ENTERTAINMENT BITS...

At a world press conference held in Lagos on July 15, the coalition of major associations in the Nigerian music industry has begun the mobilization of stakeholders throughout the country for the commencement of an indefinite mass hunger strike to draw the attention of the world to the intolerable amount of piracy that is devastating the music industry in Nigeria. The mass hunger strike is planned to commence on August 25. As a prelude to the strike, there will be an important rally of stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry at the premises of the National Theatre, Lagos at 10.00am on August 25. The rally will offer an opportunity to artistes and investors across the industry to network and devise strategies to frontally attacking the piracy scourge that is plundering the Nigerian entertainment industry. Further to the hunger strike, the coalition has resolved that a powerful delegation of industry stakeholders will proceed to the National Assembly in Abuja on September 1 to express the frustration of the industry over the lukewarm and ineffective attitude of the government to attacking the piracy cancer that is fast eating away the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of Nigerians and destroying the Nation’s image. The coalition is also requesting all broadcast organizations in the country to show solidarity with the plight of the Nigerian entertainment industry by observing September 1, 2009 as “NO MUSIC DAY”. Consequently, broadcasting stations across Nigeria are requested not to broadcast music between the hours of 6 am and 6 pm on September 1. Artistes across the country are also requested not to engage in any musical performance on “NO MUSIC DAY”

US singer Chris Brown has been sentenced to 180 days' community labour and five years' probation for assaulting pop star Rihanna. The 20-year-old R&B star pleaded guilty in June to beating Rihanna, his former girlfriend, before the Grammy awards in Los Angeles in February. The judge said Brown must do physical labour, not community service, and attend domestic violence counselling. Brown must also stay at least 100 yards from Rihanna for the next five years. The judge said violation of the terms would be taken "very, very seriously". Brown said nothing at the sentencing other than to acknowledge he understood the terms.


Madonna fans are being urged to stay away from her forthcoming Sticky and Sweet tour date in Bulgaria by the country's Orthodox Church.Church of Bulgaria officials have accused the star of showing a "lack of respect" for church rituals. They expressed their "disapproval and disagreement" with her planned show this Saturday in the Bulgarian capital. The concert, at Sofia's Vasil Levski Stadium, is expected to be attended by about 50,000 people. Saturday is also a day of lent for Orthodox Christians marking the beheading of John the Baptist.

NEWS BITS...

The Economic and Fiancial Crimes Commission (EFCC) say they are preparing to act against business tycoons who have failed to pay back billions owed to banks.The move comes with the expiry of a deadline for those owing money to return it to the troubled banks. The government was forced to rescue five banks and sack their entire leadership teams last week to save the banks from collapse. Some senior bankers are in custody but two chief executives are on the run, they are Mrs Cecilia Ibru and Mr. Erastus Akingbola. The pair are wanted in connection to allegations of money laundering, insider trading, capital market manipulation and abuse of credit process. Controversially, the special fraud office is also hunting down the debtors. Last week the central bank governor shamed some of the wealthiest people in Africa by naming them for not paying back massive loans. Anti-fraud officials say some of the money has been returned, but huge amounts remain outstanding.
The deadline for repayment expires at midnight on Tuesday August 25, 2009.
Many legal experts say that debt is a civil matter and that the terms of the original loans still apply. They have questioned the legal basis of any further arrests.

Veteran US Senator Edward Kennedy, the brother of former President John F Kennedy, has died at 77, after a long battle with a brain tumour.He became a Democratic Massachusetts senator in 1962, replacing his brother when he resigned to become president, and was re-elected seven times. Senator Kennedy was a dominant force in US politics for almost 50 years. President Barack Obama, of whom he was an active supporter, said he was "heartbroken" to hear of his death. Senator Kennedy had championed issues such as education and healthcare, central to Mr Obama's first term.


The French police have uncovered a cache of weapons and explosives allegedly used by the Basque separatist group, Eta.The weapons dump, in southern France's remote Herault region, included pistols, explosives and detonators. French and Spanish police have been working together closely following last month's bomb attacks on the island of Mallorca and the Spanish mainland. French officials said the weapons discoveries had "dealt a very big blow" to Eta's supply network. The find is the 12th uncovered since 19 August when three suspected members of the group were arrested.

Iran has not expanded the number of centrifuges enriching uranium at its nuclear facilities since the end of May. But they said there had been an increase in the number of centrifuges installed and that they could be brought online within weeks. It is not clear whether the slowdown is due to technical or political reasons. Centrifuges spin uranium hexafluoride gas to produce enriched uranium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran has been given until September by the UN Security Council to end its uranium enrichment programme or face tougher sanctions. The West suspects the country is secretly trying to develop nuclear arms, while Tehran insists its programme is entirely peaceful.

Wow!! it's been a long while.....

Guys and Girls, it's been some heck of a reformation out here. thank God i could survive such. well it's good to be back, dong what i know how to do best..... i must say i miss u guys really. alright i'm back on the blog and we might just start to bring on interesting issues soon which definitely would attract global attention.
some cool stuffs have popped-up and definitely would be serving you with the best of them all...trust me.
i urge you to stay with me as always and let's get on to a nice ride!!!

MTV Africa Music Awards....

MTV Africa Awards 2008
One of America’s finest rappers, Nasir Oludara Jones, popularly known as Nas, has confirmed full participation at the prestigious MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain (MAMAs).Nas, formerly Nasty Nas will be visiting Abuja for the first time and will have an amazing opportunity to thrill guests at the awards night, reeling out rap songs from his rich platinum collections.According to Zain’s Chief Marketing Officer, Norman Moyo, other artistes that have confirmed participation at the awards include Kelly Rowland, The Game, Florider, Cassete, HHP, Jozi, Samini, Juacali, Naeto C, Asa, 9ice, Ikechukwu, 2face, P-Square and D’banj.The Awards, which will hold at the Velodrome, Abuja, on Saturday, 22 November, 2008 will be broadcast on MTV base (DStv Channel 322, GTV Channel 40), partner networks and terrestrial television channels such as AIT (Nigeria), STV (Nigeria), RTGA (Democratic Republic of the Congo), TV3 (Ghana), NTV (Kenya), TBC (Tanzania) and WBS (Uganda), from 29 November 2008.


Michael Jackson Faces Court CaseMichael Jackson could be made to fly to the High Court in London to testify in a breach of contract case, despite his doctor saying he is unfit to travel. The court heard the singer was waiting on test results about an unspecified condition and that "even in a best-case scenario it would be unwise to travel". However, lawyers for Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa said he could be "bandaged up" and appear in person. The King of Bahrain's second son claims Mr Jackson reneged on a music deal. He is suing the performer for £4.7 million, claiming that under the agreement, an album, stage play and candid autobiography were to be produced.

Jolie Weeps for Mother
Angelina Jolie has paid a tearful tribute to her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, and dedicated her performance in new film Changeling to her. Bertrand, who died in 2007, was the "softest, most gentle woman in the world," she said at a press conference. Jolie added that her mother "was very much" like her Changeling character, Christine Collins. The film tells the true story of a woman in 1920s Los Angeles who fights for the truth after her son disappears. The movie, released in the UK on Wednesday, 26 November and directed by Clint Eastwood, details how the corrupt Los Angeles Police Department reunited Collins with a boy who was not her son.

News around.......

3,460 Students Grauate from Law SchoolCouncil of Legal Education on Tuesday charged Nigerian varsities to be involved in the ongoing law reforms embarked upon by the Federal Government to achieve the desired impact. Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Tahir Mamman, gave the charge at the call to bar ceremony organised by the school for the 3,460 law graduates who are being admitted to the Nigerian Bar. Mamman said the school has started taking steps in facilitating the extension of the reforms to law faculties in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the universities themselves. While noting that the Law School fine-tunes law graduates in the practice and procedures of the law profession, the DG said the school has taken a first step by establishing a platform called, "the Conference of Deans of Law of accredited universities."He said it was inaugurated last week by the Chief Justice Of Nigeria (CJN), Idris Legbo Kutigi, and supported by Justices of the Supreme Court, top hierarchy of the Bar as well as representative of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA).Mamman also disclosed that the Nigerian Law School has begun the implementation of the new curriculum, which has been in pipeline since the last two years.

Nigeria Moves to Curb Global Crisis
TO insulate the economy from the global economic meltdown, a meeting of National Economic Council (NEC), which met under the chairmanship of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday canvassed for closer co-operation between the federal and state governments. NEC is the umbrella body for the nation's Economic Management Team (EMT) and the governors of the 36 states. The meeting was held at the request of the governors, who were worried about the effects of the global economic crisis on the Nigerian economy. However, after the meeting, the Governor of Central Bank (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, briefed journalists along with Governors Bukola Saraki (Kwara) and Peter Obi (Anambra). They explained that the forum reviewed the potential threats facing the nation over the global economic crisis, measures put in place to deal with the momentum and why Nigeria escaped the direct impact of the crisis. Saraki, who is also the chairman of the Governor's Forum, said that with the price of crude oil in the international market at its current rate, "there is need to tighten our belt for 2009." But he added that Nigeria is in a better position now than it was in 1982 when the fall in price of oil triggered a downturn in the economy.

Decay of Health Systemin Zimbabwe
TRUCKLOADS of riot police were yesterday deployed outside Harare's main hospital to prevent scores of doctors and nurses from marching in protest at the state of Zimbabwe's collapsing health system. Many of the group of around 100 health professionals took off their shoes to dance and sing in the parking lot of Parirenyatwa Hospital, vowing to stay away from work until a recent outbreak of cholera is brought under control. About 50 people, according to reports, are believed to have died of cholera this month, according to health officials, due to the rapid break down in sanitation in many parts of the capital. The protesters were also demanding that the government review their salaries which have failed to keep pace with sky-rocketing inflation. Some of the protesters held posters reading: "Enough is enough" and "Pay health workers properly." Zimbabwe's health system, once among the best in Africa, has collapsed under the weight of the world's highest inflation rate, last estimated in July at 231 million percent, with many hospitals unable to provide even basic medicines.

Obama , America's First Black President...

Democratic Senator Barack Obama has been elected the first black president of the United States, prompting celebrations across the country. "It's been a long time coming, but tonight... change has come to America," the president-elect told a jubilant crowd at a victory rally in Chicago. His rival John McCain accepted defeat, and called on his supporters to lend the next president their goodwill.
According to reports, the result will have a profound impact on the US. The American people have made two fundamental statements about themselves: that they are profoundly unhappy with the status quo, and that they are slamming the door on the country's racial past. Mr Obama appeared with his family, and his running mate Joe Biden, before a crowd of tens of thousands in Grant Park, Chicago. Many people in the vast crowd, which stretched back far into the Chicago night, wept as Mr Obama spoke. "If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer," he said.
In a tensed election battle especially in the home states of the Republicans, Democrats ensured stiff challenge and outright wins in some of the key states. This will definitely go down in history as the greatest election of all times.

Breakdown of the Full results shown below:

PRESIDENT 270 electoral votes needed to win | 96% of precincts reporting
Candidate Popular vote % of votes Electoral votes

Barack Obama (Dem) 62,532,271 52% 349
John McCain (Rep) 55,454,540 46% 173

SENATE•
Party Current Holdover Seats won New

Democrat 49 37 17 54
Republican 49 26 14 40
Independent 2 2 0 2
TBD -- -- 4 4

HOUSE• Full Results Margin of error +/- 3 seats
Party Current New

Democrat 236 258
Republican 199 177
Independent 0 0

GOVERNOR•
Party Current Holdover States won New

Democrat 28 22 7 29
Republican 22 17 4 21
Independent 0 0 0 0
TBD -- -- 0 0

Overcoming Being a Coward

This Week on What’s Ur View?!, we would be taking a look at the
topic - OVERCOMING BEING A COWARD.

This is an issue which greatly affects virtually all levels of human growth. A coward is like a person who, out of his own fear, feels certain things cannot be achieved ordinarily. Even when the situation is conducive to pursue such, the person might still be a little uneasy trailing that goal.

From the lame man understanding, being a coward reflects one’s reaction to bully either in school, at home or even in the office. Interestingly, it goes beyond these which also cuts across the various sectors in the society. For instance in the nation’s education sector, certain things are obviously not the way they should be with students facing the major brunt. The authorities sometimes careless about students’ plights on Campus but the students themselves still wear the “suffering & smiling” costume with the notion that all is well. Questions should be asked and appropriate answers ought to be given in return. It’s not a matter of violence or rowdiness, but a peaceful demonstration and well coordinated dialogue would surely solve the problem.

Delving into the political terrain, some vital issues are still left “in the cold” particularly ones that involves finances. Often times the supposed leaders use ridiculously tax payers’ money to serve their own personal agenda. This could equally be termed as corruption which of-course is rampant not only in our nation but the world over. Corrupt leaders should be accountable for their deeds and we should be their “eye-watch” in the area of putting things right.
This is a major challenge for youths to be the vanguards of justice and equity in the society; let’s brace up and unlock the shackles of Cowardness to make the world a suitable habitat the way we desire.

Remember the best two (2) responses attract gift items and publication on the Press Board next week.......so start sending!
(Deadline for submission: Friday Nov. 7, 2008 by 12:00am)