Best Affordable Suburbs in America 2010

March 10, 2010 in comentary by helen | No comments

Look at below portion information extracted from BusinessWeek titled “Best Affordable Suburbs in America 2010″ by Venessa Wong, can it be trusted? I was surprised by the high Violent Crime Index of MD at 51, what’s the reason behind the number?

Top 11 states which Violent Crime Index within 10:

Meadowbrook, Ala.

Nearest major city: Birmingham
Population: 6,687
Median family income: $113,049*
Median home price: $213,300
Unemployment rate: 7.6%
Violent crime index: 10

Mililani Town, Hawaii

Nearest major city: Honolulu
Population: 26,790
Median family income: $98,384
Median home price: $370,000
Unemployment rate: 5.3%
Violent crime index: 3

Topsham, Me.

Nearest major city: Portland
Population: 6,741
Median family income: $66,238
Median home price: NA
Unemployment rate: 6.8%
Violent crime index: 5

Summerlin South, Nev.

Nearest major city: Las Vegas
Population: 20,162
Median family income: $88,402
Median home price: $240,956
Unemployment rate: 13.1%
Violent crime index: 3

Pinardville, N.H.

Nearest major city: Manchester
Population: 5,899
Median family income: $68,570
Median home price: $143,000
Unemployment rate: 6.9%
Violent crime index: 4

Clark, N.J.

Nearest major city: Newark
Population: 13,862
Median family income: $97,668
Median home price: $380,500
Unemployment rate: 9.7%
Violent crime index: 4

North Valley, N.M.

Nearest major city: Albuquerque
Population: 12,921
Median family income: $58,110
Median home price: $217,500
Unemployment rate: 7.7%
Violent crime index: 6

Pearl River, N.Y.

Nearest major city: New York City
Population: 15,289
Median family income: $115,954
Median home price: $385,000
Unemployment rate: 6.7%
Violent crime index: 7

Kingston, R.I.

Nearest major city: Providence
Population: 5,292
Median family income: $93,471
Median home price: $263,750
Unemployment rate: 10%
Violent crime index: 9

Atoka, Tenn.

Nearest major city: Memphis
Population: 5,438
Median family income: $78,258
Median home price: $165,375
Unemployment rate: 13.1%
Violent crime index: 3

Newcastle, Wash.

Nearest major city: Seattle
Population: 9,945
Median family income: $116,345
Median home price: $554,700
Unemployment rate: 8.5%
Violent crime index: 7

Top 11 states which Violent Crime Index  above 40:

Cave Creek, Ariz.

Nearest major city: Phoenix
Population: 5,094
Median family income: $108,546
Median home price: $440,000
Unemployment rate: 8.1%
Violent crime index: 42

Fruit Cove, Fla.

Nearest major city: Jacksonville
Population: 28,462
Median family income: $105,879
Median home price: $245,990
Unemployment rate: 9.6%
Violent crime index: 89

Meridian, Idaho

Nearest major city: Boise
Population: 45,295
Median family income: $74,584
Median home price: $177,000
Unemployment rate: 9.1%
Violent crime index: 40

Derby, Kan.

Nearest major city: Wichita
Population: 22,054
Median family income: $86,050
Median home price: $139,057
Unemployment rate: 7.6%
Violent crime index: 48

Burtonsville, Md.

Nearest major city: Baltimore
Population: 7,742
Median family income: $100,738
Median home price: $267,000
Unemployment rate: 5.2%
Violent crime index: 51

Wilmington, Mass.

Nearest major city: Boston
Population: 22,402
Median family income: $99,069
Median home price: $330,000
Unemployment rate: 7.5%
Violent crime index: 47

Kearney, Mo.

Nearest major city: Kansas City
Population: 7,733
Median family income: $83,664
Median home price: $158,790
Unemployment rate: 8.4%
Violent crime index: 46

Moore, Okla.

Nearest major city: Oklahoma City
Population: 51,856
Median family income: $63,309
Median home price: $120,000
Unemployment rate: 5.3%
Violent crime index: 67

Irmo, S.C.

Nearest major city: Columbia
Population: 10,645
Median family income: $81,139
Median home price: $108,395
Unemployment rate: 8.7%
Violent crime index: 62

South Charleston, W. Va.

Nearest major city: Charleston
Population: 11,674
Median family income: $62,030
Median home price: $130,000
Unemployment rate: 7.1%
Violent crime index: 44

Ranchettes, Wyo.

Nearest major city: Cheyenne
Population: 6,789
Median family income: $86,222
Median home price: $258,834
Unemployment rate: 8.2%
Violent crime index: 46

For more information please link to: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/10/03/0302_affordable_suburbs/1.htm.

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Google, Facebook Sued Over Phone Social-Networking (Update2)

March 9, 2010 in comentary by helen | No comments

March 09, 2010, 7:42 PM EST

(Adds Facebook spokesman’s response in sixth paragraph.)

By Susan Decker and David Glovin

March 9 (Bloomberg) — Google Inc., owner of the most-used Internet search engine, and Facebook Inc. were sued by a New York company over an invention related to software that lets people join social networks on their mobile phones.

Wireless Ink Corp., which runs the Winksite service, claims that Facebook Mobile and Google Buzz are infringing a patent issued in October. In a complaint filed today in federal court in Manhattan, the company is seeking cash compensation and a court order to prevent further use of its invention.

The patent is related to ways of offering content that is accessible by mobile devices, Wireless Ink lawyer Jeremy Pitcock said in an interview. The closely held software maker develops Web sites that can be made available over wireless devices and has more than 75,000 registered users, he said.

With the application filed in 2004, Google and Facebook had to have known of the patent, “given the time and resources defendants have invested in their desktop and mobile Web sites as well as their strategic importance,” Wireless Ink, based in East Islip, New York, said in the complaint.

Andrew Pederson, a spokesman for Mountain View, California- based Google, said the company is reviewing the complaint and had no immediate comment. Google Buzz creates a social-network service based on contacts in Gmail user accounts.

Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said the company is reviewing the complaint. Facebook, based in Palo Alto, California, is the largest social-networking site.

The case is Wireless Ink Corp. v. Facebook Inc., 10-cv-01841, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

–Editors: Stephen Farr, Peter Blumberg.

To contact the reporters on this story: Susan Decker in Washington at sdecker1@bloomberg.net; David Glovin in New York federal court at dglovin@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David E. Rovella at drovella@bloomberg.net.

Link: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-09/google-facebook-sued-over-phone-social-networking-patent.html

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Yar’Adua: We Knew And We Did Nothing – Guardian Newspaper

February 28, 2010 in Varbatim by Dr. Akpose | No comments

Yar’Adua: We Knew And We Did Nothing
By Reuben Abati

What we see is not as dangerous as what we do not yet know. This is probably the best way to describe the theatre of the absurd currently being played out in Nigeria with regard to the illness of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. And because what we do not yet know may prove to be truly dangerous, it is about time we began to draw the necessary lessons from President Yar’Adua’s incapacitation, in the expectation that those whose moral authority has been so openly called to question will feel compelled to put Nigeria first. The Yar’Adua event was a tragedy foretold, but we all did nothing to prevent it. Nothing can be more tragic than the present season of uncertainty in which Nigeria has found itself. It is a complete mess, don’t mind the fact that the Americans and the British are helping us to patch things together by trying to give Goodluck Jonathan the confidence that he badly needs.

Where were we all when Yar’Adua became President? I have heard the view expressed and I have also echoed that view that it is human to fall ill, and that certain other Presidents in other countries have been ill before Yar’Adua. The critical difference which we must stress is that Yar’Adua was ill before he became President. His condition was not concealed before he sought our votes. As Governor of Katsina State, he was out of the state for six months seeking medical help abroad. As Presidential candidate, he was perpetually struggling to show up on the campaign trail. We were all here when he travelled abroad and there were speculations that he had died, prompting former President Obasanjo to make that phone call: “Umoru, are you dead?”. Obasanjo was deceiving other Nigerians, he was playing games with our future by insisting that only Umoru could succeed him. And yet we all agreed. Obasanjo’s sick candidate won about 24. 6 million votes in the election. He didn’t win by a narrow margin.

He won convincingly. Even if there have been concerns that the election was rigged, the INEC chairman sealed the matter by declaring that Yar’Adua was the most serious of all the candidates. He got more votes than more than half of all the 50 or so candidates put together. The man had hardly settled down in office before he began to travel abroad for medical care. He has been in and out of the country at least five times in the last two years for medical reasons. He was the sick President that everyone loved to crack jokes about. We did not take the connection between Presidential health and national security and stability seriously. The moment the National assembly realized that we had a sick President on our hands, that was when the members should have begun the necessary steps of protecting Nigeria. But our National Assembly is made up of unserious people. If the picture painted by Wale Okediran, a former member of that body in his novel, Tenants of the House is to be believed, then both the actions and the inactions of the National Assembly must be treated with suspicion.

We, the people, equally fell asleep. We enjoyed cracking jokes about the pigmentation of Yar’Adua’s skin, or the coughs with which he punctuated every sentence. We did not see the need to worry about a possible tragedy. And now, the man is down, he is incapacitated and we are all protesting that the rule of law must be allowed to take its course. The Yar’Adua tragedy is a comment on the failure of the state. Because the Nigerian state has failed, it is possible for anyone to commit blue murder and get away with it. In handling the Yar’Adua health crisis, we have been building up a catalogue of illegalities, each illegality or moral failure is soon covered up, everyone latches on to what is expedient and we forget too soon. That is why it is possible for the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to say that the president had written a letter to the National Assembly reporting his ill health and desire to proceed on a vacation, only for a messenger in the Presidential palace to quibble about the same letter almost to the point of calling the SFG a liar, and up till this moment, the National Assembly has overlooked the exchange between Ahmed Yayale and Mohammed Abba-Ajji.

A serious legislature would have insisted on that letter being produced, failing which it would initiate impeachment proceedings against President Yar’Adua on the grounds of “gross misconduct.” The National Assembly faltered and we all overlooked it. Then the same National Assembly decided that a statement on BBC amounted to a letter within the purview of Section 145 of the Constitution (which it is not), and it proceeded to pronounce Goodluck Jonathan Acting President and we all jubilated. Where is the letter that Yar’Adua should have written? Goodluck Jonathan began to act as President and we all queued up behind him, convinced that the Yar’Adua matter had been laid to rest. With the events of the last 72 hours, one clear lesson is that a nation that fails to do things right is bound to embrace crisis and water the seeds of its own destruction. Yar’Adua probably lost the gift of consciousness about three months ago. We all knew that the man was gravely ill, and yet when some charlatans reported that the man had signed Budget 2010, we all accepted it. The country has since then been operating a budget that may well be truly illegal but we are okay with that because it is convenient. So why won’t a cabal smuggle Yar’Adua into the country in the night, and claim that the country can move on without the necessary questions being answered? Why won’t anyone order troops to the Abuja airport without the Acting President knowing about this? Who ordered the troops out on Wednesday Feb. 24. That is a question that still has to be answered. The military hierarchy has issued a statement accusing mischief makers of trying to drag the military into politics. But that statement avoided the deployment of troops and who did it.

The military hierarchy says it believes in democracy and it has a duty to protect our democracy. It should prove that by telling Nigerians how solders ended up on the streets without the knowledge of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. That incident disgraces the Nigerian military and its claims to neutrality and professionalism. But can you blame Dambazzau and his boys? When the Jos crisis erupted, the Commander in Chief of the Nigerian Armed forces was in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. Jonathan was not yet an Acting President or Commander of the Armed Forces. Who deployed the troops then? What Yar’Adua’s incapacitation shows us is that a sick President who is not in a position to sign documents, treat files, and who cannot be seen by concerned visitors exposes his country to danger. For the past weeks, we have all shown great emotions about President Yar’Adua but this is no longer about him, it is about national security. The President’s family doesn’t get it. The National Assembly thinks this is about gerrymandering. No, it is about Nigeria and we didn’t have to wait for Condoleeza Rice to remind us that this country is more important than individuals. We knew but we lacked the courage to act.

Where are we? We have a group of power-mongers who keep using the President’s incapacitation to play the game of Ludo with Nigeria. They throw the dice, and they play what it comes up with, meanwhile they are buying time and privately pursuing their own unknown objectives. By Wednesday, they had issued a statement giving the impression that Yar’Adua was back and in charge, hence they referred to Goodluck Jonathan as Vice President. Turai Yar’Adua, the President’s wife reportedly got carried away and started summoning Ministers and Presidential aides and for more than 24 hours she snubbed the same man who is supposed to be covering up for the President.

When that strategy failed, the same Presidency changed its stance telling us that Jonathan is acting President, “we are all under him,” and Turai suddenly agrees to see the Vice President and his wife. But up till this moment, the Acting President cannot and has not been allowed to see the President. On this score, there has been unanimous condemnation. It needs to be added that although Nigerians voted for a sick man as president, they couldn’t have expected that they would end up with a President who would turn the Presidential Villa into a maximum prison, and he the President would be thrown into solitary confinement. That Presidential Villa is public property. If Mrs Yar’Adua doesn’t want her husband to be seen and she is not willing to subject herself to lawful authority, she should take her husband to their family house in Katsina.

The Nigerian Constitution says when a President is incapacitated, he is not fit to remain President. The test of incapacitation is left in the hands of members of the Executive Council of the Federation. The lawmakers had thought that members of that body will be honourable men and women; they didn’t imagine that the Council will be filled with careerists who will serve husband and wife and bow and scrape just to protect their spoils of office. Only one person among the whole lot and that is Dora Akunyili has taken a principled stand. Weeks later, the bootlickers are still dancing on one spot. This is why the Yar’Adua tragedy is about all of us: the greed of the Nigerian political elite, the failure of institutions, and the desperation of housewives. Only God knows when last Yar’Adua uttered a word. But in his name, Nigeria is being throwing hither and thither.

What is incapacitation? Yes, Nigeria has not dealt with this situation before, but there are useful examples from other jurisdictions. Commonsense may also be useful. The Yar’Adua power bloc has admitted that Jonathan is Acting President (already they have defeated their purpose of bringing the President home, should they decide that he must return to Saudi Arabia, they will need to come up with new tricks). Step by step, they are bound to shoot themselves in the foot. The manner of President Yar’Adua’s return further confirms his incapacitation. If he was resting after a long flight, a period of 72 hours is more than enough to shake off jet-lag. And if he is recuperating, should that prevent him from seeing the Acting President? Mrs Yar’Adua and the small clique who have access to the President are unwittingly giving the impression that the man has a contagious disease. Is he in quarantine? Does the First Lady wear gloves and overalls to be able to approach him? Presidential incapacitation is so dangerous to national security that the Americans had resolved not to play games with it since the case of Woodrow Wilson in 1919. Wilson had a stroke and his wife Edith seized the machinery of the Presidency; Wilson’s Ministers and aides were not allowed to see him for the remaining 17 months of his tenure. Everyone took instructions from his wife. America has shown that in a modern society, that could prove fatal hence the 25th Amendment of 1967 which was introduced to cure the mischief of Presidential incapacity and to prevent such vacuum that could trigger instability. As recently as 2001 when the 9/11 incident occurred, the United States still took another look at Presidential succession to be sure that at no time is the Presidency of the United States uncertain. The Continuity of Government Commission imagined a scenario in which many leaders of government could be wiped out in one day and how to reconstitute the state machinery immediately and keep the Government going. Its second report was titled “Presidential Succession.” It is an issue that Nigerians must focus on intently and redefine.

America takes itself seriously. Its leaders know that a vacancy in the Executive Branch or any form of uncertainty at the highest levels could prove fatal for America’s interests in the world. We have all heard about the secret nuclear codes that are known only to the US President. It is equivalent to the deployment of troops in Nigeria or the management of the country’s oil resources. When Kennedy was assassinated in 1967, it took exactly two hours eighteen minutes for Lyndon Johnson to be sworn in. When Reagan went to the hospital for surgery on July 13, 1985, he had to relinquish the Presidency to then Vice President George Bush from 11. 28 am to 7. 22 pm. Both Clinton and George Bush Jnr. have also had to deal with the threat of Presidential incapacitation.

On June 29, 2002, President George Bush Jnr handed over power to Vice President Dick Cheney for two hours to enable him sort out a colon surgery. The attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981 further drew attention to the crisis of presidential incapacitation and the implications for democratic stability. A weak president weakens a nation. The test of incapacitation is the ability to remain conscious. Roosevelt was in a wheelchair but that was not a problem: he was conscious and alert. Perhaps a useful study of Presidential incapacitation in the United States is Kevin McQueeney’s “Incapacitation in the Oval Office: Presidential Disability,” a paper presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Palmer House Hotel, Chicago, IL, April 12, 2007. http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p196596_index.html. McQueeney demonstrates that early American Presidents also tried to hide their incapacitation and did not readily relinquish power, but that has since changed with increased media scrutiny of the Presidency. Nigeria should learn from best practices.

Is President Yar’Adua conscious? Is he in charge of his own affairs? Can he take decisions? Or he is at the mercy of his wife and a medical team? A President who cannot be seen by visitors, who cannot appear in public, and who cannot even talk to his people after a long period of absence is without any doubt incapacitated. If he is no longer in a position to decide for himself, the National Assembly has a duty to rescue Nigerians from the underserved punishment of seeing our country wobbling at the top. Our lawmakers must not assume that Nigerians will soon get used to the situation of having a sick man in the house, a wife who calls the shots illegally, and an Acting President who has to keep looking over his shoulders because he is not allowed to act.

The Nigerian Presidency at the moment is in a vague and indecisive mould. That is frightening. If there is any office where absolute clarity is required, it is at the Presidency which is so central to the democracy that we claim to run. The way forward is for the National Assembly and the Executive Council of the Federation to set in motion the processes for ensuring that Nigeria does not continue to suffer the effect of having a President who does not fulfil Hamilton’s suggestion in the US Federalist Papers of “an energetic executive, one that is not weak.” This should include relieving President Yar’Adua of his position. The real people on trial are the legislators.

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Nanjing, go!

February 27, 2010 in Uncategorized, travels by helen | 2 comments

Have been in US for a little bit more than five months, and today happened to searched a web site of my hometown Nanjing, China. Well, I didn’t view this web site when I was in China, because I have many many different ways to know the most updated news about everything and about every city. But I did feel thrilled when I saw a lot of positive good news about this city, like: “Nanjing’s Successful Bid for the Second Youth Olympic Games in 2014″ and “Nanjing 4th Yangtze River Bridge Hopefully to be Completed ahead of Schedule”…details see the link: http://english.nanjing.gov.cn/index.htm. Yes, Nanjing kept constructing in the past years… every city did the same, every governor need to show their achievements during their reign. How? Make their city looks better and better is a very useful and direct way, and more and more convenient transportation is necessary to bring the business opportunities to the city, and also GDP will take into consideration as well. I don’t know what will the city do to prepare for the Second Youth Olympic Games in 2014, but actually it ever has the biggest stadium in China before 2008, and then Beijing hold the 2008 Olympic Games, and many new stadiums built up which became the biggest instead of Nanjing Olympic Sports Center.

Here is the introduction of Nanjing:
Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, is situated in the golden Yangtze River Delta. The city plays an important role in the economy, transportation and education of the east part of China, and is said to be the second largest commercial port in the East China following Shanghai . With its majestic landscapes and epic history and cultures, it has become a hotspot for tourists who always fall in love with the city.

General Information
Nanjing occupies an area of about 6.6 thousand sq km. (1.6 million acres), with a population of more than 6 million. Known as one of China’s ‘Three Stoves’ (the others are Chongqing and Wuhan, Nanjing’s temperatures in summer can reach a high of over 40 Celsius degree (104 F. degree) while the coldest days in winter can drop to less than minus 10 Celsius degree (14 F. degree). It still has a regular rainy season from June to July every year. So the spring and autumn are the more favorable times to visit weather-wisely and autumn is especially scenic when the maple leaves turn bright red.

History
Nanjing is one of the best-known ancient capital cities in China and features a long history and deep cultures. The excavation of the skulls of ancient prehistoric men in the city dates Nanjing’s civilization back to 350 thousand years ago. The city itself was built more than 2,400 years ago in the area southwest of the huge Zhonghua Gate. The gate was critical for many military functions. Since the third century AD, ten dynasties in China, including the epochal Republic of China founded by Sun Yat-sen, established Nanjing as their capital.

Attractions
Visitors to Nanjing will be delighted by the majestic scenery intertwined with many cultural antiquities. To the east is Mt. Zhongshan, also called Zijin (Purple Golden) Shan Scenic Area. The Mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen and in accordance with his last wishes, the later built Observatory are all located here. Besides, an imperial mausoleum – Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and the attractive Linggu Temple were also built in the surrounding area. To the west of the mountain is the enthralling Mt. Qixia, the crimson autumn maple leaves of which always dazzle the eyes of visitors. The great Yangtze River traverses the northern part of the city and the spectacular scenery is best viewed from the railway & highway Bridge. For travelers interested in the thousands of years’ history of the city, the Nanjing Museum features a large collection of relics and is worth a visit. There are also two ancient enticing lakes and classic gardens in the city that are renowned in the eastern part of China.

Nanjing is also appealing to travelers for the blend of modern and classical offerings. One unique bustling area in Nanjing that you should not miss is Qin Huai River, which is lined with teahouses and restaurants hung with bright lanterns. This place, which was the most prosperous area in Nanjing, was always filled with songs and dances and romantic stories. The river also cultivated some well-known talented and patriotic heroines at the turning point of the former dynasties. It is still easy to engender a romantic and recalling feeling when boating leisurely on the river. The well-trodden Confucius Temple is located beside the river. A very busy commercial pedestrian street runs in from of the temple and the stores offer local souvenirs, fashions and snacks. The most famous handicrafts in Nanjing are Yunjin Brocade and Yuhua Stone.

For shopping in Nanjing, Hunan Road and Xinjiekou are two popular commercial centers. In addition, 1912 Street, featuring famous old buildings, fashionable pubs and snack restaurants, has become a favorite destination for tourists and locals alike.

Nanjing is keeping moving on, and China is also. Every Chinese should be proud of its country, shouldn

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Under the cover of darkness – Guardian Newspaper

February 27, 2010 in comentary by Dr. Akpose | No comments

Under the cover of darkness
By Reuben Abati

“SO the President is back in the country?”

“When did he return? You better don’t join rumour-mongers to continue to deceive Nigerians.”

“Stop being mischievous, you know the man has returned. He came in the early hours of Wednesday under the cover of darkness. The presidency has since issued a statement to say that the president is back, but Dr Goodluck Jonathan can carry on with state affairs.”

“What does that mean? Is the president aware that he is no longer in a position to give directives to Jonathan directly. He has to go through the National Assembly, inform that august body that he is back to his job. But he sneaks in Nicodemously in the middle of the night and he starts giving instructions.”

“Once he returns, he takes over automatically. Did he ever write a letter to the National Assembly asking for a vacation? So why should he write the National Assembly to say that he has returned. It was the National Assembly that wrote a letter for him, claiming that his BBC interview amounted to a letter whereas the Constitution is very clear about a proper letter being written. This is what you get when you play Ludo with the law, and the country. Why doesn’t the same National Assembly now accept the statement by the presidency as the letter confirming his return. Why are they saying they are not aware that the man has returned? “

“But have you seen the President with your two eyes? Do you know anybody who has seen him?”

“Nobody. Except may be his wife and his security guards”

“That is why I say I don’t believe that the man is back in the country. He has to show his face. He has to talk to Nigerians. If you ask me, the manner of his return shows great contempt for Nigerians. It has increased the uncertainty in the land. I dare say it is disruptive.”

“Oh come on Brother Thomas. Too many Nigerians are sounding as if the man has no right to return to the country. If a man is ill, and he goes abroad to seek medical help, definitely he would return one day?”

“President Yar’Adua is not just another citizen. This is the president of Nigeria and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. That comes with some responsibility. The key responsibility is that the President must show that he is a patriot and that the country’s interest is uppermost in his mind. When I see him on television, I’ll believe that he is back.”

“You may have to wait for a long time oh. What I hear is that the man came back in an air ambulance on a stretcher. Nobody was allowed to see him. Soldiers took over everywhere between the airport and the Presidential Villa”

“Where was the Acting President?”

“I don’t think Jonathan knew anything about the President’s return? He must have been asleep in his bedroom when they woke him up to tell him his oga was back.”

“At the time the President returned, Jonathan as Acting President was effectively the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Who ordered the troops that went to the airport?”

“The Chief of Army Staff could have done that”

“Without briefing the Commander-in-Chief? That is not good for national security”.

“You like to moralise. What happened on Wednesday was definitely a coup against Jonathan’s Acting Presidency. You can see the effect it has had. The meeting of the Executive Council of the Federation could not hold on Wednesday because there was allegedly a directive postponing the meeting.”

“Someone said soldiers were deployed to the meeting room to protect the President’s chair. If Jonathan thought after sitting on that chair for two meetings, he could do so again, someone had made proper arrangements to put him in his place.”

“Ha.”

“Poor Jonathan. He was beginning to enjoy the position of Acting President. Now, he needs all the luck that he can get. I hear they have even changed all the security guards at the Presidential Villa.”

“A special squad, mostly soldiers from Katsina.”

“Talk about the Yar’Adua group taking physical possession of power.”

“It is called high-wire power politics. High stakes.”

“They have played their last card.”

“Last card?”

“Yes, their last card.”

“Don’t be too sure. I understand the Acting president will now take instructions from Mrs Turai Yar’Adua”

“How?”

“To do anything now, Dr Jonathan will have to ask Mrs Yar’Adua what the President wants.”

“Jesus Christ of Nazareth! They want to run Nigeria on the basis of he said, she said. Why can’t Jonathan assert himself?”

“How? Did you not notice that in the first statement issued by President Yar’Adua, there was absolutely no reference to Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President? The President returns to the country and he pretends not to know that there is an Acting President in place.”

“But technically, Jonathan’s Presidency ended the moment the President returned to the country; it will be ludicrous to have a President and an Acting President at the same time.”

“You see why I was insisting that the President is not yet back? As far as I am concerned, what we have is an acting Presidency led by Goodluck Jonathan. If the president says he is back in the country, let him follow what the Constitution says. He should write a letter to the National Assembly reporting for duty. Why is there so much desperation? And it is not enough for him to say that he is back in Nigeria. Is he well enough to do the job? That is the question the Americans were posing in their statement on Yar’Adua’s return”.

“The Americans should not tell us what to do. After all they too had Woodrow Wilson and Edith Wilson”

“You are comparing President Yar’Adua and Woodrow Wilson? What about the 25th Amendment to the American Constitution which was meant to correct the Woodrow Wilson effect.”

“I am saying a president can be ill and the country will still function.”

“But Nigeria is not functioning. “

“I thought you said Jonathan is in charge.”

“He is not. How can he be in charge if he has to take instructions from a boss that he cannot see, he is not even sure he is in the country, and he, the Vice president will be reduced to the First Lady’s errand boy.”

“But you people caused the problem.”

“What do you mean you people?”

“All of you going about hailing Goodluck Jonathan. The man was supposed to be an acting President but you people started setting an agenda for him. People started talking about the Jonathan Presidency. Former leaders were beginning to troop to Aso Villa to see him. If that had continued, it won’t take another month before everyone would forget Yar’Adua. The Yar’Adua group needed to put an end to that. So, they have brought their man in, they have kept him under protective custody, and you all have no option but to talk about Yar’Adua’s Presidency. Don’t you know that it that six-man team that went to Saudi Arabia had been allowed to return with Yar’Adua still in Saudi Arabia,, and without their seeing him, by now the only subject of discussion will be impeachment of Yar’Adua. And it will make sense.”

“You know what I think?”

“What? Checkmate?”

“They have just played their last card.”

“You have said that before. Why are you repeating yourself?”

“Because what may well happen is that you will soon have people back on the streets protesting that they want to see Yar’Adua by all means”

“There is nothing in the Constitution that says the President should go about shaking people’s hands and showing himself off like a clown.”

“But there is something in the Constitution that says the President must be fit. The way the President stole into the country, confirms our worst fears that he is not well. If he had fully recovered, he would have gone straight to the Chambers for the Wednesday meeting. If he had showed up for just one hour, and taken photographs, that would have been the end of all of this.”

“Nigerians won’t give up. They will insist he must do triple jump on national television to convince them.”

“I wonder what Obasanjo and those other leaders who went to Aso Villa to support Jonathan would do now? “

“You wait. They will all soon start trooping to the same Aso Villa to welcome the President.”

“They won’t see the President. Even people who travelled to Saudi Arabia could not see him. He is the unseen President. You remember unseen poetry? This is also just as tough.”

“The First Lady is there, and she will tell her husband that some people came. For your information, some people have started going there already. I read in one report that the PDP Chairman and the Chairman of the Governors Forum went to Aso Villa, they were turned back.”

“Nigerians. They will go again although I don’t have a problem with that. In fact, the National Assembly should put together a high-powered delegation with a mandate to go to Aso Villa and see the president. This must be treated as a matter of urgent national important. They will be doing so on behalf of all Nigerians.”

“Wonders shall never end. Who will ever think President Yar’Adua will return to this country Nicodemously?”

“What kind of English word is that? Nicodemously? “

“Go and read your Bible, you Pharisee. Nicodemus asked: How can these things be? How are these things possible? Those are questions I will also like to put to President Yar’Adua.”

“Madam Turai will give you the answers you deserve. If you are careful with that your mouth, they will lock you up”

“Nobody can do anything. Why? All I am saying is that I love my country I no go lie… There is another meeting of the Executive Council of the Federation next Wednesday. Do you think the president will attend that? “

“He doesn’t have to. In fact the meeting can be adjourned indefinitely.”

“We won’t agree to that”

“Who are you? You think those people pay attention to noise makers? Go and sit down. Even the Vice President wouldn’t dare raise his head in front of the Katsina enforcers that have hijacked the presidency. Do you know that the office of the Acting President was ransacked by State Security? And yet Jonathan says the ship of state is on course?”

“I suspect the statement was written for him. Nobody cares about the people, It is all about them and the power they wield. It is not fair. “

“The Saudi authorities must be relieved. Nigeria was going to drag them into a crisis that is not of their own making. They had to advise Yar’Adua to return home.”

“But what do you think will happen if someone suddenly discovers that Yar’Adua is actually not in the country and all of this is just being stage-managed?”

“What will happen? Nothing. This is Nigeria where everything is possible.”

“We are in a worse shape than we were three weeks ago.”

“Don’t worry. You’d get used to it.”

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Acting President for Nigeria : Goodluck Jonathan

February 9, 2010 in comentary by Dr. Akpose | No comments

In an unprecedented move, and a show of confidence in a little known, but markedly loyal deputy, the Nigerian legislation earlier  Tuesday, February 9, 2010 passed resolutions officially recognizing Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as the nation’s acting President. This move comes in the wake of President Musa Ya’Ardua’s continued absence from the country after his hasty departure for medical treatment in Saudi hospital.

Since November of 2009, Goodluck Jonathan has presided over executive meetings as required by law and carried out most functions of the presidency. The latest move however, is not just formality, as the preceding events continued to highlight the deep regional divide in the country. It is however instructive to note that  the recent votes comes in the wake of US envoy arrival in the nation just a couple of days earlier to discuss the seeming power vacuum in the country.

It is nice to see America acting as a force for good and a positive influence in sub-sahara Africa and elsewhere.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8507289.stm

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The face of hypocrisy – Dick Shelby of Alabama

February 9, 2010 in comentary by Dr. Akpose | 1 comment

 

 

Pork Shelby

Dick Shelby

The face of hypocrisy. Dick Shelby needs to declare his parochial interests in the holds. Now that he’s been embarrassed, the holier than thou, self styled fiscal conservative is retreating in shame.

This senator was against pork in the budget, he was against the stimulus bill, he was against TARP, he was against health care bill, and everything else by the Obama administration. His grouse? The administration spends too much. He wants smaller government and he wants government out of our lives. But when government intervention or action ends up benefiting his purse or political career, Dick Shelby wants all the government he can get.

His hold on nominees was  ”to force the administration to pay attention ” to issues that he insists affects him. An air force tanker award to a foreign company (AirBUS) at the expense of a local US company (Boeing) simply because AirBUS promises to build a plant in Alabama!!! Same reason he was against the bailout for the Auto Industry (because their foreign counterparts, Toyota, Hyndai and Honda have plants in his neighborhood).

These folks mouth “country first” when they mean “Me first”. Their policies have sold the nation out to the highest bidders and they are not even interested in reversing course. Yet, a bunch of neer-d0-gooders who are to ignorant to understand the facts claim to support them. Talk about zombies!

Its time to get self serving, treacherous politicians out of office and replace them with patriotic citizens.

[googleMap name="Alabam" description="Richard Shelby Congressional District" width="300" height="300" directions_from="true"]Alabama[/googleMap]

 

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Waiting for the Nook

February 6, 2010 in comentary, commen-of-d-day by Dr. Akpose | No comments

In Summer of 2009, Barnes and Noble made a splash about a ebook reader. One that was reputed to be aimed squarely at Amazon’s continued assault on B&N’s business of peddling textbooks. By the first week of December, the news was filtering out that the Nook, as the B&N reader was christened will be delayed post the holiday buying season, and there was even talks of over-pre-order. Good news for B&N right? Well not really. The last holiday season marked a major milestone in the evolution of books, and the ebook reader in the news was the Kindle. For the first time in history, more e-books were ordered/sold than traditional books, and the arrival of internet reading finally dawned on us, just like the arrival of internet based communication just a decade ago. Data now surpass voice , and e-books are set to surpass their paper cousins. Amazon Kindle is the undisputed king of the pack, meaning that bookstores like B&N are headed for extinction – just ask Blockbuster and its previous competitor (what was that company again?).  The problem with B&N is that they lack execution. They remain rigid in a nimble market. Amazon continues to run the show – that was until kill-joy apple showed up. In the last week or so (or since the new year), Apple has surfaced as a potential rival to Amazon in the ebook marker, and Google is gearing up with its own offerings? So where does that leave Barnes and Noble and the Nook? In a couple of years, B&N will have to contend with store closings as more of the market move online and its stores begin to loose their relevance. Don’t get me wrong, there’ll still be need for a place where you can peruse hard cover versions of your favorite’s author’s new best seller and maybe hang out with other members of your book-rea ding club. But, more and more people will simply order their books whenever, wherever from an online store. And that market belongs to the organizations that can execute the best market and device. B&N is not just that company, and the Nook is a hopeless contender.

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Re NY Times – why Microsoft failed

February 4, 2010 in Microsoft Technologies, comentary by Dr. Akpose | No comments

Failure, timing yada yada yada – It doesn’t matter what the Seattle based company does, it lost the battle of “crass opinion” aeons when it had a commanding dominating  position in the industry.

Microsoft continues to lead innovation, only that newspapers like the Times would rather write a different story. When the Microsoft multi-touch was unveiled, the elation was tepid. But when Apple later released a multi-touch version of ipod, the reverberations across the land was resounding.

Microsoft’s enemies continue to increase, as the Software giant continues to grow. Soon, in good time; it will be Google’s turn, and then Apple and who knows who next?

–original article http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/opinion/04brass.html

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Enter the party of wooze

February 3, 2010 in Big Picture, comentary by Dr. Akpose | No comments

In November of 2008, the world came to an end for the Republican Party. Massive losses in both the house and senate caped a two year loosing streak. The State Houses and state legislature were also lost. But to cap it all, a once little know black man with a funny name stole the limelight as he rode on hope and change to the White House. Democrats were ecstatic and their stupor was imminent.

In 2009, the Democratic Party began to self-immolate on the alter of self inflicted paralysis and over confidence. I will not say arrogance, because it was not the politicians who were arrogant. It was the foot soldiers. The politicians were paralyzed! The new President Barack Obama had great intentions, lofty visions and excellent judgment but he allowed himself to be suckered by the establishment Democrats.

His nominations were all career politicians (or so it seemed) and experts at the Washington revolving door. Rahm Emmanuel (Clinton white house – investment bank – congress), Tom Daschle (ex senate majority leader – lobbyist ), Hilary Clinton (Clinton white house, senate, presidential run ), Tim Gaithner (political technocrat – ), Larry Summers (Clinton white house – to investment bank – havard), and the list goes on. The list of nominees pleased most in the punditry business on the left and right; but left the people wondering about this change. But the real zinger was the number of nominees with obvious ethical challenges – unpaid taxes was the most obvious.

Soon, long before the president could settle down, his administration’s image had taken a real beating. It was beginning to look more like same-ol-same-ol and less like change-we-can-believe-in. But the President refused to clean house right away and ask for better nominees. He took the advice of the Washington “experts” – stick to your gun to demonstrated your mojo. Problem was, a sullied image was taking hold. Yet, the foot soldiers could see no weakness….

In good time, Roy Blagojevich and Roland Burris soon took the stage, and then John Edwards, and then, and then…. from scandal to scandal, the Democratic Party started to look not much better than the Republican Party it just threw out of power.  And fox news was enlivened as it hired or elevated a bunch of unhinged showmen to spew a perverse version of the daily rounds of un-news. Despite the defection of Arlene Specter back into the Democratic folds after over three decades as a Republican, the Democratic leadership was either too focused on “governing” or too scared to govern.  Charlie Rangel continued to be chairman of house ways and means committee despite his tax challenges.

The Health Care debate, one that President Obama promised soon became a spectacle. The political class was less than prepared for the onslaught, and the Democrats largely misread it. They assumed the people were calling for a retreat, they felt things will boils over shortly. They believed the could response with silence –after all, silence is the best answer to a fool –. But none of that worked, and the jelly livered senators and congress man started looking for a way out. They watered down the bill (or added measures to appease the sharks – insurance mandate, away with public option, tax on cadillac plans etc). With each attempt to appease the Republicans, the Democrats lost the people who sent them to Washington (at least that was the story) in the first place. Too many compromises later, the President’s approval rating was heading for the gutters – and Massachusetts happened!

It was bound to happen. What do you expect after a overtly hubristic Democratic base handed the Virginia State house to Bob McDonnell – If only Terry McAuliffe had won the Primary – but there was hubris there too.  And the guy in New Jersey – how could your accuse your opponent of being fat! Well, the fat guy won. And so, 2009 became a bad year for the Democrats, and then 2010 started out bad too.

And so, the party has been shocked back to earth? Or is it back to the Hills! The democrats seem dazed! Like woozy! They are groping now, looking for a stand, groping for support. But where would support come from? Strength is innate.

For more than one week, President Obama has been going the round; from state to state – from campaign stop to congressional huddles, the President is letting it be known he does not quit. But his party seems to be quitting on him. A retreat on health care? Dithering (I swore I wont use that word after Dick Chaney tarnished it) on Climate change. And hear this, waffling on financial reform. There seems to be enough monkeys in the democratic caucus to throw a wrench at every legislative idea with real significance.

The party seem woozy now. And if it continues this way, it will be 1994 all over again. Why must history always repeat itself? Is it because we refuse to learn from it. Or because we learn the wrong lessons.

New Jersey was lost – because the Democrats re-run a lousy incumbent. Virginia was lost because the Democrats ran a clueless candidate. And Massachusetts was lost because the Democrats ran a clueless candidate with a sense of entitlement – she was too cute to campaign in the snow! Yes, snow campaign was for macho cosmo nude posing retards. But the nude guy won!

So now the Democrats are still wondering what lessons to be learned. They continue to drink the same Kool-Aid that got them here in the first place. They are chicken!

Yes, for now. It is the party of the woozy. Maybe by November it would have found it mojo again – or maybe it will be back in the minority for good.

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