by Rachel Ogbu

Rescue-workers-at-the-site (Photo: Punch)

The bodies of four passengers in an Ikoyi Golf Club van which plunged into Majidun River in Ikorodu, Lagos State on Saturday were recovered yesterday.

In a statement, the National Emergency Management Agency identified the driver of the Toyota Hilux van with number plate, KS 918 AU as Kolawole Ahmed. They claimed he was found dead in the river and his corpse had been recovered.

According to reports, the spokesperson, NEMA, South-West zone, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the agency was still looking for more corpses in the water.

“The identified body of Mr. Kolawole Ahmed, who drove the ill-fated Toyota Hilux van was recovered at 8:23am on Sunday.

“The possibility of further recovery is highly remote as the accounts of the eyewitnesses who said four people were in the vehicle contradict the accounts of the Ikoyi Golf Club.

“But emergency agencies are still embarking on further searches,” he said.

[READ: Sad: 4 still missing as Ikoyi Golf Club Van plunges into Lagos river (PHOTOS)]

The Punch reports:

Rescue officials, on Sunday, recovered the corpse of a motorist whose vehicle

The had veered off the road and plunged into the river.

There was also controversy over the number of people in the vehicle as of the time of the incident.

The employees of the company said Ahmed was heading for his house, which was under construction. They explained that the supervision of construction of the house was his daily routine after close of work every day before returning to his house at Ikeja.

NEMA said, “The body had been deposited at the Ikorodu General Hospital.

“His relations and co-workers were also there with us for documentation and burial plans because the victim was a Muslim.”

 

by Rachel Ogbu

Photo: Punch

The Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND have said they destroyed  Oil Well 62 owned by the Shell Petroleum Development Company in Ewellesuo, Nembe Local Government of Bayelsa State as part of its Operation Hurricane Exodus to rescue Christians from Boko Haram insurgency.

MEND’s spokesman, Gbomo Jomo, said in a statement released yesterday that they were ready to launch new attacks to save Christians from Boko Haram violence.

Operation Barbarossa as MEND calls it would begin on May 31 and would target mosques and Islamic clerics, the statement continues.

The statement reads,

“On behalf of the hapless Christian population in Nigeria, The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta will from Friday, May 31, 2013, embark on a crusade to save Christianity in Nigeria from annihilation.

“The bombings of mosques, hajj camps, Islamic institutions, large congregations in Islamic events and assassinations of clerics that propagate doctrines of hate, will form the core mission of this crusade code named Operation Barbarossa.”

The Punch reports:

The attack on the well head occurred barely a week after MEND claimed responsibility for the killing of 12 policemen along the Azuzuama waterways in Southern Ijaw Local Government of the state.

Before the militant group claimed responsibility for the oil well damage, the community had raised the alarm over massive oil spillage from well 62.

Members of the community reportedly accused SPDC of failing to clamp the spill points to avoid further environmental damage.

The Chairman of the Oil and Gas Committee of Nembe Kingdom, Mr. Nengi James, said he appealed to the people to remain calm.

“Since I became Chairman of the Oil and Gas Committee in the kingdom, I have witnessed over 10 massive oil spillages. And all these spillages have never been cleaned up by the oil company.”

Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta codenamed Operation Pulo Shield has debunked claims by the MEND that it was responsible for renewed hostilities in the region.

JTF’s Media Coordinator, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said “impostors and a bundle of never-do-wells” were hiding under MEND, which,  he said had gone into extinction after the amnesty deal, to perpetrate criminal activities in the region.

He  also asked members of the public to discountenace claims by MEND that it had designed a special operation in sympathy for the Christians.

There was certainly no missing Rebel Wilson.

Opening the 2013 MTV Movie Awards with a bang, the actress made her abundant curves the stars of the show as she switched between a clinging dominatrix-style get-up and a padded costume revealing a faux double nip-slip.

Rebel appeared to love every moment of her spirited performance at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California on Sunday.

Nip-slip: Rebel Wilson showed off fake nipples in a comedic skit to introduce herself as the host of the 2013 MTV Movie Awards in Culver City, California on Sunday

Funny girl: Starting the endless jokes of the night, the rising star showed off a faux double nip slip in a padded costume as she spoke to the wide audience

As she held a gigantic rope in her arms, the 27-year-old Australian actress initially teased the audience by sporting what appeared to be a pink track suit.

But after warming up, Rebel unzipped the onesie to reveal a bustier top and skintight leggings that she teamed with leather sleeves running from her wrists to her mid-upper arms.

To stay active on stage, the Pitch Perfect star donned cool sneakers on her feet, ready to bust a move at any point.

And her straight blonde locks were pulled up into a high ponytail, as her bangs rested on her forehead.

Snapped mid-action, one shot showed the Aussie with one hand on her head and the other on her hip, appearing to be shaking her rump to rile up the audience.

She seemed ever-so-confident to be hosting the awards ceremony, grabbing the crowd’s attention with her big movements and mic announcements.

Rebel created an even bigger stir in the audience by slipping into the nipple-revealing stage outfit as she made a speech about body confidence.

Attempting to be a serious bit, it came out quite humorous instead, as all eyes were on the abnormal fake nipples on the left side of her chest, poking through her broken sparkly dress.

‘Today’s the day, remember to tune in to MTV at 9pm tonight for the MTV Movie Awards..I’ll be your hostess with the aca-mostess x,’ Rebel tweeted earlier in the day.

On Saturday, she posted: ‘How am I preparing for tomorrow’s MTVMA’s? 1. horizontal running 2. Vocal warm-ups 3. Sexting Channing Tatum x’

Channing has been a big inspiration leading up to the actress’ debut as an MTV Movie Awards host.

She’s been open about having a celebrity crush on the Hollywood hunk, previously referencing him as a reason to lose weight – so that she could chase after him.

The twosome filmed a trailer for the awards show together, getting fans excited for the main event.

Rebel power: The Australian actress donned an Iron Man-like suit during the opening skit of the awards show

Teaser: Rebel wore a pink track suit before unzipping it to reveal her racy outfit

Pass off: The comedian was hoisted by dancers during a complicated opening routine

Celebrity crush: The blonde star got to film a comedic trailer for the MTV Movie Awards with her crush Channing TatumLater in the evening, Rebel stepped on stage to accept two awards of her own.

The rising star accepted the Breakthrough Performance honor for her turn in Pitch Perfect.

While collecting the trophy, Rebel confessed, ‘I only do acting for these awards. And for cash money.’

She also joined the cast of Pitch Perfect in receiving a Golden Popcorn for Best Musical Moment.

Music award: Rebel joined, left to right, Kelley Jakle, Hana Mae Lee, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp and Ester Dean onstage for the Best Musical Moment award

Rebel also shared that some of her best work had been left on Hollywood’s cutting room floor.

The actress showed a reel of her work in some of the past year’s top films that were snipped out.

Her role as a tiger in Life of Pi didn’t make the cut.

Similarly, her role as ‘lead whore’ in the Oscar nominated musical drama Les Miserables didn’t quite work out.

Life of Pi: Rebel’s role as a tiger in Life of Pi didn’t make the film’s final version

Les Miserables: Rebel’s role as ‘lead whore’ in the Oscar nominated musical somehow got cut

Enjoying the win: Rebel licked her Golden Popcorn trophies for Breakthrough Performance and Best Musical Moment

Proud poser: The actress donned a black Adidas jumpsuit and matching sneakers that complemented her trophies

• MTV Movie Awards will be broadcast on MTV in the UK at 9pm on Monday 15th April

MTV MOVIE AWARDS 2013: WINNERS

Winner: Emma Watson was gracious in accepting her Trailblazer Award

Movie of the Year

• The Avengers

Best Female Performance

•  Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Male Performance

•  Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Breakthrough Performance

•  Rebel Wilson, Pitch Perfect

Best Scared-As-S–t Performance

•  Suraj Sharma, Life of Pi

Moneyman, funnyman? Will Ferrell wore a dollar-covered suit as he accepted the award for Comic Genius

Best On-Screen Duo

•  Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane, Ted

Best Shirtless Performance

• Taylor Lautner, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

Comic Genius

• Will Ferrell for his work in movies such as Anchorman and Elf

Quirky award: Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson won the award for Best WTF Moment for Django Unchained

Best Fight

• Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner vs. Tom Hiddleston, The Avengers

Best Kiss

•  Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Best WTF Moment

• Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson, Candieland Gets Smoked in “Django Unchained

 

Winner: Bradley Cooper scooped the award for Best Kiss with costar Jennifer Lawrence and Best Actor in The Silver Linings Playbook

Trailblazer Award

• Emma Watson for her work in films such as Harry Potter and The Perks Of Being A WallFlower

Best Musical Moment

•  Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean and Hana Mae Lee, Pitch Perfect

Best Villain

•  Tom Hiddleston, The Avengers

Read more: Daily Mail UK

by Chi Ibe

Nigerian Idol season 1 finalist, Zoe Chinaka has released new photos to ‘re-brand’ as she prepares to release her new singles.

The singer, song writer, and talk show host will launch two tracks this  Friday April 19 as she celebrates her birthday.

by Allison Young

Although women haven’t surpassed men on the cheating scale, more married women than ever before are jumping in the sack with someone other than their husbands.

Diane Lane did it in Unfaithful. Annette Bening did it in American Beauty. Sarah Jessica Parker did it on Sex and the City. And they’re not the only ones. Although women haven’t surpassed men on the cheating scale, more married women than ever before are jumping in the sack with someone other than their husbands. According to an American Sexual Behavior study, 14% of married women have cheated at least once, compared to 22% of married men. Not that we’re condoning two-timing from either party, but here are the top 10 reasons women cheat.

Number 10

Not enough sex

Remember the good old days when you could stay up forever fooling around? Then responsibility entered the mix — and kids — and before you knew it, sleep was more important than sex. Well, women want to feel wanted. If you’re not making her feel that way, she could seek it elsewhere. To keep that spark alive, ask her out on date nights, send her provocative e-mails at lunch, and by all means, don’t let life get in the way of kissing, cuddling and sex.

Number 9

Being the bad girl

Just as men feel the urge to sow their wild oats, some women have an inner sex kitten just waiting to be unleashed — and when the beast escapes from the cage, look out. This frisky behavior usually rears its ugly head in response to some sort of life change — major weight loss, new job, new friends, mid-life crisis, etc. Keep the lines of communication open and she’ll be more likely to talk to you about what’s going on instead of spilling her guts to a stranger in the night.

Number 8

Self-esteem

Sex can be an instant pick-me-up; a self-esteem booster that makes women feel sexier, more beautiful and more loved. If your wife or girlfriend has self-esteem issues, it doesn’t mean she’s automatically going to cheat — and it’s certainly not your fault if she does — but there are ways to make her feel secure in the relationship that could help her from straying. Pay attention to her, ask her questions and don’t hold back on compliments — a little flattery goes a long way with women.

Number 7

Revenge/payback for past wrongs

No, you didn’t cheat, but whether you blew your retirement fund in Vegas or got caught in a big lie, you did break her trust (and, possibly, her heart). She feels wounded and betrayed — and wants to hurt you the same way you hurt her. To regain her trust, it’s not enough just to tell her you’re sorry; you have to show her. Actions speak louder than words.

Number 6

Lack of intimacy

You have it all: the house, the two-car garage and the two-and-a-half bathrooms — at least on the outside. But inside, the relationship is lacking the one thing women want most: intimacy. It’s not just sex that makes women feel connected in a relationship; it’s touching, kissing, cuddling, and communicating. Women crave it, and she could seek it elsewhere if she’s not getting it at home. To improve intimacy, spend quality time together, give her a foot massage, make a romantic dinner for two — anything that will give her a sense of unity and closeness.

Number 5

Feeling neglected/ignored/underappreciated

Women wear many hats in a relationship — housekeeper, errand-runner, grocery shopper, babysitter, etc. When she feels more like a maid than a girlfriend/wife, that’s when she could stray. The fact that you spend all your time at work or on the golf course gives her double reason to seek attention elsewhere. No, you can’t quit your job, but you can thank her for all her selfless deeds — and do your share around the house.

Number 4

Your emotional withdrawal

Women are emotional beings. Not only do they need physical support, but they also need emotional support. Once you retreat from the relationship, she sees it as a sign that things are through — a breakup is inevitable. So, she’s not really cheating, she’s moving on. To avoid this, be present in the relationship. Yes, that means sharing your icky feelings, but it’s better than the alternative, right?

Number 3

Bedroom boredom

Sex can become monotonous if you let it — the same position; the same setting; the same person. An affair adds adventure and gets her adrenalin flowing. To avoid routine, avoid repetition. Sweep her away for the weekend, make out at the movies, kiss her for no reason at all… The unexpected adds excitement.

Number 2

Exit strategy

Instead of breaking up with you, she cheats on you. That way she doesn’t have to deal with the broken relationship, which is much harder to fix. An affair is the easy way out — or at least that’s how she sees it. That’s another reason communication is key. Let her know that she can talk to you about anything and that you love her enough to work through any bumps in the relationship road.

Number 1

Revenge for your cheating

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Because you cheated, she wants to get back at you and give you a dose of your own medicine. Cheating is her vengeance, her chance to even the playing field. No, you can’t undo your indiscretion, but you can ask for her forgiveness, assure her it will never happen again and suggest couples therapy to help you get through this tough time.

her cheating heart

When you add up all the reasons women cheat, it’s usually her heart (or her ego) that needs healing, not her libido. Keep the lines of communication open, be supportive and encouraging and work at keeping that spark ignited. In other words: Don’t give her a reason to stray.
—————————-

Read this article in Ask Men

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

by Gbenga Olorunpomi

This time around, the youth took centre stage, while the elderly and experienced listened and marveled.

Just over a week before hugely successful Future Awards Symposium, a similar event took place at the Muson Centre, Lagos. It was the 5^th Annual Bola Tinubu Colloquium, with the theme, “Beyond Merger: A National Movement for Change, A New Generation speaks.”

This time, there was something unusual about the setting. The past four events had witnessed technocrats, foreign and Nigerian, analysing national issues and pushing forward solutions. This time around, the youth took centre stage, while the elderly and experienced listened and marveled.

On stage that day were names you wouldn’t expect to hear in a room full of politicians and government officials. There was Grammy Award Winner (in-waiting) Banky W; the fiery, yet eloquent, Kola Oyeneyin; the gentle and intellectual Myani Bukar; the banking expert in Femi Edun; and the gentle and insightful Hafsat Abiola Castello. They were there to give their parents something to think about and they did that and some more.

The star of the night was undoubtedly, “Mr. Sleeves Up” himself, Kola Oyeneyin. Maintaining a fine balance between the required respect for the elderly and dishing out the cold hard truth, Kola spoke with the combined passion of 68 million Nigerian Youth that have cried for the opportunity to be heard. He spoke on the subject, “The Responsibility of the Older Generation on the Younger Generation.” His words were laden with the stark reality of what is happening in the hearts and lives of young people and he delivered excellently on his topic.

The most unforgettable part of his speech was when he looked straight into Bola Tinubu’s eyes and screamed, “If this merger will be successful, young Nigerians must be part of this and part of it from the start! And failure is not an option!!”

He proposed that politics be made ‘sexy’ to attract young people to it. “Currently politics is dirty in Nigeria,” he said. He also said there was nothing wrong with Godfatherism. “We must encourage political mentors and positive political godfathers. Proper systems where the right people are nurtured and prepared for political office. There was a way some of the governors that are performing today were discovered – I don’t want to mention names – but that’s proper Godfatherism.”

Kola ended his wonderful speech with these words, “Chief Chinua Achebe said, ‘Nigeria is the way It is because Her Leaders are the way They are.’ The question is not whether the fathers and mothers in this room can; the question is whether the fathers and mothers in this room will. Thank you.”

That brought the house down! The standing ovation he got was thunderous. You could tell it was an Obama Moment. You all should watch out for that guy.

Then, it was the turn of my brilliant friend, Myani Bukar, a lawyer and a Development Economist. He is the Knowledge Management Adviser to the Governors’ Forum. Myani’s topic was, ‘The Issue of Citizenship, Identity and Conflict in Nigeria.”

He started by showing photos of wartime Nigeria, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire and Bosnia. There were ire similarities amongst the scenes and Mynai confirmed this, saying, “All of these crises are a result of conflict based on identity and access to public services, which is the subject matter of citizenship. For every one of them, fellow citizens killed each other because of the competition for access to resource.”

He also added that 88% of conflicts in Africa was based on identity.

In his submission, Myani made a firm case that the criteria for citizenship must be focused on the individual. Focus must be the equality of all individuals before the Law and not sub national groups or ethnicities and residency, not indegenship, should be the operational basis for citizenship and the indigene/settler divide should be operationally and legally done away with. He also asked that the constitution should be so amended.

He also took a stab at the current the federal character principle, saying that it should be overhauled. Land ownership systems ought to be looked into critically, he said, and the existence of institutions like Christian and Muslim pilgrim boards be discontinued.

He ended his speech thus, “On the Economic policy front, the rent state must be killed, paving the way for a multi-resource economy operational within a system of individual entrepreneurship and the development of the local economy. I recommend that we again revisit the recommendations posited here in 2010 by Prof. Hernando de Soto and specifically recommend that everyone here reads his book, ‘Why capitalism triumphs in the West but fails everywhere else.’”

Then, it was the turn of Banky W. His speech was, like his music: soulful, heart-warming and filled with hope. It had numerous punch lines that only a master songwriter could conjure up. He showed the audience photos of Dubai (where he had recently holidayed) in the 1960s and recently. He made a case that Nigeria could be as marketable and developed with the proper kind of leadership and dreams.

“I’m here because I’m a dreamer,” he said. “Everything I have now, that God blessed me with… was born out of my dreams. I dreamt of becoming a singer; dreamt of owning my own record label company, and other businesses. I dream of a changed Nigeria where each child, no matter the background has a dream of his/her own, and is given access to education, healthcare, and basic amenities in life to make those dreams come true.

“I dream of a changed Nigeria where the opportunities abound for anyone willing to work for them; where every man, woman and child is given a fair shot to avoid poverty and become a success at whatever they set their minds to do.

“I’m Banky W, and I stand for change. Do you?”

Last to speak was the Ogun state Special Adviser on MDGs and the daughter of Late MKO Abiola, Hafsat Abiola-Castello. Her voice, gentle and alluring, carried through the room and sharply focused the audience. She spoke on, “The Millennium Development Goals: Where are we in the race and how can we go faster?”

Although, the country is on track on four of the eight MDG, she said, three of the more critical ones were totally off track with one carrying a huge question mark.

“In Nigeria,” Hafsat said, “We have 10.5 million out of school, primarily in the North East and North West. That constitutes the largest body of children out of school in the world. Nigeria has 170 million people; we have countries like China, with 1.4 billion, also India with 1.1 billion but we have more children out of school than (both).”

Youth, not oil, is Nigeria’s most valuable asset, she said, and accelerating MDG attainment requires a functioning economy. She also said Nigeria’s window of opportunity is the imminent global food crisis which could make agriculture the “new gold commodity.”

“This is a golden opportunity to create wealth, employment, ensuring our children are educated, that the maternal and child health is improved by preparing to bridge the gap that China and India may create in global food supply,” she ended.

The event was chaired by Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, who had to leave early in the event while the Chairman of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido, Sanusi, took his place. He responded to the speeches by encouraging the youth to get involved in politics and not wait to be invited.

“Politics needs to be more intelligent, more articulate, more issue-based, and I hope that these 68 million youths that we have will set the agenda, drive it and I will be very happy to vote for a 38 year old president in this country,” Mallam Sanusi said.

Presently, it was the turn of the Guest of Honour, Bola Tinubu. He thanked the speakers for provoking what he called “intellectual inquisitiveness.” He said he disagreed with the Mallam Sanusi, who had earlier challenged the youth to form their own party.

“Come and join us,” he pled. “With a wife like this, (pulling the beautiful Senator Oluremi Tinubu closer), is politics not sexy? Join us, it’s sexy here!”

At the end, there was a common agreement that the ACN and the organisers of the event knocked this one out of the park by handing over such a platform to young ones. They got it spot on by inviting the proper young minds with diverse experience to the Colloquium, which commentators say is now the biggest platform for discussing national issues.

For me, I think via this singular move, the ACN and indeed the merging opposition parties, have won a new set of young supporters for themselves. The 5^th Bola Tinubu Colloquium came at the right time and the memories of the day will linger. I only hope all Nigerian youth will catch the opposition’s not too subtle moves to get more of them on their side and also make moves to be assets to them. Instead of adopting the comfy but self-afflicting ‘siddon-look’ posture, friends, let us encourage any move that will ultimately deepen our democracy and cause a positive shift in our land. Our chance is this merger and it is now!

Like Banky W, I also stand for change. Do you?

—————————-

Gbenga Olorunpomi is a senior digital marketing strategist. He has over 5 years in the marketing communications business and has designed social media strategies for major brands like Coca-Cola and The Economist.  He is experienced in the media, having worked for two years at one of the country’s biggest public relations firms as Media Relations and Content Manager. Gbenga is a Principal Consultant with Cyborg Nigeria. He is affiliated to the ACN. He tweets from @gbengagold

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

by Hauwa Gambo

This gets worse for Solomon Akiyesi, the Nollywood actor who was called out for bigamy by his wife Lilian while he soujht to marry another woman, Uloma Agwu, at the Overcomers World Outreach on Saturday, 13 April.

[READ: "Uloma is a liar, she knew I was Solomon's wife"]

[READ: "The disgrace she brought will follow her" - Overcomers pastor attacks wife after Nollywood wedding fiasco]

Apparently, before he even married Lilian, he was still married to another woman, called Ezinne.

Photos are below:

Lord. Have. Mercy.

[Photos: H/T Stella Dimoko]

Her season has already got off to a good start with three wins already.

However, when Serena Williams isn’t on the court, she likes to indulge her other passion for fashion.

The World’s No.1 was spotted posing up a storm in a high-waisted, monochrome bikini for a photoshoot on Miami Beach, Florida on Monday.

Posing up a storm: Serena Williams shows off her monochrome bikini during a photoshoot in Miami Beach, Florida

Strong: The 31-year-old showed off her athletic physique as she posed on the beach

Wearing the high chequered and strip patterned bottoms and a black top, the 31-year-old looked like she was having fun posing on the beach.

She let her hair flow naturally around her shoulders, with her only jewellery being a ring and bulky gold earrings.

As she was requested by the photographer to pull sultry poses, it appeared some of the faces she was making were causing her to laugh.

Feel a bit silly: Serena pulls a sultry face before bursting into laughter

Bootylicious: Serena confidently strides along the sands

Work it for me! One photographers get down in the sand as he snaps away at the tennis superstar

Getting the right light: Serena was accompanied by a photographer and full crew on the cloudy day

For many of the shots, she lifted her left leg to define her impressive muscular legs.

Later on, she changed into a figure-hugging yellow mini-dress as she moved back from the beach to the greenery of the sandbacks.

She was also spotted wearing a stunning black maxi dress, which flattered her curves in all the right places.

Feeling zen: The 31-year-old enjoys a moment of peace as she closes her eyes during the shooot

Bootylicious: The tight bikini showcased Serena’s fabulous curves

Golden girl: Serena adjusts her heavy gold earrings

Although she seemed to be enjoying the shoot, Serena admitted she had lost her voice.

She tweeted: ‘Lost my voice. #williamsinvitational2013 I literally cannot speak. Maybe I will be tweeting more…’

Her shoot came a week after she beat Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic to the the Family Circle Cup  in Charleston, South Carolina.

The beach is your catwalk: It looked like the weather was pretty windy for the alfresco shoot

Curly girl: The tennis player let her hair flow naturally for a beachy style

How many photographers does it take to do a photoshoot? Serena was the centre of attention

However, her victory was not without some controversy with Serena and Jelena arguing during the game.

After Jelena broke serve twice, Serena shouted: ‘Honestly, you have a problem,’ later adding she wasn’t ready for the serves.

Following her win, Serena explained: ‘I wasn’t ready. I am the most respectful player, other than Venus. I am so respectful to my colleagues.’

Mellow yellow: Later in the shoot, Serena changed into a tight yellow patterned mini dress

Loving the sunshine: The sun finally came out for Serena

Work that pout: Serena’s shoot comes after she won the Family Circle Cup earlier this month

Alfresco: Serena posed amidst the trees and flowers for the natural shoot

On March 30, Serena also won the Sony Open in Miami, which came a month after she was forced to pull out of the Dubai Championships after hurting her back.

Serena withdrew just minutes before she was due to play Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli after injuring her lower back.

The tennis star is now the world’s oldest women’s No.1 since records began in 1975.

Back to black: Serena changed into a dramatic floor-length black maxi dress

We can see your bra! The intricate back of the dress revealed the star’s underwear

Shoeless: Serena soon slipped off her trainers to suit the classy dress

A bride who was born a man has found happiness with a groom who was born a woman after meeting at a transgender support group.

Felix Laws and Helen Morfitt, from Hull, who have both changed sex, hope their love story will give hope to other people struggling with gender identity.

Helen, 56, who was born a boy called Leslie, told The Mirror: ‘It might seem a bit strange to people on the outside but as far as we’re concerned we’re just like any other man and woman in love.

Finally found happiness: Helen Morfitt and Felix Laws will tie the knot this September

‘We’ve been through a lot over the years and had tough times transitioning from one sex to another, but we’ve now found each other and that’s all that matters.’

Helen, who is now a support worker at Lincoln University, met Felix, 46, in 2008 when he attended a transgender support group she had set up to help people struggling with their gender like she had.

‘There are a lot of barriers, both socially and psychologically, in the way of people wanting to switch gender, so I wanted to help others overcome them using my experience,’ she told the Hull Daily Mail.

Before she had her sex change operation ten years ago, Helen had married three times and had eight children. She admits it was a very stressful time as she was ‘trying to deny who I really was – a woman in a man’s body.’

The couple met at a transgender support group Helen had set up to help people struggling with their identity

Helen said she remains friends with two of her exes and explained her sex change operation to her children before she went ahead with it.

She said: ‘I was incredibly ill by then because of the stress. I told my two youngest, who were only five and six, that I was very poorly and the only way I could get better was to become a girl. They accepted it easily.’

Meanwhile Felix, a school teaching assistant who was born as a woman called Katy, was struggling with his identity.

He said: ‘I’d known from the age of eight that I should have been born a boy. My friends were playing with dolls and prams but I wanted to climb trees, play football and get muddy.’

Real love: Between them they have ten children and four marriages but the pair say they’ve finally got romance right after changing their sexes

In a bid to try and repress his feelings, Felix married at the age of 21 and had two sons. While he loved his sons very much, he left them to live with their father when they were aged 10 and 12 because he was struggling so much with his desire to be a man.

After he sought help from his GP, Helen’s support group was recommended to him and it was there that he met her and they fell in love.

He had a full sex change in 2009 and popped the question to Helen in 2011.

They will tie the knot in Gretna Green in September.

‘I’ve been married three times before but this time I know it’s for real because I know I’m the right sex this time,’ Helen said.

Read more: UK Daily Mail

A teenager accused of snatching an 11-year-old girl off the street and repeatedly raping her today claimed he is ‘not capable of doing anything as despicable and heartless’.

Opemipo Jaji, 18, said at the time of the attack he was at a youth club working on a backing track for a song.

He told a jury at the Old Bailey: ‘I wrote the song after I heard a girl killed herself from bullying. I wrote the song hoping things would get better.’

Jaji admits he was on the same bus as the victim and got off at the same stop.

But he claims he then went on to a youth club in Enfield, North London, for a recording session.

The trainee chef said he went to Jubilee Park later that evening to compose music but left after 10 minutes because he saw police at the gate.

Jaji, of Edmonton, north London, denies raping the girl in November, last year.

The court heard the girl was walking home from school when she was dragged into the park and subjected to a three-hour rape ordeal.

She ran home and police were called.

Traces of her blood were found on Jaji’s white trainers and bag which he says were from when he sat down on the grass later that evening.

Opemipo Jaji, 18, told an Old Bailey jury that when he previously mugged and sexually assaulted another schoolgirl in an almost identical attack two years earlier it had been ‘childhood stupidity.’

The trainee chef claimed that since the first attack he’s been forced to grow up, and was planning to set up his own catering firm. He also claimed he was to appear on BBC TV talent show The Voice.

The court heard Jaji accounts for every second of the day so he ‘would not get into trouble.’

Jaji denies he was the rapist who grabbed the girl after she got off a bus and walked through a north London park on a Friday night last November.

The girl was forced to strip from her school uniform and had a woollen glove pushed in her mouth to stop her screaming as she was subjected to a terrifying three-hour ordeal.

Her injuries were so bad she had to spend four days in hospital.

The jury were told just 21 months earlier, aged 16, Jaji grabbed a schoolgirl from a bus stop, dragged her to a secluded area on a housing estate, stripped her of her school uniform and used her school tie to gag her.

He later pleaded guilty to robbery and sexual assault.

Today, Jaji said: ‘It was just childhood stupidity.

‘Since I’ve been in prison and out, I’ve been forced to grow up.

‘Since then I have sorted myself out. I got an apprenticeship as a chef while being paid £10 an hour, I was two weeks from starting my own catering business. I was suppose to be on The Voice TV show on BBC.

‘I am just not capable of doing something as despicable and heartless as this. To be honest, I don’t know what to say.’

Terrifying assault: The girl finally reached home at 8pm and was taken to hospital for surgery

‘I have done everything to keep myself out of trouble. Every single day of my week is planned out to the letter by me. That’s just because I don’t really like too much free time because you get into trouble.’

He told the jury he had been on a bus with the schoolgirl and had handed her back her travel pass when it fell to the floor, explaining why his fingerprints were on it.

He also said he went inside Jubilee Park later that evening to compose music in his ‘favourite spot’ but left after 10 minutes because he saw police at the gate.

He explained blood belonging to the girl found on the inside of his boxer shorts, around the crotch and zip area of his trousers, on and inside his upper long johns, t-shirt, polo shirt, trainers and on his Adidas sports bag must have been picked up when he sat down on the grass.

However, the jury heard when police searched Jaji’s home they found a book on his bunk bed called “Nobody Cares” about a little girl who is repeatedly raped.

Also on his bed was a picture of a seven-year-old dressed in tennis clothes cut out and pasted on a piece of cardboard. They also found a page of small ads searching for childminder.

Rosina Cottage, prosecuting, accused Jaji of wanting case to go to trial so he could watch the girl having to relive her ordeal.

He replied: ‘What does that do for me exactly?’

Ms Cottage said: ‘You are sexually interested in very little girls and manipulate and control them.

‘What better way than to control a little girl than make her come to court and give evidence? So you could watch the DVD and how she explained what you have done to her.’

Jaji replied: ‘I have not committed this crime.’

She accused Jaji of not being able to ‘resist’ attacking the girl when he followed her off the bus and it was ‘no coincidence’ she was repeatedly raped at his ‘favourite’ spot inside the park.

He says he handed the schoolgirl her travel pass when it fell to the floor which explains why his fingerprints were found on it.

Jaji of Osward Place, Edmonton, north London, denies a single count of rape.

The trial continues.

Read more: UK Daily Mail

It is a place at once thought of for its destitution, crime, and poverty – where a bitter conflict has claimed the lives of more than 35,000 Mexicans.

Photographer David Rochkind captures Mexico’s seedy drug trade in a brutally humanistic light in a series of images collected in his book, ‘Heavy Hand, Sunken Spirit.’

His photographs capture a rugged landscape thrown into a vicious war on the trade, and the people who have been affected by or succumbed to the overwhelming influence of the drug trade.

Mr Rochkind, who graduated from the University of Michigan and is currently based out of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, traveled to Mexico beginning in 2007 to photograph the series, shooting cartel members, addicts, inmates, and communities torn apart by the drug war.

These images are only a small sampling of the collection or reportage appearing in his book

Destitution: Photographer David Rochkind has captured a series of poignant images of Mexico’s devastating drug culture; here, a young girl walks by a caravan of police vehicles during a security sweep looking for criminals and drug dealers

Darkest before dawn: Police in Nogales perform a security sweep in the poor neighborhoods of the city looking for drug dealers and drug users

The only thing that matters: Here, a woman shoots heroin in front of her lover and a baby they are supposed to be caring for

Behind bars: A man arrested for drug possession stands in his jail cell in a small prison high in the hills of Nogales, Sonora

Shooting between police and drug cartels on the streets of Juarez

Lift thine eyes: Men pray at an evangelical church in Tijuana. Many churches in Tijuana are reporting increased membership as citizens seek refuge from all of the violence around them

Belly of the beast: Ciudad Juraez is at the center of Mexico’s violence, with more than 5,000 drug related murders over the past two years. President Felipe Calderon has sent thousands of soldiers to the city to try to stem the violence, though after a short decrease in murders the violence blossomed once again. Here, soldiers search young men for drugs, weapons or signs of drug use

Telling the story: Members of a Norteño band sit in their tour bus after giving a show in Mexico City. Many Norteño groups sing corridos, or ballads, that tell a story

Long day’s journey into night: Central American migrants ride atop a freight train carrying cement as they head north in an attempt to enter the US. Traveling by train has become more dangerous as kidnappings and robberies have risen in recent years with increased drug cartel activity

Read more: Daily Mail UK

by Rachel Ogbu

For Nigeria’s first ever Fans’ Carnival, #footballcentriclagos (The premiere event of the FOOTBALLCENTRIC Nationwide Tour) packaged by Escalated Concept is to launch on June 2, 2013.

Host of the event and radio personality, Sayo Owolabi said that machineries have been in motion since March to fine tune and format a content structure that will ensure that football fans have a time of unprecedented fun and excitement when the event holds in June.

Highlights of the events includes; “FOOTBALLCENTRIC Meets…” – which is a special interview with some personalities in the football circles, “The ChatRoom” with the finest football analysts, “The Best Match” – a fashion showcase by female sports presenters for female fans and “An All Star 5-A-Side Football Challenge” – pitching sports presenters/analysts on the Island against those on the Mainland.

Sayo said leading names in the football circles – former players, administrators and the media have continued to show support for this unprecedented event but the lawyer turned sportspreneur has said no names will be let out until the official Media launch in May.

You can get updates on the event via: Twitter – @footballcentric

Facebook – www.facebook.com/footballcentric

YNaija is an Official Media Partner of #footballcentriclagos.

Ice Prince, Ehis, 2face, Davido & others

What: MTV Base Africa All Stars Party.

Where: Civic Centre, V.I, Lagos.

When: April 14, 2012.

Photos by Hycinth Iyereosa

2face Idibia

Annie Idibia

Ice Prince

Liz Johnback

Davido

Yvonne Vixen Ekwere

Bovi (Comedian)

Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi

Denrele Edun

DJ Jimmy Jatt

Ono Bello

DJ Sose

Ada Ogunkeye

Lynxxx

Vina

Sexy Steel

Alex Okosi

Gbenro Ajibade

Moet

Mannie ( Cool FM)

Tosyn Bucknor

DJ Caise

Stephanie Coker

Karen Igho

Konga

Beverly Nanya

Ehis

Fadekemi (The Beat FM)

Abigail

Iceberg

Jennifer Odunze

Linda Daniels

Olori-Supergal

Lisa

Kech

Leroq

Mary

Audu Maikori

Scott Igbene

Davido and Ice Prince

2face performing

2face

Ice Prince

Davido

Dami Krane

Derele Edun, Karen Igho, and friends

by ‘Ifreke Inyang

But it is important that Wenger puts a clinical finisher on his summer shopping list and at least challenge for the major trophies next season.

Last season, Arsenal struggled against Everton at the Emirates. It does appear that David Moyes seems to have settled for the appropriate antidote for the Gunners’ attacking verve. However, the difference between last year and 2013, is a certain Robin van Persie. The Dutchman didn’t need a second touch to put away Alex Song’s lofted pass away, with supreme technique.

Yesterday, Olivier Giroud had easier chances to put Arsene Wenger’s men ahead and he fluffed all of them. One has to wonder why he keeps starting ahead of Lukas Podolski. The German was the more established striker Wenger bought last summer and he was widely expected to lead the line, as Van Persie sealed his Manchester United move. However, Wenger, who evidently has something for playing his compatriots time and again, even when they are not at their best, has opted for Giroud.

The former Montpellier man will end this season with perhaps seven more goals, than RVP scored in his first season for Arsenal, but that stat, is both positive and misleading. Most Gooners will readily agree that Podolski is more clinical than Giroud and if most of the chances Giroud wasted fell to him, Wenger’s men might have been further up the table. But for some strange reason, Wenger does not even rotate him with Giroud like Rafa Benitez does at Chelsea.

It’s a league of fine margins. Ask Manchester United who lost the Premiership on goals difference last season. Word is that Wenger is preparing to dust his cheque book and sanction deals for any of Stevan Jovetic or Pierre Aubameyang. Arsenal fans should know more than get excited. But it is important that Wenger puts a clinical finisher on his summer shopping list and at least challenge for the major trophies next season.

————————–

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

by Nat

Every single one of us has been there. We’ve all been down in the dumps. We’ve all felt hopeless. We’ve all felt like all the hard work we’ve put in has been a waste of time and perhaps it’s all been for nothing. It’s at those times we might find our true character. It’s at those times we either strive to keep going or simply give up.

If you’re ever in a rut and life’s got you down just check out some of these amazing quotes that can help pull you through.

1. Tough times never last, but tough people do. – Robert H Schuller

2. The difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how you use them. – Unknown

3. Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way. And don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines. -Leroy Satchel Paige

4. A problem is a chance for you to do your best. – Duke Ellington

5. I ask not for a lighter burden, but for broader shoulders. – Jewish Proverb

6. If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. – Mary Engelbreit

7. When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always get worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better. – Malcolm S Forbes

8. Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity is a greater. Possession pampers the mind; privation trains and strengthens it. – William Hazlitt

9. Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity. – Lou Holtz

10. I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death. – Thomas Paine

11. If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are? – Unknown

12. The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity. – Ulysses S. Grant

13. The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity. –Seneca

14. Adversity is a fact of life. It can’t be controlled. What we can control is how we react to it. – Unknown

by Isi Esene

In line with its resolve and determination to consistently engage its consumers, leading Malt brand, Maltina, from the stables of Nigeria Breweries Plc, thrilled consumers and Nigerians that turned up for the annual Lagos Carnival which took place at the Tafawa Balewa Square on Easter Monday. The Carnival is the high point of the week long activities of the Lagos Heritage Week.

Renowned for “sharing happiness”, the brand made its presence felt during the carnival with an array of fascinating Maltina branded carnival costumes. The brand also had the “Maltina stand” which was stationed outside the venue. Consumers trooped en masse to the vivacious Maltina stand where they won different gift items by participating in various exciting competitions.

The high point of the Carnival was the “Flash mob” performance organized by Maltina. The flash mob, typically involves a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place to perform an unusual act for a brief period of time. The flash mob staged by the brand, is the first of this magnitude ever witnessed in Nigeria. The Maltina flash mob performance captivated carnival-goers who were somewhat bewildered and stunned at the ingenuity through which the flash mob performance was carried out.

Oluwole James, a student who was present at the Maltina stand during the carnival, said he was motivated to go to the stand after he saw countless tweets on Twitter about the fun and entertainment that was happening at the stand.

Another carnival enthusiast, Seun Olashile stated that he was indeed elated to be at the carnival especially at the brand’s stand where there was continuous music, freebies and different competition going on. He said he looks forward to being part of it again next year.

Speaking at the Lagos Carnival, Senior Brand Manager, Maltina Mrs. Ngozi Nkwoji, pointed out the rationale behind the brand’s partnership with the Lagos Carnival. According to her, “Maltina is about sharing happiness and where else can you share happiness than where there are lots of people including adults and children having fun at this colourful carnival. This is an ideal environment for Maltina to share happiness. Maltina is all about “sharing happiness” and family bonding. The Maltina story has always been the story of sharing, friendship, togetherness and a good time with loved ones which is the core essence of the Maltina brand. Maltina is the biggest malt brand in Nigeria. It can only get bigger. We associate with big events like this where we can fulfill our brand promise”.

by Olubunmi Familoni

The stripping procedure was always the same—Sniffs would do the top half of the corpse, while I covered the bottom, the trouser pockets. I didn’t like this; it meant my fingers had to come in contact with a dead manhood.

Going through dead people’s pockets, that’s how we made a living, my brother, Sniffs, and I. You could say we lived off death. The good thing about this kind of livelihood was that there was never a shortage of deaths and the dead in our neighbourhood. Death was cheap around here. People died copiously, everyday: stabbed, shot, strangled, overdosed, underfed, heartbroken, skull open. . . Death came in various hues. We didn’t care about how a fellow had come to his death, we were usually just grateful to have a corpse at our disposal. And we went to ‘stripping’ it.

Yes, stripping; that was what we called our job. Emptying a dead man’s pockets to make him lighter for the final journey, Sniffs would joke. We never took clothes. It was unfair, and indecent, to leave a corpse naked. That was Sniffs’ idea. Clothes, he reasoned, were the only shred of dignity and identity a dead man had left; especially a dead man on the street. I couldn’t understand this rationalization of his. But I figured that must be why people were buried in their best suits. For decency in death.

After these stripping operations, the guilt would rise in my chest as a wave of nausea, so that whatever food we bought with the stripped money I usually ended up throwing it up in the gutter. And there were the ghosts, with their pockets turned out, behind me all the time. Stripped ghosts. Sniffs said I should have been a writer; my powers of imagination were useless as a thief. He also dismissed my guilt as silly and valueless, since we were not the killers of the dead people; we only “divested” them of their belongings, which, being earthly, would be useless in their new residences, where streets were made of gold, and houses were mansions.

Sniffs should have been the writer; he was good with words like that, and knew a lot of big ones. Divest. He was always reading these thick, aged paperbacks that stank of piss and mould. It must have been from these books that he got his twisted idea of chivalry. In our strippings we never touched women; he would look at a female corpse with liquid pity, and respect, in his eyes, mutter something that was between a prayer and a string of curse words, and hurry along.

The stripping procedure was always the same—Sniffs would do the top half of the corpse, while I covered the bottom, the trouser pockets. I didn’t like this; it meant my fingers had to come in contact with a dead manhood. The limp, rubbery memory would linger on my fingers for days, as if I was actually holding the dead man’s hose everywhere. That, and the ghosts, and the often vomited guilt, were enough to drive me crazy.

I eventually ended up mad, one day.

Sniffs had a habit of disappearing for brief spells after a not-too-profitable stripping. He would appear days later, reeking of luxury wines and expensive city whores, a sated smirk dangling drunkenly off his face, and the remnants of the reverie hanging from his pockets and dropping off his lips in his sleep. Putting these pieces together, I suspected he must be doing some big jobs out there.

This one time, he didn’t come back for weeks. Then months; two months. Then four. I couldn’t strip without him by my side. I couldn’t approach a corpse without my brother’s courage beside me. He had enough guts for a whole gang, and a pack of wolves. Stone guts. My own liver was just fresh lily, and my heart mush.

I took to begging. But I wasn’t getting as much as we usually did stripping corpses. The people in this neighbourhood were so poor they couldn’t afford to notice beggars.

The night I went mad, I was going home after a hard day’s begging, with nothing but hope in my pockets. I was almost at the door when I stumbled over a body. I started. Struck a match. It was a man. A dead one. Cold as dog food. Stark naked, manhood and fingers gone, chopped off— the local traditional punishment for armed thieves.

The face still had that dangling smirk. It was the only thing he had left. He had been stripped of everything, only the smirk; as if taunting the killers—You can take everything, my clothes, my money, my life, but not the light! You cannot kill the light! He was the only dead person I’d ever seen with light in his eyes! I left them open.

I took off my own clothes, every piece, and covered him up—covered his happy face with my faded YMCA T-shirt, covered his still chest and stomach with my baggy trousers, then I worked my only boxer shorts up his legs and covered what was left of his manhood. Decency in death. It was the only last decent thing I could do for a brother; a brother who had not been my parents’ son, but had been there ever since I could remember, as a parent, a friend, a mirror, a dictionary, clown. . . and general idiot.

I walked away, naked as in birth, out of the dark womb of this neighbourhood forever. I walked into the new light I could see beyond.

A different kind of light from Sniffs’. The isolated Light of madness. A different texture of madness from the common.

I had been stripped of my only family. My people say, “People are the only clothes you have.” I had had only one piece of clothing all my life—Sniffs. I had been stripped of it.

His corniest line wafted before me, in his thin, feminine voice: Brother, we’re not brothers, but look at us, thick as thieves!. . . Gerrit?! Thieves! Ha-ha-ha-ha-

He laughed like those rickety blue grinding machines, in coughing spurts. I should have laughed with him.

Now, I laughed, like him, louder than him, turning my open mouth up to the heavens and pouring it all out of my chest. For him.

My laughter grew louder, the further away I walked, into my new-found madness. Then I began to run.

And fly.

———————————–

Read this piece in BULLET PEN

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

by Jessica Padykula

Paying for some things is OK, but if you’re with a guy who never has any money (or just has an aversion to spending his own), get out while you can — or at least before you go broke.

You’ll meet many guys on your path to finding the one who’s right for you, but you should avoid a few types at all cost. They might start out as perfectly decent men while they’re trying to get your attention, but once they show their true colors, you may want to head for the hills. Here are a few of the worst offenders.

1. THE MOOCH

This is the guy who never seems to go anywhere with his wallet after he takes you out once or twice. Whether you’re taking in a movie, going out for dinner or just grabbing a slice of pizza, he will always plead poor and ask you to pay.

Paying for some things is OK, but if you’re with a guy who never has any money (or just has an aversion to spending his own), get out while you can — or at least before you go broke.

THE LAZY SLOB

This guy may charm you at first with his ambitions and list of projects that he plans, but that will get old fast once you notice that all he ever seems to do is play video games and order takeout. If he never has anything new to report in terms of job hunting or physical activity of any kind, and he always has stains on his clothing, move on or risk becoming his mother.

The lazy slob has no motivation or intention of ever getting a real job.

THE OVERACHIEVER

The complete opposite to the lazy slob is the type A overachiever. While this guy looks great on paper (good job, six-figure income, sweet condo), he will never be around to hang out with you. When he is around, he will talk only about work. He’ll sweep you off your feet with expensive dinners and lavish gifts, but as soon as things get serious, he’ll go back to focusing solely on his career.

Do you really want a guy who pays more attention to his stocks than to you? We didn’t think so.

THE BIG KID

Some guys never seem to grow up. As charming as they seem at first, dating someone who is immature can be frustrating. All he wants to do is have fun, which is great (he’s adventurous and has great date ideas), but when you settle down and move in together, he’ll never want to talk about “boring” things like finances, rent and chores.

If you’re looking for long-term love, the big kid is not your go-to guy.

———————–

Read this article in She Knows

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.

A Florida man got busted for allegedly amassing the largest collection of child porn in the state’s history.

John Shearen had between 500,000 and 1 million full-length videos and images of kiddie pornography, as well as children’s underwear, in his Leesburg apartment, police said.

“He is the No. 1 person that can distribute child pornography throughout the world,” Special Agent Jeff Duncan said. “And he’s been doing it.”

Shearen was arrested Thursday, his 51st birthday, on 15 counts of possessing child porn and 15 counts of distributing it. More charges may be filed as the investigation continues.

The illicit material was stockpiled on “mass media storage devices” at his home in the Lakeside Pointe apartment complex, about 45 miles northwest of Orlando, authorities said.

“They were stored on several computers and external hard drives to actually being transferred from the computers to separate DVDs, and he has a DVD collection of child pornography,” Duncan told Orlando-based ABC station WFTV.

“So, we have a lot of work to do. Those initial cases will be charged today.”

When confronted about the children’s underwear, Shearen claimed that he wore it himself, which Duncan noted is “virtually impossible.”

Authorities identified Shearen while monitoring child porn websites last month and secured a search warrant. When they Shearen, he was in the midst of downloading more indecent videos.

Investigators started going door-to-door at the apartment complex to find out if Shearen had any contact with neighboring children. Needless to say, the parents have been appalled and horrified.

“Absolutely disgusting,” one neighbor said. “I don’t see how somebody can even look at that.”

Shearen was booked without bond in Lake County Jail, reported local NBC-affiliate WPTV.