Tosin & HalleluJazz Project @ Busboys N Poets

Hung out the other night at Busboys N Poets to listen to Tosin & the Hallelujazz Project. Some pics (Tosin is on the drums).

Some more pics from Shaping Destiny's fundraising event.

Click here for more pics. And for more information on Shaping Destiny, click here.

Sarah Hussein Obama laughs in Kenya as she receives congratulatory messages after her grandson, Barack Obama, accepted the US Democratic Party's nomination to run for president.

(picture via BBC)

The 6th London African Music Festival

Comment Tu T'Appelle

Kolo Concert...This Friday

Wives of African Presidents Should Get Salary...Abi?

Kenyan anger at top spouses' pay

Kenyans are outraged by a proposal to pay hefty salaries to the wives of the prime minister and vice-president.

A leaked document says the head of civil service Francis Muthaura has directed that they each be paid $6,000 (£3,000) every month.

But MPs have vowed to shoot down the proposal in parliament, saying it is too expensive for the economy.

Kenyan tax-payers are already paying heavily for the cabinet - the largest ever - with more than 40 ministers.

A government memo leaked to the local media directs that Ida Odinga and Pauline Musyoka, wives of the prime minister and vice-president respectively, will be rewarded for their roles as hostesses.

The pay is also supposed to recognise their role for upholding national family values.

'Over-burdened'

But Eugene Wamalwa, an MP and brother for former Vice-President Micheal Kijana Wamalwa, says the tax-payer is already over-burdened and the allowances are uncalled for.

"The prime minister and vice-president attract one of the highest salaries in the world and that will be sufficient for couples," Mr Wamalwa said.

And former head of the Kenyan chapter of Transparency International Gladwell Otieno said the move is a confirmation that Kenyan politicians are just a greedy caste, looking after themselves at the expense of poor Kenyans recovering from the effects of post-election violence.

The two women will join First Lady Lucy Kibaki, whose allowances increased last year to nearly $8,000 a month.

President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga agreed to share power in February after negotiations led by former UN head Kofi Annan to end weeks of violent clashes.

Some 1,500 people died and 600,000 left homeless around the country after last December's disputed elections.

SOURCE: BBC

Victims or Casualties of Greed

Nigerian official: greedy marks as guilty as 419 scammers

People who fall for so-called "Nigerian scams" aren't victims at all—in fact, they're greedy and should be jailed, according to Nigerian high commissioner Sunday Olu Agbi. He said today that Nigeria has gained a bad reputation because of the scams perpetrated by a minuscule number of people, and that those who find themselves involved with the scams are equally as guilty as those running them.

"The Nigerian Government frowns very seriously on these scams... and every day tries to track down those who are involved," Olu Agbi told the Sydney Morning Herald in response to a previous article on Australians falling for Nigerian scams. "People who send their money are as guilty as those who are asking them to send the money."

Out of the 140 million people in Nigeria, Olu Agbi said that fewer than 0.1 percent were involved in Nigerian scams. The scams, also referred to as 419 scams or advance-fee fraud, predate the Internet, but have exploded in recent years thanks to the proliferation of e-mail and instant money transfers. Although the scams can take on many forms—from payments for products sold on eBay or Craigslist, to deposits on houses and purchases of plane tickets for "true love" on the other side of the ocean—they all follow the same general theme.

Scammers send huge checks to unsuspecting victims with some story attached to explain the overpayment, and the victim is expected to wire back the difference immediately. Eventually when the checks are deposited, they bounce and the victim is out a lot of money. Sometimes, victims are tricked into thinking they'll eventually be paid back and continue to participate in this endless cycle of sending money, especially if the scammer is wooing them romantically (which happens more commonly than one might think, to both men and women).

Although this kind of fraud originates from all over the world, it seems to have an unusually high concentration in Africa and, specifically, Nigeria. This has, unsurprisingly, cast Nigeria in a negative light. Olu Agbi said that Nigeria's reputation for being involved with the scams has even hurt the country's ability to land business deals. "[T]hose who want to transact business with us are always very suspicious," he told the newspaper.

Still, Olu Agbi's "blame the victim" mentality won't help Nigeria win any friends, but education on how to spot 419 scams and avoid falling for them can certainly go a long way in curbing their growth. After all, once victims stop blindly forking over cash, scammers will have to figure out some other way to make money.

SOURCE: By Jacqui Cheng | Published: August 22, 2008

What do you think?

Olympic Medal Count for the Motherland

Kenya: 5 Gold medals; 5 Silver medals and 4 Bronze medals for a total of 14
Ethiopia: 4 Gold medals; 1 Silver medal and 2 Bronze medals for a total of 7
Zimbabwe: 1 Gold medal; and 3 Silver medals for a total of 4
Nigeria: 1 Silver medal and 3 Bronze medals for a total of 4
Morocco: 1 Silver medal and 1 Bronze medal for a total of 2
Cameroon: 1 Gold medal
South Africa: 1 Silver medal
Sudan: 1 Silver medal
Egypt: 1 Bronze medal
Mauritius: 1 Bronze medal
Togo: 1 Bronze medal


There you have it...now back to our regular feature presentation

Nigeria Wins Silver Medal for Olympic Soccer

...don't weep for me...just a couple of goals away from a lucrative shoe contract. The Nigerian team played, they were a bit off of their usual game, there is no point in coulda, shoulda, woulda. I know a lot of couch coaches have stacks of notes to give to the players and coaching staff but such is life, particularly in sports.

I hope all the athletes have a hearty welcome upon returning to their home countries.

Cheers!

Showdown for the Gold: Olympic Soccer

Oya O!!! It's on like popcorn. At midnight...Naija vs. Argentina, last chance for Nigeria to repeat what they did in Olympic 1996 in Atlanta.
I've already started discussions with a major athletic shoe company...Naija wins we're gonna be launching the green white green soccer cleats.
I can't watch the game...too much anxiety mehn!
From day one I've been positioning myself to ride this gold wave yo...

PECKHAM FOR LIFE!

Street Credibility- 9ice featuring 2face.

"Street Credibility" 9ice featuring 2face. Hmmm....just when "Gongo Aso" stopped playing over at the 'lab'

Forgot to [publicly] congratulate 9ice and our dear friend on their recent wedding.

Cameroon's Mbango retains women's triple jump gold at Beijing Olympics

"cough"..."cough"...bon jour mademoiselle



BEIJING, Aug 17 (Xinhua) -- Defending Olympic champion Francoise Mbango of Cameroon broke the Olympic record of the women's triple jump at the Beijing Olympics here on Sunday and retained the title.

In her second attempt, Mbango landed 15.39 meters. The previous record was held by Inessa Kravets of Ukraine in 15.33 meters.


Full story

SOURCE: China View

If na to Run...Another Gold Medal

Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele won the men's 10,000m gold, creating an Olympic record of 27 minutes 1.17 seconds, as compatriot Sileshi Sihine took silver.

Micah Kogo of Kenya secured bronze, but Ethiopian veteran Haile Gebrselassie could only finish sixth, ending his dream of a third Olympic gold medal.

Bekele, 26, controlled the last lap before powering home by a distance to clinch his second Olympic gold medal.

Full story

SOURCE: BBC

First Kenyan woman to win an Olympic title

Pamela, Anythin' for me...?
See the intensity in this sista's eyes, 18 years old...na wa O!



Pamela Jelimo powered to a brilliant 800m victory to become the first Kenyan woman to win an Olympic title.

The 18-year-old, who only began running the event in April, set a devastating pace to win in one minute 54.87 seconds at the Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing.

Full story

SOURCE: BBC

Ol' Boy Do You Want the Gold or Should I Take It

Kenya athletes chatting on their way to the finish line


Kenyan middle distance runner Brimin Kiprop Kipruto added Olympic gold to his world championship title by winning the men's 3000m steeplechase.

The 23-year-old held off a late charge from Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad of win in eight minutes 10.34 seconds.

Full story

SOURCE: BBC

Nigeria thump Belgium to reach Olympic final

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Nigeria thumped surprise package Belgium 4-1 on Tuesday to reach the Olympic soccer final for the first time since winning the tournament 12 years ago.

Striker Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi scored twice in the second half after Olubayo Adefemi had given the exuberant but erratic Africans an early lead.

Full story

SOURCE: Reuters

Night Life in an African City

Before you read this article and start thinking "this is how I would be living if I was back home in my country"...keep things in perspective. This is like giving an account of the night life in Hollywood, Beverly Hills or the Hamptons.

Interesting account of what's going on in this very expensive African city.
Reader discretion advised.

For the full article click here

FELA: A New Musical

Tirunesh Dibaba wins women's 10,000m

As I predicted in my earlier posting, Tirunesh of Ethopia has won a gold medal for the 10,000 meters race.


BEIJING (Reuters) - Ethiopia's world champion Tirunesh Dibaba won the first track gold medal of the Beijing Olympics in the women's 10,000 metres final on Friday.

From when the 23-year-old hit the front with 300 metres to go, her victory was never in doubt and she crossed the line in 29 minutes 54.66 seconds, an Olympic record.

Ethiopian-born Elvan Abeylegesse, who had led for much of the latter part of the race, ran home in second to claim a first Olympic medal in athletics for a Turkish woman in 29.56.34. American Shalane Flanagan took bronze in 30.22.22.

Dibaba and Abeylegesse were only the second and third women to run under 30 minutes for the 10,000 after Chinese world record holder Wang Junxia, who set her mark in Beijing in 1993.)

SOURCE: Reuters