Newcastle, California Sinkhole Drains Mark Korb's Backyard Pond

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A reporter from KCRA stands in front of Mark Korb's pond in Newcastle, Calif., which a sinkhole drained Sunday morning.

It once took Mark Korb seven days to drain the pond in his Newcastle, California backyard. On Sunday, he woke up to find a sinkhole had accomplished the same feat in merely five hours.
"This looks like the moon," Korb told KCRA. Footage of the drained pond shows what indeed looks like a massive, gray crater.
Korb's discovery comes just two weeks after a 20-foot-wide sinkhole swallowed a man in Florida. A search for his body was called off on March 3, 2012, and he was presumed dead. The next day a second sinkhole formed less than two miles from the first, but no deaths occurred.
Last Tuesday, a sinkhole in Washington, D.C., closed down an entire block as officials worked to prevent a water pipe and nearby vehicles from caving in.
Just in Florida, thousands of sinkholes form each year, according to the Associated Press, but they're known to appear all over the U.S -- typically in areas where water has flowed underground and dissolved rock.
HuffingtonPost

President Jonathan Says He Will Raise Petrol Prices

President Goodluck Jonathan says he will definitely raise gas prices again, but will “discuss” with the public the easiest way to do it.

On New Year’s Day 2012, Jonathan greeted Nigerians with the shock of new oil prices as he attempted to scrap so-called oil subsidies, leading to widespread strikes and protests that almost toppled his government.
He solved the problem at that time by partially revoking the effort. He raised the price to 97 Naira a liter, up from 65 Naira.

Speaking at a press conference in Lagos today, Mr. Jonathan said, “We cannot continue to waste resources meant for a greater number of Nigerians to subsidize the affluent middle class, who are the main beneficiaries.”

He did not make any reference to the mammoth corruption and manipulation in the oil sector, and has kept in place Petroleum Minister Diezani Allison-Madueke, who has been serially accused of corruption and self-enrichment, as well as other officials.

Mr. Jonathan has also failed to implement the report of the Nuhu Ribadu-led Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force which last year made important recommendations on how to correct problems in the sector, just as he has throughout his presidency failed to implement various anti-corruption and good governance reports.

Critics denounce him as weak and indolent, and say he has done more than any of his predecessors in office to boost corruption in the country. Last week, he granted state pardon to Dipreye Alamieyesegha, his predecessor as governor of Bayelsa State who was convicted for corruption. Alamieyesegha is also wanted in the United Kingdom to answer money-laundering charges.

Meanwhile, members of Occupy Nigeria have told SaharaReporters they will be ready for Mr. Jonathan if he gives them the opportunity to again unite Nigerians in street demonstrations.

“We promise never again to be deceived or derailed by organized labor or any pro-government group which may want to sell out,” one organizer said. “So if Jonathan is ready, we encourage him to bring it on.”
Naijaline.com

Alleged Thief Accuses Police Of Bias, Tells Them To Focus On Real Thieves In NASS

THE SUSPECTS

A security guard nabbed for allegedly conniving with robbers to steal goods worth over N28m from his employer, has told the police to stop going after petty thieves like him and instead focus their attention on politicians, especially senators and House members, whom he described as the “real thieves.”
The suspect, Garba Sani who works with Honda Place Company, complained that the N12, 000 he received as salary was too meagre and said he had no choice but to take to crime.
He said, “I’m not an armed robber. I was on duty and I called them (other suspects) and we took the goods. We did not carry guns. We have a lot of senators looting and we also need money. There are many thieves in Nigeria and most of us are jobless youths, we have nothing.
“I earn N12, 000 a month which is too small. We are all criminals in Nigeria and we have criminal blood in our body so nobody should pretend.”

The other suspect, Godwin Okwudili, said the police should drop all charges levelled against them since the stolen goods had since been recovered.
“Sani and I live in the same area. He called me that the goods were available and we went to take them. We did not carry guns. I took the goods to my warehouse and we did not sell them. Everything was recovered intact so what do they (police) want again?” he said.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide who corroborated the suspects’ story, said that Sani, Okwudili, along with the other suspects, Obinna Ilojebe, Ndubuisi Ike and Anthony Etemah were arrested following painstaking investigation which lasted for over eight months.
 InformationNigeria

FIFA’s Coach Of The Year Award Was Rigged – Mourinho

Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho has revealed why he did not attend the FIFA Ballon d’Or gala – because he was forewarned by some of those who voted for him as coach of the year that their votes turned up for other candidates instead.
“Am I sorry for not having gone to the gala? No. It was the right decision,” Mourinho told RTP television on Tuesday in excerpts from an interview.
“One, two or three people called me saying they had voted for me but the vote showed up as cast for somebody else. So, I decided not to go,” he said.

InformationNigeria

Dear President Obama, Goodluck Jonathan Must Be Invited To Washington! By Pius Adesanmi

Pius Adesanmi

Dear President Barack Obama: Greetings. On behalf of the good citizens of the District of Columbia, who, in their infinite wisdom, entrusted me with the Office of the Mayor, I am writing to draw your attention to an issue of urgent municipal importance. Although my aides here in the Mayor’s Office are yet to crosscheck things with Mr. Jay Carney, your Press Secretary, after he issued a curious statement today, I have decided to be proactive by reacting to that extremely disturbing statement.
Mr. President, it would seem that you have convened a prestigious summit between your esteemed self and four Heads of State from the continent of Africa. They have been invited to parley with you in the White House in order to explore avenues of strengthening democracy in Africa. According to the statement released by Mr. Carney, “President Obama looks forward to welcoming President Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Joyce Banda of Malawi, and Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves of Cape Verde to the White House on Thursday, March 28.” The statement concludes that, “the visit of these four leaders underscores the strategic importance the President places on building partnerships and substantive engagement with sub-Saharan Africa, and our commitment to working with strong and emerging African democracies.”
Mr. President, this is obviously an unmistakable snub of the Nigerian President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, who leads a country that prides herself as the giant of Africa. While we understand the fact that your administration needs to send a clear message of zero tolerance for corruption to the Nigerian President, who has acquired a reputation for running Africa’s most corruption-friendly government, we at the Washington City Hall would like to register our disagreement with your decision to exclude the Nigerians from next week’s parley in the strongest possible terms.
Mr. President, we believe that you have not been properly served by your advisers in this matter. We believe that the economic implications of excluding the Nigerians from this parley should have been painstakingly explained to you to help you reach an informed judgment. We believe that the economic wellbeing of a major American city should be more important to your administration than helping the people of one far-flung country in Africa deal with their corruption enabler of a president. At a time when most American city administrations are groaning under budget cuts, at a time when the ability of American cities to deliver basic services to residents is being streamlined to reflect the dire economic circumstances of the times, any opportunity for a massive injection of funds into any American city’s economy ought to be seized with both hands. Your administration is about to deny Washington DC one such fantastic opportunity through the hasty and wrong-headed exclusion of the Nigerian president from the forthcoming parley.
Mr. President, we believe that you are aware of the fact that the President of Nigeria does not travel light to foreign destinations. During meetings of the US Conference of Mayors, my brother Mayor Bloomberg of New York never fails to regale us with stories of the economic boom that New York City receives whenever the Nigerian president comes to town for UN functions. He and his wife are said to travel with a harem of presidential jets – some travel as advance delegations. The plane loads of raw cash and aides create an economic ripple effect. They stay in the best hotels, charter limousines, and spend days in shopping malls since they hardly ever attend the functions they came for.
Mr. President, you are perhaps aware of the fact that the 127th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union was hosted by our sister city, Québec City, Canada, from October 21-26, 2012. The word on the street is that the South Africans who arrived in Québec City thinking they had a huge delegation were humbled by the benumbing size of the Nigerian delegation. Almost five months after the event, I can tell you authoritatively, Mr. President, that Québec City, Canada, is still reaping the benefits of the economic boom created by the one-week presence of Nigerian parliamentarians in that city. Need one mention what the city of Dubai in the Middle East benefits from weekly injection of funds by Nigerian officials?
Mr. President, we urge you to seriously reconsider your decision to snub Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. It would be a great idea of you could even invite him ahead of the others so that he and his potentially large delegation could get to spend an extra week here in Washington. If he comes here with two or three jumbo jets, as is his wont, this translates to enormous parking fees for Washington Dulles Airport. He, his wife, and their aides are going to take over major hotels in the city and that would be a tremendous boost for our hospitality services. Our limo rental services are going to benefit immensely from the presence of a Nigerian delegation.
In addition, while Dr and Mrs. Jonathan spend time with you at the White House, two or three planeloads of aides are going to spend all that time in our shopping malls. Furthermore, virtually every member of the large delegation would take the opportunity to do a quick medical checkup. Since they have no medical insurance here, they would naturally be paying cash. Imagine, Mr. President, the possible cash inflow to our medical system in these austere times. We understand that Nigerian officials are fond of German hospitals. This could be an opportunity to showcase the superiority of American medical services to these petro-wealthy Africans.
Mr. President, I could go on and on with details of the economic benefits of having the Nigerians here. Please allow me to say, Mr. President, that for the sake of the economy of Washington, DC, the Nigerian president deserves to be pardoned for pardoning corruption. He is of more economic value to us here than the four African presidents you are hosting combined. I therefore look forward to being able to host him and his lovely wife here at City Hall after their White House event.
Yours sincerely,
John-Smith Budweiser
Mayor of the District of Columbia
Saharareporters

“I spoke with the bomber before he struck” – Survivors of Kano attack recount ordeal

On Monday evening, at least five people today lost their lives after an Improvised Explosive Device went off in Kano.
The blast which left many other injured occurred around the New Road Motor Park, at a time people were returning to their various destinations after the day’s job.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but the survivors of the explosions, have been recounting the moment in which they came close to death.
The Vanguard newspaper has a gripping report on survivor accounts on its pages today.
Here are some excerpts:

Abdullahi Maiagogo Gayawa, a 70 year-old wrist watch seller who was affected by the blast said: “I was at the motor park as usual for a routine business when in a middle of the transaction, I heard a loud bang that sent me sprawling on the ground.

Initially, I could not comprehend what happened but rose  and took to my heels only to notice that my stomach was ripped open,with my intestines gorging out.

I quickly packed my intestines with my cloth and was trying to escape from the scene when suddenly I woke up in the hospital surrounded by a team of medical doctors”.

We saw death — Survivors

The Septuagenarian,  looking frail and worn out told Vanguard on his sick bed: “I saw death at a close range and I had almost given up hope of living but all praises to Allah for His intervention.
Gayawa further explained that “as you can see I am still active and I struggle hard to feed my family and this particular motor park where the incident occurred is my place of business and I had been getting serious patronage from the travelers.”
In the stretch of my life spanning seven decades, I have never seen this kind of trouble, the bang was so loud that I saw many going down, covered with their blood and the wailing that followed was such that I thought the end of time has come”.
Another lucky survivor, Magawata Goje, 45, told Vanguard on his sick bed thus: “I was inside the Lagos-bound luxury bus when the blast occurred. I was seated at the back seat, and it was Allah that understands how I survived the blast.
“I heard people saying that I was dead because I was covered with blood and I could see a lot of people in comatose position and I had to raise my hand to draw the attention of the rescuers before they attended to me. Goje who sustained second degree burns then appealed for quick intervention of government to save his life.

In pains, he struggled to raise his burnt neck and hand and looked through the window pointing at where his children and members of his family were anxiously waiting and monitoring his health from the sideline. “Look at my wife and children watching from outside and you can imagine what will become of their lives if adequate measure is not taken to save my life”.
Also speaking to Vanguard in the same vein, Hamisu Usman, another survivor, told Vanguard that “I was in a Port Harcourt-bound bus when a blast ripped through, and the rest I knew was that I found myself in the hospital where the doctor was telling me to remain calm”.

I spoke with the suicide bomber before he struck —Emmanuel Bassey, 40 years old tout.

In his account, Emmanuel Bassey, a 40-year-old bus park tout who survived the blast revealed to Vanguard his encounter with the suicide bomber before he struck.
Bassey who claimed to work for Ezewanta Group of Motors stated that “the guy came in a blue Golf car, I could recall that he was dark in complexion and appeared to be in his mid 30’s. He was calm during my brief interaction with him and did not look harmful. I asked him where he was going, and he said, ‘I have not decided’, and in no time some of my colleagues at the park  were rushing towards him and suddenly he sped off, applied brake close to a loaded vehicle and in a twinkle of an eye, I heard a loud bang that sent me sprawling on the ground”, Bassey explained.
He revealed that four of his colleagues who were running after him to ascertain which part of the southern part of the country he wanted to go all died on the spot due to the impact of the blast.
Bassey who suffered second degree burns cried out: “Men, I saw hell and believed that I was going to die before some good Samaritan brought me to the hospital.
Bassey lost his skin and his stomach was ripped open by the blast but has undergone several procedures and appeared to be in a stable condition. Bassey who complained of excessive heat on his sick bed displayed a deep hole on his stomach  saying: “I was simply not lucky on the day of carnage but all the same I give glory to God that I am alive but I hope government will do their best to bring the perpetrators to book”.
 DailyPost

Tomas Young, Dying Iraq War Veteran, Pens 'Last Letter' To Bush, Cheney On War's 10th Anniversary

The Huffington Post  |  By Nick Wing  

Days after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Tomas Young, then a 22-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., made a decision repeated by many other Americans around the country: He was going to enlist in the military in hopes of getting even with the enemies who had helped coordinate the deaths of nearly 3,000 men, women and children.
Less than three years later, Young's Army service placed him not in Afghanistan -- where then-President George W. Bush had told the nation the terrorist plot had originated -- but in Iraq. On April 4, 2004, just five days into his first tour, Young's convoy was attacked by insurgents. A bullet from an AK-47 severed his spine. Another struck his knee. Young would never walk again, and in fact, for the next nearly nine years, he would suffer a number of medical setbacks that allowed him to survive only with the help of extensive medical procedures and the care of his wife, Claudia.
The incident turned Young into one of the most vocal veteran critics of the Iraq War. He has, however, saved his most powerful criticism for what he claims will be his last. Young says he'll die soon, but not before writing a letter to Bush and former Vice President Cheney on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War.
From Young's letter, published on TruthDig:

I write this letter, my last letter, to you, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. I write not because I think you grasp the terrible human and moral consequences of your lies, manipulation and thirst for wealth and power. I write this letter because, before my own death, I want to make it clear that I, and hundreds of thousands of my fellow veterans, along with millions of my fellow citizens, along with hundreds of millions more in Iraq and the Middle East, know fully who you are and what you have done. You may evade justice but in our eyes you are each guilty of egregious war crimes, of plunder and, finally, of murder, including the murder of thousands of young Americans—my fellow veterans—whose future you stole.

Young goes on to attack the "cowardice" of Bush and Cheney for avoiding military service themselves, and to encourage them to "stand before the American public and the world, and in particular the Iraqi people, and beg for forgiveness."
(Read Young's entire letter here.)
Young was the subject of the 2007 documentary "Body of War," which was about his recovery process and the Iraq War. At a February screening of the film, Young told the audience that he planned to end his life in April.
According to the Ridgefield Press, Young announced that he would stop taking all nourishment and life-extending medications at that time. He's since said that the deterioration to his body from the injury and ensuing complications would make it physically impossible for him to commit suicide in any other way.
"It's time," he told the audience over Skype, while seated beside his wife. "When I go I want be alert and aware."
Young spoke more about his decision in a recent interview with journalist and Iraq War critic Chris Hedges.
“I made the decision to go on hospice care, to stop feeding and fade away," he said. "This way, instead of committing the conventional suicide and I am out of the picture, people have a way to stop by or call and say their goodbyes. I felt this was a fairer way to treat people than to just go out with a note."
For the rest of Hedges' interview with Young, click here. For the rest of The Huffington Post's coverage on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War, click here.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.