A word is enough for the 9ice — Ruggedman

Ruggedman

The long wait is finally over. Rapper, Ruggedman’s third album, Untouchable was released November 20. Expectedly, it contains the feverishly awaited response to his former collaborator, 9ice‘s earlier diss track, Talk, I am Listening which was released on September 20. Ruggedman’s birthday, While 9ice’s totters on crudity, Ruggedman‘s A Word is enough for the 9ice is as blistering as it is laden with braggadocio and advice.

Featuring up and comer, Ella, the hook of the song is an interpolation of the 1975 classic of unsung juju maestro, General Prince Adekunle and his Supersonic Sounds’ Awodi n fo ferere which is the parable of an eagle soaring higher than its normal altitude because it wants to meet God – a vain, fatal attempt. Prince Adekunle’s orginal version opens the song and sums up Ruggedman‘s lyrical package to 9ice.

Tracing the genesis of their relationship to when 9ice was ‘a studio rat‘ in producer, ID Cabasa‘s studio, Ruggedman said he took him in, upgraded him, showed him the ropes and put him on the music stage where he found fame and fortune. He didn’t stop there. He says, “I gave you the money, the fame and the wife that changed your life and gave you a son. In other words, I gave you a life.”

Sounding rather penitent, the rapper said he had to leak his private telephone conversation with 9ice on the Internet because he was fed up with myriad accusations that he was overly familiar with the latter‘s estranged wife.

There had been a groundswell of finger pointing in Ruggedman‘s direction when 9ice‘s song, Once Bitten, Twice Shy off his Tradition album hit the streets. The subsequent breakup of the singer’s marriage to his wife, Toni Payne further aroused interest in who 9ice was actually referring to in the controversial song. According to Ruggedman, “All I wanted was to clear my name of the dirty rumour,” admitting, however, that he went about it the wrong way out of desperation.

Then, like a hypocritical guardian of privileges, he launches into a clinical tirade on the things he did and didn’t do for 9ice: ”You tried to tarnish my image and that of your wife because you wanted to sell CDs, God bless you. You can tease me all you want, but it would never change the fact that the first big stage you got on was through me. The first award you won was through me. You started making money after I introduced you to the world. The wife you married, I introduced to you. The first child you got was from the woman I introduced to you. I helped you come up in the industry……Never pay back good with evil. Be respectful to your elders.”

Earlier, one of Ruggedman’s protégées, Chinaydu had replied 9ice in a track entitled, And The Beef Goes On which samples the beat of 70s American R&B group, The Whispers‘ song of the same title.

9ice’s manager, Dehinde Fajana, tells E-Punch, “We won’t dignify Ruggedman with a response.” As the war of words between the two artistes reaches frightening dimension, well-meaning older entertainers have not ceased to mediate but none of them seems ready for a truce.

Source:http://www.punchng.com/ Read more...

Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola declared as Osun State Governor - Appeal Court

Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola

The Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan Friday has declare Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola as the elected Governor of Osun State under the Action Congress of Nigeria in the 2007 governorship election.

 Engineer Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola will be sworn in officially tomorrow Sarturday 27th November, 2010 by 12:00 noon.

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Pocket-sized baby girl makes incredible recovery

This photo taken on Nov. 24 shows the pocket-sized girl infant being nursed at the Intensive Care Unit of Xiangfan's No. 1 People's Hospital. From the picture, the baby's head is even smaller than the nurse's palm.(Photo by Xinhua/Gong Bo)
About 10 days ago, a premature girl infant who stayed in her mother's body for only about 28 weeks was born at the No. 1 People's Hospital in Xiangfan, Hubei Province. The girl was only 1 kilogram when she was born and carried many fatal diseases as a premature baby.

After days of careful treatment and care, the pocket-sized premature baby has made a marvelous recovery, her vital signs are normal and her weight is increasing rapidly too.

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Nigerian girl honoured in Britain

The Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom has honoured Miss Chidera Ota who excelled in the 2010 GCSE in the UK with 15 As, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Ota, 16, garnered the highest grades in English Literature and English Language; Mathematics, Statistics, French, German, Latin, History, Sociology, Chemistry, Biology, Physics and IT qualifications equivalent to three GCSEs.

Nigeria’s Acting High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Dozie Nwanna, described the girl’s feat as exemplary and highly commendable.

“You have wiped our face and brought pride and honour not only to your parents but to the country and other Nigerians living in the UK,” Nwanna said on Tuesday.

He said Nigeria was full of talents and outstanding personalities who continued to excel in various fields at home and abroad, making them deserving of recognition and celebration.

Also, the Head of Chancery, Mr. Ahmed Umar, said the initiative to honour Ota was a further attestation to the high commission’s policy of recognising and celebrating Nigerian achievers in the UK.

Ota, who wants to become a medical doctor, said she studied Latin twice a week during her lunch breaks to meet up with the challenges.

“I stayed home a lot and put in a lot of work for my GCSEs because I want to become a doctor though I know it is a very hard and competitive field, and I know I need to do extremely well to get into medicine,” she said.

Ota has already secured a scholarship to attend King’s School in Canterbury where she will study Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics and Further Mathematics at A-levels.

Source:http://www.punchng.com
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Lagos to become Africa’s largest city says United Nations

Lagos State
In five years’ time, Lagos, the commercial centre of Nigeria, is set to overtake the Egyptian capital, Cairo, as Africa’s biggest city; the United Nations-Habitat report, has said.

According to the report, it is estimated that by 2015, Lagos will have 12.4 million inhabitants.

The reported added that the number of people living in African cities would triple over the next 40 years and by 2050, 60 per cent of Africans would be city dwellers.

UN-Habitat Executive Director, Mr. Joan Clos, told the British Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday that Africa needed to invest urgently in housing.

He told the BBC that sub-Saharan Africa could learn from North Africa as Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia had almost halved slum areas in the past 20 years.

Some 199.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live in slums, the highest number in the world, the UN said earlier this year.

According to UN-Habitat’s State of African Cities 2010 report, urbanisation is happening faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world.

By 2030 the continent will no longer be predominately rural, it says.

Clos said that cities were attractive places for those wanting to relocate.

“People are looking for a better future and they think the city can offer that,” he told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.

Source:http://www.punchng.com

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Power ‘ll return to the people when PDP is dismantled, says Rev. Okotie

  

Okotie: PDP has come to its waterloo politically. 

REVEREND Christopher  Oghenebrorie Okotie was born on June 16, 1959 to Francis Idje and Cecilia Okotie, in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.  He earned an LL.B. Hons in 1984, from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu campus.

He has since then made a showing in the political terrain as he has contested for the highest office twice on the platform of the Justice Party in 2003 and Fresh Democratic Party, FDP, in 2007. He is currently oiling his political machines to hit the roads again for 2011. In this interview with Vanguard, he x-rayed the happenings in the political terrain, the consensus debate, corruption and the 2011 general elections. Excerpts:

Ahead 2011, Nigerians are already witnessing several anti-social problems. What is your reaction to this?
The responsibility of maintaining law and order rests squarely on the laps of government and when you find a situation like this, where safety is no longer guaranteed, it reflects the inability of the government to carry out its responsibilities. And I think that the PDP has come to its waterloo politically because of the fact that they have demonstrated, consistently, their ineptitude and the society is falling apart as a result of their gross negligence and irresponsibility. These are the symptoms of governmental irresponsibility.

The claims and counter-claims of the origin of the deadly weapons discovered at the Apapa ports continue to baffle Nigerians. Some say the consignment was intended for The Gambia, while they had their origin in Iran or whatever. Are you not scared?

No I am not! If we have that situation where the government is not in touch with reality, these things transpire on a daily basis. It is just because they revealed this that they saw these things. I am almost certain that things like this have been going on. The security mechanism that government has put in place has failed and it shows how porous that network is and how unprofessional they have become.
I think that it’s just indicative of the fact that the PDP has lost its hold in the affairs of this nation and it must do the honorable thing, by bowing out so that a new government that will guarantee the safety of Nigerians can be put in place.

Despite all the threatening situations in the political arena, you still came out recently to declare your intention to contest next year’s elections…

These are the reasons why it is imperative for people like me to step forward because you can not operate in a vacuum. If we say that PDP has become totally irrelevant in the political affairs of this nation by the inconsistent ineptitude that they have demonstrated, then we must provide a viable alternative. That is why people like me come out. The only thing they have now is the machinery of government, the incumbency—a divided house.

And like I have said often they don’t have anything to offer this nation ideologically. My position is further corroborated by their disarray and this very disjointed approach to solving the problems of this nation; not realising what is more important; whether it is the politics of the day, the social contract they have with the Nigerian people. This is a good omen for change.


Do you foresee any positive change in the current chaotic atmosphere?
They have every reason to be that way, but we must look beyond the natural in to the extra-terrestrial. There is a terrestrial atmosphere that is superimposed on the terrestrial and only those who have eyes can see. I belong to the ilk of what, is called the ponderous volume, and we understand these things that when change is imminent, the first sign is really found in the celestial realm.

When Jesus Christ was born, the astrologers were the first to see him, outside the realm of religious. They saw the sign and it was very clear to them that something unusual has happened. We are seeing things that God is showing to us that change is imminent; that PDP has expired. So, it portends good things for the nation.  Like the former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, this will be the third time you’re coming out for the highest office in the land and some Nigerians think you’re really not serious. What is your response?
I don’t know what they mean by that. If a man can risk his life, invest his money in venture that is perilous and can deplete funds so quickly that you wonder if you will ever had any; I think that, to my mind is an indication of seriousness. Maybe what they are expecting me to do is to join PDP or one of the big parties. If we do that then we shut the avenue for change.

When change comes, it must be people who have not been contaminated by the virus of PDP or some other political party that has not really demonstrated any commitment. I think that my constant re-emergence in the political scene is a political attestation to the fact that I am determined that victory is the only solution to our situation. Maybe because your platform which is Fresh Democratic Party has refused to merge with other known and big political parties because some of your admirers would have wanted you, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Mr. Femi Falana, Prof. Pat Utomi et al, to go to the Senate and develop your political wings from there…

They are entitled to their opinions. This is a free country and I can accommodate that. But this is the way I see it, each man has a calling. Some might be thinking the way to attain a certain position is to be in a certain place, I agree with that but that is not my calling and the modus operandi that I received.  There was no indication that President Olusegun Obasanjo would come out of prison to become Nigeria’s president.
Same goes for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. He did not show any sign that he had the grace to attain to where he is today. I believe there is a divine hand that is arranging things for this nation and when the time comes, He will orchestrate things in such a way that whoever He has exalted will emerge. The most important thing is that I have consistently maintained my position. Adherence to principle evokes respect. If this was not commitment or tenacity I would have joined another political party and moved on to build a political career; but mine is not a career but a calling that is targeted and to that extent I cannot change it.
There are rumours that your closeness with retired General Ibrahim Babangida might develop to a working relationship between you and him towards the 2011 election….

Where did they discover that there is a closeness between me and Babangida?
Perhaps, because the ex-military president endorsed your candidacy in 2007 and Nigerians feel that there may be a merger of some sort or a kind of affiliation…
My philosophy is malice towards none and charity for all. I have often said that people like Gen. Babangida and Gen. Obasanjo are living ancestors of our political genealogy. They are men that have been called upon at critical moments and periods in the history and evolution of our nation. I respect them a great deal. Babangida is probably the greatest political mathematician we have in the nation today; it is just unfortunate for him that he had certain misadventure in the process of articulating his political philosophy in the past and only the Nigerian people that can determine if they think him worthy or not.

I believe that they represent the older generation and for Nigeria to move forward, we must go for a generational shift. We must adopt a paradigm shift and I will be glad to have their support, because it is in combining the past with the present that we can sensitise the future of the greatest possibilities. So, it will be a welcome development if any of them consider Rev. Chris Okotie to be their president. That is the only position for me. I am only seeking to lead this nation because I believe I have the answers to the problems.
Peradventure Babangida gets the PDP ticket and wants Rev. Chris Okotie to be his running mate, will you accept the offer?

My answer will be negative; not because I do not consider him worthy enough; but because he is antithetical to my vision. If my vision was that of penultimate leadership, I will join him or any other party. I would have taken that kind of responsibility a long time ago. I have had overtures made to me at that level.

But this has nothing to do with power; it has nothing to do with a political career, rather it has to do with the salvation of the nation. It is very critical that a man like me should take a position of responsibility for Nigeria to become what it must become in the 21st Century. I will wait. Like Abraham Lincoln said, I will study and wait perhaps my time will come. That is what Lincoln said; but I will modify that to say; ‘I know my time will come.’

Lets us assume, for instance, that on account of IBB’s age, he is unable to run his full tenure which automatically will make Okotie, the next president. Won’t that be acceptable to you?


On what platform?
Any one, because as things are now, he may or may not get the PDP ticket…
That is unpredictable. It’s only the PDP that will determine that, but I am just saying that if he wanted to run under another platform he would go through all the trouble with the PDP. I think that if he ever emerge on the platform of PDP, I would not have been in that political party, not because I think my party is better, or some political xenophobia but because of the fact that the ideology and philosophy of that party is oppressive to the Nigerian cause. So, I cannot be the one, saying that my mission is to save Nigeria and align myself with the very enemy of Nigeria. Very, very unlikely! Although, when you are a servant of God all things are possible.


Will you work with Mallam Nuhu Ribadu?

I will work with anybody if it will set Nigeria free in the spirit of a pan-Nigerian philosophy. The only fear the people have is that he is being traumatised by what happened to him when he became a victim of the law. And when that happens except you re-examine yourself, there is the tendency to come out with a certain level of vengeance but I don’t think Nigerians need that now. What we need is reconciliation and amelioration.




The elections are around the corner and there are attempts to amend the electoral act and part of the proposed amendment states that any political party that does not win, at least, one seat at the local government level would loose its licence. How do you react to that?

It never ceases to amaze me the level of parochialism that people will degenerate to in an attempt to secure political longevity. It is amazing that, we call this a democratic setting and yet we are even tolerating and accommodating laws that are totally antithetical to that philosophy. What right has a body like INEC to decide for the Nigerian people which political party they will belong to. How can you judge a political party by its success at the polls.

It takes years to develop a political philosophy and ideology; particularly in a nation where free and fair election are alien to the political culture. It is this irredentist philosophy of PDP wanting to make Nigeria a one-party state that is causing this kind of medieval approach to democracy. If INEC or whoever that is making such a law, is sincere they would have said they were not willing to financially support any political party that has not shown or demonstrated a certain level of support.

But for you to say that you would deregister a political party just because it has not acquired enough votes at a given period, to my mind, defies any logical reasoning; because most of these parties are young parties. I think that it is biased; because it makes no sense at all. How much has INEC given to us?

In a period of one year, INEC gave probably about N12 million maximum. It cannot be argued that political parties are established because of the money they get from INEC. That cannot be true; because INEC requires that each political party should have an office in Abuja; and the rent alone takes half of that; then think of the staff and all others you have to do. It cannot be motivated by pecuniary motive. I think that is a very presumptuous thinking and it would be challenged in the court. It is an infringement on our fundamental human rights. We will wait and see.


 Do you have confidence in Prof. Attahiru Jega’s INEC to conduct a free, fair and credible election next year?

I think he is capable, given the right circumstance and that if he is not pressured by government. The confusion that we have seen so far, no matter what they say, has come from the PDP. And they definitely will blame the chairman for it, because that is the way they operate—the signs are there already. President Goodluck Jonathan has shown the same commitment to his party than to the nation. It is government of the PDP, by the PDP and for the PDP and not the Nigerian people.

His prevarication when it came to signing the law in the first place…how long it took him and he was just delaying; the usual filibuster when they are not really decided at to which way to go. It is characteristic of PDP and it surprises nobody. The Nigerian people have woken up and we are going to see something new in the coming year, God willing.

How do you see the current hoopla over consensus candidate ahead of the PDP convention?
I think it is a very healthy development because PDP is too strong as a political party to be dismantled by the Nigerian people. It is hydra headed; it is an octopus. It must implode from within, because it is only a divided house that cannot stand. So, when you begin to see these cleavages then we can breathe a sigh of relief that finally this political monolith is being dismantled.

That is what is necessary at this time. If Nigeria will become a great nation in the 21st Century and make an impact—and all the conjecture that I see on how we can become a great nation before 2020—-the beginning of that journey must be the dismantling of the PDP.

Because as long as they are in government, it will be a retrograde journey and Nigeria will be perambulating in the wilderness of retrogression. We cannot take a step forward. I believe it is a good development that there is internal wrangling within it. It is a very good sign for Nigeria and I pray that it will be carried to its logical conclusion, so that they can be fragmented and pluralised become free.

Talk about freedom for Nigerians, won’t you see recent legal decisions that upturned PDP electoral victories in some states as the needed tonic the nation is clamouring for?
No! That is the judiciary. The Nigerians spoke from the beginning that these are the men they voted for, but the PDP, as a political party, ignored them, hijacked and disfranchised the Nigerian people. And it is only because of the judiciary that we are seeing a ray of hope that democracy is intact.

But I am saying that terminologically, democracy by itself deals with the people and I believe that power will go back to the people when PDP is dismantled. It is not a question of personality; it has to be done from within and the entire structure of the party must be pulverized. They are the ones who have held this nation in the place of political transition and they do it with impunity. I believe that judgment has come and it will begin in the house of PDP.

Is it healthy that we have over 60 political parties in the country?
It can be million! What it means is that the democratic space is open to all and sundry. A political party is a gathering of men and women who have a certain ideological posture and when such posture is codified and formally registered by the enabling authorities, it is christened a political party. When people say we have so many political parties, I say why is it a problem?

In a country of 150 million people and the political parties are just 60 why is it a problem? In a proper democracy you can have three political parties ruling in a state like Lagos—when you have one party controlling the south, another central and yet another controlling the north, depending on what is it that appeals to the electorate. But because the current situation is a threat to the octopus that desires to consolidate power in the hand of a few, who have hijacked the entire democratic process. It doesn’t make any sense. If we don’t have money to support them let the parties support themselves. So. It is not an issue.

What is the FDP’s blueprint to tackle the nation’s economic problem?

Each time people ask me that question, I tell them that my father was a polygamist. At the time that I was in the primary school he was earning something about 740 pounds a year and he had several children. We never lacked one day.

He managed to cope even though he was not an accountant. We all went to school and there was food on the table. The problem of our nation is not an economic issue, because there are various concepts and theories in all our universities. It is dependent on our leaders to decide on the one that will soothe the nation. But the greatest motivation for the well being whether it is economic or political is empathy, concern, compassion for the people. Once you are concerned about the people, then you will evolve a concept for the economy that concerns the people.

I have often said that our philosophy is Messiahnicism, meaning sacrifice.
It is a concept of political government that sacrifices for the people. In other words, we will never engage in concepts like austerity measures because then you are asking the people to make further sacrifice; but once you prioritise the people above everything else then your economic policy must target them in their pursuit of affluence.

When I attended a town hall meeting in 2007, I listened to then minister of finance and I was impressed by the presentation but they didn’t have the political will to pursue it. When CBN governor, Charles Soludo indicated that the naira was going to be deregulated, President Yar’Adua took offence, even though it was handed down to him by his predecessor. We are not interested in academic concepts of how to tackle the economy.

To my mind they avail nothing. We are going to show in practical terms that we care for the people; and organise the forces of demand and supply to enhance the living standards of the Nigerian people. That is what we are going to do.  The reason why past economic blueprints have failed is because the Nigerian people have not been given proper priority.

If you ask the initiators of such economic concepts, they will quote some academic dissertations which will explain what they are trying to do. The bottom line is that they are not concerned about the people. If they were they would do otherwise. We are different. We have said from the beginning that human capital development is our priority because that targets the people.

You have to elevate the development and motivation of the people to a level of strategy. It must be cardinal to us and if that is so, you will deal with the things that concern them like education, healthcare, social security as a safety net, revamping the pension scheme, transportation and housing. These are the things that affect the people directly.  The Fresh Democratic Party had had difficulty in aligning itself or getting into any kind of coalition because we feel that there is an ideological discrepancy between us and most of the political parties. When I become president, the difference will be clear.

The PDP has led us and has taken the nation to the precipice, the doldrums. They have failed the nation consistently and so we cannot afford to follow PDP and expect anything different from what we have today. Isn’t that a classical definition of insanity?—doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? The time has come and change is inevitable and I believe that the God who took Obasanjo from the prison to the Aso Rock, who made it possible even for Dr. Jonathan to be where he is today, that same God will orchestrate things so that Okotie can deliver Nigeria permanently. We will certainly declare a state of emergency in the education and health sectors.


 How will you approach the power sector?
That has been a perennial problem. You can’t even take one step without finding out what is wrong in the area. The important thing is that we don’t really know what is going on there. Nobody can tell you exactly what is going on in the sector because the statistics that they give are all fictitious. So, we have to look in there and find out what is going on and tell Nigerians the truth.

In the first six months, I think we will be able to identify the problem because if you don’t investigate a problem you can’t solve it. Towards the end of Obasanjo tenure he awarded contracts and Yar’Adua did not care about these things and till today we don’t know what is happening there. That is why I say it has become so mysterious; why is it so impossible to generate enough power for a nation like this? It is a conundrum. We have to find out why, because it cannot be money. We have enough money and only a thorough investigation can reveal to us the demons that are involved in the power sector.


The Last Outcast

When we find out, we will cast them out. As a reverend gentleman I thought your priority would have been how to deal with corruption or you don’t see it as the monster that has militated against meaningful progress of this country? Definitely, but corruption is not something you can deal with even in the first three years. You cannot eradicate corruption by punition alone. Punitive measures are the last resort.

For you to eradicate corruption, you have to change the entire environment. To take a wicked man or a sinner to heaven; he can’t operate there. You take a fish out of the water, he cannot operate. There is an element that is conducive to this aberration and until you deal with it, ordinary punitive measures would not solve it. For you to see the death of corruption, it must start from the beginning or the bottom and not from the top. First you have to create an enabling environment for Nigerians to pursue their dreams and aspirations and a level playing field for them and there is a mechanism of the law where everybody is equal.

Because when you have double standards you can’t deal with corruption. When a minister can steal and gets away with it but the truck pusher steals and you take him to prison you cannot solve the problem. So, it has to begin at that level where the standard of living has to be enhanced in such a way that it is above subsistent level.

When people are now entitled to a house, food on the table, provided with basic amenities by the government, then they can build on these things themselves and then you started working towards the eradication of corruption. Punitive measures will be the final aspect of the battle.

It is something we have to do gradually, changing the psyche of the Nigerian people. This re-branding thing they are talking about is totally misplaced. You cannot  re-brand something that is already corrupted. To re-brand is not an outward thing, it is an external thing. It begins with the abstract, because as the man thinketh so he is.

Telling Nigerians they are so, so and so, when their reality is contrary to what you’re saying makes the whole thing absolute jocularity. We are going to address corruption from a more practical perspective so that we can actually transform the Nigerian from within and connect him back to his government, so he can trust his leadership. When the connection is there, the resourcefulness of the Nigerian will begin to manifest, because the Nigerian is very resourceful. They just have not been inspired.

Source:www.vanguardngr.com



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Muscle men compete at Classic Bodybuilding World Championship

 

Igor Gostiunin of Russia poses after winning first place in the Men's Classic Bodybuilding over 180 cm category and first place in the Men's Classic Bodybuilding Overall category in the Amateur Men's Classic Bodybuilding World Championship in Budapest November 21, 2010.

Source:http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90782/7206567.html

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Miss China 2010

The branch competition of "Miss China 2010," which was themed as "Harmony, Health and Care," in Guilin had dropped its curtain on Nov. 21. A 19-year-old local girl named Jin Jin was crowned the champion of the branch competition, and Zhang Ruizhi and Wang Yajuan won the second and third place in the competition, respectively.

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Lagos doctors suspend strike

 

Chairman of the Lagos Branch of the Medical Guild, Dr. Ayobode Williams

Medical doctors in Lagos State on Sunday suspended their 14-week-old strike, with the Medical Guild directing its members to resume at all its facilities within the state by 8am on Monday (today).

The Chairman of the Lagos Branch of the Medical Guild, Dr. Ayobode Williams, stated this shortly after the union’s congress held at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

He said the doctors had agreed to return to their duty posts, following a new agreement with the state government to implement the new Consolidated Medical Salary Structure in January 2011.

The union leader said, “The congress of the Medical Guild decided to suspend the 14-week-old strike to give way for government to show sincerity in all that it has promised to do.

“At this point, the congress also went ahead to say that if within 72 hours, the original salaries are not paid, the congress may have to reconvene on Friday for possible actions.

“But if the money is paid, then the congress would have to reconvene again in February to review all the promises of the government, including our immediate past chairman, taxation, issues of CONMESS, salary arrears and other issues.

“So, at this point, the strike is hereby suspended and work resumes at 8am tomorrow morning in all our facilities.”

According to Williams, the executive of the Medical Guild met with the state’s Head of Service, Mr. Adesegun Ogunlewe, and the Commissioner for Establishment, Pensions and Training, Mr. Jide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday and it was agreed that the CONMESS would be paid.

The state government, in its bid to end the strike two weeks ago, offered to implement 75 per cent of the CONMESS agreement. But this was rejected by the doctors.

However, Williams said the state government had since agreed to pay the salary, which would not put Lagos doctors in a comparative disadvantaged position to their counterparts in other states.

Reading from the agreement jointly signed by him and Ogunlewe, Williams said the state government agreed to pay the withheld salaries of doctors for the months of September and October 2010.

It also agreed to revisit the sacking of the former chairman of the Medical Guild, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa, for his role in the strike.

He said the state government also promised that it would not victimise any of the doctors for participating in the strike.


Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011221233515

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World's tallest statue of Jesus unveiled in Poland

 

People take part in the celebrations of the unveiling of the statue of Jesus in Swiebodzin, western Poland November 21, 2010. About 15,000 Christian pilgrims and tourists streamed into the western Polish town on Sunday for the unveiling of what has been billed as the world's tallest statue of Jesus, police said. The statue stands at 36 metres (118 feet), three metres taller than Brazil's statue of Christ the Redeemer.

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Awards moments 2010 American Music Awards in Los Angeles

 

Singer Usher accepts the award for Favorite R&B/Soul Album for 'Raymond vs Raymond' at the 2010 American Music Awards in Los Angeles November 21, 2010.

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2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil trophy unveiled

 

The 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil trophy is displayed during its unveiling ceremony at a Soccerex event at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, November 21, 2010. Brazil will host the World Cup soccer tournament in 2014.

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Michael Jackson kids reminisce

Michael Jackson's children reminisced on Monday about their "normal dad" in a rare TV interview that marked a transition to a less sheltered life.

"I kind of felt like no-one understood what a good father he was. I'd say he was the best cook ever," his daughter Paris Jackson, 12, told TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

"He was just a normal dad, except for he was, like, the best dad ever," she added.

Paris, her older brother Prince Michael, 13, and Prince Michael II, 8, who is also known as Blanket, were filmed with their grandmother and guardian Katherine Jackson and her husband Joe at the Jackson family compound in Los Angeles.

The interview was broadcast on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday.

Paris and Prince said they were adjusting well to school, which they started in September. Katherine Jackson, saying she wanted to give the children as normal a life as possible, said that shy Blanket wants to attend school next year. Jackson kept his children secluded before his death in June 2009 and often had them wear veils in public.

Paris, the most talkative of the trio, said the veils were sometimes uncomfortable, but she appreciated that her father wanted to protect them.

"He tried to raise us without us knowing who he was, but that didn't really go so well," she said, adding that she hoped to be an actress.

"I'd like to be an actress when I'm older. I sometimes do improv. I used to do it with my dad."

Prince said he liked videogames and sports and that he wants to produce movies and direct when he grows up.

Katherine Jackson said all three kids speak a lot about their father. "Paris, she's very emotional. She talks about him all the time, and she's a strong one. All the pictures on her wall in her bedroom are Michael," she said.

Katherine Jackson called the day Jackson died of a prescription drug overdose "the worst day of my life. You know what broke my heart more than anything else in this world? When people at the hospital told us 'You can leave now' and Paris said 'Grandma, where are we going?'" she told Winfrey.

Jackson's personal physician, Dr Conrad Murray, is awaiting trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He has admitted giving Jackson what turned out to be a fatal dose of the powerful anesthetic Propofol to help him sleep.

Katherine Jackson told Winfrey that she had tried to stop what she called his addiction to painkillers and to plastic surgery procedures on his nose.

Her son's nose got so small that it looked "like a toothpick at one time. I had told him, 'that's enough, why do you keep going?'" she said.

Source:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/2010-11/10/content_11549924.htm

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Justin Bieber sweeps American Music Awards

Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber swept the American Music Awards on Sunday, overshadowing Eminem to take home four prizes, including artist of the year.

The fresh-faced pop singer also won statuettes for favorite pop album, breakthrough artist and favorite male pop artist.

Since the awards are determined by fans' online voting, the 16-year-old star was unquestionably the frontrunner. His millions of young female fans reportedly account for a hefty portion of overall Twitter messaging traffic.

Eminem and country trio Lady Antebellum, who led the contenders with five nominations each, had to make do with some scraps. Eminem won a pair of prizes in the rap/hip hop field, losing to Bieber in his three other categories. He did not attend the event at the Nokia Theater. Lady Antebellum was named best country group.

R&B singer Usher, who helped discover Bieber about 18 months ago and signed the youngster to a record deal, also won a pair of prizes. The two embraced on stage after Bieber collected his artist of the year trophy.

"I don't cry that often but I did, and I enjoyed it," Usher told reporters backstage.

During his trips to the stage, Bieber repeatedly thanked his fans and reflected on his unlikely rise to fame.

"I'm from the smallest town in the world of, like, 30,000 people," he said as he accepted the breakthrough artist award. "I never thought this was possible."

CANADIAN INVASION

Bieber, who was raised in Stratford, Ontario, but now lives in the United States, is perhaps the hottest new commodity in the music world. His album "My World 2.0" has sold almost 2 million copies in the United States since its release earlier this year, and his public appearances turn into mob scenes.

It ended up being a great night for Canadians. Michael Buble, 35, won his first-ever award, for favorite adult contemporary artist. "While you Americans are sitting getting fat, us Canadians are getting ready to take over," he joked backstage.

British rock band Muse was also a first-time winner, for favorite alternative rock artist.

Other winners at the 38th annual ceremony included country stars Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley; funk band the Black Eyed Peas; R&B singer Rihanna, and Colombian pop siren Shakira.

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Usher advises Justin Bieber away from fan romance

Usher has advised Justin Bieber not to date a fan.

The 'OMG' hitmaker is a mentor to the 16-year-old singer and has advised his protegee to enjoy his success but to learn from his own mistakes and keep a distance from his supporters a.

He said: "I tell Justin you've got to love all your fans without falling in love with them. I can't say I've never dated a fan but it's not a good idea. I tell him to understand that you are a fantasy to them and you should be mindful of that.

"And I encourage him to not take success so seriously so early. Have fun with it. And make friends!"

Usher - who has sons Usher V, two, and Naviyd, 23 months, with ex-wife Tameka Foster - is thankful for his own success and would never complain about his life because he knows how lucky he is.

He added: "I'm so happy. I can't complain. And if I did, people would have a fit.

"How could I complain when I get to do what I do, travel, be with my kids and have a grand life?"

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Rapper DMX is back in an Arizona jail

Troubled rapper DMX is back in an Arizona jail for drug-related probation violations including cocaine use, court officials said on Friday.

The rapper, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was taken into custody without incident Thursday night in Phoenix by probation officers, authorities said. He is being held in a county jail without bond.

Simmons, 39, was arrested on suspicion of seven probation violations, including illegal possession of the drug Oxycontin, failing to submit to drug testing and counseling programs and driving with a suspended license, according to court documents.

"Mr. Simmons has several felony convictions, and has been given multiple opportunities to succeed on probation," court papers said. "He has been directed to treatment, as well as chose his own treatment program, and continues to use illegal drugs following these opportunities."

The rapper, whose albums include "It's Dark and Hell is Hot" and "Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood," last violated his probation in March by using illegal drugs and was sentenced to six months in jail and another 20 months probation by a court commissioner. At the time, authorities said he admitted using cocaine and failed to comply with the terms of his treatment plan.

It was unclear how long he might stay in jail for this new round of probation violations. An attorney for Simmons could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

DMX has a long record of arrests in Arizona for crimes that

range from animal cruelty to reckless driving and weapons possession. He most recently served time in a Los Angeles County jail on a 2002 reckless driving charge.

Along with his music, the rapper starred in the movies "Romeo Must Die" and "Cradle 2 The Grave."

Source:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2010-11/22/content_11586238.htm

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Jennifer Lopez attends a launch party for new Gucci children's collection

Jennifer Lopez attends a launch party for the new Gucci children's collection in Beverly Hills, California November 20, 2010.

Source:http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2010-11/21/content_11583768_2.htm
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A man escaped death in a collapsed building

 

The incident occured in Kadaraopapo area

in Agbowo, U.I,Ibadan at exact 6:45am

Monday 22nd November, 2010, when a

storey building, built behind a canal

collapsed that belongs to Alhaji Suara

aka Baba Eleran.
Source: http://bussyfocus.blogspot.com The victim happen to be

one of the Landlord's son named Mr.

Muka Suara,it was gathered that  after

he returned from Mosque around 6:20am

and setted to get his bath in a bathroom

located on first floor of the building,

the part of the building collapsed while

the son was bating and the building fell

on him beside the canal, the rescue

team which include the fire fighters, the

Nigeria Police and the entire community

came at his aid (Mr. Muka Suara), he

was rushed down to the hospital at

exactly 8:40am.    

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EXCLUSIVE GIST: GENEVIEVE & DBAN'J ARE DATING!!!

 

Its confirmed yo!!!!

Ya'll know Dban'j has been toasting Genevieve for a while now and she has been headstrong and even went on an interview to say Dbanj is not her type of man...but Dbanj didnt back down.

We can exclusively and authoritatively report that Dban'j and Genevieve are ofiicially engaged in a relationship!!!

Genevieve has finally given in to Dban'j's persistence even though she does not want it to be public yet, she insists that the relationship should be low key for now but D'banj wants to tell it to the world.

They both came in together last night at PSQUARE'S birthday bash and they were all over each other...Genevieve apparently didnt want any pictures taken...but we stole some shots...

More on this hot gist later..

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Nigerian Idol takes off!

 

Three faces you will begin to see regularly on your TV screens when Nigerian Idol starts airing this Sunday November 21 are multi-talented entertainer, Yinka Davies; CEO of Chocolate City, Audu Maikori and American dancer and singer, Jeffery Daniel

These music enthusiasts tactically selected from different fields in the music industry will be responsible for judging and critiquing the performances of the contestants right from auditions to the show proper.

Apart from evaluating their performances they will also be advising them on how to make their act better.

For six weeks, the judges visited Enugu, Abuja, Calabar and Lagos looking for talents, taking up professionals, discarding the talentless and commending the exceptionally talented ones

Idol judges since inception have been known to give accurate and sometimes stinging appraisals on the performances of the contestants; creating intrigues and drama for home entertainment, while helping the talents be the best they can be

In most cases, the judges’ evaluation of contestants’ performances has tilted public opinion. Most Nigerians are familiar with Idol Judges like Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Ellen DeGeneres, Pete Waterman, Nicki Chapman and Neil “DR” Fox. Now get ready to meet Maikori, Daniel and Davies as Nigerian Idol goes on air from this weekend.

For the first time ever, Maikori, Daniel and Davies will take up positions as judges of Nigerian Idol and play their trusted role in commenting on the performances of this year’s contestants while helping the
wannabes be the best they can be.

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Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony announce joint clothing line

Jennifer Lopez poses at a news conference to announce "The Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony" collections in partnership with Kohl's department stores at The London West Hollywood hotel in West Hollywood, California, November 18, 2010.

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Science and Health Just found: The planet from another galaxy

This artist's rendering provided by the European Southern Observatory shows a planet, appearing as a crescent at the lower-right of its parent star, HIP 13044 (L).

WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered the first planet from another galaxy, sort of.

While some 500 planets have been identified in other parts of our galaxy - the Milky Way - none has been reported in other galaxies.

Now one has been discovered orbiting a star called HIP 13044, located about 2,000 light year away. While this star is now in the Milky Way, researchers reported in Thursday's online edition of the journal Science that it originated in a separate galaxy that was later cannibalized by ours.

That makes the new planet, which is about 20 percent larger than Jupiter, the first found to have originated in another galaxy.

"This discovery is very exciting," Rainer Klement of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, said in a statement.

"For the first time, astronomers have detected a planetary system in a stellar stream of extragalactic origin. Because of the great distances involved, there are no confirmed detections of planets in other galaxies. But this cosmic merger has brought an extragalactic planet within our reach."

The new planet is orbiting a star from what is known as the Helmi stream - a group of stars that originally belonged to a dwarf galaxy that was devoured by the Milky Way about six to nine billion years ago.

The researchers say the new planet is also one of the few planets known to have survived the period when its host star expanded massively after exhausting the hydrogen fuel supply in its core. The star has now contracted again, they report.

Johny Setiawan, also from the Max Planck Institute, added that "this discovery is particularly intriguing when we consider the distant future of our own planetary system, as the Sun is also expected to become a red giant in about five billion years."

The study also raises questions about the formation of giant planets, the researchers said, since the host star appears to contain very few elements heavier than hydrogen and helium.

"It is a puzzle for the widely accepted model of planet formation to explain how such a star, which contains hardly any heavy elements at all, could have formed a planet. Planets around stars like this must probably form in a different way," said Setiawan.

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World's tallest married couple

 

 Wayne Hallquist, 2.09 meters tall, and his wife Laurie Hallquist, 1.98 meters, from Stockton, California, appear at an event in Hollywood to be confirmed as the world's tallest married couple by Guinness World Records in Hollywood, California, Nov 18, 2010. Stuart Claxton, an adjudicator from Guinness measures the couple. The couple have been married seven years.

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Why I want Akala’s job, by Gbolarumi

Until we began to hear discordant tunes from him, Alhaji Azeem Gbolarumi was one of the confidants of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State. His ‘role’ in the impeachment of Senator Rashidi Ladoja and the installation of Governor Akala was quite noticeable.
No wonder, he was rewarded and made the Deputy Governor then. After the governor eventually won the real election in 2007, he was in support. In this interview with Vanguard’s OLA AJAYI, he spoke on why he parted ways with Gov. Akala. Excerpts:
Before the death of Chief Lamidi Adedibu, his political structure was very strong. Now that Chief Adedibu is dead, it is like the structure has crumbled? What went wrong?
It is very normal. That is how it should be. You know when Jesus Christ was not physically present on earth again, his disciples went different ways. The way it is, we will still work together.
With the cold war between you and Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala, do you think you  two can work together again?
We are members of the same political party which means we are from the same political family. It is normal the way things are now. At the end of the day, we will work together after the primaries and vote for the winner.
Some people believe that it is only a Gbolarumi that can match Akala strength for strength in the election and that is why you have been picked to face him?
That is a fallacy. Who is Gbolarumi. Many people can tackle the incumbent governor.
But, you were instrumental to his emergence as the governor?
Yes. I played a major role then. I can say it anywhere, anytime and any day that I contributed immensely to his success as a governor. Anybody can tackle Governor Akala. For anybody to say it is only Gbolarumi that can tackle him is a mere flattery.
During his 11 months stay as governor, you were his deputy, now that he is going for the second term bid, many people think you should join hands with him to get re-elected.
No, he has played his part. He should leave for other people to govern too. So, what is he doing there again?
That means you are one of those who don’t want him to get the second term ticket.
I don’t think people can allow him to go for the second term.
But, why this sudden separation between you and the governor. When he was sworn in, you always stood by him. There were times I saw you with him. Why is it that you suddenly turned your back?
We have not parted. It is only we…..(long pause). It is only we differ in some beliefs. For instance, what he is saying is that he wants to go for second term, no, it is not even second term, it is third term. He did the first time during the 11 months, and this is another term which is the second term. It is never done.
But, the Supreme Court said it did not recognise his government during the 11 months?
Did he return the money he received? What about other things he enjoyed? Nobody can take that from him that he is a two-term governor. Since he cannot return the money he collected and the benefits he enjoyed, he has done it already and that is all.
He was sworn in on those two occasions. Would he now be sworn in the third time?
Why is it that you are not so close again?
When you saw me there, he invited me. But, now he doesn’t invite me again. He has not called me.
When last did you see him?
Uuhhh….I think I saw him about two months ago. And we discussed.
But, you cannot deny the fact that there is cold war between the two of you?
I don’t think so. I’m not fighting Akala. It is only I’m fighting for that governorship seat.
Why don’t you support him to go for the second term ticket?
It is third term. Don’t say second term again. He has been sworn in two times. You want him to be sworn in the third time. It is not done. I think it is better for him to leave that office for others.
Sometime ago,  you said he could go for second term sorry, third term, according to you. Why did you suddenly withdraw your support for him?
May be by that time, I was not with myself or may be because of the interest we shared then. You know, if you love a woman, you tell her that you have never seen someone as beautiful as she is. But when you go out, you see so many women more beautiful than her.
You now say, oh is it true that I can see a better woman? People say I should come and contest  for the Oyo State government seat. You know I have been busy these days with my law programme. But, opinion leaders said I should go out and contest. What would I do other than to come out and do so.
You are supporting General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd)’s presidential ambition and Governor Akala is for President Goodluck Jonathan. Do you think this could generate ill-feelings between you and the governor?
No. It can’t. See Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State. He is a member of the Action Congress of Nigeria but he is working together with the president. That doesn’t matter.
What do you think is not being done well now and you will do it better when you get there?
Many things. The party has manifestos which have not been properly executed.
The governor and yourself belonged to the same Adedibu political structure, don’t you see the structure crumbling already?
Immediately Adedibu died, the governor removed many people loyal to man.  Look at Latinwo and others. He removed them and replaced them with others. It is unfair. He is just pretending. He has forgotten Adedibu who helped him to be where he is today. He has not done anything to immortalize Adedibu in this state. And Adedibu contributed one hundred percent to his success.
Everybody knows he is pretending. I doubt if God will eh eh….. I doubt.. if you bite the finger that fed you it is unfair.
A Yoruba adage says,  a river doesn’t forget its source and any river that forgets its source would dry up. The repercussion is there.  He is unfair to the old man.
You think he should have immortalized Adedibu?
Yes. But he has not done anything for him. Adedibu was not an ordinary person that should be forgotten so soon.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/why-i-want-akala%E2%80%99s-job-by-gbolarumi/



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Silverbird unveils plans to build Africa’s tallest tower

Model of the Silverbird's Stratosphere

SILVERBIRD is at it again! The outfit owned by entertainment guru, Ben Murray- Bruce during its 30th anniversary, unveiled the model of what would be Africa’s tallest building.

The 64-storey building that would be built in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja will be dedicated to President Goodluck Jonathan who unveiled the model.
The Silverbird boss recalled how as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, President Goodluck Jonathan’s goodluck galvanised the construction of Silverbird mall in Yenagoa, the State capital.
Giving details of the building which he called The Stratosphere, Bruce said it will comprise among other facilities, a  shopping mall, a five star hotel. Designed by the architectural firm of Chaccour Construction, the imposing tower which  will transform the Abuja skyline, will have about 400 luxury apartments, 250 suite five-star hotel, private spa and health club and a sky lounge.
Provision is also being made for a helipad, 80 feet swimming pool, restaurants and riverside boulevards and arcades.
Other facilities include round the clock private electricity generation,  private water supply and Medical Clinic.
Although no date was given for either the commencement or completion of the project, Vanguard Homes, Property & Environment recalls that Silverbird  blazed the trail by building the first family mall with the first  Cineplex in West Africa in Lagos.
Apart from the Silverbird Galleria in Lagos, the group has also built a mall in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State for the State government and a family entertainment centre in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/silverbird-unveils-plans-to-build-africa%E2%80%99s-tallest-tower/

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Giant cigarettes installed in Uruguay to raise health awareness

Young people walk through a giant cigarette installation placed at the Fabiani Plaza, in Montevideo, Uruguay, on Nov. 17, 2010. The installation was created to explain and create awareness about the health damage tobacco can produce.

 Source:http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90783/91321/7203325.html

 

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