Yu' Hear?

RMD survives Ghastly Crash

2012-01-17T14:01:00.003+01:00

Foremost Nollywood actor and commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State, Richard Mofe Damijo, this morning survived a ghastly car accident in Warri, Delta State, that left his SUV damaged beyond repair.

The actor was rescued from the vehicle and taken to the hospital where he's currently receiving treatment.

Sources close to the superstar and those who have managed to speak with him since the accident say his injuries aren't life threatening and will soon be discharged.

Thank God for his life

Baby No 6 for 2face!

2012-01-17T13:18:00.003+01:00

Tuface Idibia expecting baby No.6. Baby mama, Pero Adeniyi pregnant again

Tuface Idibia is expecting baby No.6 with one of his baby mama's and mother of two of his children, US-based Pero Adeniyi.

Pero is due to give birth to the couple's third child together in March. And we hear it's going to be another boy.

The reason Pero's third pregnancy for the hit maker was not known until now is because she's been in the US for a while, so no one in Naija saw the protruding tommy...but y'all know walls have ears now, abi?...:-)

We hear Tuface was trying to keep it quiet, but unfortunately for him, our amebo is too much...lol.

His PR manager Bayo Omisore has confirmed the pregnancy. Big congrats to Tuface and Pero.

Muhammad Ali @70

2012-01-17T10:24:00.003+01:00

In praise of … Muhammad Ali at 70

The boxer remains to this day one of the most admired human beings on the planet, perhaps still the most widely loved of us all

It is just over 30 years since he left the ring. And it is almost as long since he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease which, ever since, has taunted the supreme athlete he once was. Most of the world's inhabitants had not been born when he fought his epic contests with Joe Frazier, George Foreman and the American military. Yet Muhammad Ali remains to this day one of the most admired human beings on the planet, perhaps still the most widely loved of us all. This newspaper has never loved professional boxing, but Ali always gloriously transcended his sport, which has struggled to survive without him. That he has reached his 70th birthday after the assaults and ravages that have been inflicted on him is another tribute. A lesser man might have become reclusive, content to live in a well-tended retreat. But Ali never turned his face away. The greatest. The people's champ. The words still fit him. Happy 70th birthday, Muhammad Ali.

The fuel subsidy conundrum

2012-01-11T11:06:00.001+01:00

The Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) on January 1, 2012, acted on a longstanding government desire, by announcing the total removal of subsidy on petroleum. The policy is part of the deregulation of the downstream operation of the oil sector in the country. By the move, the pump price of premium motor spirit (PMS) more than doubled, from 65 naira to 141 naira per litre.

Not unexpectedly, the steep rise has shocked many Nigerians, who have reacted angrily to the government’s decision. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUCN) and other civil society organisations have scheduled today for a nationwide indefinite strike that is expected to draw workers from both public and private sectors.

As a measure of how the deeply unpopular policy has had on the generality of the Nigerians, and the possibility of chaos that the strike might cause, the House of Representatives met at an emergency session yesterday to discuss the issue. Before the House went on Christmas recess, the members had rejected the idea of subsidy removal. After a heated debate, reflecting the general mood in the country, the House called the government to suspend implementing the subsidy removal policy.

On its part however, the federal government, following a meeting of the Executive Council, said it had no intention of rolling back its policy, and announced the introduction of what it says would be palliatives to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal. Two committees were set up, one to supervise and ensure effective and timely implementation of projects to be funded from the savings that would accrue. The other committee was named to dialogue with organised labour on the removal of subsidy.

The government and its agencies have repeatedly argued that the amount spent subsidizing the petrol that Nigerians consume had grown from around 300 billion naira in 2007 to 1.3 trillion naira last year. Removing such subsidy, the government further argued, would free money that would be ploughed back into providing infrastructure, like power and roads, and create employment.

On the other side of the debate is the argument that if cost of government was reduced and corruption effectively tackled, the savings would be far greater that the subsidy that has been removed.

On balance, the government’s alarm bells sounding the imminent collapse of the economy if subsidy was not removed does not ring true. That much is evident when it is placed against monumental wastage in the day to day running of government in the country. President Goodluck Jonathan appeared to have underscored that fact when he announced cuts to his emoluments and those of high political office holders, offers that were aimed at mollifying public anger at the subsidy removal and averting today’s strike.

By the subsidy removal, the government appeared to have squandered its goodwill with the public, and there is widespread scepticism that its subsidy reinvestment and empowerment programme would work.

The entire subsidy debate revolves around Nigeria’s inability, chiefly due to corruption, to refine enough petrol for local consumption. Apart from the over two million litres per day export quota, over 400,000 barrels are also approved for refining and local consumption in the country.

The palliative measures being proposed to absorb the shock of this huge price increase are not different from the previous ones that have failed. A serious transport policy, which is critical in addressing transportation problem in the country, for instance, does not end with the procurement of buses and ‘repair of roads’, as the government has proposed.

As the labour unions proceed on strike, they should be wary of their action being hijacked by opportunists to cause more harm, especially in the heightened security challenges in the country. Protests must be responsible and devoid of any form of destruction. The members of the nation’s security forces must also be up to the task in civilized handling of the situation as well as protecting the protesters. Citizens have the constitutional right to peacefully protest government policies, and the police and other security agencies have the responsibility to act within the law and the constitution in handling such protests.

Ultimately however, the onus is on the government, labour unions and other critical stakeholders to immediately begin a dialogue to break the current impasse and debate the future of the nation’s oil industry. Arbitrary policy decisions only hurt public discourse, which was lacking before the subsidy removal. The government should defuse the current logjam by reconnecting with the public through dialogue and then amicable resolution of the situation.

Beyoncé’s Baby Arrives

2012-01-09T12:47:00.002+01:00

Beyoncé’s Baby Arrives: Blue Ivy Carter Born Saturday in New York City

The rumor mill has been silenced: Beyoncé actually was pregnant, and the baby was not born last week. Instead, hip-hop power couple Beyoncé and Jay-Z welcomed a baby girl, reportedly named Blue Ivy Carter, Saturday night at New York City’s Lenox Hill Hospital.

According to E! News, Beyoncé gave birth via scheduled C-section, though many sources noted that Bey’s baby came more than a month before her expected February due date. The New York Daily News notes that Jay-Z and Beyoncé tried to tightly control theirbabeyoncé’s arrival, renting out an entire floor of Lenox Hill Hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, taping over security cameras and forcing employees to turn in their cell phones.

(LIST: Top 10 Wacky Celebrity Baby Names)

Most certainly, photos of little Blue Ivy Carter are sure to garner millions, as the baby has been anxiously expected since the moment Beyoncé announced her pregnancy – not-so-subtly displaying her baby bump on stage at the MTV Video Music Awards in August. Since then, fans have speculated widely about the first Carter offspring, predicting names, genders and shower gifts – and breaking Twitter records while doing so. But it turned out to be the couple’s close friends who gave away the tiny details of the tiny one. Kelly Rowland hinted in recent weeks that the baby would be a girl.

And upon confirmation from Jay-Z to his friends, the celebrity congratulations to the proud new parents came flooding in. Russell Simmons and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others, tweeted gleefully, but it was Rihanna who put it best:

Indeed, we should expect no shortage of spoiling for baby Blue Ivy. Suri Cruise, watch out: you might be getting a run for your money.

Adieu to ‘Mademoiselle’

2012-01-09T12:40:00.002+01:00

First, a ban to the term mademoiselle, next a movement to do away with gendered nouns? People struggling to learn French can only hope.

Cesson-Sévigné, a suburb of Rennes, France, has banned the use of the title “mademoiselle” on all official forms starting January 1, 2012, The Local reports. Two feminist groups in France, Osez la Féminisme (Dare Feminism) and Les Chiennes de Garde (Guard Dogs) had been campaigning to remove the title from state and company forms for some time.

What’s so wrong with mademoiselle? It sounds polite, if not beautiful, after all. Deriving from the word for “damsel” or “little lady,” mademoiselle is the French equivalent of “Miss.” But according to these groups, the title is “sexist and condescending,” as it differentiates unmarried women from those married, while there’s just one all-encompassing title for men: “Monsieur,” or “Mr.” There used to, in fact, be a title for unmarried men — damoiseau — but it was done away with decades ago. Only fueling the fury, mademoiselle originates from “virgin,” which carries a whole set of connotations apart from being merely sexist. It renders women as young, naive, and perhaps not as serious as their madame counterparts when in the workplace or in other formal situations.

The town hall issued a statement saying, “This is about getting rid of anything that could be seen as discriminatory or indiscreet.” Germany itself abolished use of the title “Fräulein” for unmarried women in 1972.

That makes everyone a “Madame” now, n’est-ce pas?

Mass Strike and Fuel Subsidy

2012-01-09T10:28:00.001+01:00

The timing could hardly have been worse. Already grappling with a string of attacks by a violent Islamist group in recent weeks, Nigeria's government now faces an indefinite mass strike and protests that threaten to shut down the country.

Thousands in Africa's most populous nation have poured onto the streets since the government announced on 1 January that it would discontinue a state fuel subsidy programme, which has kept fuel cheap for decades – but diverted valuable funds needed to invest in infrastructure for Nigeria's booming population.

Overnight, petrol pump prices in Africa's largest oil-producing country more than doubled to about $1 per litre.

With the fuel subsidy eating into a quarter of the annual budget, the government says it will save £4.2bn annually to invest in underperforming refineries that have forced Nigeria to import its own oil once it has been refined.

Seun Kuti, the son of afrobeat musician and vocal anti-government critic Fela Kuti, said he would lead supporters through the choked streets of Lagos on Monday.

"I'm not talking economics here, I'm just talking common sense," he said, as he handed out flyers to students, labourers and market workers who planned to attend the rally. "You cannot charge $1 a litre when the [majority of the] population lives on less than a dollar a day."

Defying a court injunction that banned the strikes because they are unrelated to a labour dispute, leaders of the country's largest trade union asked more than 2 million members to begin an "indefinite" strike on Monday, which could paralyse road and air traffic and shut down power grids.

Armoured police vehicles – many already in place after sectarian bombings killed dozens across the country in recent weeks – fanned out across the capital, Abuja, and other major cities ahead of the strikes.

Security sources say 15,000 police will be deployed in the capital, Abuja, on Monday.

President Goodluck Jonathan attempted to quell the growing public discontent in a special televised address late on Saturday. "I personally feel pained to see the sharp increase in transport fares and the prices of goods and services. If I were in your shoes at this moment, I probably would have reacted in the same way," he said, before announcing a 25% pay cut for cabinet ministers.

His administration argues that the subsidy hands over billions of dollars annually to a cartel of fuel importers, while dampening appetite for private investment in Nigeria's under-performing refineries.

"I understand fully well that deregulation is not a magic formula that will address every economic challenge, but it provides a good entry point for transforming the economy," the president said.

Jonathan, who took office in May last year, has struggled to win over weary Nigerians who have rarely benefited from the nation's two million barrel-per-day oil industry. The president's belated address to the nation has been largely drowned out by a storm of debate across radio and TV shows.

Calls from Nigerians with access to Facebook and Twitter accounts – a minority in a country where 70% live on less than $2 a day — for sit-in movements similar to the Occupy Wall Street movement in the United States have gained steady momentum in major urban centres.

But the debate has spawned vocal critics on either side of the divide. Student Onyewu Ahubi asked: "Where were these protestors when education funding was being cut? Is it only because they can't fill up their big cars now they are protesting?" He said protests were lacklustre in the largely rural state of Benue, where pump prices routinely outstrip those in urban centres.

The planned shutdown comes amid a state of emergency declared in the several northern states after the violent Islamist group Boko Haram stepped up a long-simmering insurgency when it attacked four churches simultaneously on Christmas day. The group has killed at least 40 people in the past two weeks, threatening to ignite a sectarian civil conflict.

Bismarke Rewane, a former economic advisor to the President said, the government lacked credibility among Nigerians. "We have a political and sectarian crisis both looming at the same time. Even if the strike is called off by labour unions, I don't think the protests will go away. Right now people are united because of the common pain," he added.

BIRTHDAY: THANK YOU

2012-01-08T12:27:00.003+01:00

Mercie.....

Mucho Gracias....

Thank you....

E Seun, Adupe....

That's all I can say to everyone for the amazing love you guys showed me yesterday on my birthday.

For all the prayers, love and support you all showered on me; I sincerely appreciate it, May God continue to bless you all.

Remain blessed.

PS: A wonderful belated birthday greetings to my birthday mates, Jada Emokhor (in Yanya Housing Estate Abuja) and Daniel Emokhor (in Modinat Estste, Gbagada, Lagos).

You guys should send my own portion of the cake asap or else...

Like play, like play; person no be small boy again o......lol

THANK GOD for everything indeed.

HAPPY 2012 TO YOU ALL.

Joke Jaiyesimi Dumps Soundcity

2012-01-06T14:08:00.002+01:00

We’ve been told, very reliably, that Joke Jaiyesimi, the producer-presenter, has quit her job at Soundcity.

Details are sketchy for now, and Ms Jaiyesimi refused to comment, but reliable sources say she threw in the towel last December.

‘She left to go and do her own thing’ a Soundcity source told us.

Ms Jaiyesimi joined Soundcity in June 2010, shortly after resigning from her position at Hip Tv. Before Hip TV, she had worked at Music Africa and MBI.

Birthday Mate

2012-01-06T12:19:00.002+01:00

Tomorrow, Saturday 7th January 2012 is Jadah Emokhor's birthday; same is mine!

Though, i don't know what Cute Jay might love to have as birthday gift, i know what i will love at mine. Anyone who brings me nothing short of FUEL will not even likely get a thank you. But if you want me to give you a thank you hug, pls bring me a 50Ltr of Fuel and you'll get a post on this blog as THANK YOU.

Thanking you in advance; Happy birthday to Jadah Emokhor in Advance!

MANY MORE YEARS, MY GOD GO MAKE YOU BIGGER....U BE BIG GEL ALREADY

2012-01-06T11:41:00.000+01:00

Follow my 2011 in tweet here at @Day_ji

Fuel Subsidy

2012-01-03T12:21:00.006+01:00

Revolution Nigeria

2012-01-03T12:16:00.001+01:00

The removal of fuel subsidy has prompted different protests across the nation. It has been confirmed that your bis will "possibly" go off today, Jan 3, 'cause the govt doesn't want us to upload media documentation of our struggles.

#FuelSubsidy or #OccupyNigeria protests will take place in Ibadan, Lagos, Kano, Gombe, Benue and Abia today.

Text/call 07003200882 If ur BIS is shut down today

If you are out there protesting or you see anything such as aggression or heavy handedness by the authorities please tweet about it.

Also send in media files and updates to occupynigeria@groups.facebook.com by email and facebook text messaging.

Here are alternatives for you to tweet via mobile; in case your bis do get shut down by your service providers.

You can tweet via SMS by sending 140 characters (or less) to 40404 (Zain and MTN) or 20644 (Glo). No downloading is required. Each SMS will cost you ~N10.

To connect your account to your mobile number, send START or SIGNUP to relevant shortcode: 40404 (Zain and MTN) or 20644 (Glo)

You'll be required to complete a one-time login with your username (twitter handle) and password.

SMS allows 160 characters, compared to twitter's 140, so keep your tweets below 140 characters so that it will be delivered.

If your telco doesn't allow SMS tweets, use the one-way long code to tweet: +447624800379 , +4915705000021 , +3584573950042

N.B. Use the right hashtags (#fuelsubsidy and #occupyNigeria) when you tweet. This is very vital for consistency! Don't forget to tweet your location. Moreover, try & set visible timestamp on cameras.

Other pointers:

Use technology to plan but note that agents of the State are monitoring conversations. Treat sensitive information with caution.

If you use a public computer to send sensitive information, press "Shift + Ctrl" then "Delete" to get the "Clear Browsing Data"; clear the cache so no one can access to your info.

Happy New Year

2012-01-03T12:13:00.002+01:00

GEJ issues STATE OF EMERGENCY

2011-12-31T16:59:00.002+01:00

The Nigerian presidency has just issued a proclamation declaring a state of emergency in certain parts on Nigerian as follows:

Fellow Nigerians, it has become necessary to address you on recent events in some parts of the country that have threatened our collective security and shaken the foundations of our corporate existence as a nation.

2. You are all aware of the security challenges which the activities of the Boko Haram sect have foisted on the country. What began as sectarian crises in the North Eastern parts of the country has gradually evolved into terrorist activities in different parts of the country with attendant negative consequences on our national security.

3. Government in an effort to find a lasting solution to the security threats occasioned by the activities of the Boko Haram sect, constituted a Presidential Committee under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the crises. While efforts are being made to implement the recommendations of the Committee, the crises have assumed a terrorist dimension with vital institutions of government including the United Nations Building and places of worship becoming targets of terrorist attacks.

4. While the search for lasting solutions is ongoing, it has become imperative to take some decisive measures necessary to restore normalcy in the country especially within the affected communities. Consequently, I have in the exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of section 305(1) of the Constitution, declared a state of emergency in the following parts of the federation, namely:

(i) Borno State

a) Maidugiri Metropolitan LGA

b) Gamboru Ngala LGA

c) Banki Bama LGA

d) Biu LGA

e) Jere LGA

(ii) Yobe State

a) Damaturu LGA

b) Geidam LGA

c) Potiskum LGA

d) Buniyadi-Gujba LGA

e) Gasua-Bade LGA

(iii) Plateau State

a) Jos North LGA

b) Jos South LGA

c) Barkin-Ladi LGA

d) Riyom LGA

(iv) Niger State

a) Suleja LGA

The details of this proclamation will be transmitted to the National Assembly as soon as they reconvene from their current recess, for their necessary action.

5. The Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police have been directed to put appropriate measures in place to ensure the protection of lives and properties of residents in the affected parts of the country. I therefore urge the political leadership in the affected states and Local Government Areas to give maximum cooperation to the law enforcement agencies deployed to their respective communities to ensure that the situation is brought under control within the shortest possible time.

6. The Chief of Defence Staff, in collaboration with other Service Chiefs, has also been directed to set up a special force unit within the Armed Forces, with dedicated counter terrorism responsibilities.

7. As part of the overall strategy to overcome the current security challenges, I have directed the closure of the land borders contiguous to the affected Local Government Areas so as to control incidences of cross boarder terrorist activities as terrorists have taken advantage of the present situation to strike at targets in Nigeria and retreat beyond the reach of our law enforcement personnel.

8. Let me assure our neighbours, especially within the ECOWAS sub-region, of Nigeria’s commitment to its international obligations as provided by the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons. The temporary closure of our borders in the affected areas is only an interim measure designed to address the current security challenges and will be reviewed as soon as normalcy is restored.

9. I commend the efforts of our political leaders at various levels as well as our traditional and religious leaders for their support for the various conflict resolution mechanisms and peace building measures that have been initiated by this administration. We call on the citizenry to continue to provide useful information to our law enforcement agencies to enable us arrest the situation.

10. Terrorism is a war against all of us. I call on all Nigerians to join hands with government to fight these terrorists.

11. I wish all Nigerians a very happy New Year.

12. Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Manchesters Crash

2011-12-08T10:08:00.001+01:00

Manchester United and Manchester City have both crashed out of the Champions League after a dismal night for the Premier League's top two.

United suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat to Swiss Champions Basel, while City beat Bayern Munich 2-0 but were ousted by Napoli's win in Villarreal.

While London clubs Arsenal and Chelsea continue to mix it with the cream of the continent, United and City are now consigned to Thursday nights in the Europa League.

I be Gay?

2011-12-07T18:55:00.002+01:00

The bill against the practice of same-sex conjugal relationship is probably not the most urgent issue requiring the attention of our federal lawmakers. But by passing the bill and thereby outlawing same-sex relationships, the Senate only endorsed the largely pervasive resentment of Nigerians to a matter that is abhorrent to our nature and culture.

The bill provides for a 14-year jail term for anyone entering into same-sex marriage or civil union. It also stipulates a 10-year jail term for any person who directly or indirectly makes a public show of same-sex amorous relationships. Those persons, clubs, societies or organizations and all those who register, aid and abet such unions, would be liable on conviction to 10 years imprisonment. The bill further specifies that where same-sex marriages or unions had been contracted abroad, such contracts will not be recognized in Nigeria.

To become law, the bill will have to be endorsed by the House of Representatives before going to the President for assent.

Not unexpectedly, the Senate’s action has set off outcry especially from abroad. The critics claim that Nigeria’s stance will put a wide body of persons at risk, and allegedly bridges human rights. But as the Senate President, David Mark has pointed out, what is at stake is our values - the values of the vast majority of Africans.

The issue of same sex marriage, already unpopular in most African countries, could have been allowed to continue its furtive journey but for the condescending speech of British Prime Minister David Cameron who chose, of all places and without provocation, the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia, to lecture Africans on the beauty of same sex marriage, and additionally to warn them, like erring school children, that such a stance could cost them aid from Britain.

By making this statement, Cameron has shown an astonishing ignorance of African sensibilities surrounding this subject. He has thus inflamed dormant passions. For the African whose culture is a continuum between the ancestors, the living and the unborn, anything that threatens to sever that umbilical cord of his being is anathema. Sexuality in Africa is not seen as a private matter, it is an event that concerns the entire community, thereby giving it meaning.

Nigeria is dominated by two great religions - Christianity and Islam. Both religions condemn homosexuality and same-sex marriage as an aberration. The African did not become anti-gay because of his religion; he was anti-gay before the arrival of those religions. In fact, many African languages do not have a name for same-sex relationships. Today, it is safe to say that most African governments frown at homosexuality and impose forms of punishments for its practitioners. Ghana has rejected British foreign aid if predicated on the tolerance of homosexuality.

The Tanzanians have said much the same thing. Zimbabwe’s position on homosexuality is famously known. Now Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is saying the same thing. Even in South Africa with a so-called liberal constitution, cohabitation with gays has proved problematic with ‘corrective rapes’ now taking place there.

Same-sex marriage is thriving in western societies and all those voices proclaiming that marriage is a union between a man and a woman are being hectored and ridiculed by a vocal minority into acquiescence. The Anglican Communion headed by the Queen of England has fractured on the issue of homosexuality. Many in the United States of America are opposed to homosexuality, so is the church in Latin America and Asia. Surely, David Cameron must be aware of these great world movements. He should have moderated his language accordingly.

The Nigerian Senate is not your best-loved Senate, given the members’ indefensibly high emoluments and less than sterling performance; but in passing the anti-gay bill, it has enjoyed widespread support and improved its standing in the eyes of Nigerians. Questions may remain as to the urgency of the bill, and also its effectiveness in seeking to resolve an issue by outlawing it. Such debates will certainly continue as has been going on in other parts of the world. But this country does not meddle into how other countries make their laws. Similarly, Nigerians should not be pilloried into conforming to other people’s agenda for whatever reason.

Most annoying however is the recent text by the President of the United States of America, Barrack Obama who has directed all the American Foreign envoys to preach the Anti-gay rights in their respective countries and noted that any country that refuse to toil the line will be denied Aids. This is utterly disgusting and sad. It is also an insult that African countries and leaders should not condone. One will expect the African Union to promptly issue statements to bring the erring-president of the gay to line as to the glaring differences in African and American culture.

This Day newspaper has reported that President Obama has ordered US Diplomats abroad to fight for same sex marriages around the world. I am shocked by this unfortunate decision; if it is true. If President Obama is thinking of using this to win the next election in the USA, he will likely fail out. Was he born by homosexual parents? Why is he not a homosexual himself?

It will also make meaning if Obama demonstrates his commitment to homosexuality by divorcing his wife and picking another man as a partner. Let us witness the first same sex marriage as the White house by President Obama and any other man of his choice (which are in abundance in USA)and the world will take him seriously. If he is so pleased with marrying a woman and turning around to ask others to support men marrying men and women marrying women, I think that he does not deserve to continue to remain as the president of the USA.

His purported memo to the US Missions abroad is not only “humanly wrong”, it is universally wrong and Godly wrong. Perhaps the best option is for the US Government to create a state for same sex couples and mobilize them from all over the world to become US citizens. In this way, he doesn’t need to worry about other nations. Let him provide opportunities for such citizens in USA where their rights can be best protected.

The US agencies should thus begin the process of granting free visas to all persons with same sex interest and “nature” in order to protect their rights by the nation that has the “best human rights records and practices”.

In fact, the Europeans have just demonstrated their lack of knowledge and utter ignorance about African cultures and sovereignty. How do one explain this to our grandfathers in the village? How do one preach this is a right? I can just imagine trying to explain to my grandfather in the village that there’s a right for a man to marry another man; he’ll cry for me and most certainly assume our ancestors are angry with me and that am probably mad and will direct me to be chained before I enter the market. It is an abomination. Nigerians should resist it in totality and let the Americans go to hell if they care to.

One can pardon the Europeans on one condition. They have ugly women and that is enough to discourage a man from marrying. Not in this part of the world where an average lady is a beauty to behold with beautiful curves at the right places. I will be damned to be a gay. But God forbid.

Dec. 1st

2011-12-01T13:12:00.002+01:00

World AIDS Day 2011: Getting To Zero

Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day, a day dedicated to bring awareness to those who have died from the disease and strides made in the fight against it.

On the first of December, World AIDS Day is celebrated. This day is an opportunity for people to unite in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to remember those who have died of the disease and to celebrate accomplishments, such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.

Today, despite advances in HIV treatment and in laws designed to protect those living with HIV; many people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others from HIV or about the stigma and discrimination that remain a reality for many people living with HIV. World AIDS Day is an important reminder to individuals and governments that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

The theme for World AIDS Day 2011 is "Getting to Zero." After 30 years of the global fight against HIV/AIDS, this year the focus is on achieving 3 targets: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.

Zero New HIV Infections

It is estimated that 33.3 million people have HIV worldwide, with 1.2 million persons who are living with HIV in the United States, according to the Center of Disease Control (CDC) estimates. This number is expected to continue to increase over time, as advances in treatments prolong the lives of those who are infected and more people become infected with HIV each year. Despite increases in the total number of people in the U.S. living with HIV infection in recent years, the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable. However, new infections continue at far too high of a level, with approximately 50,000 Americans becoming infected with HIV each year. Worldwide, the rate of new infections, or incidence, has decreased. In 33 countries, the incidence has decreased more than 25 percent since 2001, including countries in the hardest hit areas of sub-Saharan Africa.

The CDC estimates that one in five people living with HIV in the U.S. are unaware of their infection. This highlights the importance of reaching all infected individuals with HIV testing and prevention services. HIV can be transmitted in three main ways: sexual transmission; transmission through blood; and mother-to-child transmission. These three routes of transmission work in tandem to affect segments of the population. The number of infections resulting from each route will vary greatly between countries and population groups. HIV counseling and testing are fundamental for HIV prevention, as is access to essential commodities such as condoms or sterile injecting equipment.

Zero Discrimination

According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, "Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is a main reason why too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment if so. It helps make AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the social disgrace of speaking about it, or taking easily available precautions. Stigma is a chief reason why the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around the world."

Discrimination against those infected with HIV/AIDS includes both the fear of getting the disease and also negative assumptions about people who are infected. AIDS-related stigma has had a profound effect on the epidemic’s course. The World Health Organization cites fear of stigma and discrimination as the main reason why people are reluctant to be tested, to disclose their HIV status or to take antiretroviral drugs.

"We can fight stigma. Enlightened laws and policies are key. But it begins with openness, the courage to speak out. Schools should teach respect and understanding. Religious leaders should preach tolerance. The media should condemn prejudice and use its influence to advance social change, from securing legal protections to ensuring access to health care." Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Zero AIDS Related Deaths

More than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007 have died from the virus worldwide, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history. In the US, nearly 594,500 people with AIDS in the US have died since the epidemic began.

The goal of ‘Zero AIDS Related Deaths’ signifies an increased access to available treatments for all those infected. Currently, only one third of the 15 million people living with HIV worldwide who are in need of life long treatment are receiving it. Universal access to antiretroviral treatments for those living with HIV will not only decrease the number of AIDS related deaths, but will increase the quality of life among those infected and decrease transmission.

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for all of us to learn the facts about HIV. By increasing the understanding of how HIV is transmitted, how it can be prevented, and the reality of living with HIV today-we can use this knowledge to take care of our own health and the health of others.

For more facts about HIV/AIDS and where to get tested, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/hiv.

Kim Kardashian Divorces

2011-10-31T18:54:00.002+01:00

Unfortunately, Kim Kardashian's fairy-tale romance has come to an abrupt end.

The E! reality star is planning to file for divorce from Kris Humphries this morning, a little over two months after she and the basketballer wed in a wedding fit for a princess, E! News has confirmed.

So what went wrong?

There's no official word yet, but Kim has promised to send us statement soon.

The couple announced their engagement back in May after a whirlwind six months of dating. They tied the knot on Aug. 20 in front of a superstar congregation, including all members of Kim's reality family, and many celeb guests, including Brody Jenner and Avril Lavigne, Lindsay Lohan, Eva Longoria, Ryan Seacrest andJulianne Hough, Kathy Lee Gifford, Mel B, Brittny Gastineau, La La and Carmelo Anthony, Sugar Ray Leonard, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Alan Thicke, Mario_Lopez/114770">Mario Lopez, Joe Francis, George Lopez, Serena Williams, Lara Spencer, Maria Menounos, Simon Huck and Jillian Barberie.

Lire la suite: http://fr.eonline.com/news/kim_kardashian_kris_humphries_divorcing/272485#ixzz1cNpZsr4f

Van Persie stuns Chelsea

2011-10-29T15:22:00.002+01:00

Robin Van Persie scored a magnificent hat-trick, as Arsenal came from behind twice to beat Chelsea 5-3 at Stamford Bridge.

Andre Santos and Theo Walcott also netted for the Gunners, with Frank Lampard, John Terry and Juan Mata on the mark for the home side.

The result lifts the Gunners to sixth place in the table, just three points off the Champions League spot in fourth.

Chelsea opened the 14th minute when Mata cruised past Santos down the right and his floated cross was headed home by Lampard from close range.

Arsenal equalised in the 36th minute with a goal of fluency and movement that typifies Arsenal at their best.

Van Persie netted it, but it was Aaron Ramsey who was the instigator with a razor sharp pass through the Chelsea defence to set up Gervinho, who in turned presented the ball to the Arsenal skipper to tap in.

Chelsea regained the lead just before half-time when Terry deflected home a Lampard corner from 10 yards.

But Arsenal were back in it three minutes after the restart, when Santos stole into the left-hand side of the Chelsea area and directed Gervinho's fine through-ball under Petr Cech in the Blues' goal.

Arsenal took the lead for the first time in the game seven minutes later through Walcott, with the England winger recovering from a slip to get the better of three Chelsea players and then beating Cech.

The Gunners thought they should have had a penalty in the 70th minute when Gervinho fell to the floor after a Jose Bosingwa tackle, but referee Andre Marriner ruled that no offence had taken place.

Chelsea made it three apiece when Mata slammed a swerving shot from 30 yards past Wojciech Szczesny in the Gunners' goal, but five minutes from time Van Persie got his second when he took advantage of a Terry slip to beat Cech one-on-one.

In injury-time the Dutchman scored his hat-trick goal, his 28th Premier League goal in 27 appearances in 2011, with an emphatic shot from the left channel after being set up by Mikel Arteta, as Arsenal broke on the counter attack.

This is the ninth league game in which Chelsea have failed to keep a clean sheet, their worst run since 2003, a statistic that must give manager Andre Villas-Boas food for thought.

LASU & Compass Gburu

2011-10-27T17:11:00.000+01:00

7 Phrases

2011-10-26T16:04:00.001+01:00

7 Phrases NEVER to Use at Work (or Anywhere Else)

Comedian George Carlin famously spoke about the “seven words you can never say on television,” but the following seven seemingly innocuous words/phrases might be even worse. To say them is almost like dousing your goals, hopes and dreams with sulfuric acid.

Creating a better life is hard work! It takes little effort to maintain the status quo, but if you have a dream of making more money, getting a promotion, starting a business, becoming healthier, or improving your relationships, you’re going to need as much support as you can get. Strike these seven deadly words/phrases from you lexicon today:

1. When. This is a filthy word when it comes to improving your life. It sounds like this . . . “When I lose 10 pounds I’ll start dating again. When I’m a little older I’ll go for that promotion. When I complete my degree I’ll start that side-business.” Most of the time, our “whens” just don’t happen, or if they do, they take so long that we’ve forgotten what it was we wanted in the first place. “When” is rarely necessary, but just to be sure, ask yourself this: “Would it be illegal, unethical or immoral to start now?” If the answer is no, don’t wait for when.

2. Someday. There’s nothing wrong with having a “someday” list of things you want to do and places you want to go, but when you find that your “today” list is empty, you’d best start moving some of your future goals into the present. Someday is such a deceptive word. It makes you feel good by proclaiming you’ll someday achieve something, but months, years, and even decades can pass and you may find that your someday is still a long way away.

3. Willpower. According to behavior change expert Dr. BJ Fogg of the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, “Imagine willpower doesn’t exist. That’s step number one to a better future.” The problem with willpower is that most people either think they have it or they don’t. They’ll say, “Well, of course I ordered the double-fudge sundae. What did you expect from someone who doesn’t have any willpower?” Your genes determine the color of your eyes, NOT whether you order dessert.

4. Want/Wish/Hope. Don’t be a wimp! Stop wanting, wishing, and hoping to do something or for something to happen. If you want more control over your fate, you must take more responsibility for your actions and their outcomes. Don’t sit around expecting change to arrive in your mailbox. It takes a decision and it takes action, not wishful thinking.

5. Not good enough. How can a phrase with “good” in it be so bad? These three simple words will keep you from hitting the publish button, making that important phone call, or trying out for the audition. The solution? Flip it around. Instead of “This isn’t good enough…”, change it to “It’s not perfect but it’s good enough.” Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Just put it out there and see what happens. For more insight into this, listen to my interview on RicherLife.com with Peter Sims as we discuss his book, Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge From Small Discoveries.

6. I don’t have the time. The same guy who doesn’t have time to go to the gym with you after work will miraculously be able to free up an entire evening if you present him with free Lakers basketball tickets. It may feel like you don’t have time, but with some focus and pruning of non-essential commitments (e.g., TV), you can free up 20 minutes to two hours every night to work on those actions that will help you create a better life.

7. It’s not the right time. If not now, when? No, really: If you are waiting for the stars to align, it’s not going to happen. Instead of waiting for the right time, shift your thinking and look for the least worst time to get started.

Think back to an achievement or goal you’ve accomplished. It took vision, dedication, and perseverance. Not excuses. Stop castrating your future with these seven deadly words/phrases and start working toward a richer life.

HBD DOKPESI @60

2011-10-24T20:28:00.004+01:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR ARABA, HIGH CHIEF RAYMOND ALEOGHO DOKPESI AT 60

His full name is Raymond Anthony Aleogho Dokpesi. Born in the year 1951 in Ibadan, Nigeria of Agenebode, Edo state parents. He has six sisters. Dokpesi started his early schooling with Loyola College Ibadan. After which he joined the Immaculate Conception College (ICC) Benin city where he was the pioneer member of ozolua play house, a dance/drama group. He was also part of the pioneer students of University of Benin Edo state where he did his undergraduate studies. He completed his studies in University of Gdansk, Poland where he earned his Doctorate degree in Marine Engineering under the sponsorship of Alharji Bamanga Tukur who saw him through his secondary school days to his University level

Click here for profile on Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ARABA

HML Obiwon

2011-10-24T20:04:00.002+01:00

HAPPY MARRIED LIFE TO MY DEAREST OBIORA OBIWON AS YOU TIE THE KNOT WITH YOUR MISSING RIBS

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST BROTHA.

HML

NB: Countdown 18

FINDING FLIGHT

2011-10-24T19:20:00.002+01:00

Today, I did practically nothing but for the precious time i spent with sweetness at home earlier in the day.

Resuming at 3:00pm was the least i could do but had o do it at the mercy of a boss who has a tortoise in his office. Ask a Yoruba man for the interpretation of that. Not that i hate him that much but he doesnt show any sense of interest in any one except he is in dire need of your assistance.

He has been on me since last week saturday to book a flight for him; of which he has no knowledge of computer nor internet. To compound my problem, my daku-daji bank - Fidelity wouldnt allow me issue payment with my debit card.

So, I had to run to friends. And as always who to run to than Babatunde Raji (Not Fashola) but solved my problem.

As i write this, the only thing on my mind is to close for the day and head home.

Hot a headache already.

And this fake GM did not even add one kobo to conpensate me for this wahala sha. chai....

Countdown 18 days to go!!!

City Thrash United 6-1

2011-10-23T15:55:00.001+01:00

Manchester City humiliated rivals United with an extraordinary derby victory that takes them five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Mario Balotelli scored each side of half-time, while last man Jonny Evans was sent off for hauling the Italian to the ground shortly after the restart.

Sergio Aguero made it 3-0 from close range before Darren Fletcher struck a 20-yard finish to make it 3-1.

Edin Dzeko scored twice and David Silva once as City secured a stunning win.

City struck three times in the final three minutes to inflict upon United their heaviest defeat in the Premier League.

It was a truly extraordinary afternoon, when City signalled their intent to overhaul their Manchester rivals as the most dominant force in English football.

Writers...Journalists…

2011-09-04T20:44:00.001+01:00

Failed Writers, Junk Journalists…

"Ok. Ok. What do I write about today? "

"The 2010 MDGs summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where world leaders advertised their selfish interests yesterday in the name of sustainable development. I wish I were at the UN House, I would have slapped some presidents for telling the world white lies".

"Nope, I have some tweets on that issue already. Did you see the Nigerian Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu failing us down there? I expected him to call the UN to action with issues-based speech. Anyway, let the UN put its house in order. By the way, Riz Khan thrashed their rubbish immediately on Aljazeera already. Na Ban Ki Moon get that headache, why I go come dey swallow panadol for am"?

"Patrick Utomi is set to declare his presidential ambition today. Why not write about that"?

"Why should I waste my precious time on such frivolous issue? My Boss is the DG of IBB Campaign? And so what? That’s his decision. It’s not news and adds no value whatsoever to this issue (or to the ordinary man). Besides, only small minds discuss personalities (for the records, I am not a junk journalist), I engage issues. And Pat or even Jona, IBB, Saraki, Atiku, Momodu et al are no where near it. Suggest something else please or shut up".

"Haba, why your blood they hot now? Take it easy, it’s only a suggestion. Ok. What about your Ibadan trip? I know you had fun but there are grey areas you didn’t tell me because I could see excitement written all over you. Even madam too…. (Coughs sarcastically)...."

"Uhmnn. (Chuckles…)You are a bad boy. Let’s leave that one. It’s for your ears only, that’s if I get clearance from my Excellency.”

“Ohh! Now you don’t want to talk about it abi? But you journalists are always prying your bulky eyes into the lives of others and protecting yours".

"Wrong again. Olodo. Didn’t you know I don’t work for junkies? Only errand boys do that. Those who have failed among their peers, desperately seeking ways to pull others down. Running after self-proclaimed celebrities; albeit cap in hand, who have nothing of value to say or offer for interviews, doctoring the ethics of a noble profession in the name of entertainment, and cooking celebrity profiles from the creek of their bedrooms…. Silly sit-down-look-men of journalists. It’s a shame but it’s in their name like the leopard and its spots.”

“I don’t like it when you talk like that so, I’ll rest my case then. So you aint going to write anything on your blog today?"

"Bingo. You are useful afterall. At least your senseless suggestions finally led me to something. Now don’t get too excited yet. What about I write on errand journalists and their Excellencies?"

"You mean those envelope boys who do laundry and “organise” ladies for their Excellencies and yet come out to tell of the integrity of their godfathers (and mothers)? Haaaaa. That will be a good one."

"There’s nothing good about it, Zombie. That’s not what journalists should do. That’s not their training. The tripodal function of the fourth realm demands that the journalist be accurate at all times in informing, educating and entertaining. Tell the truth even when it hurts. In other words, journalists are not praise-singers."

"Look at you. Na that one go put fuel for your car or pay your BB subscription? Guy, wise up o because this your hollier than thou attitude no dey market again.”

"Too bad. Am not sorry for those make-up journalists. They end up in the trash bin when their so-called celebrity mothers fail to live up to expectation. But that is not new. It is the shaping of the Nigerian social-political and economic structure where the lazy minds have to feed on the inadequacies of others. You can tell, those failed writers are situational journalists."

"There you go again? What makes a writer a situational journalist? Shouldn’t journalist portray the happenings in their society?

(Smile….) Really? Like attend cocktail parties to drum up unwarranted and underserved PR campaigns for the high and mighty on the pretense of their perceived humility and modesty? Common, that’s annoying enough. We were taught in school to do the job and let the impact judge and not powder-rubbing an ex-Excellency. But one can understand of course that things change and the fulcrum of change is the media as it strive to maintain balance in setting agenda for public discussion. And that’s the essence of reading."

"Are you saying journalists don’t read? Don’t insult me my friend."

"Of course they do. Good journalists are known to be good readers. They pay more for books than for beers. But half-baked journalists do nothing but advertise their ignorance on social networking sites, read junk magazines, gatecrash society parties to become overnight photographers who print pictures as evidence of coverage, chase everything and anything in skirts, take advantage by blackmailing little girls of their feminity... Well, that’s a topic for another day sha"

"Very unfortunate. But I believe it’s not their fault. Afterall some schools trained them just as they trained some brilliant journalists or do we have quack journalists like doctors who never attended a medical school?"

"Zombie…. "

"(Cuts in angrily)…. Same to you..."

" No apologies but I disagree. Schools and institutions are mere molding centres; they teach according to modules and curricula. Provide the thinking template for students to follow and imbibe better at a later date. They provide certificate as proof of attendance not proof of quality. It is left for you to build yourself (or rebuild - as the case may be) with the reality of the professional world. That is where men are separated from toddlers. That is the cul-de-sac for pretenders who bribed their ways through the four walls of the institutions."

"Bribe? Did you say bribe? As in money exchanging hands? Don’t let Madam Farida hear you o, I no go answer case o"

"That’s not the only definition of bribery. It comes in different forms and colours. Positioning oneself to usurp leadership positions (Class Governor inclusive) is one among many others. At least we know what comes with it. You can’t help a lecturer make money and expect him to fail you."

"Are you referring to anybody by this? I sense some anger from the tone of your words."

"No. Please don’t belittle me. I have better things to do than waste precious time talking to unripe minds. I am only addressing certain issues by correcting some kids from straying away. It is left for the obedient dog to hear the hunter’s clarion call, to learn the right way and follow it. Since our elders say, what an elderly man sees while on his seat, a youngster can’t see even if he climbs the tallest of trees."

"Philos….."

"Another no. I am not a philosopher. Neither do I pride myself as being the best, I just strive daily to remain relevant in the scheme of things, live rightly, read and replenish. It is the recipe for true living. I don’t want to be a star. I just want to keep making impact in my little environment. That’s what journalists should do and not attempting to teach their grandmothers how to fry egg. That’s a recipe for disaster."

"You are right. But you know not everybody can be like you. You know not every lap-dancer likes suck-sex (sorry, I mean success) but definitely all want to get paid. That’s what counts in the end."

"True. I agree with you for the first time. But all adroit dancers should also know that suck-sex (or success) is not realistically measured by how much her Maga pays. Same goes for the ill-fated, baby writers. They need to learn how not to eat pounded yam in the public with their left foot before taking integrity classes."

“True yan, afterall tiro no be make up!”

Music in me

2011-09-04T20:17:00.002+01:00

The river that flows through the soul

It strings hard wired to my DNA

The drums to my heart beat

The power of words;

There’s something for everyone.

When all seems lost and sadness beckons

Music remains

Those words, drums, kicks and sneers

Overwhelming like the phantom Oprah

Send chills up my spine.

Music, ignites the body

Music, fine tunes memories

True music has no beginning

True music has no end

True music is in our heart

True music lives within us

Villareal sign Ike Uche

2011-09-04T16:04:00.002+01:00

Spanish side Villarreal have signed Nigeria striker Ikechukwu Uche on a three-way deal from Real Zaragoza for an undisclosed fee.

The 27-year-old has been immediately loaned out to Spanish La Liga newboys Granada, for the whole of the season.

"It's just another challenge, a new opportunity to continue my career in the Spanish league."

"I look forward to joining the rest of the squad after the international break next week," he told BBC Sport.

"I thank everyone involved in the move, I wish Real Zaragoza, the loving and exciting fans, as well as my former teammates all the best.

"The new phase in my career starts here now and I look forward to an exciting time in the colours of my new club."

Uche has signed a four-year contract with Villareal.

He has had to endure an injury-ravaged time with Zaragoza, only making a return in March after 18 months out with injury.

Since his return Uche has scored six goals in four appearances for the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The Nigeria international also had an offer from Greek side Olympiakos for the loan move but opted to stay in Spain instead, where he has been since 2001.

He joins Senegal's Pape Malickou Diakhate at the club, the defender joined the newly-promoted side on a five-year deal from Russia's Dynamo Kiev last week.

Madagascar 0-2 Nigeria

2011-09-04T16:04:00.000+01:00

Madagascar 0-2 Nigeria: Super Eagles maintain pace ahead of final matchdayJoseph Yobo and Victor Obinna help Nigeria to an important win on the road against Madagascar ahead of their final Afcon qualifier against Guinea in OctoberNigeria maintained their sights on Group B leaders Guinea in their Africa Cup of Nations 2012 qualification match with a 2-0 defeat of Madagascar on Sunday.Joseph Yobo and Obinna Nsofor scored the goals for Nigeria late in the second half.The first half ended goalless in the half-filled stadium in Antananarivo, where the hosts had fielded a weakened Under-23 side.

The making of violence: Famine and profits

2011-08-17T14:18:00.000+01:00

When considering starvation, context is everything. This fact is easily illustrated. Consider, for a moment, the actions of David Blaine, the US magician, who in 2003 spent 44 days in a six-foot-by-three-foot plexiglas chamber suspended in the air near Tower Bridge, London, without any food.

Blaine was seemingly motivated by Kafka's short tale, The Hunger Artist - and perhaps in the magician's mind this endurance test was the logical extension of being entombed in a block of ice or buried alive in a coffin - but for the watching public this caper was in bad taste. To wilfully starve oneself seemed to many people to be a perverse and disgusting show. Blaine was booed and jeered on a regular basis before he finally abandoned his stunt, weary and exhausted.

Now consider a second, more common image of hunger - the anonymous, starving black child. We've all seen her picture at some point: semi-naked, flies gripping eyelids, stick-like limbs, parched lips, sunken cheekbones, balding head, and sightless eyes. The child is obviously severely undernourished and requires food, but we do not get the sense - at least from this image - that she is being compelled or forced to go hungry. The picture is a stark one to be sure, but when it speaks to us it says only, "I starve". We are presented with raw biology or "bare life".

When our mind's eye reflects on such images we may feel the urge to donate money to a charity, but at whom do we direct our collective indignation? Who would we challenge for violating this child's "right to food"? This picture - replicated hundreds and thousands of times - presents a victim without an oppressor.

To extend this imaginative exercise just a little further we might ask ourselves: why did large sections of the public get angry with David Blaine and why do the public generally feel pity when images of starving children are shown? Why not the other way around? Why not pity the magician for his tasteless stunt and feel anger at the sight of a child so deprived that her body is forced to slowly cannibalise itself?

The verb "to starve", as Alex de Waal usefully points out, has both an intransitive and transitive meaning (see his important book Famine Crimes: Politics and the Disaster Relief Industry). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "to starve" means "to die or lose vitality for lack of proper nutriment" or "to suffer extreme poverty and want". However, the verbs intransitive meaning, "to subdue by famine or low diet; to force into … starvation", is hardly ever used in popular parlance, giving the impression that starvation is not something that one person or social group inflicts on another. We may seek refuge in pity when culpability is erased and no one is deemed accountable.

The construction of suffering

The fact that the very terms used to discuss famine tend to mask and mystify the violence of deprivation is significant also in terms of how we perceive, and indeed socially construct, the suffering of distant strangers. For Susan Sontag, images of suffering carry a "double message". On the one hand, "they show a suffering that is outrageous, unjust, and should be repaired", while, on the other hand, "they confirm that this is the sort of thing which happens in that place". This powerful imaginative geography, Sontag goes on to explain, "cannot help but nourish the belief in the inevitability of tragedy in the benighted or backward - that is, poor - parts of the world".

Unfortunately, it is all too common to depict the starving as voiceless victims. Inert and apathetic, they wait for us to intervene on their behalf. In these depictions, little mention is made of the coping strategies or daily struggles the poor undertake in order to survive a bit longer. In many cases, families are forced to sever their bonds: the men travel miles in search of work in the hope of sending remittances home; women and children forage for food and water or travel large distances for medical assistance in relief camps and urban centres.

This isn't merely an academic matter about accurate reporting. Images of suffering are not "passive illustrations", as Susan Moeller insists, but "ideological constructions designed to justify national ideals resonant today". The portrayal of the passive victim enables NGOs and Western governments to assume the role of rescuer without having to ask uncomfortable questions about their own complicity in the suffering that is unfolding. The "send in the blankets and food" response may indeed save lives in the short term, but it certainly will do nothing to address the deeper inequalities that produce famine in the first place.

This failure to historicise vulnerability is perplexing given the commonly accepted distinction between "trigger factors" (which, being immediate, are deemed newsworthy) and the "underlying causes" of famine that slowly bring a population to the point of collapse. The Indian scholar Amrita Rangasami, for example, understands famines as a process, not an event, while historian David Arnold maintains that they are "a symptom rather than a cause of social weakness".

Actually, these sorts of arguments have a long genealogy. Writing during the Great Irish Famine in the 1840s, for example, the Catholic Archbishop, John MacHale (1791-1881), insisted on distinguishing the "antecedent circumstances and influences" from the "primary" or "original causes" of famine, although it was the radical nationalist, John Mitchel (1815-1875), who most memorably captured the difference in his colourful aphorism: "The Almighty, indeed, sent the potato blight, but the English created the famine." Indeed, the insight captured by these Irishmen is as least as old as Shakespeare, who gave Shylock the memorable line: "He takes my life who takes the means whereby I live."

But how are whole communities rendered vulnerable to exogenous shocks? If there is "no such thing as a natural disaster", as geographer Neil Smith maintains, the important question to ask is what sort of "political violence" creates and exacerbates famine? The answer here is less obvious and requires some explaining.

It is relatively easy to imagine situations in which widespread starvation is the outcome of overt violence. In the medieval period, for example, military blockades were designed to starve an enemy to the point of submission. A siege, lasting weeks or even months, was an indiscriminate mode of warfare insofar as it targeted armed forces and civilians alike - and that too was purposeful. The ritual of "slash and burn" practised by retreating armies was similarly calculated to eradicate whole communities by directly destroying their means of subsistence.

Certain economic mechanisms may also operate in an overt or direct manner. Tariffs, poll taxes, rent systems, and credit practices, for example, are easily identified as "extractive forces" that strip populations of their assets, leaving scarcity and hunger in their wake. In these situations, the populations affected are able to identify those responsible - that is, tax collectors, moneylenders, large farmers, and landlords - a fact that explains why these figures are very often the target of agrarian violence.

The difficulty, of course, is that this kind of "subjective violence" (to borrow Slavoj Zizek's term for "violence performed by a clearly identifiable agent") is rare in the context of modern famines, which are typically the result of a causal chain involving local, national, and international actors, as Abdi Samatar so helpfully explains.

The famine in East Africa amply demonstrates how food crises are complex events by their very nature. Most commentaries blame the famine on militia activity in southern Somalia, coupled with one of the worst droughts since the 1950s. But droughts are not a new environmental condition in East Africa, nor are armed conflicts entirely local in nature. International actors, through supplying armaments and political patronage (so-called "proxy force"), foment violent conflict to suit their own political agendas.

At the same time, in East Africa, rural communities that have formerly coped with erratic rainfalls find themselves unable to weather the "shock" of drought resulting from climate change. According to William Moseley, the commercialisation of farming practices has placed enormous pressure on traditional livelihoods in the region:

As farming has expanded, including in some instances to large-scale commercial farms, the routes of herders have become more concentrated and more vulnerable to drought. The change from traditional practices has also become detrimental to the landscape. In Ethiopia, large land leases (or “land grabs”) to foreign governments and companies for export crops (such as palm oil, rice and sugar) have further exacerbated this problem.
Food prices lingering at record highs

The squeeze on livelihoods driven by commercialisation is compounded by a third factor that brings the negative externalities of the modern food system into sharp relief. Soaring global food prices mean that local farmers are priced out of the market for basic commodities. In Somalia, the cost of sorghum is reportedly 240 per cent higher than a year ago. In some parts of Kenya, according to another report, "the price of corn, the country's staple crop, has tripled since January". While food prices receded somewhat in 2009, after a steep increase in 2007-08 when food riots spread across 48 countries, the global food price index, published by the United Nations, is now hovering at an historic high.

What is causing such extreme price volatility? Again, a variety of factors are simultaneously increasing demand and constraining supply. These include high energy prices, the diversion of grain for livestock feed and for the production of biofuels, as well as foreign governments and hedge funds "grabbing land" in a bid to increase their profits. According to some experts, we are witnessing a structural shift in the global food regime that will keep prices high for quite some time to come. The internationalisation of global markets, and the financialisation of the food system in particular, mean that acute food crises could become more regular and more difficult to diagnose.

In his recent book, The Scramble for Africa, Padraig Carmody points out that the "extroversion of Africa" - whereby the economy is "oriented to meet the needs of other people in other places" - makes the path out of poverty much less likely. Carmody goes on to explain that three quarters of all African exports are unprocessed primary goods, such as bauxite and cassiterite, which are subject to high price volatility. Hunger, in this context, is the indirect result of unjust market relations.

There is ample evidence to suggest that when markets move against poor communities the consequences can be deadly. Yet governments in the so-called developed world, through the WTO, continue to push for the "liberalisation" of African economies, all the while doing little to address the subsidies that de-incentivise production in developing countries. Among many other things, "globalisation" means that life-and-death decisions of a terrifying scale are woven into the very fabric of international economic relations.

It is all too easy to succumb to "compassion fatigue"; when crises drag on, something else fills the newspapers. But the more it's shown that "the sort of thing which happens in that place" is partly an outcome of policies designed in this place, the more responsibility we have to do something about it. When viewing images of starving children or reading about deaths from malnutrition in the daily newspapers, we ought to consider critically the architecture of violence behind the picture or story, not merely the sad abjection of the victim. There is a need, as Susan Sontag once said, to put privilege and suffering on the same map

Youth: the best hope for democracy

2011-08-17T14:16:00.001+01:00

Across the Middle East and North Africa, youth have used their newfound sense of dignity to create change that previous generations only dreamed about. But as the so-called Arab Spring progresses, the youth voice often gets buried under individual interests and political posturing.

Nowhere is this truer than in Yemen, where the youth face both a resilient autocrat and stubborn allies. Yet still, their determination to change the status quo through peaceful, democratic and selfless tactics has become one of the few constants in a decidedly unstable country. Over the past six months the younger generation has made it clear that if Yemenis hope to realise their revolutionary aims, the solution must include a prominent role for youth.

The uprising began even before Tunisia revolted with a handful of young activists endearingly known as the "pioneers". Every week, they would hold demonstrations against the regime. Soon after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak fell, more people joined. At its height, the popular movement drew hundreds of thousands, if not millions, to the streets, demanding President Saleh's ouster. Change Square in Yemen became a symbol of resistance, just as Tahrir Square had in Egypt.

By the middle of May the situation was deteriorating rapidly. The plan brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to transfer President Saleh from power had collapsed three times, tribal violence was escalating, and the opposition was beginning to see its own internal splits. From the Youth's perspective, they were being pushed to the side of their own revolution.

At first the Youth expected figures aligned with the traditional opposition party (the Joint Meeting Party or JMP) - including, among others, tribal leader Sheikh al-Ahmar and General Ali Muhsin (the defected officer whose forces joined the revolt) - to cooperate and unite. However, many of these latecomer revolutionaries ended up undermining the movement's principles in order to promote their own agenda.

The JMP, which is dominated by the religious Islah faction, frequently takes a hypocritical and manipulative stance towards the youth. The JMP relies on them to take Saleh's blows on the front lines and organise logistics, but when it comes to more "adult" issues such as security and political platforms, the youth are rarely taken seriously.

One glaring example is the development of the committees in Change Square. All the committees began committed to the ideals of the movement, but unlike less influential groups such as the cleaning crew, the security committee eventual became a wing of the JMP. Ultimately, members ended up beating and dispersing the very activists they were supposed to protect.

Sheikh al-Ahmar's greatest offense was helping turn a remarkably peaceful revolution into violent chaos. As other, mostly younger, tribesmen were laying their weapons aside, al-Ahmar immediately abandoned non-violence after Saleh attacked his compound in late May. This transformed a peaceful movement into a conflict within the Hashid tribal confederation, of which both al-Ahmar and Saleh are members.

In the press conference announcing his defection, General Muhsin declared his "peaceful support of the youth revolution", which sounds nice, but was not his true motive. He joined the uprising in large part due to a personal rift between himself and President Saleh. He knew that his time as the top military leader was coming to an end regardless. Not surprisingly, he has now positioned himself and his troops ambivalently between the revolutionaries and Vice-President Hadi, refusing to support any particular plan or endorse youth demands.

Inexperience: both weakness and strength

The Youth are not without their flaws. Most notably, they lack political experience, and routinely disagree among themselves about specifics. However, ironically, it is through these imperfections that the youth commitment to democracy shines through.

One worry is that the youth have not designated spokesmen or leaders. But what they have done is organise themselves into a number of smaller groups and committees. According to activist Atiaf al-Wazir, representatives from each of the main groups (one per group) meet regularly to discuss issues and share ideas. There is also a more fluid network of collaboration built upon mobile phones, text messages and the internet. Overall, the youth appear to understand and are implementing at least the beginnings of a solid democratic process.

Another example of their use of the democratic process actually originated as a controversy. On July 16, youth activist and member of the religious Islah party Tawakul Karman announced a detailed transition plan. It named a 15-member preparatory committee that would run the country for no more than nine months. The plan was highly controversial because members of the committee were picked through an undemocratic process, in which a few of those named did not even know they were selected. Instead of becoming polarised, the youth voiced their opinions, worked together and solved the problem. By the third draft, the representatives were, to the extent possible, democratically chosen.

On July 17, taking the youth lead, the JMP announced the formation of the "National Council for the Forces of the Revolution", which aims to become the body overseeing the revolution. Although all sides (the Youth, JMP, Islah, etc.) viewed one another's proposals skeptically, they have since been working together to come to an agreement.

Earlier this week the opposition announced that an umbrella council is set to elect its members on August 17. They will be chosen from a pool of 700 remarkably diverse candidates. Even though this proposal is bound to have critics, it marks an incredibly important step towards establishing the credible transition plan that has been sought by the international community.

The key to these recent political developments was the youth movement, which acted as both a spark for the initiative and a role model for success through compromise.

In the end, it is naive to believe that the youth alone have the skills necessary to lead Yemen, but they have proven their ability to play a substantive role. Vice-President Hadi, General Mushin, the JMP, the newly formed "Alliance of Yemeni Tribes" (headed by Sheikh al-Ahmar) and others would be wise to respect them as equals, rather than pawns in a political game.

With the looming prospect of a humanitarian crisis and civil war, Yemen's future is far from clear. What is certain is that if the youth's commitment, determination, and talent are not fully used, the prospects of the country ever becoming a stable, liberal democracy will be considerably slimmer

Youth: the best hope for democracy

2011-08-17T14:16:00.000+01:00

The public must challenge news coverage

2011-08-17T14:13:00.000+01:00

In the last month, we have seen one engrossing news event follow another in quick succession. On July 5th, The Guardian revealed that the News of the World had been illegally hacking into the voicemail records of the victims of crime. In the week that followed, the revelations accumulated and the scandal cut short the careers of senior police officers and media executives. The frenzy of news and analysis had only just ground to a halt when attention shifted to the terrorist attacks in Oslo and Utoya in Norway on July 22nd. Then, after a brief detour to America and the melodramatic negotiations over the debt ceiling, we had riots and looting on the streets of Britain's cities and what looked like panic on the stock markets of the world.

High summer is meant to be a quiet month for news. In Britain, it used to be called the silly season - a time when news editors could run stories about the Loch Ness monster secure in the knowledge that nothing terribly urgent happens in August. Just as publishers held back their blockbusters until September, politicians waited until after Labour Day to launch eye-catching initiatives. Asked in September 2002 why he was talking about the menace posed by Iraq all of a sudden, Andrew Card, the White House Chief of Staff, won lasting notoriety when he explained that "from a marketing point of view, you don't introduce new products in August".

An unusual summer

Politicians like to appear powerless before the onrush of events. The political establishment in the America is united in pretending that it has no choice but to cut spending on social programmes, for example. The markets leave them no choice but to do what they want to do. But there is also a sense, in Europe at any rate, that our rulers are not entirely in control of events. The British prime minister, the mayor of London, the Home secretary and the chancellor of the Exchequer all cut short their holidays last week when rioting broke out in North London and spread to other English cities. The problems in the Eurozone have forced several European leaders to cancel their breaks. That doesn't happen in a normal August.

As the 24-hour news channels and the social media filled with one super-drama after another, they crowded out other stories. A famine in Somalia barely registered. Conflict continued in Libya and Syria and there were major demonstrations in both Israel and Egypt but they no longer excited the same volume of chatter and speculation in the western media that the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt inspired a few months earlier. Mubarak's telegenic court appearances came and went, attracting a flicker of interest from broadcasters outside the region. The Arab Spring had turned into the Arab Summer, a drawn out struggle between the peoples and governments of the region. The significance of what was happening hadn't diminished, only its ability to monopolise the global news agenda.

It is all too easy to be caught up in each drama as it comes. We watch the crowds in Tahrir Square and feel the thrill of people power. We watch the crowds in London and shudder at the prospect of a city lost to mob rule. The images present themselves. The analysts and commentators offer their explanations and interpretations, controversies break out, lines are drawn. Events are made to conform to existing world-views or, more rarely perhaps, world-views shift a little. Everything seems terrifically urgent. Then the caravan moves on.

It is worth asking what, taken together, the events of this unseasonably eventful summer have to tell us. Or rather, what the coverage of these events tells us. Since the launch of CNN the global news agenda has been filled by a succession of events that have little in common but their capacity to enthral audiences. The two Gulf Wars, the OJ Simpson trial, the terrorist attacks of September 2001, Tiger Woods' marital difficulties and Lindsay Lohan's brushes with the law all have their moment at the centre of attention. The world historical takes turns with the eye-catching, the sensational and the scandalous. This series of incommensurable events is itself an event, perhaps the defining constant of our time. In one sense this summer's news has been no different. In Britain the prequel to the News International was a frenzy of speculation about the private antics of professional footballers and celebrities.

Fantastical assumptions

But if we step back from this series we can see that the coverage on which we rely is often badly flawed. Time and again this year we have learned how fantastical the background assumptions of the major media are. Since September 2001 talking heads and opinion formers have been all but united in telling us that political change in the Middle East would inevitably empower religious extremists. Good rational sceptics found themselves reluctantly accepting the need to support dictators who were at least the natural enemies of al-Qaeda. Reality collided with this widely accepted nonsense on the streets of Egypt and Tunisia and it turned out that the alternative to Western-backed tyranny might be democratic after all.

Over the last decade the major media have been almost unanimous in dismissing the significance of conspiracies. Anyone who thought that secret criminal cabals were influencing events in Western democracies was obviously a ridiculous charlatan or a pathetic fantasist. Then we learned that a vast criminal conspiracy had been conducted in the offices of News International. While this criminal conspiracy was going on senior executives at the company had sought to intimidate MPs and other public figures. Not unreasonably the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown denounced what he called a "criminal-media nexus" in the House of Commons.

There was something ludicrous about this particular collapse of the conventional wisdom. One author was working for the same company as the members of this "criminal-media nexus" while he was writing a book that mocked conspiracy theories and their proponents. David Aaronovitch, the author of Voodoo Histories, was assuring his readers that "conspiracies aren't powerful" at the very moment when his fellow employees at News International, in league with convicted criminals, were bugging, bribing and blackmailing on an industrial scale.

The media keeps us uninformed

Time and again we are finding that our media system is failing in what its defenders claim is its primary goal and justification - to keep us tolerably well informed. And even its most glaring failures do not seem to encourage a more critical, and self-critical, culture in newsrooms. When news of a terrorist attack in Oslo first broke many outlets were quick to decide that Islamists were punishing Norway for its involvement in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Only later did it emerge that the perpetrator, Anders Breivik, was a neo-fascist Islamophobe. Then the media decided he wasn't a terrorist after all and so the myth of terrorism as a uniquely Islamic practise could be left unchallenged. There are signs that social media can challenge this infuriating wrong-headedness, but we should not exaggerate the power of networks to reach large audiences when compared with, say, broadcast news.

Print, broadcast and digital media will continue to present us with engrossing spectacles. The global economy will continue to stagger from crisis to crisis. Competition for resources and the conflict between rich and poor will both intensify. The public relations industry will seek to insert commercial messages and celebrity scandals between each outbreak of history. Commentators will continue to make claims that make less and less sense. Politicians will continue to propose solutions that are ever more absurd and sinister.

In Britain we have an exemplary mix of market-oriented and public service media. For several years they collectively failed to tell us that a major part of the information establishment had become a criminal conspiracy. This failure was of a piece with a wider inability to notice and describe quite obtrusive features of reality. Most of the press and the broadcast establishment had no real idea what was happening in the financial markets in the decade before 2007, for example. Their ignorance and incuriosity were so complete that even the former editor of the Financial Times, Richard Lambert, was later moved to admit that "precious few journalists gave any hints at all of what was to come". A few shrewd investments by the bankers had turned the news media into purveyors of fantasy.

The world will continue to surprise and bewilder us while we rely on the same institutional machinery for our information. We will only break the spell of the flow when are able to put the systems of established power, including the media, under sustained and meaningful scrutiny. This will require that we each have some power to direct inquiry and to ensure that important discoveries find an appropriate audience. Democracy without democratic media has been tried and we find ourselves here, in the midst of a global economic crisis and a vast undeclared war. The current constitution of the media is deeply implicated in our predicament.

It is only as patrons of research and inquiry that we can achieve the status of sovereign citizens. Neither market forces nor public servants can be relied on to describe the world in ways that displease the powerful. But we can create a system that will. We need only open up decisions about what is investigated and publicised to the conscious deliberation of a public of citizens. Such a project will never capture the circuits of the global attention industry. After all, it threatens the prerogatives of the owners and operators of the major media concerns. But it can be done. It must be done if we are to restore contact with the world, each other, and ourselves.

Ghana-Nigeria tops friendlies list

2011-08-08T17:00:00.000+01:00

The meeting of great rivals Ghana and Nigeria in London marks the highlight of 13 scheduled friendlies involving African national teams this week, in preparation for Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month.

The Nigeria squad has been depleted by injury and visa problems ahead of the friendly tie at Watford's Vicarage Road ground.

Vincent Enyeama, Victor Obinna, Ekigho Ehiosun, Ambrose Efe and Fengor Ogude all miss out after they failed to obtain UK visas in time for a variety of reasons.

Midfielder John Mikel Obi is a big doubt after suffering an injury in Chelsea's pre-season game against Rangers, while West Bromwich Albion striker Peter Odemwingie faces a late fitness test.

Denmark-based forward Peter Utaka and QPR's Danny Shittu have been called up as replacements.

Ghana, meanwhile, will be without Udinese midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah, who was ruled out over the weekend through injury.

Goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey, and midfielder Albert Adomah will be hoping to use their call-up to establish themselves in the Black Stars squad ahead of the upcoming qualifiers.

Born and based in Norway, Kwarasey qualifies for the Black Stars through his father and has been cleared to play after a three-year wait.

He will be aiming to challenge club-less Richard Kingson for a starting place in the Ghana line-up.
Steven Pienaar Steven Pienaar is also set to sit out South Africa's home tie

Other highlights of the week's friendlies include South Africa's home tie against Burkina Faso, Senegal and Morocco - two in-form teams - meeting in Dakar, Tunisia's game with an understrength Mali, and Ivory Coast and Israel's fixture in Geneva.

Bafana Bafana captain Steven Pienaar will miss the Burkina Faso tie at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, after picking up an injury in his club Tottenham Hotspur's friendly match against Atletico Bilbao on Saturday.

Mozambique's tie with Malawi, meanwhile, looks set to be called off, after the Malawian government cancelled the team's trip to Maputo, following an external travel ban imposed last month.

The Flames were due to travel on Monday, but the government intervened to stop the trip, following its announcement last month that all foreign travel by institutions that receive direct funding from government be stopped as part of cost-cutting measures.

The government also critiscised the Football Association of Malawi (Fam) for not consulting it before organising the trip.

"Fam are well aware that the government imposed a ban on external travel for the months of July, August and September," said Jameson Ndalama from the country's sports ministry.

"I wonder how they went ahead to organise the trip to Mozambique without consulting my ministry."

Malawi coach Kinnah Phiri has expressed disappointment at the cancellation of the trip, but says his team will continue to train for next month's crucial clash against Tunisia in Group K.

"It is definitely a set-back, because this game was very important for Malawi to gauge the strength of the team and look at the new players that are incorporated into our team," Phiri said.

"But with this situation there's nothing I can do. This is the only Fifa calender date where players can meet from different clubs, but now we will continue training in preparation for the Tunisia game."

Collated friendly fixture list:

09 August:

Nigeria v Ghana, Watford, London - Wednesday

10 August:

Senegal v Morocco, Dakar

South Africa v Burkina Faso, Johannesburg

Gabon v Guinea, Paris

Equatorial Guinea v Guinea-Bissau, Lisbon

Zimbabwe v Zambia, Harare

Tunisia v Mali, Monastir

Ivory Coast v Israel, Geneva

Botswana v Kenya, Gaborone

Liberia v Angola, Monrovia

Malta v Central African Republic, Malta

The Gambia v DR Congo, Banjul

Sudan v Tanzania, Khartoum

UTME 2011 Extended

2011-05-10T16:46:00.000+01:00

JAMB 2011 UTME Dateline extended till Monday, 9 May 2011

JAMB 2011 UTME Dateline extended till Monday, 9 May 2011
Following complaints from candidates in some parts of the country about their inability to complete the registration for the 2011 University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has extended the deadline for the closure of the registration website from 6 May, 2011 to 12 midnight on Monday, 9 May, 2011.

Making this disclosure to Sunday Tribune, the Registrar and Chief Executive of JAMB, Professor ‘Dibu Ojerinde, stated that most of the applicants failed to follow the guidelines set by JAMB, as it had earlier announced that all registrations should be completed by 12 midnight on Friday, 6 May, in order for the Board to be able to plan appropriately for the examination.

Applicants had earlier on Saturday, complained to Sunday Tribune that they were unable to complete the registration process, with some of them having bought the UTME cards on Friday, 6 May, when the Board had already ordered that sales of forms should be stopped.

According to Faloyo Olasoji, a registration vendor, he and some of his friends who were registering applicants had problems with the process as early as 12pm on Friday, saying they had filled in the forms but began to have issues at the point of submission as the website said; “error in connection with database.”

Some of the applicants who also spoke to Sunday Tribune, implored JAMB to consider them and their future by giving an extension in order for them to complete the online registration.

Professor Ojerinde stated that the Board needed enough time to prepare for the examination, move examination materials to different points and train its supervisors and invigilators; hence, it has given a grace of three days by extending the closure till midnight on 9 May, 2011.
JAMB 2011 UTME Dateline extended till Monday, 9 May 2011

Read more: http://www.nigerianelitesforum.com/ng/youths-education-scholarships/8804-jamb-2011-utme-dateline-extended-till-monday-9-may-2011-a.html#ixzz1Lxt0MWWx

Is limitless freedom of expression possible?

2011-05-07T11:24:00.000+01:00

One of the glories of the Western Enlightenment, especially as embodied in the lifeblood of political democracies, is freedom of expression.

This freedom gives people the right to voice their opinions in public spaces, airing unpopular, tasteless, and provocative ideas – and especially those critical of the prevailing political order.

In the United States, particularly, ideas are extended to symbolic acts such as burning the flag as a way of repudiating official policies, or more broadly, the compulsions of nationalism and patriotism.

The US Supreme Court has generally taken a very broad view of freedom of expression, but it finds some outer limits.

It indicated famously that it would validate laws prohibiting members of a movie audience from falsely shouting "fire!" in a crowded theatre, as it explained that the likely result is panic and a stampede that can hurt or kill.

Even at the height of the Cold War, with McCarthyism creating waves of conformity, the endorsement of Communist ideas were generally allowed, although loyalty oaths for certain types of employment were imposed and actual.

Even suspected Communist Party affiliations were punished both formally and informally. The dividing line in wartime and periods of national tension is very thin, as exemplified in the United States by past laws on seditious speech and required loyalty oaths.

The Rushdie dilemma

These issues are often more easily balanced by delicate legal and political acrobatics within national political space.

But, finding a comparable balance globally is far more precarious, if it is possible at all. The exceedingly difficult nature of the problem became evident to many after Salmon Rushdie published The Satanic Verses in 1988 – to critical acclaim in the West and much censure in the East.

The uproar climaxed with a fatwa by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini: On February 14, 1989, he declared it a duty of Muslims to kill Rushdie, and even those associated with the publication of the book anywhere in the world.

Demonstrating that words have deadly consequences, a Japanese translator, Hitoshi Igarishi, was stabbed to death in 1991, as was an Italian translator of the book. In addition, a Norwegian publisher of the book was violently attacked and barely survived.

Rushdie himself went into hiding for about a decade, with Britain providing twenty-four hour police protection. In most countries with large Muslim populations, the book was banned – with the notable exception of Turkey.

Bookstores in the West that carried the book were threatened, and several were burned. Obviously, the fatwa had severe harmful effects on a variety of innocent persons that carried far beyond Iran.

In 1998, Iran's president Mohamed Khatami appeared to criticise the fatwa, and seemed eager to discourage the worldwide anti-Rushdie campaign, but the fatwa remains formally in effect – as it can only be withdrawn by the person who issued it, and Khomeini died long before Khatami spoke out.

That is even assuming, which is highly unlikely, that he might have been inclined to withdraw the original fatwa.

Had Khomeini been alive in 1998, he would have almost certainly reaffirmed the fatwa, and likely gone on to challenge effectively Khatami's qualifications to run the country.

With respect to the treatment of the Rushdie book, there exists a definite clash of values and rights. In most countries in the West, this publication was immediately treated as an important work of literature by a renowned author – the publication of which was not even controversial.

While in many Islamic societies, the book was sufficiently offensive to deeply held community beliefs as to make its availability and distribution deeply offensive, and even to pose such a grave threat to public order as to lead several governments to ban its publication.

This diversity over matters of cultural propriety and limits on free expression seems inevitable in a state-centric and multi-civilisational world that contains contradictory assessments of the proper limits of free expression.

Inevitable reactions?

This diversity is an accurate reflection of the world order that currently exists, and is incapable of being persuasive and resolved by resorting to any claimed universal principle.

Despite the worldwide rise of human rights, universal norms cannot resolve difficult controversies about rights – although in almost everywhere but Iran, the Khomeini fatwa was a deeply troubling precedent.

Despite insisting on an unreviewable authority to mandate death by decree to an author, those who facilitated the publication did not infringe on political space; no law was broken or widely endorsed moral position was affronted.

This fatwa was indeed a bridge too far. How to prevent such abuses in the future is a daunting challenge. It is difficult to propose a better response than the ancient encouragement of comity among countries, but this reliance on reciprocal courtesy and respect among sovereign states can hardly be expected to exert much influence.

Indeed, there those who act on the basis of genuinely-held fundamentalist beliefs about good and evil.

It is inevitable that there will, at some point, arise somewhere on the planet behaviour that will give rise elsewhere to the formulation and implementation of efforts to punish or react to controversial ideas that are found offensive – within and beyond territory.

In many ways, as insulting to Muslim sensibilities around the world as The Satanic Verses, was a Danish newspaper's publication in 2005 of twelve cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed in a derogatory manner.

In response, riots leading to several deaths took place in Asian countries. The official Danish defensive response to criticism after the event was to call attention to the existence of national penal laws that prohibited blasphemy or discriminatory statements.

It was a curious gesture, as the Danish prosecutor also declared the inapplicability of these laws in that instance as the cartoons "addressed matters of public interest" whose publication was entitled to special protection. Here, there was more at stake than the trouble caused overseas.

The cartoons also caused intense discomfort to Muslim minorities living in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe. The publication and political debate that followed was properly regarded as confirming the reality of an Islamophobic climate of opinion taking shape in Europe.

The Danish response was essentially premised on freedom of expression as taking precedence over harsh criticism directed at religions and their leaders.

Censorship challenges

In this respect, Islam was not being singled out, but was being harshly criticised in a manner that could be construed as blasphemous.

But what of the predictable impact of the cartoons, causing violent reactions around the world and intensifying hostility to Muslims within Denmark? Is this not analogous to shouting "fire" in a crowded theatre?

That is, the publisher and editor should have known that there would be these harmful effects, although some observers have said that the riots were the result of opportunistic leaders in Muslim countries seizing the inflamed moment to gain greater personal influence in a highly irresponsible manner.

Unlike Rushdie, who acted perfectly reasonably, given his British residence and citizenship, the Danish provocation should arguably have been avoided by self-censorship, and the violent responses in Asia were exaggerated reactions that should never have happened.

It is generally desirable to encourage free expression without the state administering the limits, but it is up to the state to prevent riots and societal violence.

The challenge is a difficult one. It could be argued that a stronger civic tradition on Rushdie's part, but even more so in relation to Khomeini, would have led to self-censorship.

Rushdie expressed surprise, and even a tinge of remorse, that his novel would be an occasion for such a violent and enraged backlash. Long after the fact, he gave the impression on occasion that he might not have written such a book had he anticipated the consequences for himself and others.

The Danish newspaper was forewarned of dramatic effects, but went ahead. In effect, self-censorship does not work if there exists a hostile and commercially driven, even hateful, environment that appeared intent on waging a culture war against or on behalf of the Muslim world.

Koran burning

The case of Terry Jones, the fundamentalist pastor of a small Christian church in Gainesville, Florida, named the Dove World Outreach Center, founded in 1996 and serving 50 families, is a dramatic illustration of the dilemmas posed by hateful and irresponsible speech.

Unlike the supreme leader Khomeini, he was an obscure religious figure who would have remained forever unknown except for his outrageous provocation.

The actions of Rev Jones illustrate the ethical and political challenge in its most vivid form. Jones proclaimed his intention to burn the Koran on the anniversary of September 11 in 2010, even proposing the establishment of an "International Burn a Koran Day".

He had earlier published a booklet entitled "Islam is of the devil", and in August 2009, two children from his church were sent home from a local school because of "inappropriate dress" – T-shirts with "Islam is of the devil" emblazoned in bright letters.

The Florida community did what it could to rein Jones in by informal action, denying Jones a burn permit and seeking to cancel the mortgage outstanding on his church.

When asked to explain the reduction of his church membership by 50 per cent, Jones said: "I think mainly just because the things we're involved in are just really too hot for your normal Christian and your normal person."

Prior to the burning last month, many urged Jones to refrain, even including General David Petraeus who correctly warned that such acts would endanger the lives of US troops.

At least two US soldiers were killed in distant Afghanistan to avenge the Koran burning. Of course, such an incident should be appreciated as a personal tragedy, although the US military presence in Afghanistan was likely a contributing cause, and in its own way an unlawful and irresponsible provocation.

Should the state step in and impose a punishment or forbid such speech? On what authority? Should the idea of hate speech be associated with hostility to a book (as distinct from a person) that is treated as sacred by more than a billion persons? Is it incitement to public disorder?

Does the answer depend on the national or civilisational setting, or are we living in such a globalised and networked world as to make geographic boundaries meaningless?

Bradley Manning's saga

This brings me to the sad and illuminating case of Bradley Manning, a young intelligence analyst serving in the military.

While Terry Jones is a free man – despite deliberately generating violent reactions to speech and symbolic deeds known to be deeply offensive to many people – Manning seemingly acted out of conscience and belief facilitating the release of thousands of documents that had been classified by the US government: Iraq and Afghanistan war logs, confidential State Department cables, and other classified material.

As with Daniel Ellsberg's release of the Pentagon Papers almost 40 years earlier, the evident intention was to inform people about the realities of government policies that were producing death and destruction in foreign countries.

It seems that Ellsberg, also a government security specialist with privileged access and status, wanted people to know some truths about the planning and perpetration of the Vietnam War that were dramatically at variance with what the public was being told about the war by the government.

With Manning, his range of motivations is not fully known, but he seems also to have become deeply disenchanted with the unlawful and immoral manner with which the United States was using its military power, and the extent to which it was hiding war crimes behind heavy curtains of unwarranted secrecy.

Manning has not yet been prosecuted, but has been held in demeaning and cruel conditions for many months.

Without alluding to any extenuating circumstances, president Obama has not only said in response to a question from a journalist in the face of protests by human rights groups and others about Manning's treatment in military prison that it was "appropriate and meets our basic standards", but also was caught on tape prejudging the case by saying at a fundraising dinner that Manning "broke the law", and should be prosecuted.

The Manning case is a further stain on the moral reputation of the United States, and it exhibits a vindictiveness toward a citizen, and member of the armed forces, who steps out of line – seeking to allow a wider public of a democratic society to know a series of "inconvenient truths".

Perhaps, there is some justification for secrecy in diplomatic communication, and thus for laws that punish improper disclosures, or leaks.

But this kind of case calls for leniency and empathy, assessing the motivation and context, rather than a harsh approach taken to Manning.

Let us remember that high government officials often leak classified information to influence the media treatment of controversial policy issues, and almost never suffer any adverse consequences, enjoying de facto impunity.

What is striking about the Ellsberg/Manning disclosures is the whistle blowing character of their actions. In Manning's case the documents given to WikiLeaks, including a classified video of a military incident in Afghanistan (an Apache helicopter attack that killed two Reuters News employees and several civilians without any indication of a military target), as well as many documents confirming US association with war crimes, government lawbreaking, and serious corruption.

Such behavior deserves to be known, and rather than condemning the disclosures, the behavior disclosed is what should have produced presidential anger and appropriate action.

Truly guilty?

In a healthy democratic society such behaviour would be protected if the intentions were shown to be positive, and no unwarranted harm could come to identified individuals. In this case, released documents were carefully screened to avoid targeting individuals.

Complex modern societies need the safety valve of whistle blowing, and at the very least, should moderate the implementation of secrecy laws by an acknowledgement of the huge public benefits of governmental transparency.

For Obama's inappropriate assertion of Manning's guilt, prior to a criminal trial under the auspices of a military tribunal, further highlights the degree to which statist interests outweigh justice to an individual charged with serious crimes – remember the fundamental right of innocence until guilt is proven by a court of law – and disregards the interest of the citizenry in the greatest possible transparency on the part of their government.

If due process prevails, even a military tribunal should conclude that Obama's statements have been sufficiently prejudicial (Obama is commander in chief whose views are not likely to be contradicted in a military venue) to have the case against Manning thrown out. Such an outcome is also justified as a result of severe and sustained pre-trial abuse that amounts to torture, or what the Bush presidency chillingly named "enhanced interrogation".

The German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, wrote in 1885: "The state is the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly it lies, too; and this lie creeps from its mouth: 'I, the state, am the people.'" [Thus Spake Zarathustra, 'Of the New Idol']

In the Manning case this coldness is exemplified, as is the lie that because the state is the people, the people have no need to know beyond that which the state is prepared to disclose – however incriminating the information.

This coldness of the state is expressed by criminalising truth telling, branding it as virtually a form of treason, whereas a humane political community would seek to learn from those brave and dedicated enough to reveal to their citizen comrades that which is hidden because it should never have been allowed to take place.

To punish righteousness is the seminal sin of organised power that the Bible warns about over and over again, and yet the ears of the modern cold state remain plugged on principle, with the help of laws that stifle the freedom of expression needed to ensure a lawful government.

Beyond Osama bin Laden

2011-05-07T11:22:00.002+01:00

The killing of Osama bin Laden by United States special forces constitutes a significant victory over global terrorism. But it is a milestone, not a turning point, in what remains an ongoing struggle with no foreseeable end.

The significance of what was accomplished stems in part from bin Laden's symbolic importance. He has been an icon, representing the ability to strike with success against the US and the West. That icon has now been destroyed.

Another positive consequence is the demonstrated effect of counter-terrorism operations carried out by US soldiers. As a result, some terrorists, one hopes, will decide to become former terrorists – and some young radicals might now think twice before deciding to become terrorists in the first place.

But any celebration needs to be tempered by certain realities. Bin Laden's demise, as welcome as it is, should in no way be equated with the demise of terrorism.

Terrorism is a decentralised phenomenon – in its funding, planning, and execution. Removing bin Laden does not end the terrorist threat. There are successors, starting with Ayman al-Zawahiri in al-Qaeda, as well as in autonomous groups operating out of Yemen, Somalia, and other countries. So terrorism will continue. Indeed, it could even grow somewhat worse in the short run, as there are sure to be those who will want to show that they can still strike against the West.

Prevention

The best parallel that I can think of when it comes to understanding terrorism and how to deal with it is disease. There are steps that can and should be taken to attack or neutralise certain types of viruses or bacteria; to reduce vulnerability to infection; and to reduce the consequences of infection if, despite all of our efforts, we become ill. Disease is not something that can be eliminated, but often it can be managed.

There are obvious parallels with terrorism. As we have recently witnessed, terrorists can be attacked and stopped before they can cause harm; individuals and countries can be defended; and societies can take steps to bolster their resilience when they are successfully attacked, as on occasion they inevitably will be. These elements of a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy can reduce the threat to manageable, or at least tolerable, levels.

But tolerable is not good enough when it comes to protecting innocent life. We want to do better. The answer is to be found in the realm of prevention. More must be done to interrupt the recruitment of terrorists, thereby reducing the threat before it materialises.

Most terrorists today are young and male. And, while the overwhelming majority of the world's Muslims are not terrorists, many of the world's terrorists are Muslim. It would help enormously in this regard if Arab and Muslim political leaders spoke out against the intentional killing of men, women, and children by anyone or any group for political purposes. There is also a pivotal role here for religious leaders, educators, and parents. Terrorism must be stripped of any legitimacy that it may be viewed as having.

'Arab Spring'

One potential positive development here stems from the political changes that we are seeing in many parts of the Middle East. There is a greater chance than before that young people will become more integrated in their own societies (and less susceptible to the appeal of extremism) if they enjoy greater political and economic opportunity.

Pakistan will most likely prove critical in determining the future prevalence of terrorism. Unfortunately, while it is home to some of the world's most dangerous terrorists, it is decidedly less than a full partner in the struggle against it. Some parts of the Pakistani government are sympathetic to terrorism and unwilling to act against it; other parts simply lack the capacity to act against it effectively.

Capacity is much easier to provide than will. The outside world can and should continue to provide assistance to help Pakistan acquire the strength and skills required to tackle modern-day terrorists.

But no amount of external assistance can compensate for a lack of motivation and commitment. Pakistani leaders must choose once and for all. It is not enough to be a limited partner in the struggle against terror; Pakistan needs to become a full partner.

There will be Pakistanis who protest against the recent American military action, arguing that it violated Pakistan's sovereignty. But sovereignty is not an absolute; it involves obligations as well as rights. Pakistanis must understand that they will forfeit some of those rights if they do not meet their obligation to ensure that their territory is not used to shelter terrorists.

If things do not change, the sort of independent military operation carried out by US soldiers will become less the exception than the rule. This is not nearly as desirable an outcome as Pakistan joining what should be a common international effort. At stake is not only assistance, but Pakistan's own future, for, in the absence of genuine commitment to counter-terrorism, it is only a matter of time before the country falls victim to the infection that it refuses to treat.

Bin Laden's ghost

2011-05-07T11:19:00.001+01:00

Osama bin Laden's death in his Pakistani hiding place is like the removal of a tumour from the Muslim world. But aggressive follow-up therapy will be required to prevent the remaining al-Qaeda cells from metastasising by acquiring more adherents who believe in violence to achieve the 'purification' and empowerment of Islam.

Fortunately, bin Laden's death comes at the very moment when much of the Islamic world is being convulsed by the treatment that bin Laden's brand of fanaticism requires: the Arab Spring, with its demands for democratic empowerment (and the absence of demands, at least so far, for the type of Islamic rule that al-Qaeda sought to impose).

But can the nascent democracies being built in Egypt and Tunisia, and sought in Bahrain, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere, see off the threats posed by Islamic extremists? In particular, can it defeat the Salafi/Wahhabi thought that has long nurtured Osama bin Laden and his ilk, and which remains the professed and protected ideology of Saudi Arabia?

The fact is that before the US operation to kill bin Laden, al-Qaeda's symbolic head, the emerging democratic Arab revolutions had already, in just a few short months, done as much to marginalise and weaken his terrorist movement in the Islamic world as the war on terror had achieved in a decade. Those revolutions, whatever their ultimate outcome, have exposed the philosophy and behaviour of bin Laden and his followers as not only illegitimate and inhumane, but actually inept at achieving better conditions for ordinary Muslims.

What millions of Arabs were saying as they stood united in peaceful protest was that their way of achieving Arab and Islamic dignity is far less costly in human terms. More importantly, their way will ultimately achieve the type of dignity that people really want, as opposed to the unending wars of terror to rebuild the caliphate that Bin Laden promised.

After all, the protesters of the Arab Spring did not need to use – and abuse – Islam to achieve their ends. They did not wait for God to change their condition, but took the initiative by peacefully confronting their oppressors. The Arab revolutions mark the emergence of a pluralist, post-Islamist banner for the faithful. Indeed, the only people to introduce religion into the protests have been rulers, such as those in Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, and Syria, who have tried to use fear of the Shia or Sunni "other" to continue to divide and misrule their societies.

Bin Laden's era

Now that the US has eradicated bin Laden's physical presence, it needs to stop delaying the rest of the therapeutic process. For the US has been selectively – and short-sightedly – irradiating only parts of the cancer that al-Qaeda represents, while leaving the malignant growth of Saudi Wahabism and Salafism untouched. Indeed, despite the decade of the West's war on terror, and Saudi Arabia's longer-term alliance with the US, the Kingdom's Wahhabi religious establishment has continued to bankroll Islamic extremist ideologies around the world.

Bin Laden, born, raised, and educated in Saudi Arabia, is a product of this pervasive ideology. He was no religious innovator; he was a product of Wahhabism, and later was exported by the Wahhabi regime as a jihadist.

During the 1980's, Saudi Arabia spent $75 bn for the propagation of Wahhabism, funding schools, mosques, and charities throughout the Islamic world, from Pakistan to Afghanistan, Yemen, Algeria, and beyond. The Saudis continued such programs after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, and even after they discovered that "the Call" is uncontrollable, owing to the technologies of globalisation. Not surprisingly, the creation of a transnational Islamic political movement, boosted by thousands of underground jihadi websites, has blown back into the Kingdom.

Like the hijackers of 9/11, who were also Saudi/Wahhabi ideological exports (15 of the 19 men who carried out those terror attacks were chosen by bin Laden because they shared the same Saudi descent and education as he), Saudi Arabia's reserve army of potential terrorists remains, because the Wahhabi factory of fanatical ideas remains intact.

So the real battle has not been with bin Laden, but with that Saudi state-supported ideology factory. Bin Laden merely reflected the entrenched violence of the Kingdom's official ideology.

Bin Laden's eradication may strip some dictators, from Libya's Muammar Gaddafi to Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh, of the main justification they have used for their decades of repression. But the US knows perfectly well that al-Qaeda is an enemy of convenience for Saleh and other American allies in the region, and that in many cases, terrorism has been used as a pretext to repress reform. Indeed, now the US is encouraging repression of the Arab Spring in Yemen and Bahrain, where official security forces routinely kill peaceful protesters calling for democracy and human rights.

Al-Qaeda and democracy cannot coexist. Indeed, bin Laden's death should open the international community's eyes to the source of his movement: repressive Arab regimes and their extremist ideologies. Otherwise, his example will continue to haunt the world.

Nailing Osama: The media's delight

2011-05-07T11:17:00.001+01:00

The tip on bin Laden's whereabouts came in back in 2010. You have to assume the house was under surveillance. If they thought they "bagged him" they would be watching closely and choosing the right time to deep six the target (I actually wrote this lead paragraph sentence before reading this "Breaking News" from the Washington Post: "CIA had secret outpost in Abbottabad").

"The CIA maintained a safe house in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad for a small team of spies who conducted extensive surveillance over a period of months on the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed by US special operations forces this week (US officials)," the newspaper reported.

Both Afghan agents and Pakistani intelligence now say they told the US about the house as early as 2009.

So, they knew he was there. That was a reason drones weren't used.

The CIA wanted a more controlled high profile and dramatic intervention for public consumption, for what, in the end, was a marketing campaign – marketing the centrality of the agency's role in a war whose main audience is not on the battlefield, but in the homeland.

They needed a heroic narrative to revive support for a war they have been losing, and a scalp to sell to a conflict-weary and disillusioned population. It is no surprise that the Seals labelled OBL "Geronimo", reviving memories of fighting guerrilla-style Indian wars. Muslim renegades are apparently our new "savages".

The Native Americans took their enemy's head and hair – Donald Trump, beware; we shoot out their eyes and waterboard their brains.

The target was not "the terror mastermind" but the American people. It was an exercise in political mobilisation and perception management. It was the ultimate media operation, relying on many of the tactics used in Iraq that I document in my film "WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception".

We are as conscious about what we say as what we do, we always fashion a propaganda storyline demonising the enemy who is often compared to Hitler. Bin Laden lived in a "million dollar mansion" (it cost $48,000 to buy six years ago). He was heavily armed (he wasn't). He hid behind female human shields (he didn't). Who cares about facts... this was a TV orchestrated event. The Daily Mail in London complained that their raising questions led to being derided as "cheese eating surrender monkeys".

They could have captured him, but that would lead to the hassle of putting him on trial. Besides, what if he revealed his long connection with the CIA and US officials? Can't have that. So the kill order was given, along with a quick disposal of the body, mafia-style (as in "sleeping with the fishes").

The legal justification was self-defence, an argument that any government can use to dispatch its enemies.

Timing is everything

Why was it done, and why now?

It was certainly not because al-Qaeda is ascendant. Our experts believe only 100 of them remain in Afghanistan, where their capacity has been diminished. Remember: al-Qaeda is not a centralised top-down machine but a decentralised and sophisticated network.

We can only surmise all the factors, but the larger context here has fallen away with the focus on the narrowness of the dirty details, many calculated to inspire enthusiasm for the bravery and heroism of the death squad, but not any reflection of the strategy and larger context of the events.

Even as the cover stories about what happened fell away into the foggy soup of covert action and its contradictions, it devolved into to a case of excuses about haste – 'he said that but didn't mean it'. Even as the raid inspires mass euphoria and self-righteous blood lust, the full meaning of it is missing in a media that is much better at the how than the why.

First of all, this operation reflected the reorganisation of the national security state with the CIA taking over from the soldiers. This operation was Leon Panetta's last hurrah as Spook-in-Chief before he uses his covert ops portfolio to take over the Pentagon.

Second, that most hyped soldier's soldier, Generalissimo David Petraeus, who has failed to end the insurgency in Afghanistan (and who is now warring on Pakistan) is being moved into Panetta's job. A Navy Seal Commander has now been promoted to the Central Command.

The bottom line: public accountability and open disclosure has become a thing of the past. No wonder the ongoing campaign to 'get WikiLeaks' before it exposes more secrets.

Creating an image

As the military privatises wars, and, in effect, goes underground, there is a recognition that, despite the size of our forces and the power of our technology, we have, in effect, been losing to peasants with suicide belts and unconventional tactics we continually underestimate.

Writes former assistant Treasury secretary Paul Craig Roberts:

Americans are too busy celebrating to think, a capability that seems to have been taken out of their education.

Americans are so enthralled over the death of bin Laden that they do not wonder why information gleamed years ago would take so long to locate a person who was allegedly living in a million-dollar building equipped with all the latest communication equipment next to the Pakistani Military Academy. Allegedly, the "most wanted criminal" was not moving from hide-out to hide-out in desolate mountains, but ensconced in luxury quarters in broad daylight. Nevertheless, despite his obvious location, it took the CIA years to find him after claiming to have gained information of his whereabouts out of captives in secret prisons. This is the image of the CIA as the new Keystone Cops.

Like the Canadian Mounties, in the end, Navy Seal Unit 6, armed with lethal weapons and an attack dog, got their man – with not inconsiderable collateral damage – in what the New York Times called an "extremely one-sided encounter".

It was, let's admit, a liquidation, right out of the KGB playbook.

Politically – and yes, there was a political agenda here too – the bin Laden operation was part of a chain of calculated presidential promoting exercises including the announcement of his re-election campaign and massive fund-raising effort, his deals with the Repubs on the budget, the release of his birth certificate, his interview with Oprah, his shakeup of sorts of the Pentagon, his bringing the CEO of GE and William Daley into the White House, on and on.

The "new" Obama wants to be seen as a warrior, not a wuss, as long as he is not forced to go after Wall Street. Right now, his victory is viewed widely for what it is; vengeance. Or in the words of the street, "payback."

Nailing bin Laden has to be seen in the context of his Spring offencive grounded in symbolic advances, to get his poll numbers up and his campaign rolling, to make him look invincible, and to "triangulate" by moving to the centre and pre-empting/co-opting the right. He now has Bush and Cheney praising him.

Concludes Roberts:

Obama needed closure of the Afghan war and occupation in order to deal with the US budget deficit. Subsequent statements from Obama regime officials suggest that the agenda might be to give Americans a piece of war victory in order to boost their lagging enthusiasm. The military/security complex will become richer and more powerful, and Americans will be rewarded with vicarious pleasure in victory over enemies.

Adds Tom Engelhardt:

Consider it an insult to irony, but the world bin Laden really changed forever wasn't in the Greater Middle East. It was here. Cheer his death, bury him at sea, don't release any photos, and he'll still carry on as a ghost as long as Washington continues to fight its deadly, disastrous wars in his old neighbourhood.

Disclaimer: In case you wonder, I am not now nor have I ever been a supporter, sympathiser or rationaliser of Osama bin Laden's violent jihad. The fact that I feel I have to even write this should give readers insight into the climate of permissible discussion. I am not unhappy to see OBL moving on to the next world. Good riddance, but we need to analyse this event more closely. Will it help end the war or will "our success" convince the Pentagon it needs to be expanded? The issues of the raid's legality need to be discussed.

Depeju

2011-01-24T12:28:00.002+01:00

There is peace in my soul
For such a long awaited time
There is love in my life
A love of melody and rhyme.

Once you took hold of my heart
I knew no other could have reached
As whispered fate took my hand
To levels only you could reach.

You in my life
Will live eternally
I knew the first day we met way back
You were meant for me.
And I am meant for you baby.

I love you, Tojuebi.

With love,

Crashin Aero

2010-11-07T11:57:00.002+01:00

Aero’s attention has been drawn to a scare SMS circulating about the airworthiness of its commercial aircraft. The text message may be the handiwork of disgruntled competitors who are threatened by the success of the airline over the last few months.

For the record, Aero is Nigeria’s oldest aviation company with an excellent safety record and rich history recognized beyond the shores of Nigeria.

On Tuesday evening, an Aero Boeing 737 had a technical fault before take off at Port Harcourt and the Captain elected to return to the ramp before the aircraft took off following the stringent safety procedure which Aero adhere to.

There has also been maliciously reporting of an incident which occurred over a week ago which concerned water vapour in the cabin. The crew followed the internationally accepted safety procedures and safely disembarked the passengers. Following the incident the NCAA has given Aero a clean bill on that aircraft following a check by its engineers and a test flight

Over the years Aero had imbibed a culture of safety in its operation as all its major multinational clients insisted on a yearly audit of its crew, aircrafts and operations, using aviation experts from Europe and the US. It is on this basis that the airline is able to serve the vast array of its customers. That culture has remained and will ever remain the mantra of Aero’s operations.

It is a globally accepted rule in airline operations that no flight operation can be conducted when a warning signal is detected. That is what Aero has done and therefore will not be deterred by any blackmail from any source about its fleet airworthiness.

We have contacted NCAA to report this incident and investigate the source of the SMS. We shall always remain loyal to our principle of flying a safe and secure aircraft.

NCAA has confirmed that Aero meets all safety requirements and regulatory laws, and operate at the highest international safety standards.

Aero remains proud of being the carrier of first choice of the travelling public in Nigeria and have innovated our pricing structure while maintaining the highest on time departure and arrival punctuality. Our e-innovative is second to none in this part of the word. All these have caused a lot of worries in some camps; but we chose to move ahead, knowing that very soon the chaff will be separated from the grain.

lost in america

2010-11-07T11:50:00.000+01:00

Another American icon has bit the dust: Pontiac.

GM is canceling the 84-year-old brand after winding down production over the past few years. Like other American automakers, it is restructuring and rebranding to compete with foreign companies.

Pontiac joins a long list of iconic products that aren't made anywhere in America.

Meanwhile, plenty of beer is still made here, but many of America’s most-iconic beer brands, including Miller, Coors, and Budweiser, are owned by foreign companies. In 2008, Anheuser-Busch, the St. Louis-based company that has a nearly 50 percent market share in the U.S., was sold to InBev, a Belgium-based conglomerate run by Brazilian executives. In the accompanying video, Julie McIntosh, author of Dethroning the King: The Hostile Takeover of Anheuser-Busch, an American Icon, discusses the deal with Yahoo! Finance economics editor Daniel Gross.

Here are 18 Iconic Products That America Doesn't Make Anymore:

Rawlings baseballs

Last production date: 1969

Rawlings is the official supplier of baseballs to Major League Baseball. The St. Louis shop was founded in 1887 by George and Alfred Rawlings. In 1969 the brothers moved the baseball-manufacturing plant from Puerto Rico to Haiti and then later to Costa Rica.

Etch a Sketch

Last production date: 2000

Etch A Sketch, an iconic American toy since the 1960s, used to be produced in Bryan, Ohio, a small town of 8,000. Then in Dec. 2000, toymaker Ohio Art decided to move production to Shenzhen, China.

Converse shoes

Last production date: 2001

Marquis M. Converse opened Converse Rubber Show Company in Massachusetts in 1908. Chuck Taylors– named after All American high school basketball player Chuck Taylor– began selling in 1918 as the show eventually produced an industry record of over 550 million pairs by 1997. But in 2001 sales were on the decline and the U.S. factory closed. Now Chuck Taylors are made in Indonesia.

Stainless steel rebar

Last production date: circa 2001

Many forms of this basic steel product are not available domestically. Multiple waivers to the Buy America Act have allowed purchase of rebar internationally.

Note: The Buy America Act requires government mass transportation spending to use American products.

Dress shirts*

Last production date: Oct. 2002

The last major shirt factory in America closed in October 2002, according to NYT. C.F. Hathaway's Maine factory had been producing shirts since 1837.

*We know there are other shirt manufacturers in America. They do not produce in large quantities or supply major brands.

more here

Ars 3:0 City

2010-10-25T22:27:00.002+01:00

FANTASTIC ASRENAL THRASH MANCHESTER CITY 3-NIL AT EASTLAND

It is difficult to say whether Arsenal have turned a corner following their 3-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday but things are very encouraging at this point in time.

Last season they were struck down by two big problems: they were not good enough without the ball and they kept getting beaten by the big teams.

This term they have already been seen off by Chelsea, as well as West Brom, but when centre-back Thomas Vermaelen plays, I think there has been an improvement in defence just because they have spent another season learning from one another and they are intelligent players.

Without the 24-year-old Belgian I am not too convinced about the defence but another area which has improved is that of goalkeeper, which used to be a weekly talking point.

Lukasz Fabianski looks in form and a clean sheet against Manchester City will add to his growing confidence which I think was hugely helped by his penalty save in the Champions League victory over Partizan Belgrade on 28 September.

The 25-year-old Pole has certainly put pressure on fellow keeper Manuel Almunia and while he holds on to the shirt, it is a positive sign for Arsenal fans.

Mentally, the win against a team challenging for the title will be good for the whole Arsenal team.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger's record against the top teams is poor and I read the other day in a newspaper that against Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City his win ratio is only 18% since 2008.

Wenger knows that consistency against the top teams will be crucial to competing for the title because the Premier League is more competitive now with Tottenham and the likes of Aston Villa all able to take points off them. When you play the teams near the top the important thing is not to lose.

Winning so convincingly at Eastlands, albeit against 10 men, will push Arsenal on to believe in themselves a bit more. I have to say that I am not convinced they can do it for the whole season but I want them to prove me wrong.

Another plus point from the Gunners' season so far has been their added options when it comes to attacking from midfield areas. Much has been made of Jack Wilshere's emergence into the first team, but without the suspended Englishman on Sunday, Frenchman Samir Nasri was outstanding.

Nasri, who scored Arsenal's first goal, can be in captain Cesc Fabregas's shadow sometimes, but he has a really good footballing brain and knows how to draw defenders out of position. The 23-year-old takes the pressure off Fabregas and when such a technically gifted pair play together, as a defender, it is very difficult to look after them at the same time.

Add in Wilshere, and the defensive value of Alex Song or Denilson, and Wenger has a wider range of players to choose from.

Listening to Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini afterwards he sounded very upbeat and proud of his players considering the manner of the defeat, but there was a team spirit and camaraderie that maybe in adversity he might not have seen before, so I think he can learn a lot from the game.

The only question I would have was playing 19-year-old Dedryck Boyata at centre-back in such a big game, but that might have something to do with the form of Joleon Lescott.

Both sides can win the league but I would say that leaders Chelsea are better than both of them at the moment.

A lot, too, has been said about Manchester United this week for obvious reasons, but I would be very careful of writing them off right now.

It will be interesting to know how the senior players like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville deal with what Wayne Rooney said about his Old Trafford team-mates - I'm sure they will let him know.

When I was playing nobody ever talked about how much money they were on. You had an idea; I was not stupid enough to think I was getting the same money as Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry but nowadays the ink is dried on the contract and it is in the newspapers. Whether the figures are accurate or not I do not know, but I doubt they are too far off.

I am pretty sure that in their own way, the senior players at the club will have a word with Rooney, whether they take the mickey out of him or one of them might go up privately and ask him what he thinks he was doing.

If it had been in our dressing room, someone would have said something to him, without question. He would have been made aware that the rest of the players were not happy with what he had said.

Whether Rooney cares or not, I am not sure. He does not seem like a player who worries too much about what other people think. There is a possibility that it could erode team spirit but a season in football can sometimes feel like 10 years in normal life.

You live your life from Wednesday to Saturday because you normally play two games a week. You do not have time to think about the past too much and players tend to be pretty forgiving.

If Rooney scores the winner in a Manchester derby they will not care how much money he is on. Things will have been said in the dressing room and then it will be 'right that's done, let's move on'.

If the team is not winning, however, then it will come up again but in the past Manchester United have been winners more than losers.

It is difficult to say whether Arsenal have turned a corner following their 3-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday but things are very encouraging at this point in time.

Last season they were struck down by two big problems: they were not good enough without the ball and they kept getting beaten by the big teams.

This term they have already been seen off by Chelsea, as well as West Brom, but when centre-back Thomas Vermaelen plays, I think there has been an improvement in defence just because they have spent another season learning from one another and they are intelligent players.

Without the 24-year-old Belgian I am not too convinced about the defence but another area which has improved is that of goalkeeper, which used to be a weekly talking point.

Lukasz Fabianski looks in form and a clean sheet against Manchester City will add to his growing confidence which I think was hugely helped by his penalty save in the Champions League victory over Partizan Belgrade on 28 September.

The 25-year-old Pole has certainly put pressure on fellow keeper Manuel Almunia and while he holds on to the shirt, it is a positive sign for Arsenal fans.

Mentally, the win against a team challenging for the title will be good for the whole Arsenal team.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger's record against the top teams is poor and I read the other day in a newspaper that against Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City his win ratio is only 18% since 2008.

Wenger knows that consistency against the top teams will be crucial to competing for the title because the Premier League is more competitive now with Tottenham and the likes of Aston Villa all able to take points off them. When you play the teams near the top the important thing is not to lose.

Winning so convincingly at Eastlands, albeit against 10 men, will push Arsenal on to believe in themselves a bit more. I have to say that I am not convinced they can do it for the whole season but I want them to prove me wrong.

Another plus point from the Gunners' season so far has been their added options when it comes to attacking from midfield areas. Much has been made of Jack Wilshere's emergence into the first team, but without the suspended Englishman on Sunday, Frenchman Samir Nasri was outstanding.

Nasri, who scored Arsenal's first goal, can be in captain Cesc Fabregas's shadow sometimes, but he has a really good footballing brain and knows how to draw defenders out of position. The 23-year-old takes the pressure off Fabregas and when such a technically gifted pair play together, as a defender, it is very difficult to look after them at the same time.

Add in Wilshere, and the defensive value of Alex Song or Denilson, and Wenger has a wider range of players to choose from.

Listening to Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini afterwards he sounded very upbeat and proud of his players considering the manner of the defeat, but there was a team spirit and camaraderie that maybe in adversity he might not have seen before, so I think he can learn a lot from the game.

The only question I would have was playing 19-year-old Dedryck Boyata at centre-back in such a big game, but that might have something to do with the form of Joleon Lescott.

Both sides can win the league but I would say that leaders Chelsea are better than both of them at the moment.

A lot, too, has been said about Manchester United this week for obvious reasons, but I would be very careful of writing them off right now.

It will be interesting to know how the senior players like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville deal with what Wayne Rooney said about his Old Trafford team-mates - I'm sure they will let him know.

When I was playing nobody ever talked about how much money they were on. You had an idea; I was not stupid enough to think I was getting the same money as Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry but nowadays the ink is dried on the contract and it is in the newspapers. Whether the figures are accurate or not I do not know, but I doubt they are too far off.

I am pretty sure that in their own way, the senior players at the club will have a word with Rooney, whether they take the mickey out of him or one of them might go up privately and ask him what he thinks he was doing.

If it had been in our dressing room, someone would have said something to him, without question. He would have been made aware that the rest of the players were not happy with what he had said.

Whether Rooney cares or not, I am not sure. He does not seem like a player who worries too much about what other people think. There is a possibility that it could erode team spirit but a season in football can sometimes feel like 10 years in normal life.

You live your life from Wednesday to Saturday because you normally play two games a week. You do not have time to think about the past too much and players tend to be pretty forgiving.

If Rooney scores the winner in a Manchester derby they will not care how much money he is on. Things will have been said in the dressing room and then it will be 'right that's done, let's move on'.

If the team is not winning, however, then it will come up again but in the past Manchester United have been winners more than losers.

It is difficult to say whether Arsenal have turned a corner following their 3-0 win at Manchester City on Sunday but things are very encouraging at this point in time.

Last season they were struck down by two big problems: they were not good enough without the ball and they kept getting beaten by the big teams.

This term they have already been seen off by Chelsea, as well as West Brom, but when centre-back Thomas Vermaelen plays, I think there has been an improvement in defence just because they have spent another season learning from one another and they are intelligent players.

Without the 24-year-old Belgian I am not too convinced about the defence but another area which has improved is that of goalkeeper, which used to be a weekly talking point.

Lukasz Fabianski looks in form and a clean sheet against Manchester City will add to his growing confidence which I think was hugely helped by his penalty save in the Champions League victory over Partizan Belgrade on 28 September.

The 25-year-old Pole has certainly put pressure on fellow keeper Manuel Almunia and while he holds on to the shirt, it is a positive sign for Arsenal fans.

Mentally, the win against a team challenging for the title will be good for the whole Arsenal team.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger's record against the top teams is poor and I read the other day in a newspaper that against Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City his win ratio is only 18% since 2008.

Wenger knows that consistency against the top teams will be crucial to competing for the title because the Premier League is more competitive now with Tottenham and the likes of Aston Villa all able to take points off them. When you play the teams near the top the important thing is not to lose.

Winning so convincingly at Eastlands, albeit against 10 men, will push Arsenal on to believe in themselves a bit more. I have to say that I am not convinced they can do it for the whole season but I want them to prove me wrong.

Another plus point from the Gunners' season so far has been their added options when it comes to attacking from midfield areas. Much has been made of Jack Wilshere's emergence into the first team, but without the suspended Englishman on Sunday, Frenchman Samir Nasri was outstanding.

Nasri, who scored Arsenal's first goal, can be in captain Cesc Fabregas's shadow sometimes, but he has a really good footballing brain and knows how to draw defenders out of position. The 23-year-old takes the pressure off Fabregas and when such a technically gifted pair play together, as a defender, it is very difficult to look after them at the same time.

Add in Wilshere, and the defensive value of Alex Song or Denilson, and Wenger has a wider range of players to choose from.

Listening to Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini afterwards he sounded very upbeat and proud of his players considering the manner of the defeat, but there was a team spirit and camaraderie that maybe in adversity he might not have seen before, so I think he can learn a lot from the game.

The only question I would have was playing 19-year-old Dedryck Boyata at centre-back in such a big game, but that might have something to do with the form of Joleon Lescott.

Both sides can win the league but I would say that leaders Chelsea are better than both of them at the moment.

A lot, too, has been said about Manchester United this week for obvious reasons, but I would be very careful of writing them off right now.

It will be interesting to know how the senior players like Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville deal with what Wayne Rooney said about his Old Trafford team-mates - I'm sure they will let him know.

When I was playing nobody ever talked about how much money they were on. You had an idea; I was not stupid enough to think I was getting the same money as Dennis Bergkamp or Thierry Henry but nowadays the ink is dried on the contract and it is in the newspapers. Whether the figures are accurate or not I do not know, but I doubt they are too far off.

I am pretty sure that in their own way, the senior players at the club will have a word with Rooney, whether they take the mickey out of him or one of them might go up privately and ask him what he thinks he was doing.

If it had been in our dressing room, someone would have said something to him, without question. He would have been made aware that the rest of the players were not happy with what he had said.

Whether Rooney cares or not, I am not sure. He does not seem like a player who worries too much about what other people think. There is a possibility that it could erode team spirit but a season in football can sometimes feel like 10 years in normal life.

You live your life from Wednesday to Saturday because you normally play two games a week. You do not have time to think about the past too much and players tend to be pretty forgiving.

If Rooney scores the winner in a Manchester derby they will not care how much money he is on. Things will have been said in the dressing room and then it will be 'right that's done, let's move on'.

If the team is not winning, however, then it will come up again but in the past Manchester United have been winners more than losers.

Kanye's Death

2010-10-21T00:28:00.002+01:00

Kanye West says he 'contemplated suicide'

Kanye West says he's thought about killing himself, but now feels a responsibility to make a meaningful contribution to pop culture and art.

The 33-year-old rapper didn't say when he'd considered suicide.

He told an audience at a screening of his new film Runaway in LA that although there had been times when he "contemplated suicide" he would "not give up on life again".

The star went on to describe himself as a pop icon and "soldier for culture".

He said there were so many people who would never have their voices heard, that he'd "do it for them".

The singer is credited as a director for the 35-minute film, which features portions of nine new Kanye West songs.

The movie is set to premiere this weekend on American cable channels and will accompany his upcoming album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy released on 22 November.

Rapper Nicki Minaj narrates the film while Elton John, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Fergie and John Legend all appear on the soundtrack.

In the audience for the screening were stars including Morgan Spurlock, Cruel Intentions actor Ryan Phillippe and Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy.

He's hinted at the subject of suicide before in recent song Power, which includes the repeated lines, "Now this would be a beautiful death - I'm jumping out the window, I'm letting everything go."

That song's remix is among 10 tracks that Kanye West has released for free in recent weeks through his website, which he called G.O.O.D. Fridays.

He said that after Fantasy, recorded in Hawaii with the likes of Q-Tip, DJ Premier, RZA and Pete Rock, he will release an album of songs with Jay-Z and another with Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell Williams under the name Child Rebel Soldiers.

Kanye West, 33, told the all-star audience that after a hard year he'd found his "creative sweet spot by thinking like a five-year-old at all times".

Champs Lge

2010-10-21T00:23:00.002+01:00

UEFA Champions League Results

For the latest results from this round of matches in the UEFA Champions League
Click Here

Adamu Suspended

2010-10-21T00:19:00.001+01:00

Fifa suspends Nigerian and Tahitian over vote claim

Fifa has provisionally suspended officials Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii over allegations of corruption.

The Fifa executive committee members are accused of offering to sell their votes in the contest to host the 2018 World Cup ahead of December's ballot.

They were secretly filmed by Sunday Times reporters, who posed as lobbyists for a consortium of American companies that wanted the event to go to the US.

Fifa will meet again in mid-November to make a final decision.

At that meeting Fifa will also study alleged agreements between member associations and their bid committees in relation to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process.

The world governing body did not specify which countries could be under scrutiny.

Rumours of collusion between a 2018 bidder and a 2022 hopeful surfaced in September, prompting Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke to warn all countries that mutual voting deals are against Fifa rules.

England, Russia, Spain/Portugal and Netherlands/Belgium are competing to stage the 2018 World Cup, while the United States, Australia, Qatar, Japan and South Korea are all in the hunt for 2022.

Fifa's 24-man executive committee will decide who wins both ballots on 2 December when they meet in Zurich to conduct a secret vote.

The US - the last remaining non-European bidder - pulled out of the running for 2018 on Friday to focus its efforts on 2022. On the same day, England pulled out of the bidding to host in 2022.

The allegations of vote selling have plunged the selection process into crisis and Fifa chief executive Sepp Blatter admitted "it was a sad day for football" before insisting "confidence will be restored".

Nigerian Adamu, 57, allegedly said he wanted $800,000 (£500,000) to build four artificial football pitches. This would be against Fifa's rules.

The Sunday Times footage appears to show him asking for money to be paid to him directly for endorsing a US bid.

Tahitian Temarii, 43, who played for French club Nantes during the 1980s, is alleged to have asked for a payment to finance a sports academy. He has already pleaded his innocence.

"I am 100% convinced of my integrity," Temarii, head of Fifa's technical and development committee, previously told Inside World Football. "That's why I have stayed on."

Temarii suggested his comments on the Sunday Times video had been taken out of context.

However Fifa ethics committee chairman Claudio Sulser explained that the decision to provisionally suspend Adamu and Temarii was "fully justified and should not be put in question".

"It is crucial to protect the integrity of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process. We are determined to have zero tolerance for any breach of the code of ethics," added Sulser, a former Switzerland international.

Four other Fifa officials - Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismail Bhamjee - have also been provisionally suspended.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
ANALYSIS

Sepp Blatter, being the president of Fifa, did not want to lower himself to a media conference. He did, however, want to deliver a statement.

And while his second-in-command Jerome Valkce, along with the chairman of the ethics committee Claudio Sulser, had earlier been keen to say no-one had yet been found guilty, Blatter was more forthright: "Our society is full of devils," he announced. "And these devils, you find them in football."

Fifa is shaken. Six weeks before their biggest prize is due to be handed out, the integrity of the entire bidding process is in question.

Fifa secretary general Valcke, told the BBC that, come mid-November, and the decisive meeting of the ethics committee, it is perfectly possible that two applicant countries may be removed from the ballot on 2 December that will decide the World Cup hosts for 2018 and 2022.

Football's world governing body has been desperate to show that it can belie its slow-moving and inward-looking image.

But earlier this month, a senior Fifa official told the BBC about his concerns that some bidding countries might not be playing as straight as England. He also questioned whether Fifa executive committee members might be open to blandishments.

Around Fifa headquarters' carefully manicured grounds, the clamour of questions continue to sound.

Fab wants Throphy

2010-10-15T13:02:00.001+01:00

Cesc Fabregas wants winning mentality

Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas is targeting a ‘winning mentality‘ after putting all transfer talk behind him this season.

The Spain midfielder was linked with a £35million return to boyhood club Barcelona this summer but Arsenal refused to sanction the transfer.

Fabregas maintains he is satisfied with how this summer‘s saga ended, but feels the Gunners need to start picking up trophies after failing to win anything since their 2005 FA Cup triumph.

The talented midfielder, who is understood to have told Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger that he wanted to secure a move away earlier this summer, told radio station Cadena Cope: ”I maintain that I was right because (to play for Barcelona) is a dream I have had since childhood.

”The truth is that the coach (Wenger) is like a second father to me. I told him what I thought. There were difficult moments.

”In the end, when I spoke to Wenger he told me ‘no‘ - he was very emphatic, that the transfer was impossible.”

Fabregas, who is set to return from a hamstring injury against Birmingham on Saturday, added: ”I am satisfied for all parties. It wasn‘t to be and that‘s that, though in my head I keep thinking it could have been a good opportunity.

”But here (at Arsenal) I have everything. I am still happy. I am very comfortable here, I like the club, lead the team, play football.

”We just need to start winning titles because we have a wealth of quality. A winning mentality is missing.”

culled from bbcnews.com/sport

Hired 2 Fire

2010-10-13T17:30:00.000+01:00

Al-Qaeda sets sights on Taliban recruits

Al-Qaeda is stepping up its efforts to recruit Afghans and infiltrate Taliban insurgents in a bid to sabotage the Afghan government's efforts towards a negotiated peace, the BBC has learned.

The move comes as President Hamid Karzai established a 70-member High Peace Council tasked with pursuing talks with the Afghan Taliban.

Al-Qaeda has provided funding and expertise to insurgents over the past nine years.

Now it is becoming increasingly active in spreading its ideology and looking to boost its membership across Afghanistan.

Al-Qaeda's foreign fighters - particularly Arabs and Uzbeks - are still operating inside Afghanistan despite the US-led invasion of 2001 which forced them to establish bases over the border in Pakistan.

In an effort to create more havens, al-Qaeda has been in search of new psychological havens in both countries.

It has targeted young Afghans in small madrassas (religious schools) and mosques where small groups of religious students live and study.

Taliban 'embeds'

Al-Qaeda tries to attract members by promoting religious brotherhood and Afghan traditions of hospitality and sanctuary, while at the same time denouncing the policies of Western countries and fostering a sense of victimisation.

The group uses a sophisticated mechanism for extending its reach by embedding members within Taliban fighter units.

It also distributes video and audio propaganda which contains battlefield footage, speeches and emotional songs.

Al-Qaeda and its affiliates are trying to scupper government peace efforts and isolate moderates who might favour a negotiated settlement.

By infiltrating the Taliban they aim to influence their decision-making process.

"Al-Qaeda fighters are bolstering their forces in different parts of Afghanistan," says a local journalist in Helmand who declined to be named.

"Each insurgent group has at least one or two foreign fighters, mainly Arabs.

"They help the Afghan Taliban in the planning of attacks and sometimes impose their decisions when it comes to targets or operations."

Distrust

Before he was killed in a bombing at a mosque on 8 October, the governor of northern Kunduz province, Mohammad Omar, had warned of the growing danger posed by al-Qaeda.

He said that al-Qaeda militants did not trust Taliban commanders who had begun peace talks with the Afghan government.

"Al-Qaeda recently disarmed several key Afghan Taliban commanders in Kunduz province who had held peace talks with the government," he added.

"There are dozens of foreign al-Qaeda militants in Kunduz province who are supported and helped by some members of the Afghan Taliban."

As violence increases in Afghanistan, the power balance between insurgent groups is shifting.

The Taliban grants protection, while through its network al-Qaeda provides expertise, fundraising, explosives and technological support.
A peace jirga was held in June 2010 A peace jirga earlier this year backed Hamid Karzai's plan for a High Peace Council

"Our information is that their ties are closer now," says Afghanistan's National Security Adviser, Dr Rangin Dadfar Spanta.

"A villager from Afghanistan cannot make modern bombs and suicide jackets. This is the work of an organised terrorist network which has the support of expert organisations."

Mawlawi Arsala Rahmani, a former high-ranking Taliban official and now a member of the Afghan Senate, said waging war against the Afghan government and its international partners was a "multi-dimensional phenomenon and very expensive".

"With the increasing needs, the Taliban's dependency on those who can help is also increasing," he said.

He added that the Taliban and al-Qaeda were much closer than when the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

However, some Afghans complain that al-Qaeda and its new recruits appear to have little regard for the country's culture and traditions.

"We see violations of Pashtoonwali - our traditional code of life - on a daily basis by al-Qaeda and those of us who are being radicalised by al-Qaeda," says a tribal elder in eastern Afghanistan who asked to remain anonymous.

"They have been targeting civilians, including women and children. They also carried out attacks in mosques and jirgas [traditional gatherings], the most revered institutions under the code."
Opening a dialogue

The establishment of the High Peace Council was among the main recommendations made at a jirga attended by about 1,600 Afghan leaders and tribal elders in Kabul in June.

The formation of the council in September is considered one of the most significant steps President Karzai has taken in his oft-stated efforts to open a dialogue with the Taliban leadership.

The Taliban have repeatedly rejected peace efforts saying they will not enter into talks until foreign forces have left the country.

But there are signs that a number of Taliban commanders and foot soldiers are willing to talk peace.

The challenge is how to prepare the ground for reconciliation and reintegration of the Afghan Taliban before they become even more dependant on al-Qaeda, both financially and ideologically.

Divorcing the Taliban from al-Qaeda and its affiliates is becoming one of the major headaches facing the Afghan government and its international partners.

Chile Miners!

2010-10-13T17:25:00.000+01:00

Joy as Chile miners reach surface

The first miner to be rescued was Florencio Avalos

The first 16 of 33 miners trapped underground for more than two months in northern Chile have been winched to the surface amid scenes of jubilation.

Florencio Avalos, the first to be released, was greeted by family and President Sebastian Pinera when he emerged at 0010 local time (0310 GMT).

All the freed miners are being taken to a triage centre for health checks.

The oldest of the 33, the youngest and the only non-Chilean are among those rescued to date.

The operation has run smoothly so far. Health Minister Jaime Manalich said that if working conditions stayed the same, the rescue should be completed in one-and-a-half days, half a day quicker than predicted.

The men have been trapped underground since 5 August, when a rockfall caused a tunnel to collapse.
'Gracias Chile!'

The rescue operation began shortly after 2315 local time (0215 GMT) with a technical expert, Manuel Gonzalez, being lowered down the 624m (2,047ft) rescue shaft.

Mr Gonzalez was then supposed to return to the surface.

However, a live video feed from the refuge where the miners were gathered showed Mr Avalos preparing to be winched up immediately.

A minute after the "Phoenix" capsule reached the top of the rescue shaft, Mr Avalos stepped out and was greeted by his family, rescuers and the president and the First Lady, Cecilia Morel.

Bystanders cheered and clapped, and then started chanting "Chile".

Mr Avalos gave a thumbs-up before being taken in an ambulance to a medical triage centre and then given time with his family.

The next to be freed were:

* Mario Sepulveda, who brought a bag of stones from the mine as souvenirs; he ran towards a group of rescuers and led them in song
* Juan Illanes, a former soldier who urged his fellow miners to be disciplined and organized while trapped
* The only non-Chilean, Bolivian Carlos Mamani; Bolivian President Evo Morales spoke to Mr Mamani at the triage centre
* Jimmy Sanchez, the youngest miner at 19; he had only been working at the mine for five months and had been showing signs of anxiety
* Osman Araya, who had a hugely emotional reunion with his wife
* Jose Ojeda, whose scribbled note - which read "All 33 of us are safe in the shelter" - informed the world the miners were still alive, 17 days after the rockfall that trapped them
* Claudio Yanez, who was met by his partner of 11 years, Cristina Nunez; during the ordeal, they agreed to marry
* Mario Gomez, at 63 the oldest miner, who sent up a letter shortly after the miners were found to be alive, expressing love for his family and saying that the mining company "has got to modernise"
* Alex Vega, who was met by his wife Jessica Salgado, who said earlier that she had eased his fears over debts by telling him she had cleared them
* Jorge Galleguillos, who said the journey to the surface was very smooth; "The only thing I wanted was to reach the top," he told President Pinera at the triage centre
* Edison Pena, who became known as "the runner" because he ran up to 5km (3 miles) a day through the mine tunnels to keep himself fit, even in the 30-35C heat
* Carlos Barrios, who reached the surface shortly before 1000 local time (1400 GMT)
* Victor Zamora, not a miner but a driver who had gone underground to repair a vehicle and was trapped by the rockfall
* Victor Segovia who was welcomed "back to life" by President Pinera
* Daniel Herrera, who was embraced by his crying mother as he freed himself from the safety harness

In his address, President Pinera thanked the technical experts who had made the rescue possible and said this was a night of emotion.

Recalling the devastating earthquake that struck Chile in February, he said the miners had shown that "when Chile is united, we are capable of doing great things".

"This country shows its true soul, shows what it is capable of, when we face adversity."

But the president added: "This won't be over until all 33 are out."

Mr Manalich said the health of the miners was "generally good

After their reunion with relatives, the miners are being flown by helicopter to hospital in the nearby city of Copiapo.

Outside the hospital, barriers have been set up to cope with the crowds of onlookers and journalists.

During their journey to the surface, the miners wear a "bio-harness" designed for astronauts, which monitors their heart rate, breathing, temperature and oxygen consumption. The rescue capsule is checked every eight ascents.

Officials said the first few men to be winched to the surface included some of the most psychologically stable and experienced of the miners, in case something went wrong.

Next are those who are weakest or ill, they said.

Dead Pilot

2010-10-13T17:00:00.001+01:00

Qatar Airways pilot dies in flight

Assistant pilot takes control after captain dies while flying aircraft from Manila to Doha.

The captain of a Qatar Airways plane has died while flying the aircraft from the Philippines to the Qatari capital, Doha.

The assistant pilot took control of the plane and the flight was then diverted to Kuala Lumpur where it landed at around 11.30am local time, Qatar Airways said on Wednesday.

Reports say the pilot died of a heart attack. But the company did not confirm the cause of death, or if the flight was ever at risk.

Qatar airways said in a statement that its priority "remains the comfort and safety of its passengers and staff".

Alwayz

2010-10-12T16:58:00.000+01:00

If I should stay,
I would only be in your way.
So I'll go, but I know
I'll think of you ev'ry step of the way.

And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
You, my darling you. Hmm.

Bittersweet memories
that is all I'm taking with me.
So, goodbye. Please, don't cry.
We both know I'm not what you, you need.

And I will always love you.
I will always love you.

(Instrumental solo)

I hope life treats you kind
And I hope you have all you've dreamed of.
And I wish to you, joy and happiness.
But above all this, I wish you love.

And I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I will always love you.
I, I will always love you.

You, darling, I love you.
Ooh, I'll always, I'll always love you.

Dedication to: Okunola Abiola (Miss)

Doped medalists

2010-10-12T16:44:00.001+01:00

Nigerian sprinter stripped of gold

Osayemi Oludamola loses women's 100m medal as teammate Samuel Okon also fails dope test at Commonwealth Games.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Osayemi Oludamola was stripped of her women's 100m title after a B-sample confirmed the presence of a banned stimulant.

It came on the day that Nigerian teammate and sprint hurdler Samuel Okon also tested positive for methylhexaneamine.

Oludamola had been suspended a day earlier, on Monday, pending the analysis of her second sample.

She won gold when Australian Sally Pearson was disqualified for a false start in the race in New Delhi.

Natasha Mayers, who crossed the line third in the blue riband sprint to take St Vincent & The Grenadines' first athletics medal, will be elevated to gold medallist if Oludamola is stripped of the title.

Two-year ban

Mayers herself served a two-year doping ban after testing positive for testosterone in 2005.

"We have had approximately 1,200 tests up to last night and I again regret to inform that we have had a second anti-doping violation," Commonwealth Games Federation chief Mike Fennell told a news conference about Okon on Tuesday.

Okon, who finished sixth in the 110m hurdles final last Friday, had waived the right for his B-sample to be tested, Fennell said.

Methylhexaneamine, a stimulant commonly used in nasal decongestants, was added to the banned list of the World Anti Doping Agency (Wada) for this year.

Media reports in Nigeria said Oludamola blamed a toothache remedy for the traces of the banned substance being found in her sample but Fennell suggested nutritional supplements might be to blame.

"The same substance is coming up and at this stage I cannot speak very definitively as to where it is coming from but it appears to us that it may be coming from the use of supplements," he said.

Proposin?

2010-10-11T19:21:00.001+01:00

46 Ideas on How to Propose Marriage

1. Do it the old fashioned way. Get down on one knee with a rose clenched in your teeth and the ring in your hand.

2. Have a waiter bring you her favorite dessert with the ring inside of it. (Be careful that she doesn't swallow it).

3. Take her/him to the theatre and ask the stage manager if he will allow you to come up on stage and propose after the final curtain.

4. Show up at her/his office in the middle of the afternoon armed with a red rose, a bottle of champagne and a glass with the ring in it.

5. Write "Will you marry me (name)" in chalk on the street out side your house or apartment in big letters.

6. Call your local radio station and get them to pop the question for you over the air waves at a time that you know she/he will be listening. Then dedicate a song to her/him.

7. Gather all your friends and family for drinks either at a favorite restaurant or your home and pop the question in front of everyone.

8. Gather friends and family outside his/her home waving banners with the words will you marry me on them and you standing in front of them all on one knee holding the ring. (Make sure that they get the right house).

9. Send a singing telegram to her/his workplace. Then walk in just after the song is finished and pop the question.

10. Create a web page all about your life together. Photos, places that mean a lot to you both. Send him/her the web address and wait for his/her reply and when accepted you can then send the address to friends and family.

11. Wrap a large box and fill with smaller boxes all wrapped the last box that she will come to will be the smallest with the ring inside. Or alternatively wrap a large box and fill with those tiny foam pieces and let her look for the small box inside.

12. Cut the bottom out of a very large box then wrap it. Take it to her place of work and ask one of her colleague's to go get her telling her that there is a large parcel for her. Meanwhile you climb in from the bottom and when she unwraps it jump out with the ring in hand and ask her to make an honest man of you.

13. Take her/him away for the weekend and when you are on your last day pop the question.

14. Get up extra early and prepare her/him breakfast in bed. Cook his/her favorite meal with a red rose and a bottle of champagne and a kiss to wake him/her and then declare your love.

15. Scatter rose petals all over her bed and put the gift wrapped ring in the center. Tell her that you bought her a gift to show how much you love her. When she opens it tell her that you want to spend the rest of your life with her.

16. Cook your loved one a romantic meal and place a note around the napkin like it is a napkin holder asking her/him to marry you. Or slip the napkin (use fabric ones not paper!) through the ring, when she goes to put her napkin in her lap she will find the ring.

17. Give your her a foot massage and place the ring on her little toe.

18. Blindfold him/her and take them to the place where you first met each other. Take along a bottle of champagne and two glasses to celebrate after you propose.

19. Bake him/her a cake and write on top of it Will you marry me?

20. Take out a full page ad in a paper that you know your loved one reads regularly and be close by when he/she reads it.

21. Buy your loved one a watch and have it inscribed "marry me."

22. Pour her a glass of wine with the ring in the bottom of it and when she drinks the wine she will find the ring.

23. Go for a picnic together then pop the question.

24. Propose at Christmas by hanging the ring in it's box from on the tree as if it was an ornament. Tell her to find the new special ornament you just purchased for her.

25. If you're dining in a fancy restaurant, ask the waiter/waitress to write, "Will you marry me?" in chocolate sauce around the rim of his/her dessert plate.

26. Run her a bath with scented candles, rose petals and after she is in the tub, float a rubber duck with the ring tied around it's neck in front of her.

27. Serve her oysters in bed with the ring inside the shell.

28. Write a note asking your other to marry you, place it inside a bottle. Take her/him to the beach when he/she is in the water slip the bottle in and ask them to open it to see what it says.

29. Spell your proposal out in glow-in-the-dark star stickers on your ceiling. Climb on top of him/her and wait for the yes, yes, yes.

30. Leave a trail of notes for him/her to follow and when he/she reaches the end you will be standing there with a sign or you can say "Will you marry me?"

31. Scratch your proposal into the frost on his or her car's windshield.

32. Take your partner to the beach and write "Will you marry me?" in big letters in the sand.

33. Take him/her on a sail boat ride and pop the question.

34. Leave the ring on her pillow a long with a note and go take a shower.

35. Take her/him up in a hot air balloon with a bottle of champagne and announce that'll you'll jump if she/he doesn't marry you.

36. Take her/him to see his/her favorite band and ask one of the stage crew if they will pop the question for you.

37. Plan a treasure hunt. Set the clues in place and when he/she gets to the last clue you will be standing there with champagne and a proposal they can't refuse.

38. Hire a skywriter to spell your proposal on high.

39. Hire a plane to fly a banner with your "Marry me (insert name here)" message written on it.

40. Sneak in to her home and fill it to the rafters with balloons and or flowers and in the middle sit a teddy bear holding the ring and a note asking her to marry you.

41. Propose in French the language of love.

42. Play Hangman and have the phrase be "Marry Me."

43. Throw her/him a surprise birthday party inviting friends and family and then propose.

44. Write her/him a story about your relationship. Almost like a diary with dates if possible. Then end it with the date you are going to give it to him/her telling how you proposed and that the story can't be ended until you have the answer.

45. If it's snowing write "Will you marry me?" in it.

46. Take him to see his favorite sports team playing and get the commentator to ask him to marry you.

Marriage

2010-10-11T19:06:00.003+01:00

Marriage, weddings, churches, wedding rings, these are some of the most horrifying words to men across the globe, tortured souls whose life with a beautiful woman is about to come to an end the minute he walks up the isle of a church and utters those infamous words " Do I have to? ".

The three main actions in a church when you are getting married are that you walk up an aisle, stand by an alter, and we all joyfully sing a hymm, do you get it now? The fairer sex even has ancient mystical codes embedded within a church to snare their unsuspecting men.They do this to us, no matter what we vow to our selves, they will still change us, and why, is it because we love them so much? or maybe they can see the real beauty in us and want to bring it out, or is it because we are to dopey to understand this medieval vixens stranglehold that she has over us with her bewitching powers.

Each marriage is different, each has its own personal macabre meaning to the white witch of the day, every wedding has already started the countdown to the day of reckoning, the day the white witch and her mother move in with you. It usually happens, the queen and her offspring will nest within your sanctuary, your castle has become a lair, to spawn more of their kind through you, so the cycle can start again, luring future young innocent souls into the clutches of your own demented offspring.

What is Marriage?

1) The joining of two purses, one empty and one full

2) The joining of two heads, one empty and one full

3) The joining of two souls, one arse and one rich arse

4) The joining of two workers, one in industry the other in gold digging

5) The joining of two minds, one full of air and one with no hair

6) The joining of two bodies, one with a foot in the grave, one with legs around the best man

7) The joining of two spirits, one for medicinal purposes the other is just a lush

8) The joining of two humans, one on his way out, the other is helping him

9) The joining of two hopes, one hopes to live , one hopes he won't

10) The joining of two hearts, one on drugs for life, the other a life full of drugs

Or, is it the other way around ??

Is marriage the mans attempt to get the woman to be their own, to have and to procreate with when ever we feel like it, in sickness they must look after us because we act like we have the Black Plague when we really only have a cold, till one of us pops our clogs from overworking, hopefully its not me. Is this really what we want, a woman in our lives to darn socks and do the washing up? Is this our way of getting out of doing the washing or making the bed? Like having a vicious pet on a lead and we are trying to train her.

Strange

Do we understand that bringing a woman into our lives can provide us with even more complications, we could start the third world war just by leaving the toilet seat up, heaven help us if we walk mud over a freshly cleaned floor, and what do we do with our secret in the closet blow up dolls, you know if you try and use it it will be deflated quicker than a beach ball on a cactus. Out go all the lovely friends that were girls, no more stay overs with five in the bed, you six pack will begin to turn into a keg, and your nuts will begin to swing like pendulans from a grandfather clock.

Whatever the purpose of marriage, at one time or another, most of us try it at least once, some like it enough to try it seven or eight times, some just get married to kill off their wives one at a time and become a world famous serial killer, what ever the reason, it is beyond me.
Common marriage proposals

1) You're what? have you taken the test?

2) Is it mine?

3) So do you want to or what?

4) Pleeesh marry meh, annd gesh me anuvvver pint luv?

5) Look, are you going to marry me or do I have to ask your sister?

6) She is only a friend, you know I love you

7 ) Interpol are after me, I need a new identity

8) How much will I save on tax returns?

9) How much will I make per child?

10) Gosh I think your mother is fit.

Love thee

2010-10-10T11:11:00.001+01:00

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Nadal wins Japan Opens

2010-10-10T11:07:00.001+01:00

Nadal wins Japan Opens

World number one Rafael Nadal thrashed Gael Monfils 6-1 7-5 to clinch the Japan Open title in Tokyo.

The 24-year-old Spaniard was in imperious form and did not concede a single break point in the match on his way to his seventh title of the season.

Some brutal hitting from the baseline helped Nadal secure the first set, finished off with a ferocious forehand.

Frenchman Monfils fought hard in the second set but was broken in the 11th game and Nadal served out for victory.

The match was all over in only 77 minutes as Nadal bounced back from a semi-final defeat in Bangkok last week to secure the 43rd title of his career in a year when he has won Wimbledon, the US Open and four tournaments on clay.

The Spaniard made short work of the opening set as he outclassed his opponent, who he has now beaten in seven of their eight meetings.

Monfils, who survived a fright when he took an early tumble and turned his ankle, raised his game in the second set - a highlight being two returns from two Nadal overheads in the 10th game.

But in the next game, a net cord gave Nadal break point which he converted with a sliced backhand return floated down the line.

Nadal wrapped up the match with a big serve to the body and he celebrated by striking a gunslinger's pose as a packed crowd of 10,000 erupted in cheers.

The nine-time Grand Slam winner, making his debut in Japan, spent 20 minutes with fans, signing everything from baseball caps to teddy bears before he left the court.

Man U Debt

2010-10-10T11:03:00.000+01:00

On the face of it, Manchester United's annual financial results look terrible.

A club-record loss of £83.6m, a slowing in revenue growth due to a disappointing season on the pitch and a whole raft of expensive and complicated debt costs.

But look beyond the headline figures and United remain the strongest financial performers in the Premier League.

At the operating level - what accountants call EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation) - United generated a "cash profit" of £100.8m, an increase of £8.7m from 2009.

And despite being knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage and finishing second in the Premier League behind Chelsea, United still managed to increase their revenues.

United's problem has never been generating cash. And under the Glazers, United have become even more successful - although critics would argue part of that is down to increasing ticket prices.

The problem with United is what the club spends that cash on. And opponents say that too much of it is spent financing debts used to buy the club in 2005.

It is certainly true that United turned a £100m operating profit last year into an £83.6m loss because of a mix of ongoing and one-off debt costs.

Manchester United reported a £80m annual lossManchester United reported a record annual loss of £83.6m

First of all there was £42.3m in annual interest charges.

In February, United refinanced their senior debt by issuing a £500m bond repayable in 2017.

This was done to fix the club's annual interest payments for a longer period to ensure financial stability. It was also done to allow the Glazers to draw cash from the club, if needed, to pay off their expensive PIK loans, which now stand at £220m and are incurring interest at a rate of 16.25% annually.

Under the terms of the bond, the Glazers can draw up to £130m from the club to pay off the PIKs - even though they were not taken out on the club.

The results show there is still £163m of cash in the club's bank account, a clear indication that no money has yet been drawn down to pay off the PIKs, but many analysts and fans fear it is only a matter of time until that happens.

On top of the £42.3m in interest charges on the club, there is another exceptional interest charge of £40.7m. This is the cost of terminating a so-called interest-rate swaps deal which the club had as part of their old bank finance arrangements. In simple terms, United hedged their interest rates but got burned because they failed to predict they would fall as low as they have in the credit crunch and economic slow down.

United have already paid around £15m of this cost and will pay the rest off over the next five or six years and - while they acknowledge it is a hefty bill - they claim it will eventually be offset by the better terms of the bond.

The second and less serious interest cost relates to a foreign exchange loss linked to the bond issue, which was offered to investors in both Britain and the United States. Because of this part of the bond will need to be repaid in dollars.

At the time when the bond was taken out, the dollar was much weaker compared to the pound ($1.62 to £1). But by 30 June, the end of United's accounting year, the dollar had strengthened ($1.51 to £1) meaning that if the bond had to be repaid at that point United would have lost £19.2m.

However, United do not have to pay the bond back until 2017 and so no cash has left the business. Indeed by 2017, the dollar could be weaker than at the point the bond was issued - meaning United could actually save money.

Despite all those caveats, it remains the case that none of these charges would exist if it wasn't for the fact that United was bought by the Glazers with debt, some of it on extremely punitive terms.

Since the Glazers took over, they and the club have incurred more than £450m in interest charges and debt-related payments. To be clear, that doesn't include the actual sums borrowed, which stand today at £741m - including £220m of PIKs and the £521m club debts.

But it does include all fees to lawyers and bankers, penalties related to refinancing, loans to the Glazers, the PIKs interest and annual interest charges. To put that into context, those debt payments are £150m more than the price agreed by John Henry to buy arch-rivals Liverpool.

And it is this which so angers fans opposed to the Glazer regime.

Andy Green, a financial analyst and blogger on United's finances (andersred.blogspot.com), said: "It's an absolute tragedy for the fans because we have this football club which pays its own way and which through the strength of the business and through fans coming through the gates could have the cheapest seats in the League or marquee signings every year.

"Instead, almost half a billion pounds in five years has been paid to bankers, lawyers and the Glazers."

When I spoke to David Gill, the United chief executive, I put it to him that fans will be anxious when they see the club has made a record loss.

"Yes, the headline figure is a big number but you have to go back and look at what caused that," he said.

"If you strip out the one-off costs, we are still generating significant profits at the operating level to cover the bond costs going forward."

That may be so. But the big question for United now is how do they continue to grow the business?

In the five years since the Glazers took over, United's revenues increased by a staggering £127m.

And while commercially, United will continue to reap the rewards of their worldwide strategy, elsewhere it is hard to see how they can make more money.

Unless they break the collective sale arrangement in the Premier League, any major growth in television revenues will be difficult and there is little scope to increase the capacity of Old Trafford.

They could put up ticket prices again but that would be extremely controversial and unless they can guarantee winning the Champions League and Premier League each season, it is hard to see how they can emulate the growth of the last five years.

On the costs side, interest charges under the bond will be £45m a year from next year and players wages and transfers are unlikely to come down in the near future. So where is the growth going to come from?

When the Red Knights were looking at raising the money to launch a bid for the club earlier this year it was reported the Glazers would only sell for £1.5bn, arguing there was still huge potential for growth.

But if Liverpool's sale is the best and most recent example of market value then it is easy to understand why the Red Knights dropped their interest. Liverpool's operating profit last year was £35m, meaning the club would be sold for roughly 8.5 times that amount.

If that same equation was used for United (operating profit £100m), it would value the club at £850m - way short of the Glazers' supposed asking price.

Comparsions with Liverpool are perhaps a bit unfair. They are in a desperate mess in the boardroom, out of the Champions League and in the relegation zone of the Premier League. Despite having similar wage costs to United, they generate a fraction of their revenues.

But even if one uses the more generous multiple of 10 times operating profit then United's value would still only be £1bn - £500m less than the Glazers' price.

The latest financial results will only strengthen the resolve of those United fans calling for the Glazers to sell up and move on. But the prospect of a sale at Old Trafford still seems a long way off.

Africa:50 yrs

2010-10-08T22:39:00.001+01:00

Africa: Fifty years of In-DEPENDENCE?

October 1, 1960: Nigeria gains independence from the UK and the country's new government is formed from a coalition of several conservative parties[GALLO/GETTY]

August 20, 1960: Senegal becomes independent from France and is seen as a model for peaceful leadership and democracy in Africa [EPA]

August 11, 1960: After an independence movement led by the first premier and president, FranÃ§ois (Ngarta) Tombalbaye, Chad achieves full independence [GALLO/GETTY]

June 30, 1960: DR Congo gains independence from Belgium, and is renamed Congo-Kinshasa, but Belgian troops were still in use until 1964, helping to put down uprisings [EPA]

April 27, 1960: First colonised by Germany in 1894, Togo, is granted independence by France with Sylvanus Olympio as the first president [EPA]

Mr. Taliban

2010-10-08T22:33:00.001+01:00

When the Taliban calls, pick up
Is the limited coverage of the Afghan war in the US a symptom of life in an American "republic of fear"?

There is a saying, I may be twisting it in the retelling, to the effect of what you do unto others will be done onto you. These thoughts come to mind as I wrestle with a dilemma that seems to be worming its way out of the soil of a country at war overseas and with itself.

Earlier this week, I received a friend request on Facebook from one Abdullah Musafir. He identified himself as from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. His wall was filled with Islamic proverbs and reports on the killing of Western forces and battles with “cowardly terrorists,” i.e., NATO, Afghan soldiers and US troops. There were references to the destruction of “puppet” police vehicles and the use of IEDs.

Clearly it was Taliban propaganda, a side of the war we rarely get in any unfiltered form, as opposed to our propaganda that routinely comes our way on TV and in the press. Theirs is crude; ours is much slicker. Is any of it credible?

Yes, there are also some excellent and gutsy US correspondents there who try to tell the truth, and that truth seems to be we are not winning.

When reports from the battlefield appear in the print press, there is usually some background like reports that military units worry about hostility from the people they are ostensibly there to defend.

General Petraeus speaks of facing an “industrial strength insurgency.” He is reported to be welcoming reports that Taliban commanders want to talk with our Karzai regime. That is supposedly a good thing, maybe the only way out of Afghanistan. (Of course, we want them to talk only on our terms as in lay down your arms, pledge loyalty to Karzai’s corrupt government, and then, and only then, can we talk.)

Now, Karzai has handpicked a 70 person ‘peace panel’ stacked with anti-Taliban personalities. Independent Afghan analyst Maritine van Bijlert believes it will go nowhere, saying, "he is not interested in substantial talks." That is no doubt why Washington is said to be supporting this phony 'initiative.'

Insurgents should be seen, and not heard

The Taliban has just denied they are talking to a government they claim has no support, so this whole effort may be a deception to try to boost world opinion and divert attention away from the pervasive corruption and a losing war, as in, see, 'we are trying negotiations too!'

At the same time, our corporate media just regurgitates the one-sided nonsense we have come to expect. You never hear from the other side or even international observers who are not gung-ho US backers.

As Fairness And Accuracy (FAIR) points out, “The escalation of the war in Afghanistan is treated as something that cannot be debated (see the Sunday chat shows) or as the only thing that might save the women of that country (see Time magazine's recent propagandistic cover).”

When these same stories air on TV, they become classic “bang-bang” war coverage of US troops shooting at the enemy and fighting bravely, The assessments of their performance often lacks background and context. One Afghan province looks like another. Our atrocities are rarely reported.

The assumption seems to be that if you get information from the enemy”, you become the enemy. Huh? Two Al Jazeera journalists were recently jailed for talking to the other side—but then released. This shows the information control focus that is part of our “Perception Management” strategy.

It is not working with 60 per cent of the American public now opposing the war.

Even as the Obama administration expands the use of brutal drone attacks that so often kill civilians, over Pakistani objections, and Petraeus threatens to expand the war into Cambodia, oops, Pakistan, without Congressional approval, it’s déjà vu stalemate all over again.

Guilt by association

But does that mean that American journalists like myself shouldn’t talk with or write to or even “friend” someone on the other side? I recently asked this question on my Facebook “wall” seeking advice from the people who have opted to “follow me.”

I was amazed when my request for advice triggered 58 comments. Many were genuinely concerned about my safety. Some thought I was going there, others worried that it could lead to an outrageous FBI raid, as are taking place in the Mid-West, or being put on the No Fly List. One suggested I could be in Gitmo by Christmas.

Apparently, guilt by association is alive and well. You can easily become an “enemy” if you have the wrong friends. Big Brother is back, if he ever left.

Many warned that we have no real online privacy especially with the Obama Administration threatening to monitor, and, when think necessary, shut down the Internet. (Wasn’t Joe Lieberman the first to recommend the practise already followed in China and other countries?)

This paranoia and blow against freedom is being fed by what political scientist Michael Brenner calls a “phony war,” writing that, “warnings are sounding about the growing menace to the US homeland from "homegrown terrorism." A recent Congressional Research Service purporting to quantify that increased risk has created a stir. All this angst needs to be placed in dispassionate perspective. America stills lives in an acutely anxious post-9/11 state.”

Republic of fear

I keep thinking of a book written about Saddam’s Iraq called “Republic of Fear.” That title could be applied to a book about the USA today.

So what to do about Abdullah, the holy warrior in Afghanistan and a wannabe “friend?” If I friend him does that make me a Taliban supporter?

I decided to write him to tell him that rather than become “friends,” he could send me his “news” via email and so, he will be in the company of so many others like Newt Gingrich, the Tea Party, The Repugs, The Minutemen, The Birthers, The Birchers, The Israeli hardliners, the Mosque Marauders et.al. who just love to inundate/litter my in-box with their “urgent communiques” forcing me to waste time hitting delete.

He wrote back inviting me to visit their website, but warned that it is often hacked. I wonder who would have the means and the motive to do that? We can’t ignore what such a powerful force is saying.

Fascinating that this should occur as the new Facebook movie opens nationwide.

I don’t have to see it. I am living it.

Yu' Hear?

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Love thee

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Mr. Taliban