for two years" and "allowed grass to grow all over it". This is false. It is a classic case of disinformation coming from a man that is obviously suffering from a very low self-esteem. It is clear that Abati, who is a journalist, has forgotten the most important tenet of his profession which is that "facts are sacred and opinion is cheap". Ordinarily one would have ignored his bitter rant but it is important that I set the record straight for the sake of posterity. The facts are as follows.
Port Harcourt International Airport was closed on Dec.10 2005 after the Sossolisso Air crash in which 100 people were killed. The crash affected the runway of the airport very badly and consequently the then Minister of Aviation, Professor Babalola Borishade closed it. I was redeployed from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to the Ministry of Aviation in November 2006. This was 11 months after the Sossolisso crash took place and that Port Harcourt Airport had been closed. It is clear from the foregoing that I was not the one that shut down Port Harcourt Airport. When I took over at Aviation my priority was to carry out all the necessary repairs at Port Harcourt Airport and to open it as quickly as possible. I was saddened to discover that in the previous 11 months before I got there nothing had been done and the contract to repair the runway had not even been awarded. Consequently within a month of my being appointed Minister of Aviation we set to work and awarded the contract to Julius Berger at the cost of 3 billion naira. 50 per cent of the money was paid up front and Julius Berger set to work immediately. The runway was fully completed and the airport in pristine condition before I left office on May 29th 2007 just 6 months after I awarded the contract. However despite this the airport could not be opened before we left because the runway lighting system was still in the process of being installed. The Yar'adua government went ahead and opened the airport a few months after we left office even though the runway lights had still not been installed. The record shows that from the day that I was appointed Minister of Aviation and the time that our mandate ran out 7 months later my staff at the Ministry and Julius Berger worked night and day on the runway project at Port Harcourt International Airport in order to ensure that we finished it in record time. And this we managed to do. It was my project. I sourced the money for it, I paid for it, I forced the contractor to move fast on it and I finished it. The fact that the Yar'adua administration did not complete the lighting system and open the airport for another few months after we left office, even though the runway was ready, is for them to explain and not for me. Even though nothing was done at that airport for 11 months before I got to Aviation, once I was appointed we swung into action immediately. I repeat that it was under my watch that work commenced, that it was rebuilt, that it was completed and that it was fully restored and after that the airport was ready to be fully utilised. Given these facts how Abati can peddle the lie that I was the one that not only closed the airport but that I also kept it shut for two years, did nothing there, caused it to remain idle and allowed "grass to grow all over it" honestly baffles me. I was Minister of Aviation for only 7 months and not 2 years and within those seven months, from scratch, I did all the work that needed to be done in order to make the airport functional again. I am proud of the fact that we succeeded in meeting our target and completing the job.

Abati also so asserted that I closed down "other major airports" whilst I was Minister of Aviation "for the purposes of renovation". Again this is not true. Not one of the four major airports in the country were closed down for renovation works or any other reason whilst I was Minister of Aviation. And neither, to the best of my recollection, did I close or suspend the operations of any of the smaller airports except perhaps for safety reasons. As a matter of fact the opposite was the case. I actually installed and completed the sophisticated Safe Tower Project in three of the four major airports in the country, resurrected and funded the Tracon Radar System which is operational in our country today and which gives us full radar coverage in our airspace, upgraded the facilities in many of the old smaller airports and granted permission for the establishment of new airports in places like Gombe. Quite apart from that we not only stopped the terrible cycle of plane crashes that was prevalent at that time but there was not one aircraft that crashed under my watch and no loss of life from the air under my tenure. I am the only Minister of Aviation in the last 10 years of our country that can boast of that and yet Abati seeks to tarnish my name, stain my record and rubbish my efforts with his lies. All this and far more and Abati accuses me of "running the aviation sector down to a state of near collapse". For that I commit him to God's judgement. It is obvious that he is just being malicious and dishonest. I take strong objection to his specious lies, his brazen falsehood and his distortions of fact. The suggestion that I closed Port Harcourt Airport and neglected it for two years, that I closed other airports for renovations and that I ran the aviation sector down to the ground is what I would refer to as a figment of his malicious, overactive and fertile imagination. It is a glaring mendacity, a brutal assault on truth and an affront to my sensiblities. I find it utterly reprehensible and repugnant that a man that is entrusted to speak for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can indulge in such petty lies.

Let me end this contribution by pointing out the fact that being "yesterday's men" does not mean that some of us cannot be "tomorrows men" as well. Only God knows what lies ahead for each and everyone of us. So when Abati glibly writes people off as if they will never be in power again it is a sad reflection of his lack of experience and naivety. It is God that determines our tomorrow. It is He that lifts men up, that pulls them down and, sometimes if it be His will, lifts them up again. There are countless examples of that in our history. Finally I have a few questions for President Jonathan and his "todays men". When will they take President Obasanjo's advice and finally do something concrete about Boko Haram and our security situation? Does the fact that at least 4000 Nigerians have been killed by these terrorists in the last two years under their watch not bother them? How can they sleep well at night with all that innocent blood that has flowed and precious lives cut short whilst they were at the helm of affairs of our nation? More innocent souls have been killed in the last 2 years by terrorists than at any time in the history of Nigeria outside the civil war. How does President Jonathan and his "today's men" feel about winning such a dubious and dishonorable title? Does he still regard Boko Haram as "his siblings" who he "cannot hurt"? Why has the President refused to visit the good people of the north east despite the fact that dozens of people are still being slaughtered there by Boko Haram every day? Moving to the issue of corruption and the economy when will our President and "today's men" answer the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron's question and tell him what they did with the 100 billion USD that they made from oil sales in the last two years? When will they answer Obi Ezekwsile's question about how they squandered 67 billion USD of our foreign reserves? When will they answer the question that Nasir El Rufai asked sometime back about how they spent over 350 billion naira on security vote in one year alone? When will they answer the many questions that Dr. Pat Utomi and many other distinguished and courageous leaders and "yesterday's men" have raised about the trillions of naira that have been supposedly spent on oil subsidy payments in the last two years? When will they implement the findings and recommendations of the Nuhu Ribadu report on the thivery that has gone on in the oil sector? When will they cultivate the guts and find the courage to respond to a call for a public debate to defend their abysmal record? When will these "today's men" stop being so reckless with our money? Why would our "today's man" FCT Minister budget 5 billion for the "rehabilitatioin of prostitues in the Abuja"? Why would he budget 7.5 billion naira for a new "FCT city gate"? Why would he budget 4 billion naira for a house for the First Lady? Why would the Federal Government of "todays men" budget 1 billion naira for food in the Villa? Are these the priorities of "today's men and women"? And all this when Nigeria is back in foreign debt to the tune of 9 billion USD and is still borrowing, when local debt has hit almost 50 billion USD, when graduate unemployment has hit 80 per cent, when 40 per cent of Nigerians do not have access to good food and "are hungry" and when 70 per cent of Nigerians are living below the poverty line? Is this the vision of "today's men and women"? If so may God deliver Nigeria.
Femi Fani-Kayode was minister of aviation, and special advisor to President Olusegun Obasanjo. He is now a political activist.
PSN

El-Rufai cannot be a religious bigot because he worships in my church – Tunde Bakare fires back at CAN

inShare

by Isi Esene
Pastor Tunbe Bakare has reacted to statements describing former FCT Minister, Nasir el-Rufai as a religious bigot saying this is not so.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had warned the former minister to be watchful of his comments as regards the Christian faith.
It accused el-Rufai of trying to whip-up sentiments around religion for a selfish agenda.
Bakare, the pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly and Convener of the Save Nigeria Group reportedly responded to these statements in his church today while preaching the sermon titled, ”The head that refuses a life-giving rebuke will be thrown down the cliff of perdition.”
According to the fiery pastor, El Rufai cannot be classified as a religious bigot by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) since the former minister has worshiped many times at his church.
The pastor went on to speak about the rot in the Nigerian justice system saying the country is “hellish to poor thieves but magnanimous to rich ones.
“The Nigerian judiciary is fast moving from being the last hope of the common man to becoming the last refugee of crooks,” he added.
Nasir el-Rufai was recently at the receiving end of attack by several public commentators including the CAN who saw his comment on a joke by one Bukola Ogunyemi on Twitter referencing Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene as being disrespectful to the Christian faith.
The former FCT minister, however, tendered an unreserved apology to those who genuinely expressed reservations over the said tweet.
“I hope those in this class will see my point of view and accept my apologies for any offense or disappointment caused,” he stated.
YNaija.com

I Don’t Ever Want To Be Skinny – Ini Edo

To those of you who criticized her weight gain and wondered if she was pregnant, well she says she never wants to be skinny. 
She is advises all haters to back off!
Read her tweets below…

InformationNigeria