Serena Williams wins 5th Wimbledon Title

Serena Williams

It's been such an inspiration watching Serena blast her way to the Wimbledon 2012 shield. What she lacked in agility she made up with her ferocious service. 

Agnieszka Radwanszka

Centre court saw an emotional Serena almost loose it in the third set. However she found her golden hand once more delivery some powerful serves before breaking Radwanszka's service twice on the trot. 

Serena Williams

It is her 5th Wimbledon Title in 12 years. 5 of the other 7 have gone to her sister Venus who was knocked out in the 1st round of this years women's singles

Serena and Venus are due back on court to contest the women's doubles title. Sometime later today.

Central Bank set to launch New Nigerian Currency

Breaking News...Central Bank of Nigeria might in the near future be releasing a new currency....

Rumour has it that it would be called the Farouk. With 620,000 Farouks being equal to one Baban Barawo. It's Symbol will be the letter F  It is still unclear what the exchange rate between the Dollar and the Baban Barawo will be.

Happy birthday America....Gods' own Nation

Happy Birthday America....its been 236 years since we granted you independence...My, what a long way you have come. Big congratulations America. You set an Example.

Time called on Casino boss, Diamond.

There has been one accusation after another about wrongdoing in the banking sector in the United Kingdom. The most talked about being the PPI scandal that has raged on for quite a bit. Even as banks are still involved in paying out customers who were wrongfully forced to pay extra on loans they took out. Now we have the Euribor (European InterBank Offered Rate) and Libor (London InterBank Offered Rate) scandal. The funny thing is that these scandals always get blown open years after it had happened. It does beg one to wonder what scandal is going on at present, how big is it and when it is going to be found out. 

Bob Diamond .......out

I guess people got a bit frustrated especially with Bob Diamond. Barclay's CEO. You see, looking from the outside you have to think that Bob Diamond has always been one of the good guys. He was always at the fore front of the Whistle blowing process. Always looking to cut the quick deal.  He was always the first to own up and say this and that has happened at my Bank, we take full responsibility and  are willing to face the consequences. The fact is, it so happens that the penalty is always a fraction of profits raked in from the said deed. I mean if I made a profit of £2 Billion in 5 years over a particular endeavour, paying out £250 Million in fines and Penalties was a real bargain. I think they always had this in mind before they would embark on any such path. So like typical bankers they will weigh the odds, weigh the likelihood of a penalty and try to calculate what the penalty would be and then its business as usual. 

Some referred to him as a Casino boss, running his bank like a Casino. One thing was clear though, he had the swag and he had the looks and his books suggest he also had the tact. He would definitely be missed. Lets face it, in this day and age no bank can really survive going by the books. You have to be able to have you own definition of the phrase;  Honest Banking. 

You know in years past when you heard the words Bank Robber, you visualize a man wearing a black balaclava with a gun carrying a sack of bank notes and dashing down the street out of a bank with sirens blaring behind him and policemen bearing down on him. These days the picture has somewhat changed. You see, the guy in the Balaclava is actually a banker, running towards the banks with a sack full of money tricked out of the poor and needy. Behind him there are politicians racing to cover his tracks. Further down from the politicians you have a mob of angry people screaming and crying for justice.  

London is undoubtedly one of the most lucrative financial hotspots on earth. A fact which gives it's financial institutions some very serious clout. The Banking sector in the United Kingdom is Primarily its biggest export.  This fact left it a little bit too exposed to the global financial crisis and so it was imperative the Government got involved in some way making sure that the industry this side of the river did not go down or did not even seem to be going belly up. 

For ones Barclays has been made to pay something other thank meagre fines for its consistent nefarious acts. The fact that it sacked a couple of traders and paid a few pounds in fines did not seem to cut it. In a way it is a good thing that Bob did indeed step down. If only as a starting point. I do not think Bankers would be deterred though, not until they see one of there own behind bars playing checkers with a more conventional old school bank robber. I can't help but imagine what they would talk about.   

Mohammed Morsi Sworn in as President of Egypt

Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi has been sworn in as President of Egypt. A week after he was declared winner of the run-off elections.

President Mohammed Morsi

Egypt for a few days tittered on the brink last week as the then ruling military council kept on stalling when it came to releasing the results of the election.

Today Egypt saw their first ever democratic elected President assume office.

Tablets, Nexuses, Microsoft Surfaces and Big Massive Android Phones....

The Latest addition to the tablet craze: Enter the Microsoft Surface and Google Nexus 7. Seeming response to Apples iPad and the Android lot. 

Coming late to the table it seems Microsoft's main aim was to announce that it was still very much a force to reckon with when it comes to Information Technology. The truth be told,  they most certainly are. Did they need to come up with a Tablet? I don't think so. Although you never could tell. Fact is,  if you do not retain a noisy presence on the world stage when it comes to cutting edge Technology you could swiftly be regarded as being in a way synonymous to the phrase; old fashioned. A possibility which is becoming increasingly likely with Microsoft. 

Microsoft Surface

Becoming Old fashioned though does not automatically mean you capitulate and die, it just means your franchise becomes valuable history. The good old days some would say. A shiny Brand Name generating next to nothing in revenue. After 50 years or so you would then be promoted to the league of "Old School".

As for Google, they always want a bite of whatever seems to be the brightest idea in this giant cauldron of Technology Junk that has become the 21st Century. 

Google Nexus 7

Below are the specifications for the Microsoft Surface. Compared to Apple's iPad which is listed in like fashion further below.

Surface for Windows RT

OS: Windows RT

Light(1): 676 g

Thin(2): 9.3 mm

Clear: 10.6” ClearType HD Display

Energized: 31.5 W-h

Connected: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae

Productive: Office ‘15’ Apps, Touch Cover, Type Cover

Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand

Configurable: 32 GB, 64 GB

Surface for Windows 8 Pro

OS: Windows 8 Pro

Light(1): 903 g

Thin(2): 13.5 mm

Clear: 10.6” ClearType Full HD Display

Energized: 42 W-h

Connected: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae

Productive: Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block

Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand

Configurable: 64 GB, 128 GB

Apple's iPad;

High resolution Retina display 2048x1536

Voice dictation

Faster processor A5X Quad core

5 megapixel iSight rear camera; autofocus; face detection

HD video recording at 1080p

4GLTE; 21Mpbs HPSA+ and LTE at 73Mbps

AT&T and Verizon will be the carriers

10 hour battery; 9 hours on 4G

9.4mm thin

1.5 pounds

Colors available in black and white

Price starting at $499..

Make your choice. Though, given the fact that all you are going to do is carry this for a couple of days, take a couple of pictures and some word processing before it becomes luggage, I would advice you to spend well.

iPad

Blackberry Tablet

I wonder what bite Microsoft and Google would take out of this very apple looking pie chart.

Mission Impossible 6.....Katie Holmes files for divorce.

In what is promising to be a thrilling but sad movie involving the American Justice System versus the Scientology oriented community of Hollywood, word has it that recluse couple Tom and Katie have assembled on the wrong end of the aisle. 

Katie Holmes has this morning the 29th of June filed for divorce from her husband and Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise. 

Tom Cruise

Their Marriage has always been dogged by rumours of unhappiness with friends and ex-friends of Katie Holmes pointing accusing fingers at Tom Cruise as the sole source of the unhappiness. Accusing him of being overly domineering and controlling. They have always been a particularly reclusive couple so little of what had always been said could be verified. 

It is not clear at this time who would have custody of their daughter, although it is almost certain that Katie would. Unless, of course if she is deemed unfit by the courts. A probability which is very likely, I must add. 

Katie Holmes

This is the latest high profile divorce following the Kardashian Torpedo. Reports are still sketchy with regards to reasons....

D'Banj Nails it in Hackney...

Tune maker and Sway master D'Banj absolutely nailed at the Hackney Music Festival which saw big acts like Leona Lewis and Jay Z thrill the crowd.

D'Banj was no exception. He is such a unique talent always seeking to punch above his weight and never lets his fans down.

Dapo Daniel Oyebanjo A.K.A  D'Banj

Currently signed on to Kanye West's G.O.O.D music label he is slowly carving out a niche for himself on the world stage.

At some point though it is going to be all about more strategy and less enthusiasm...I hope he delivers when the time comes calling..

ooooossshhhheeeeeeyyyyy!!

Zidane turns 40...

Ex- Real Madrid Play maker Zinedine Zidane turns 40 today. Winning over 15 trophies for club and country in a career spanning 24 years. He also picked up a total of 45 personal laurels...which included 1 Ballon D'or and UEFA Champions League best player of the past 20 years.

Zidane

Zidane was a footballing phenomena, with very few glitches in his long career. Though one cant't help but remember the infamous head butt with which he floored Marco Materazzi in the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

It is a big Happy Birthday to Zinedine Zidane, he was always a pleasure to watch.

Security shake-up....

There has been a big Security shake up in the highest echelons of the Nigerian government. A few months after stating that Boko Haram has representatives in all the arms of government General (rtd) Andrew Owoye Azazi finds himself out in the cold after being dropped by President Jonathan. Dr. Mohammed Haliru the Minister of Defence was also dropped. These recent spate of events are not unrelated to the serious insecurity that has besieged the nation in recent times.

General Azazi

General Azazi had seemed increasingly unable to cope with the flood of recent attacks all across the northern part of the Nation. To be fair, he received little support from within or without the Government. The Guillotine was always going to drop. It was just a matter of when. Well it has dropped and once again President Jonathan made an obvious choice. A northerner who seems to have considerable influence in the North.  

Dr. Mohammed Haliru

Meanwhile Col. Sambo Dasuki has been brought in to replace General Azazi. Dr. Haliru's replacement is yet to be nominated by the President.

Col. Sambo Dasuki

Humans will always adapt.

If birds learn to fly without stopping, hunters will learn to shoot without missing...Humans will always adapt....

Shafiq set to be named Egyptian President...

Ex-Mubarak Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq is set to be named the next Egyptian President.

Ahmed Shafiq

A crumbling nation.....

Viewers discretion is seriously advised.....images of utter carnage, death and destruction. Do bear in mind that though this pictures are very upsetting at the same time they are the actual lives of people at this moment in time. They need your prayers and voice.

Lets hope it does make a difference.

Once again viewers discretion is advised.

Egypt in Dangerous Limbo....

SCAF

Egypt is still in a state of uncertainty as its ruling Military leaders have once again delayed the outcome of the Presidential elections. It's been a topsy-turvy last few weeks which saw previous elections nullified and power placed firmly in the hands of SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces). It’s a dangerous state of affairs and people are beginning to wonder how this would eventually end.

It is possible that both candidates could be disqualified and some interim government installed just like IBB did to Nigerians.

The reluctance of SCAF to handle things in a transparent and credible manner has inadvertently drawn people to the two Presidential Candidates, creating tension and a somewhat polarized atmosphere. On one hand people are faced with a somewhat docile Mubarak man who qualifies somewhat as the Devil they know

Shafiq - Mubaraks' former PM

and on the other hand the candidate representing the Muslim brotherhood, a group whose motives are shrouded in secrecy and who are seen by some to have hijacked the Egyptian revolution. With the somewhat dismal human rights in most counties under Sharia law and system of government people are getting increasingly worried and wary of them.            

Mursi -  Candidate representing the Muslim Brotherhood

Whatever the case may be, SCAF seems to have another card up their sleeves as everyone holds their breath as they prepare to play it. Despite the fact that they have virtually stripped any incoming President of most of his powers they still seem pretty unwilling to cede any power at all, no matter how small to an elected official. Let’s hope we have seen the worst of the Tahir rising.

Mubarak - there and back again

Nigerian Government pulls off $16 Billion dollar Heist....

President Jonathan

The Jonathan administration has successfully pulled off a $16 Billion Dollar Heist with fuel purchases that never were.

How do you pay for an item 10 times over without realising it. I mean if it was all in one large payment you could say I mistakenly dropped all the money in or maybe I mistakenly added too many Zeros. When you actually keep writing cheque after cheque and disbursing funds after funds to pay for the same item over and over, then one could be forced to deduce that there is something horribly wrong. 

Mr. Abati....Spokesman (he does speak)

If you worked in a bank, you would be thrown in jail for losing a hundredth of that. In a school the same fate would await you. In a church you would be shackled to the alter. Even if you worked with a bunch of no good illiterates who can't spell their names, I am sure they would realise something had gone horribly wrong.

Well, our dear President Goodluck Jonathan spent N2.6 Trillion Naira ($16 Billion) For an Item that was supposed to cost N245 Billion ($1.5 Billion). It defies belief. How do you loose $16 Billion without realising it. Loosing $10 Billion in a single Calender year could bring a country like the United Kingdom to its knees. Yet in an impoverished nation like Nigeria, one man has been able to misappropriate $16 Billion. 

HOW!!!!!! 

Adding insult to injury, he decided to set up a panel to investigate who he gave the money to. Now, he has decided that the panel has become slightly too independent and now seeks to discredit it. I wonder, what planet we live on. It's not as if he took the money from a group of Billionaires who can afford to get over it. No, it was taken from the mouth of hungry children. From Children dying of one ailment or another. From Starving families and failing hospitals. From a police force badly in need of equipment and training. From an educational sector that is slowly grinding to a halt. From an aviation industry that is now a death trap. From the Ministry of works and housing who cant afford to repair their roads and pay for health services to provide for the sick and dying. From all these vulnerable and utterly harmless people he took that money from.

President Goodluck Jonathan has just broken a world record by Hauling off $16 Billion in one calender year. Loosing $16 Billion Dollars in America or Britain in a single calender year is enough to start another chain reaction that could bring the world economy rocking to its knees once again. 

It's way past a misdemeanour or a felony. It borders on treason. It is a direct attempt to cripple the economy of a struggling nation. An attempt to make it vulnerable to all sorts of things. How else do you explain this.   

No one has been questioned by the police, no one has even been invited to be questioned by the police. No one has made a statement to the whereabouts of $16 Billion Dollars. From the looks of things no one will.

Those Children would just have to die of preventable ailments, Those fathers would just have to go home to their wives empty handed. Those policemen would just have to hide behind their desk and run for cover when a robbery is taking place. Just so some thief and his son could ride down the street in the latest cars and flashiest wears.  

A year ago we thought we had moved into a bright future, now we are just realising that it was actually the brief quiet before the inevitable plunge into utter oblivion.

God Save our Souls.

Carnage as Usual Sunday Bombings go on.

It's 2pm now, like I said in my earlier post news is now trickling in of the latest Terrorist attacks on churches in Northern Nigeria.

Two Churches in Zaria Kaduna state have been bombed, a third is presently under attack as I post this. Eight people have been confirmed dead.

Two militants involved have been lynched to death by an angry mob.

It has become a weekly event in Northern Nigeria where every Sunday Militants candidly select what church or institute to attack and then proceed to rain absolute carnage on it.

They now act with total impunity. From all indications the government had decided to accept these spate of mindless attacks as part of life in everyday Nigeria.

The press briefings, police investigations and condolence from the President and Governors have all dried up. It's now all about burying your dead and moving on with your life till next Sunday.

These conditions have left the country in a position were it is gingerly tittering over an abyss of total chaos.

God Save our Souls.

Nigerian University attacked by Militants

News emanating from Okada, Edo State has it that Igbinedion University has come under sustained attack by Niger Delta Militants. The sheer ferocity of the attack has left reports of students being hacked with machetes and cars being burnt.

Calls are at present going out to state security agents to go to the rescue the students who have been barricaded in. One of the girls’ hostels has also been broken into. There has been talk of a series of kidnappings.

If you do know anyone who can help, do well to speak out ASAP.

What a frightening way to start a Sunday. It used to be just the usual bombings of Churches weekly now we have this. I guess by 2pm we would know what Church gets their turn to be bombed today.

What a Country. God save our souls

Money Laundering: US Freezes Nigerian Embassy's accounts.

Prof. Adefuye, head of Nigerian Embassy (Culpable)

The Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC  and Consular office in New York have had their bank accounts frozen. Bank of American, M&T  Bank and Wells Fargo responded to a directive from the Government of the United States to have the said accounts frozen after some transaction were flagged.

The Decision stemmed from an intelligence report generated by a panel comprising The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the US Department of Justice and the Treasury Department who had placed a monitor on wire transfers and transaction involving the embassy.

It is thought that a sum of about $3.6 million has entered and left the accounts in under a month. The latest of which was a $50,000 lump sum withdrawn by a top embassy official over the last few days.

Efforts by the United States Government to get some clarity on what the money was intended for proved abortive and hence the said accounts were frozen.

This has left the embassy in a precarious state unable to pay its staff and carry out it's normal duties. Auditors  have been scrambled and are presently on their way to Washington DC to help resolve the situation.

The Nigerian Embassy has so far failed to provide information with regards to these transactions and have instead resorted to hint at a retaliatory action with regards to the United States Embassy in Nigeria.

This is a disgrace beyond measure and the latest whiff of acrid smoke spewing out of this ominous cesspit of corruption that the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been reduced to.

The head of the Nigerian Mission to the United States Prof. Adebowale Ibidapo Adefuye has yet to provide information of any sort to clarify this issue, his finance attaché Mr. S.A. Salami has so far been unreachable by either email of telephone. 

The new faces of heavy weight politics.

The sound of the underlying current of confusion and cat fights in Abuja is beginning to be felt on the surface.

You see,  It's never wise to have too many powerful people in close proximity to each other. 

This fundamental fact when it comes to the human race is just beginning to dawn upon President Goodluck Jonathan. 

On one hand he has a Minister of Finance working to get things sorted out in order to add an extra point on her CV so as to bolster her chances for her next job whatever it may be, on the other hand we have a Minister of Petroleum who can't count in Naira and who seems to be at a loss with regards to the workings of the Ministry she heads. Coupled with this, we have a Minister of Aviation whose sole experience about an aircraft is how to fuel it. 

Point is Mr. President keeps nullifying each positive step he takes by making an ultimate blunder in another appointment which takes us one tidy step back into limbo. 

You do not hire one Minister to tidy up your books and then hire another Minister whose sole livelihood depends on your books remaining untidy.

1) ex-oil Magnate and current Minister of Aviation Princess Stella Oduah-Ogiemwonyi who strangely enough has not been mentioned in the infamous Fuel Subsidy Saga. 

Minister of Aviation...or should I say Minister of Aso-Rock Air-force.

2) Minister of petroleum who always appears constantly confused and out of her depth Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke. Our dear minister always seems to have severe difficulty in simple arithmetic especially when it comes to adding things up in Naira. maybe we should adopt the Dollar.

Minister of Petroleum. .... constant perplexity.

3) Minister of Finance Professor Ngozi Okonj-Iweala.. Economic Power house who was as quick to abandon Nigeria as she was quick to abandon the world bank. So we all know it wasn't Patriotism that brought her down here. A fact which has somewhat diminished her clout. All the same, she still does wield quite a punch.

Minister of Finance. constantly being stifled by corrupt heavy weights

4) Last but not least in anyway, we have our Minister of Waka About. Dame Goodluck Jonathan. who seems to have got the gist of super-model to caring mother and supporter of women virtues the wrong way round. So we find ourselves stuck with a first lady aspiring to be a super model.  Who even has her own  dictionary of Queens English or should I say Dames' English.  

  

Minister of Waka About.

Abuja is slowly grinding to a halt, under policies and appointments such as these. At its helm we have a man desperately trying to unclog it's motor which is being choked by persistent corruption.

God Save our Souls.

Air Nigeria Grounded........it's Routine, said the government.

Air Nigeria...Serious concerns reported

The NCAA (Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority) has today 12/06/2012 confirmed that it has suspended with immediate effect Air Nigeria's operations.  Citing normal procedures. Mr. Sam Adurogboye NCAA's public relations General Manager said it was routine to have the Services of a Sovereign States national Airline suspended after a brief strike.   

I do not know what planet he thinks we live on, one thing is clear though. It is evident he assumes he is addressing a bunch of illiterates. It is becoming a trend with the present government. They just assume that if everyone in government is a Muppet it should follow that everyone outside the government should be a puppet.  Two weeks ago the Presidents' spokesman said the President couldn't say Amen after a prayer session because he had used up all his Amens. Today we have Mr. Adurogboye saying he suspended the National Airline because it was routine procedure to do so after a strike. I must say he does relate well to the public.

A few days after a serious disaster you decide to suspend the country's National carrier and want us to believe it's routine. Well I am prepared to believe anything as long as you take the proper steps to fix or trash that flying trash-can. 

Customers and some staff of Air Nigeria over the past couple of months have voiced very serious concerns with regards to Air Nigeria. One gentleman calling it a Flying coffin. Well, I am glad that the government has seemingly decided to look into it. We all know it was a disaster waiting to happen. 

Thankfully and most hopefully this serious concern is being addressed appropriately.

Nigerian Airways...Defunct.