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Trump wants pardoned real estate developer Charles Kushner to be ambassador to FranceProtest blocks access to Deltaport for three hours FridayOne of the pillars for building a virile nation is spirituality. We have neglected this to our ruin. The role of religion in ushering in the industrial revolution that swept across what is today known as Europe is well documented by history. The strong bond between the early church and the Greeco/Roman Empire was not for fun, it was about substance. It was about the inevitability of the spiritual in achieving a healthy society. We know the various interplays that took place between the church and various emperors of the Roman Empire before one of them finally accepted Christianity as a partner in progress and as long as the collaboration lasted the empire thrived and remained very healthy. More judgements curbed the animalistic tendencies in every man. Someone once said, “If you give a man the best in education and deny him moral training, you end up producing a monster.” A critical assessment of the history of development of many nation-states would show this statement to be very true. When the mind is open, psychologists after so many empirical studies have told us, it will be so ready to receive whatever influences flying around. In this condition it is more susceptible to negative vices often prevalent in natural settings. Doing evil is like pulling down an edifice that took several years to build. Destruction is easier than construction. The struggle between England and Anglicanism on the one hand, and the Romans and Catholicism on the other was only about national independence and pride. It bordered also on the place of pure spiritualism in national development. When the British created a class system, which suggested that except a person climbed into the Republican grade, one had no societal standing, hence no contributions to make. Those below were in ordinary, plain language sub-humans. This created a system that was not only inhuman and therefore unacceptable, it was a provoker of all that could destabilize a society and it did cause much problem to the British Empire. America came to be from the ashes of the controversy as the church pushed for change. Those who couldn’t stand the messy situation packed their belongings and left in search of New World and new country – that is the America, which is today pushing the frontiers of freedom in every corner of the globe. Space won’t allow one talk about the place of religious puritans, “The Great Awakening” crusade and the making of modern America. It is a rich and positive history to read. Most, if not all the cardinal constitutional law and civil jurisprudence of America have their roots in Christian principles and rules. We have neglected the spiritual side, and like one observed earlier, it has become too costly. In the course of an argument with someone just last week, he said: “Even men and women who profess major faiths have been in the business of running down the country.” He began to reel out leaders with Christian names in highly placed public positions. The answer one gave was simple and direct: “Most of those people are Christians by accident of birth” – just individuals born into Christian families which in truth doesn’t qualify one as a member of the household of faith. He didn’t understand and we hadn’t the advantage of time to enable me give him further explanations. One has seen friends bear the name ‘Musa’ and you ascribe Islam to him and the person quickly says, “No I am not a Moslem.” Yet names for a greater part of the world is of great significance. Take for example Chukwuemeka. The mere mention of the name takes one’s mind straight to the Southeast. The same goes with Toyin, which would point to Southwest. Politics of identity is embedded in us but our formal education and non-formal tutorship guide us on how we fight this conflict. In all it will require valour which flows from plenty of discretion. It is foolish to rise and punch your “brother” in eyes when it should be very obvious if your senses are still in place that he could become blind as a result of that action from your part. That would reckless we all know. One can’t easily remember the particular sage who said, “there is an external force that pushes men to act in ways contrary to sane thinking.” In the Christian faith it is a strong belief our names unleash forces that propel our behavior. We take a few examples. In Isaiah 9:6-7, the Bible announces the coming of Jesus and it was emphatic on the name: “He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace.” Jesus turned out to be all that. Abram, meaning “exalted father” stayed just so in his idolatrous family until he was 70 years old, no achievement receiving vain glory until God intervened beginning with a change of name from Abram to Abraham before he gained fruitfulness. Jacob meant a supplanter; he walked the earth that way until God came to change the name to Israel and he birthed modern Israel. Sarai had to be changed to Sarah before a lady who had passed menopause could get a child. Esau was to be senseless, and so for food he gave away his birthright. Reuben’s case is very pathetic far more than the rest. The spirit of the old Jacob had a strong hold on him even in ripe adult life. His father was a supplanter so Reuben came to be, talk of ancestral curse and here we have a classical example to work with. Biblical Reuben was careless and ruthless, a horrible combination to find in one person. Bible says he was unstable. He went after his father’s concubine, Bilhad, who had given birth to two children for the father. Reuben “knew” the lady and from that point he lost himself and a kingdom. He lost his father’s blessing, his position as first son and his tribe, which was to be the first was relegated downwards. All because of one act of indiscretion. When we calculate and make plans to build a modern Nigeria it is very crucial we take spiritual aspect as serious as the physical dimension. Definitely, there is more to earthly journey than what our physical senses can comprehend.spin ph logo 。

In the immediate wake of Dakota Ditcheva's title winning performance over Taila Santos at the PFL 2024 Championships, the Manchester native is one of the biggest names in the sport for at least one weekend. Fans have immediately begun speculation over how she would do against other great fighters like Valentina Shevchenko, where Ditcheva sits on the pound-for-pound list, and if she will move to the UFC in the near future. In an interview with TalkSport MMA , the martial arts star shed light on at least one of these questions. "It's difficult now because I've just beat the best girl here. I think big fights suit me better, but will anyone watch the PFL season without me?" The question is a valid one. The women's flyweight division did not even exist in PFL until this season, as the promotion shut down their lightweight division following Kayla Harrison's departure, instead forming the 125-lb division for Ditcheva, Santos, and Bellator champ Liz Carmouche. As far as big fights, the reference is clear. Valentina Shevchenko barely beat the woman Dakota just annihilated and is coming off a trilogy where she both lost and drew a fight. The UFC flyweight champion is scheduled to defend her title against French kickboxer Manon Fiorot soon. If Fiorot snatches the belt from Valentina, Manon vs. Ditcheva would also instantly become a big fight, as would fights against the likes of Zhang Weili, who may move up to flyweight, and Alexa Grasso. Even Natalia Silva could be a big fight one day, as a young, rising striking talent like Ditcheva herself. The status of 'Dangerous' Dakota's contract is unknown at present, she may be tied to PFL for the 2025 season and even beyond. Yet if she is not, a bidding war may ensue for her services, or she may go looking for big fights anyways now that she has $1 million in her wallet and money is less of an issue. BODY SHOT FINISH! DAKOTA DITCHEVA IS THE 2024 PFL WOMENS FLYWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION! #ANDNOW #PFLWorldChampionship LIVE NOW ON ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/cU8qbGIiSeMichigan, Ohio State fight broken up with police pepper spray after Wolverines stun Buckeyes 13-10 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A fight broke out at midfield after Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 as Wolverines players attempted to plant their flag and were met by Buckeyes who confronted them. Police had to use pepper spray to break up the players, who threw punches and shoves in the melee that overshadowed the rivalry game on Saturday. Ohio State police said in a statement “multiple officers representing Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray.” Ohio State police will investigate the fight. Ohio State coach Ryan Day said he understood the actions of his players. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said everybody needs to do better. Sellers' 20-yard TD run with 1:08 to go lifts No. 16 South Carolina to 17-14 win over No. 12 Clemson CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — LaNorris Sellers' 20-yard TD run with 1:08 to play lifted No. 16 South Carolina to a 17-14 victory over No. 12 Clemson. The Gamecocks won their sixth straight game, including four over ranked opponents, and may have played themselves into the College Football Playoff's 12-team field. They wouldn't have done it without Sellers, who spun away from a defender in the backfield, broke through the line and cut left on his way to the winning score. Sellers rushed for 166 yards and threw for 164 in South Carolina's second straight win at Clemson. Gus Malzahn is leaving UCF to become Florida State's offensive coordinator, AP source says Gus Malzahn is resigning as Central Florida’s head coach to become Florida State’s offensive coordinator. That's according to a person familiar with the hire who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Saturday because the Seminoles have not confirmed Malzahn’s move, which is pending a background check. The Knights made official that Malzahn is leaving in a statement released a day after UCF concluded its season with a 28-14 loss to Utah. Malzahn finished with a 28-24 mark in four years at UCF, the last two ending with losing records. He coached at Auburn for eight seasons before being fired in 2020. Mikaela Shiffrin suffers abrasion on hip during crash on final run of World Cup giant slalom KILLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — American skier Mikaela Shiffrin says she suffered an abrasion on her left hip when crashing during her second run of a World Cup giant slalom race. Shiffrin was going for her 100th World Cup win when she crashed, did a flip and slid into the protective fencing. The 29-year-old was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. She said later in a video posted on social media that there wasn't “too much cause for concern at this point.” She plans to skip the slalom race Sunday, writing on Instagram she will be “cheering from the sideline.” Andrew Luck returns to Stanford as the GM of the football program STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Andrew Luck is returning to Stanford in hopes of turning around a struggling football program that he once helped become a national power. Athletic director Bernard Muir announced that Luck has been hired as the general manager of the Stanford football team and tasked with overseeing all aspects of the program that just finished its fourth straight 3-9 season. Luck will work with coach Troy Taylor on recruiting and roster management, and with athletic department and university leadership on fundraising, alumni relations, sponsorships, student-athlete support and stadium experience. Luck has kept a low profile since his surprise retirement from the NFL at age 29 in 2019. Saka stars in Arsenal rout at West Ham as Van Nistelrooy watches new team Leicester lose Arsenal was inspired by Bukayo Saka in scoring five goals in a wild first half before settling for a 5-2 win over West Ham that lifted the team into second place in the Premier League. Arsenal is attempting to chase down Liverpool and is now six points behind the leader. Saka was one of five different scorers for Arsenal at the Olympic Stadium and also had a hand in three goals, by Gabriel, Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard. Ruud van Nistelrooy witnessed at first hand the scale of his task to keep Leicester in the league. Leicester was beaten at Brentford 4-1 in front of Van Nistelrooy, who watched from the stands after being hired on Friday. Michigan upsets No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 for Wolverines' 4th straight win over bitter rival COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Dominic Zvada kicked a 21-yard field goal with 45 seconds left and Michigan stunned No. 2 Ohio State 13-10, likely ending the Buckeyes’ hopes of returning to the Big Ten title game next week. Late in the game, Kalel Mullings broke away for a 27-yard run, setting up the Wolverines at Ohio State’s 17-yard line with two minutes remaining. The drive stalled at the 3, and Zvada came on for the chip shot. Ohio State got the ball back but couldn’t move it, with Will Howard throwing incomplete on fourth down to seal the Wolverines’ fourth straight win over their bitter rival. US and England women draw 0-0 in Emma Hayes' homecoming LONDON (AP) — Emma Hayes witnessed a dominant display from her players at a packed Wembley stadium, but the U.S. coach could not taste victory on her return to England. Hayes, who led the U.S. women team to the Olympic gold medal this summer after winning 14 major trophies at Chelsea, came back to her home country on Saturday for a friendly against England. The U.S had the best chances but the game ended in a goalless draw. Jared Porter acknowledges he sent inappropriate text message to reporter, leading Mets to fire him Jared Porter acknowledged he sent an inappropriate text message to a reporter while he was a Chicago Cubs executive in 2016, which led to the New York Mets firing him as general manager in 2021 after just 38 days. Porter made his first public comments on his firing during an episode of the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast released Friday. Porter was hired by the Mets on Dec. 13, 2020, and fired on Jan. 19, 2021, about nine hours after an ESPN report detailing that he sent sexually explicit, uninvited text messages and images to a female reporter. Norris defies orders to help Piastri and Verstappen loses the Qatar pole to Russell LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Lando Norris ignored team orders as he handed his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri the win the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix in a one-two finish for the team. Norris started on pole position and kept the lead at the start as Piastri squeezed past the Mercedes of George Russell for second. Norris gave the lead to Piastri with the finish line in sight, paying back Piastri for gifting him a win in a sprint race in Brazil when Norris was still fighting Max Verstappen for the drivers’ title. Champion Max Verstappen was fastest in qualifying but was penalized, elevating Russell to first on the grid.

U.S. owner Textor helps Botafogo to historic South American title - ESPN