Tuesday, 29 October 2013

NORTHERN GIRLS ARE JUST IT.

                                                             

 

 

 

The fact that northerners are the most beautiful is somewhat incontestable
all those silverbed MBGN i go just dey laugh


If not for cultural and religion desciplines for Northern  ladies no other tribe will ever sniff MBGN should they come out to display their body on the screen and sleep with several men.

But Islam is too beautiful to tolerate such sleaziness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 








 

On Monday Oct. 21st, US Republican Senator Ted Cruz told a rally that Nigerian email scammers have 
 been hired to run the Obamacare website, a comment that a lot of Nigerians found offensive. After being bombarded with several phone calls from Nigerians in Houston and all across the US, the office of Ted Cruz has issued a statement from the Senator apologizing for what he said.

 
The full statement reads:
 
It’s unfortunate that we’re living in a time where just about every joke can be misconstrued to cause offense to someone.
To the good people of Nigeria - a beautiful nation where my wife lived briefly as the child of missionaries - no offense was intended.
I am fully appreciative of the range of mutual economic and security interests that make Nigeria an important friend to the United States.
And even to those few unscrupulous email scammers who were the subject of the joke, I apologize to you for the unfair comparison to the utterly dysfunctional Obamacare website.

Something from the Soccer World



                                             






                                         
INDEED SIGNS OF END TIME.


 11 strange men in black robes at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge yesterday Sunday October 27th during the Chelsea vs Manchester City clash.

Goal.com reports that the hooded men, who had mysterious circles on their chest, were seen making curious synchronized movements at irregular intervals during Chelsea's 2-1 win, while they also stood in unison at random moments.
Situated three rows back from the corner flag at the Shed End, the gang could be clearly seen on TV cameras beaming pictures of the crunch fixture all across the world

Thursday, 24 October 2013






 Nigerian women like to go traditional when it comes to weddings, cultural or religious ceremonies.  Some also prefer to cover up according to their religious beliefs. Whatever the choice a woman makes, she should know what suits her best and how to put it together to look beautiful and elegant



Amina sambo its all about Modesty


 


  


Amina Sambo: Conservative and Beautiful
There is no denying the fact that Her Excellency, Hajiya Amina Namadi Sambo, wife of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a very beautiful lady.She is also very conservative in dressing. Despite her position as the number 2 Lady of the nation, she is all about being moderate and anywhere she goes, whether it’s a State function home or abroad, Amina Sambo projects the image of a woman who is confident with herself and what she wears.

Dressing modestly is a challenge in today’s world and as a religious woman who knows the importance of being decent at all times, Hajiya Amina Sambo encourages Nigerian women to dress decently and modestly in order to secure their respect in the society.

Her Abaya


It comes as no surprise that the Abaya is popular with Hajiya Amina Sambo. Abayas are a sort of cloak worn over clothing by some women in Islamic areas such as the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, and North Africa, and now become very popular among women in Nigeria. The loose garment is part of dressing modestly, as set forth in the Quran. Abayas may be all black and plain, or they may be colourful with decorations and embroidery.

Practicing what she preaches, she wears the Hijab and is living proof that you can look beautiful and fashionable, yet decent when you are all covered up.




 Sarah Jibrin: It’s All about Tradition






When we talk of women who love anything that is traditional, then we have to mention Dr Mrs Sarah Jibrin, the four-time presidential aspirant, now Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values.  She definitely stands out in any traditional attire made from Ankara, lace or jacquard which she is often spotted wearing. Without being told, one can see that she is proud to wear them anytime, anywhere.

A Nupe and indigene of Patigi, Kwara State, perhaps what Sarah Jibrin apart is her penchant for keeping her clothes simple and uncomplicated with the native iro and buba(wrapper and a loose neck blouse, usually with long sleeves). The style originates from the Yorubas but has also been adopted by the Nupe’s.  She completes this with her edeko and gele, a woven two-piece cloth used as a wrap and headtie.

Her Black beads
As with a lot of Nupe women her age, her love for black beads cannot be mistaken. Called enyigi or ankaaka in Nupe, these are Sarah’s favourite piece of jewellery; her outfit is never complete without the long traditional bead and earrings set. They are simple, made from glass and have been a popular accessory with older Nupe women for centuries.

WOMEN ARE BETTER ADMINISTRATORS












Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon (Mrs.) Omotayo Oduntan, is a two-term member, who believes in the active participation of women in politics. Senior Reporter, ANTHONIA SOYINGBE, was with her in her office at Assembly complex recently, where she spoke on different issues.

Treating cases that have to do with Violence Against Women (VAW) is in her portfolio. Little wonder she was one of the participants at a seminar organised by the United Nations on the ills of VAW in the society. After exchanging pleasantries with this Amazon, who represents Alimosho constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA), the first question our reporter posed to her was her understanding of VAW since she deals with the subject on a daily basis.

Her response that bright Monday afternoon was: “VAW is not just an issue of beating up a woman; it goes beyond that. It is so disheartening that violence starts from the home. Parents believe that a male child is superior to female and some parents still do not see their female children as important. They believe that it is the responsibility of a girl-child to do house chores.

“We make the girls feel inferior, while we consciously or unconsciously make the boys feel superior. All these are happening from the home. These acts make girls feel they are second-class citizens right in their homes. Violence starts from home and it goes beyond a man beating up his wife.”

She has been politicking since 1979 and is of the opinion that politics, unlike what many people say, is not a dirty game. Rather, many politicians make it dirty through their corrupt practices.

“I don’t believe politics is a dirty game; rather, I tell people that it is we that make it dirty.  I encourage people to stop complaining about bad government policies. Rather, they should also come to play their own part towards the development of our society. The good thing about women’s involvement in politics is that men will support you as a woman once they know that you are capable,” she said further.

Though many women, according to different researches, love to get themselves involved in politics, violence and tales of immorality in different forms also make them distance themselves from the murky waters of politics.  Some of the things that scare women off from full time politics is the belief that politics is associated with violence, which I don’t believe, because, since I started, although I have seen violence around me, I have never been a victim.  Women also don’t believe they should take risks with their money, but you have to take risks in all profession.

“Women, who would want to go into politics, should have courage.  It is not everyday you hold meetings. We are usually very busy when campaigning; that is the busy period. After the campaign, everything slows down and you have time for your home. The major problem we women usually have is our spouses. Most men do not encourage their wives to venture into politics; but things are changing these days.  Women perform better in every ramification. They would like to help many people, considering them as their children.

“So, it is better when women go into politics. You gain experience along the line. You learn to be patient; you hardly get annoyed. We are human and you get to mix with all sorts of people who you will like to deal with in very humane manner. It is even good for a home when a woman goes into politics. The husband gains experience down the line also. I advise that husbands should allow their wives go into politics,” she explained, adding that women are better administrators than their male counterparts, as they put in motherly instinct to whatever they do.

Mrs. Oduntan started her career as a teacher. Thereafter, she quit to seek an elective post in 1990. Although she was not given the ticket then, she was not deterred. Rather, she pressed further through diligence until she was given the go-ahead to contest the LAHA seat in 1999. And she won. She was once the vice chairman of her party at Alimosho Local Government.

While growing up, she lived in Kano, very close to the late Aminu Kano’s residence. She got inspired by the way the late politician attended to people who flocked his residence on a daily basis.  “There and then, I decided that I will affect my generation positively by participating in politics and making good policies, which in turn, will affect lives positively,” she said.

Though, according to this lawmaker, she is happily married, Sunday Independent, during the cause of the interview, learnt that she still bears her maiden name. This sounds strange. When asked why, she chose to do that, with pride and a very sense of fulfillment,  she said with smiles: “I know what my father invested into training me, hence I honour him by still answering my maiden name. My father treated all his children, both male and female, alike. I had a wonderful time growing under the watchful eyes of my father.”

She sounded like a happily married woman who enjoys her husband’s unflinching support in her career. When the question about her home was posed to her, like one waiting for it, she giggled and responded: “My home is fine and very okay. Though my husband is not a politician, he supports me and he encourages me. My children are grown up; my husband takes over when I am not at home, all because, he believes in what I am doing. He is my number one supporter.”

As if that wasn’t enough, this woman who grew up in a large polygamous family prided herself as a dutiful wife, who still fulfils her marital obligations, including preparing her husband’s meals. Hear her: “I don’t allow anyone to cook for my husband because that is my duty, and I don’t think it is right for me to delegate such a duty to someone else.”

An experienced politician, who seems not to be intimidated by her male colleagues, she has an advice for aspiring women politicians.

To them, she said: “In going into politics they should be sure of themselves and what they actually want. Politics is a very good thing and you meet lots of people. I hardly get annoyed now because politics has taught me that you have to be patient and attend to different types of people from time to time.

“Politics has helped me to be a better woman. Once you are sure and really convinced that you want to serve people, I think the right place to be is in politics. Persistence and patience will help you achieve your objective”.


Thursday, 10 October 2013

Smart people, stupid people, and budget politics

Smart people, stupid people, and budget politics

The media's job is to inform the public, but when it comes to the US budget, they obfuscate.

Last Modified: 08 Oct 2013 11:42
Dean Baker

Dean Baker is a US macroeconomist and co-founder of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research.
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Polls show that Americans are very confused about the budget and greatly overestimate small areas of spending [Reuters]
Doing policy work in Washington, I tend to be around people who are highly educated and think of themselves as very intelligent. Many of them think of ordinary Americans as being stupid and ill-informed. After all, they understand little about politics and the government; in their view this reflects a lack of intelligence.
It would be great if everyone were smarter (especially the people doing policy work), but the problem of an ill-informed population has at least as much to do with the failures of the highly educated people as the failures of the masses. Nowhere is this more obviously the case than with the federal budget.
Public opinion surveys consistently show the public is terribly confused about the budget. They hugely overestimate relatively small areas of spending, failing to recognise that popular programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid account for the largest portion of the budget, along with military spending.
For example, a 2011 CNN poll found that the typical person thought foreign aid accounted for 10 percent of the budget. The actual number is less than 1 percent. They thought public broadcasting accounted for 5 percent of the budget. The actual number is 0.012 percent. There were several other items where the typical person overestimated spending levels by a factor of 100 or more.
Rather than laughing at the stupidity of the average American it might be helpful to ask why such misperceptions exist. One obvious answer is that the media almost never reports the budgets for these programs in relation to the overall budget.
Blame the media
When a typical person hears that the government spends $445m a year on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, they are likely to think that this is a lot of money, since it is way more than most people will ever see in their lifetime. Almost no one has their nose in the budget books, so they are not able to recognise that this sum is just a bit more than one-hundredth of one percent of the budget.
The same is true for other categories of government spending. People hear huge numbers and think that programs involve lots of money, because to them these sums would be lots of money. They are not in a position to assess the importance of a program to the federal budget.
This raises the obvious question: Why don't reporters express spending as a share of the total budget? Most people understand percentages. If they heard a reporter say the appropriation for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was just over 0.01 percent of federal spending, they would know that this is not a very big item in the budget.
If Paul Krugman can be misled by budget reporting, does anyone really believe that a typical reader is being accurately informed?
The same would be true for other categories of spending. Would the Republicans spend as much time pushing their plan to cut food stamps by $4b a year if everyone knew that this was just 0.1 percent of the federal budget because it was reported as 0.1 percent of the federal budget every time it was discussed?
Or to take a slightly older example, when he ran for president in 2008, John McCain repeatedly highlighted as an example of government waste a federal appropriation of $1m to construct a museum for the Woodstock music festival. Would this museum have made as good a political prop if news accounts always referred to the sum as 0.00003 percent of federal spending? Whatever one thinks of the museum, no one should have been misled into believing that this expenditure was even close to being an important item in the federal budget.
The absurdity of the current method of reporting budget numbers is that everyone knows it is awful. No reporter thinks that most of their readers understand the huge budget numbers that appear in news articles, especially when it is often not even clear the number of years involved. In fact, the budget reporters even managed to fool Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman about the size of the Republicans' proposed cut to food stamps by not making it clear that the number was for 10 years and not one year. If Paul Krugman can be misled by budget reporting, does anyone really believe that a typical reader is being accurately informed?
There is no excuse for not expressing budget items as a share of the total budget in every article where they are discussed. The purpose of the news media is to inform, and it is not accomplishing this purpose now. This is a shift that requires zero money or training. (The Center for Economic and Policy Research has a budget calculator that allows the calculation to be done in seconds.) There is no one employed as a reporter at a major news outlet who would have any trouble using percentages in their pieces, if this was the standard.
So the story is really simple: the public confusion stems from incredibly incompetent budget reporting. The masses may or may not be stupid, but when it comes to knowing the relative importance of different items in the budget, the finger of blame should be pointed at the people who think they are smart.  
Dean Baker is a US macroeconomist and co-founder of the Centre for Economic and Policy Research.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.
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