NEW NOKIA N900

The Nokia N900 is a touch
screen and slider phone that
has a QWERTY keypad. It is
also Nokia's fist phone that
runs Maemo5, a Debian Linux-
based operating system that
can run on computers and
phones and it may end up
being the only Nokia phone
with Maemo5. This leads to
the question is the N900
worth the purchase?
One thing I like about the
N900 is the fact that it has a
keypad. I really hate touch
screens (eat your hearts out
iPhone folks), so the fact that
Nokia was smart enough to
provide the slide out
keyboard is an excellent
choice on their part.
However, one must point out
that the N900's touchscreen
is very responsive. The
colour quality is also very
good, and the screen
resolution (800x480) is an
excellent choice. This brings
this phone well into computer
range (most netbooks use
that resolution natively).
The sound quality of this
phone is unbelievable. The
speakers which are located
on opposite sides of the
phone are something, and this
quality makes it a great
phone for listening to music
or quickly watching that
downloaded video.
Unfortunately, Zain's
connection did not allow me
to see what a streaming
video would look like.
Like any good Operating
System should be, it is easy
to customise Maemo5. This
made it easy for me to put
different applications in
particular orders on
different homescreens. The
N900 has 4 by default which
also means that you can have
multiple programs open and
switch between them easily.
Think of it as the equivalent
of Alt+Tab on your PC.
Web browser
One of the killer apps for me
is the in-built web browser.
Based on Mozilla, it is called
MicroB, and unlike certain
other platforms (iPhone and
Android I mean you), it has
support for Adobe's Flash. If
you are a news junkie, you
will find the inbuilt RSS
reader to be a very useful
tool. Just export your XML
file from your computer and
import here, or better still
subscribe directly to your
favourite news sites and
everything comes to you with
ease. Unlike in most other
smartphones, the web
browser recognises the
phone as a desktop computer.
This means that when you are
going to Facebook for
example, you get the full site
instead of the striped down
mobile version. But the
downside to that in the
Nigerian environment is that
I had to keep paying more
money to Zain for Internet
connection. It might make
more sense with MTN's
mobile Internet package.
The phone's application
manager is easy to use.
However, I think that
Android's Marketplace is
some steps ahead. Again it
did not seem to have as many
applications as the Android,
which definitely means that
the iPhone has more
applications than it does.
Unlike my Android, however, I
did not have to start
scrounging for FM software
as the phone's music player
has an inbuilt FM transmitter
which allows you to listen to
stored music in your car on
the move.
Impressive storage
Speaking of storage, the
inbuilt storage on the N900
is impressive. It comes with
32GB split into three
partitions. 2GB is mounted as
home, 768MB is reserved for
swap space, and the
remainder, a princely 27GB
(remember this is a phone) is
reserved for storage. Now,
that is something.
One great advantage that the
Blackberry has over this
phone is that setting up email
accounts on this phone for
push mail is not at all
intuitive. I gave up after
some attempts, but to be
honest since I was just
testing the phone, maybe I
did not try hard enough.
Another thing I did not really
dig is the size and weight of
the phone. If I was the owner
of the handset, I'd be
tempted to stone a Lagos bus
conductor with my device. He
would certainly know that he
had been hit by something.
Back to the earlier question,
is the N900 worth the
purchase?
For an infinitely large phone
book where you can store
contact details, working
bluetooth, infrared and USB,
and a 5 megapixel camera
where pictures can be geo
tagged, and a battery life
that the manufacturers claim
is up to 9 hours of talk time;
the only reason not to shell
out N66, 000 at the Computer
Village, Otigba, Ikeja, Lagos
is that our mobile service
providers don't give us
enough bandwidth to make
this phone really fun. If they
did, it is worth having.

======================
Go get urz at any Nokia shops around u.

NEW HOLLYWOOD MOVIE: KNIGHT & DAY.

In this action-comedy Tom
cruise is a covert agent sent
on a mission he was never
meant to complete, and
Cameron Diaz is a woman
caught between the agent and
those he claims set him up. As
their globetrotting
adventure erupts into a maze
of double-crosses, close
escapes and false identities,
they come to realise that all
they can count on is each
other.

Date Of Release: August 6th 2010


======================
Go get urz.

ZAMFARA STATE DEPUTY GOV'S WIFE, IS DEAD!!!

The wife of the deputy
governor of Zamfara, Hajiya
Aisha Moukhtar, is dead.
Hajiya Moukhtar died at
Daula hospital in Gusau on
Friday after a brief illness.
The late wife of the deputy
governor, who died at the age
of 28, left behind one child
and her husband.
She had since been buried in
accordance with Islamic
rites.


======================
R.I.P !!!

NUPENG WORKERS CALLS-OFF THE 21days OLD STRIKE.

The National Union of
Petroleum and Natural Gas
Workers (NUPENG) on Friday
called off its strike after
talks with the government
and other interested parties.
NUPENG had commenced a
strike July 20 after the
expiration of a 21-day
ultimatum. They cited the
deplorable state of the roads
in the country as one of the
reasons for the strike.
A statement in Abuja on
Friday from the Ministry of
Labour said the meeting was
attended by Mr Emeka Wogu,
Minister of Labour and
Productivity, Mr Chris
Ogiemwonyi, Minister of
State for Works, Igwe Achese,
President of NUPENG, and
Babatunde Ogun, President of
PENGASSAN.
Also at the meeting were
Elijah Okougbo, General
Secreatry of NUPENG, Bayo
Olowoshile, General
Secretary of PENGASSAN,
Udom Inoyo, Chairman of Oil
Producers' Trade Section and
Peter Odoji of the NNPC.
The meeting agreed that a
technical working group on
casualisation and contract
staff in the oil and gas
industry would be
constituted. They also agreed
that NUPENG should
nominate two members into
the roads monitoring team of
the Federal Ministry of
Works.
The statement said that
client companies in the oil
sector should ensure that
their contract employees
were not denied the right to
take part in union activities.

=======================
Weldone!

SOUTH AFRICA STATE WORKERS VOWS TO SET AUGUST 10th FOR A ONE DAY STRIKE.........

More than a million South
African public sector workers
plan to strike on Tuesday and
demonstrate throughout the
country in what could be a
prelude to prolonged
industrial action in Africa's
largest economy.
The government raised its
pay offer to civil servants on
Thursday to try to avert the
strike, but it was quickly
rejected by the unions.
"More than 1.3 million public
servants will on Tuesday
take part in marches and
demonstrations right through
the country leading to a total
shutdown of the public
service," the largest
umbrella labour group,
COSATU, said in a statement.
"There is a very strong
possibility that by the end of
the week, we will be
embarking on a larger
strike," said Sizwe Pamla,
spokesman for NEHAWU, one
of the COSATU unions.
Analysts expect more
sparring in the coming days
but say a deal tilted in the
unions' favour will be
reached to head off a repeat
of the mass action by civil
servants three years ago that
damaged the economy.
Workers who have
threatened to strike include
customs and immigration
officers, police, health care
staff and teachers.
The ruling African National
Congress has a longstanding
alliance with organised
labour forged in their
struggle to end apartheid
and has almost always bowed
to union demands.
President Jacob Zuma, who
relied on organised labour to
rise to the country's highest
post, will be under pressure
to find a solution that
satisfies unions or he could
face a backlash at the ANC's
policy-setting meeting in
September, which is one of
the party's most important
events.
POLITICAL SOLUTION?
Sakhela Buhlungu, an expert
on organised labour at the
University of Johannesburg,
said the government could
try to reach a political
solution by talking to union
leaders.
He said the government had
misread the amount of anger
among unions who feel Zuma
has not done enough to help
them.
"The strike will force them
(the government) to scratch
around and find money
elsewhere," Buhlungu said.
The Public Service Ministry
had said in a statement it
was prepared to increase
salaries by 7 percent, after
previously offering 6.5
percent.
Union officials said the
government had increased its
offer of a 630 rand monthly
housing allowance by 20
rand.
Unions have been demanding
a wage increase of 8.6
percent -- double the current
rate of inflation -- and a
housing allowance of 1,000
rand, which would put
pressure on the state budget.
Unions need to convince the
public that civil servants are
underpaid and deserve the
raises or risk losing support
from taxpayers who feel the
money they pay government
for services is being wasted
on needless salary hikes,
analysts say.
The government says the
combined demands amount to
a rise of 9 percent and make
it all but impossible to fulfil
a commitment to bring the
budget deficit down from 6.7
percent of gross domestic
product.
Spending on personnel is the
largest sector of the budget.

======================
Wahala dey!

2BABA BUILDS A FIVE STARZ HOTEL IN NIGERIA.

Multi talented superstar,
Innocent Ujar Idibia, a.k.a
2face Idibia is reportedly
building a hotel in the
Federal Capital Territory,
Abuja. Sources have it that it
is one of the biggest projects
he is working on at the
moment.
According to a close
associate of Idibia who does
not want his name mentioned,
the hotel in question is
currently gulping millions of
naira. He said further that
the whole idea of owning a
hotel started when 2face
held his 10th anniversary
celebration in Abuja. He got a
land gift from one of his
numerous admirers and after
making consultations with
close friends, he decided to
erect a hotel on the parcel of
land. Our source couldn’t
reveal further the state of
the hotel now because he has
not been there in a while.
One may have no cause to
doubt this privileged
information because Idibia
himself loves properties to a
fault. Aside the properties he
has invested in including one
he is currently staying in
Festac Town, Lagos, it was
alleged at a point that he got
a house gift in Abuja from
former Presidential
aspirant, Rochas Okorocha.
Rhythms & Sounds put a word
to 2face’s managers but they
denied knowledge of the
hotel. 2Face himself is yet to
return to the country after
his performance with Mario
in London on July 30, 2010.

=======================
2BABA NO LÉLÈ!

SEN. David Mark Seeks For The Extension Of NIGERIAN YOUTH SERVICE CORPS To Two Years.

The Senate President, David
Mark, has called on the
federal government to
elongate the one year
compulsory National Youth
Service Scheme to two years.
He made the call in Abuja
when he addressed the 125
National Defence College
(NDC) participant's course
18 graduates and their
directing staff. He said the
additional one year should be
devoted to military training.
Mr Mark argued that the
current three-week
orientation program is "just
inadequate." He suggested
that, in addition to the
military training, the first
year should also be devoted
to training the graduates in
discipline, national interest,
values and inculcation of
patriotism, ideals of
nationhood and development.
"I believe that when we get
our national interest and
values right with proper
discipline among the youth
and commitment to our
fatherland, the ingredients
needed for national survival,
and the malaise in our
society would have been
erased," he said.
Nigeria currently practices a
scheme where all graduates
of tertiary institutions
below the age of 30
compulsorily give one year of
service to the nation. The
corps members are posted to
a state different from their
home state and state of
residence. The scheme was
initiated after the civil war,
to encourage national
integration.
Defence university
The Senate President also
called on the federal
government to upgrade the
NDC to a defence university.
He argued that the
achievements of the NDC and
its curriculum meet global
standards for a university,
and have adequately
prepared the institution for
the upgrade.
The National Defence
College was formerly the
National War College and the
Senate President was one of
the founding directing staff
of the institution at its
inception in 1992. He was
also part of the lawmakers
that amended the act
establishing the NWC to NDC.
"We don't need war, but a
strong defence force that
would propel national
development," he added.
He also called for adequate
funding of the armed forces
to back up our democracy,
saying, "A strong democracy
requires strong defence." On
the recent amendment of the
constitution, Mr Mark said
the National Assembly has
fulfilled one of the cardinal
promises made to Nigerians
at its inauguration in 2007.
"We started with electoral
reforms because it will form
the basis for free, fair and
credible elections Nigerians
are yarning for."
Eight other African
countries: Togo, Lesotho,
Ghana, Republic of Niger,
Chad, Sierra Leone and
Zambia participated in the
intensive military and
academic program that
lasted 47 weeks.

======================
Na wa ooo!

The 2010 Glorious SUPER FALCONETS, Receives University Scholarship As Their REWARD!!!!!! WHERE IS THE MONEY?

The Falconets who returned
from Germany where they
were engaged in the
expedition to honour Nigeria
at the FIFA Under-20
Women’s World Cup arrived
to the end of a rough deal
yesterday night at the
Presidential Villa where all
they got for their efforts in
reaching the final was a
promise of scholarship.
Received, with a sumptuous
late dinner, by the First Lady
of the country, Her
Excellency Dame Patience
Goodluck Jonathan, the girls
were looking askance as they
found out all they were going
to get was scholarship to the
university level, which many
of them do not know if they
were going to be able to make
use of.
Expecting the occasion to be
the night to herald an arrival
of sorts for them, the girls
seem lost in thought when the
question of happiness was
thrown at them last night
after the dining had ended.
Every one of them talked to
asked for anonymity, and
none had a pleasant word for
the Federal Government; one
said: “Must it be the wife of
the president to receive us
because we are females? I’m
sure if the Super Eagles had
got to the semi-final of the
World Cup in South Africa,
they would have been met by
the president.”
Another asked: “Are you sure
this is the end of it? Are they
saying I should put my
training aside now and
concentrate on gaining
admission to school. Didn’t
anybody tell them that to
even continue in this game
after attaining this level
that we need money to buy
our equipments?“
Rather than address the
welfare of the girls post
their near complete success
after the World Cup, the
Nigeria Football Federation
was busy with the political
side of the game with the
NFF Acting President, Alhaji
Aminu Maigari using the
whole night to put the lie on
reports that the Federal
Government and the National
Sports Commission were
interfering with the day-to-
day management and
administration of football in
the country.
Speaking at the reception
organised for the Falconet at
the Presidential Villa Abuja,
Tuesday night by the First
Lady Her Excellency Dame
Patience Goodluck Jonathan,
Maigari said the present
administration at the NFF
has been receiving
tremendous support from the
Government and has nothing
to complain about. The
Nigerian team won the silver
medal at the just concluded
FIFA U-20 World Cup. They
lost 2-0 to host Germany in
the final.
Maigari said of his non-
interference campaign:
‘‘Contrary to assertions and
impression in some quarters,
the Government has not been
meddling in the day-to-day
running of Nigeria football.
Instead, what we have been
receiving is support, co-
operation and valuable
advice where necessary. We
wish to assure the
Government that we have
nothing to complain about.
We are in close collaboration
with Government on all
matters and this is good for
the overall benefit of the
game.’’
Maigari went on o commend
the First Lady for her
support, which he said had
helped the team in so many
ways to become the first
Africa team to play in the
final of a FIFA organized
football championship. The
NFF president also commend
Her Excellency, Hajiya Amina
Sambo, wife of the Vice
President and the
Honourable Minister/
Chairman, National Sports
Commission, Hon. Ibrahim Isa
Bio
‘‘The Honourable Minister
deserves plaudits for the
way he has brilliantly
overseen the sports terrain
since coming into office. We
commend him for this
constant support and
understanding. We equally
praise the efforts of the
Director General, NSC, Chief
Patrick Ekeji and Director of
the NSC toward development
of football in Nigeria.’’
Conclude Maigari
======================
To me, this is 50% ok!

Olawale Oladimeji Oladipo , a Nigerian student in U.S.A, KILLED!

Olawale
Oladimeji Oladipo was a
kind hearted and
vivacious 25 year-old
student of the University of
Missouri in Kansas City,
majoring in Economics. He
had only two more semesters
to graduate with a
bachelor’s degree in
Economics.
Friends and relatives said
that he was a faithful born
again Christian, who
followed the teachings of the
Bible with a passion. He was
already engaged in Nigeria
to his family approved
sweetheart, and had planned
to marry her right after
graduation on his return to
the motherland. But fate
would frustrate a well
coordinated projection of
events.
On that fateful early
Tuesday morning, between
midnight and 3.30 am,
workers at McDonald fast
food restaurant discovered
the body of a man found dead
in the parking lot. The corpse
was later identified by
police to be the body of
Oladipo. Police have not yet
revealed how he was killed,
but they are investigating
the occurrence as homicide.
According to the family, he
left home a few blocks away.
But they don’t know how he
ended up at the destination
where he was found dead. He
was employed as Correction
Officer in Jackson County.
His goal was to save enough
money and return to Nigeria
in December, where his
fiancée was waiting for him
to get married. The police
are appealing for
information and anyone who
has any should call the TIPS
hotline.
His family has opened a
memorial fund in his honor:
After he was killed about a
fortnight ago in Grandview,
Missouri, his remains were
interred at the Dwayne
Harvey funeral home
cemetery in Grandview.
His tragic death brought
together the perceived
polarized Nigerian
community, pouring out their
hearts during the funeral
service and prayer session
held on his behalf. There
were 25 eulogies, each one
representing each year of his
life as fitting
commemoration of the rising
star. His life was
prematurely ruined by an
unknown gunman or gunmen.
The editor of
Sharpedgenews.com
Oladimeji Abitogun spoke
emotionally of the deceased
short-lived life that was
well spent. One of his
professors at the University
of Missouri described him as
extremely cultured and
respectful. Even though he
was in the US, he followed
and extended the courtesy of
the typical Yoruba culture by
prostrating to greet his
elders, regardless of the
occasion and the diversity of
people present.
He was a passionate
sportsman and ardent
football lover. His favorite
scripture displayed on a
plaque on his wall was: ‘For
God so loved the world that
he gave His only begotten
son.”
Kansas police are
meticulously trying to piece
together whether the death
was a gang related mafia or
one masterminded by
recalcitrant prisoners at the
prison correctional facility
where he was employed:
responsible for Oladipo’s
mysterious death. But there
are more questions than
answers at this point in the
progress of the
investigations. The deceased
is survived by a colony of
grieving and destabilized
extended family and a host
of friends.
=======================
R.I.P!

Medical Nurse, kills a 10-year-old girl in LAGOS STATE.

Mrs Comfort Adeoye,
popularly known as Iya
Emman, is a house hold name
in Momudu Street around
Iyana-Ipaja and its environs
in Lagos. Reason? She is a
nurse by profession and owns
a medicine store, where
those who are sick normally
go for medical attention
because her charges are
affordable compared to what
obtains in well established
hospitals.
Reports say all was going
smoothly for the 35-year-old
mother of two until two
weeks ago, when a 10-year-
old girl died in the process
of administering medication
on her.
The primary five pupil of
Alagba Primary School,
Agege, identified as Esther
Lawrence, met her untimely
death after she was injected
by Mrs Adeoye.
Esther’s mother , a widow,
who resides in the same
compound where Mrs
Adeoye’s chemist shop is
located, was said to have
called the nurse to
administer drugs to her sick
daughter on July 22, 2010.
The nurse on examining her,
was said to have confirmed
that Esther had malaria and
thereafter, gave her two
injections. But rather than
alleviate the situation, it
aggravated it, as Esther
reportedly started behaving
funny and breathed her last
even before she could be
rushed to the hospital
A mother’s lamentation
Narrating her ordeal to the
police at Dopemu, the
bereaved mother, Mrs
Victoria Lawrence who is
still recovering from the
shock of the death of her
husband, lamented, “ Where
do I start from? Who do I tell
my agony? That a child that
promised me she would live
to pay me the dividend of
parenthood some day is
gone..?
Late Esther Lawrence
“Esther came back home
from school on Thursday hale
and hearty until the next day
when she complained of
being feverish. I wanted to
take her to the general
hospital but a neighbor
suggested that I should take
her to the chemist shop in
front of our house since that
is where majority of the
residents in the area are
treating their children”
Madam Adeoye had listened
to what she apparently
assumed to be words of
wisdom but little did she
know that her singular
obedience to popular voice
was going to open another
wound in her heart.
Continuing, the staff of Blue
Cross Hospital Ogba, said,
“When the nurse came, she
injected Esther and tried to
give her the second injection
when my daughter started
convulsing. She went ahead
and injected her again”
The visibly traumatized
mother told the police that
before the anti-malaria
injection was given to her
daughter, Esther was weak
owing to her inability to eat .
According to her, “ I gave her
a bottle of soft drink before
she took the injection .
But after the second
injection, my daughter
became cold and I gave her
tea to drink but there was no
improvement. At a point, I
noticed she was stiff and I
rushed to call the nurse.
When she came, she said my
daughter needed to take a
drip and that it will cost
N1,000. However, I became
apprehensive when she
informed me that she could
no longer treat my daughter
and that I should take her to
the hospital”.
Esther as gathered, was
rushed to Popoola Hospital
where she was said to have
been referred to another
hospital. Unknown to the
widow, her daughter was
rejected because she was
already dead. It was
gathered that it was in the
process of taking her
daughter to another hospital
that she noticed she had
given up the ghost. Looking
dejected and confused,
sympathizers quickly
collected the remains of her
daughter from her and took it
back home.
Killer nurse flee home
The news of her demise as
gathered, spread to the
vicinity before the widow’s
arrival, where the nurse was
said to have shut her shop
and fled, apparently to avoid
being lynched by mob,
following claims that her
injection allegedly sent
Esther to death.
Weeping, Esther’s mother
further lamented “ Esther
was a brilliant girl. A girl I
was looking forward to her
becoming great in life. I
struggled to ensure she went
to school so that her father’s
family members would not
say I refused to send her to
school. Her thought will
forever linger in my
memory”.
The arrest
Meanwhile, the intention to
evade police arrest did not
last for long as Mrs Adeoye
was later arrested by the
Police in her hideout. She
was said to be briefing
detectives at the Homicide
section of the State Criminal
Investigation Department
(SCID), from where
detectives said she would be
charged to court if found
culpable. However, the
remains of Esther has been
deposited at the Isolo
General Hospital’s mortuary
for autopsy.
======================
R.I.P