₦airaland Forum

Well NBC is just doing its job. Bigiano's Shayo was also banned and several other songs with cool hooks.

Dbanj should just release a radio edit version to conform with the law shekena

nateevs:
Good post until you said OBJ "tried his best" . . . . How would you know that?

How would you know he didn't try his best?

Na so you hate the man reach?

Circumventing procedure in contract awards is an epidemic spreading the world over. Reading this one can see similarities with what is happening in Nigeria

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/08/the-yearly-bill-for-the-pentagons-no-bid-contracts-140-billion

Yearly Bill for Pentagon’s No-Bid Contracts: $140 Billion

How much should you pay for a futuristic lightning weapon that promises to explode roadside bombs before they harm U.S. troops? Like anything, it probably depends on who you buy it from, and the Pentagon has now spent over $50 million on one being developed by Tucson-based Applied Energetics.

The company was awarded tens of millions in military contracts for its lightning weapon, all without full and open competition, and despite numerous problems in testing. In August, the Marine Corps, which was on the verge of awarding the company yet another sole-source contract for the lightning weapon, cancelled the latest $3 million deal after the commander of a unit in Afghanistan slated to receive it decided it didn’t meet their needs.

In the meantime, a competitor, called Xtreme Alternative Defense Systems, an Indiana-based firm with its own lightning-based counter-bomb technology, says it’s had good results with only a small fraction of the federal funding that Applied Energetics has received — $1.5 million. The company is preparing to test its technology at a military range. “We did our own development based on state grants” and federal funds, says Pete Bitar, the head of the company. “I cashed out my 401(k).”

The bomb fighting contract is a small example of a problem that’s been exacerbated by ten years of war: awarding contracts without competition. While Pentagon statistics say the overall level of competition has remained steady during the past decade, publicly available data show that Defense Department dollars flowing into non-competitive contracts have almost tripled since the terrorist attacks of 9/11. According to analysis by the Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News, the value of Pentagon contracts awarded without competition topped $140 billion in 2010, up from $50 billion in 2001. That’s almost 40 percent of all Pentagon contract dollars.


And despite repeated pledges to reform the process, non-competitive contracts are a hard habit to break. According to federal data, the Pentagon’s competed contracts, based on total dollars of contracts, fell to 55 percent in the first two quarters of 2011, a number lower than any point in the last 10 years since the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

There are a number of legal loopholes that allow the Defense Department, like other federal agencies, to avoid competition and to select a single company to provide the desired goods and services. In some cases, there may be only one legitimate supplier of needed goods. Or the government can argue that is has “an unusual and compelling urgency” meriting a restriction on who can bid. Or it can judge that holding a competition would have a detrimental impact on government operations or national security.

But those exceptions have become increasingly abused, according to numerous studies. In fact, an analysis of over a dozen government reports and investigations, and interviews with former government officials and experts by the Center for Public Integrity found a number of concerns about DOD competition practices — attributable, in large part, to the past ten years of war. Those include:

The use of large umbrella contracts to purchase goods and services that could be competed individually, thus resulting in lower price;
Justifying sole source contracts by citing an “urgent and compelling need” — when, in fact, the “urgency” stemmed from an agency’s lack of planning for requirements that have been known for years.
Extending large contracts as a “bridge,” rather than holding a new competition that would allow for multiple bids.
An overall failure to utilize competition in cases that could result in cost savings and better performance.
These alarming trends haven’t gone unnoticed. Sole-source and other noncompetitive contracting practices at the Pentagon have been over the past several years the subject of numerous investigations by the Government Accountability Office, the Defense Department’s Inspector General, and the Commission on Wartime Contracting, among other government watchdogs.

The consequence, according to those investigative agencies and commissions: wasted dollars, lower quality goods and services, and in some cases, outright fraud. Or, in the case of the lightning weapons, $50 million for technology that the Marine Corps now says doesn’t meet its needs.

We’ll have more at Danger Room about the growth of no-bid contracting over the coming days, and you can also read more at the Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News. Check back here all week, as we’ll feature some of the most outlandish sole source and noncompetitive contracts, from billions spent on cafeteria services to a massive sole-source contract given to Russia’s number one arms dealer.

we

uyakachi:
SAT X
WILL THAT BRING SOLUTION TO NIGERIA PROBLEMS , I MEAN THIS BOKO HAMER OF A THING
IF YES FINE IF NOT , SAT X MY FOOT

seriously, I know that FRSC did use satellite mapping for end of year route monitoring and evaluation. It must have saved some lives. doesn't that count

Cynism so thick i can almost smell it!

chei! Na so we hate this country reach?! I thought this news will bring some relief to the daily awful news coming from Naija, alas I was wrong!

yep. Just praying the good news will soon outnumber the bad.

Lazy journalist! Cant they ask the government STRAIGHT AND TOUGH QUESTIONS without inventing one silly "diplomatic source" to throw jibes!

No one can rise above their experiences, Nigerian has gotten her wake up call, Nigerians must demand for action from their government and be WILLING to assist in giving information. All this "diplomatic source" story is BS

Why would the UN lie about casualties figures moreso if the people visited their office officially?

As soon as the blast occurred several people were there evacuating the injured, someone would have talked. How can one hide 150 bodies? I think Fani Kayode wants his name in print more often than not

Nigeria Sat X is picture perfect, already sending pictures from other parts of the world as part the world disaster constellation.

This is good news. As an environmental scientist, I am very excited about what we can learn from this information we are going to be getting especially in the area of urban planning (Lagos will be the first to benefit), agriculture and disaster monitoring. It will save lives and improve living. I am already thinking of areas for research I will pursue.

This is one of Obasanjo's good legacies and I hope history has some kind words for him on this one. If some others were this good!

Nigeria's latest Earth observation satellites have returned their first pictures.

The spacecraft, launched on 17 August, give the African nation a powerful new capability to map its own lands and other parts of the globe.

NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X will also assist the Disaster Monitoring Constellation.

This UK-managed fleet of spacecraft is used to picture regions of the Earth gripped by natural calamities.

These might be catastrophic floods or a big earthquake. Images sent down from space will often be critical to organising an effective emergency response.

The first picture released from the Nigerian pair is of New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland.

It was acquired by NigeriaSat-X, and reveals the buildings and the landscape surrounding this major urban centre.

It is just possible to see the wakes of ships passing under the harbour bridge that joins downtown Auckland with North Shore City.

The satellite is equipped with a multi-spectral imager for general mapping, agricultural monitoring and disaster relief work.


Nigerian engineers built NigeriaSat-X with the help of their British counterparts
The resolution in this picture is 22m per pixel. Vegetation is picked out in red.

Both NigeriaSat-X and NigeriaSat-2 were designed and built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford, UK.

What is interesting about NigeriaSat-X is that the work was undertaken by Nigerian engineers themselves. The skills they have learnt will now be taken home so that they can build future spacecraft in their own country.

It is a model previously followed by Turkey. Its engineers received their education at SSTL as well, and the same rocket that launched the Nigerian platforms also launched Rasat.

This remote sensing satellite (7.5m resolution) is the first to have been developed and manufactured in Turkey by Turkish engineers.

SSTL Executive Chairman, Sir Martin Sweeting, commented: "NigeriaSat-X is the product of Nigeria's training and development programme here at Surrey.

"It is a great credit to NASRDA (National Space Research and Development Agency) and their engineers that this satellite is performing well and its operations are progressing so quickly.

"These highly skilled engineers will not only help Nigeria to manage its resources, but also bootstrap its fledgling high-tech economy alongside a growing nucleus of highly trained people."

A first picture should be released from NigeriaSat-2 in the coming days. This is a much more powerful platform, able to resolve details on the Earth's surface just 2.5m across.

Few countries in the world have access to such a capability.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14679166

abubello:
The term by "bayerabe" in Hausa simply means a 'Yoruba man' "Bayeraba" means 'yoruba woman' It is not derogatory at all.

The hausa starts the name of different tribes with the prefix "BA" e.g.

Bahaushe    - hausa man
Bature        - European man  note that 'Turai' means Europe
Balarabe     - Arab man
Bayerabe    - Yorubaman
Babarbare   -  Borno man (kanuri)
  etc

I get your drift. I know the following;

Bazauzage = Zaria man
Banupe = Nupe man
Bakano = Kano man
Bazango = ?

so actually Bayerabe = Yoruba is not actually derogatory! we learn everyday

Hausa to Ibo = Nyamiri (give me water)
Hausa to Yoruba = Balerebe

Yoruba to hausa = Aboki (friend) of gorro (colanut)
Yoruba to Igbo =

Igbo to hausa = Onye hawusa (hausa man(?))
igbo to yoruba =

Fill in the blanks.

These names, once not invented by those refered to, can easily be used derogatorily.

linkin8k:
Is this normal? My battery don't last up to 4hours on heavy use. Please help

i have a galaxy sii and the thing guzzles power like no mans  business. do the following;

- disable GPS unless when needed;
- disable wifi unless needed and make sure you switch it off after use, and this goes for no (i) as well;
- disable background syncing of emails, apps (weather and the like) you can manually sync them if and when you need them;
- switch off live wallpapers- use them the moment you want to impress the ladies and switch them off soon after.   They drain the battery like mad.
-  reduce screen brightness. Its no use running them at over 30% unless you stay alot in the sun. Mine is at 10% max always and i am good with it.
- Set the phone to use 2G instead of 3G. Only use 3G for those android market downloads. I find that 2G does all else fine eg mails, surfing and so on. I switch       to 3 G for downloads and tethering the phone to my laptop. Whenever I am in the office where I have super fast LAN connection, I use connectify (google it, as earlier I stated the url and got banned for a day) to use my laptop as a wireless hotspot and connect my phone via wifi for those awesome and heavy game downloads (assassin's creed, prince of persia, need for speed etc)
- get an app like power schedule from android market (its free) and set it to switch on airplane mode from say 12 midnight to 6 am. it saves battery juice. what i do is to forward all my calls to the android during those times to the line in my trusted nokia (if a call comes that late, it must be important) in that way I still stay in touch.
 - if you dont use the internet very often or only use it  at a redetermined time, then switch the packet data off till needed.

Most androids are gorgeous devices, i almost regretted buying mine until after scouring internet forums and fan sites to come up with the above and made my living with my samsung galaxy sii bearable.

I hope you enjoy yours!

read the above article BUT glo, why our data allowee and cost still never crash nah?

what a headline!

Android phones are sleek and sweet. As it is with all insanely beautiful things, there is the devil lurking somewhere. and for your beloved android, i have fund the following awful battery sucker;

(i) GPS
(ii) Wifi
(iii) background data
(iv) 3G
(v) auto sync of hubs (emails, chats and stuff)
(vi) Screen brightness

to help, disable GPS, Wifi, BG Data and auto sync. You can always switch them WHEN needed. Use 2G only unless you want to browse heavy photo sites or are hooked to a charger (I find 2G and by extension GPRS data connection quite ok for my browsing needs, except downloading games and such. Most of the time I connect to my laptop via connectify (www.connectify.com) and download.

Download juice defender to help switch off unnecessary widgets and conserve battery life. I find it helps to switch to airplane mode at 11 pm - 6 pm via an app power schedule. it does that automatically and any calls to my number on the android gets forwarded to my nokia and i only pick life threatening calls at those hours.

lumzi23:
Actually, I think you mean [b]m[/b]bps. No one at a consumer level in Nigeria gets anything close to 2 [b]g[/b]bps. No one.

Edit: I see someone has already made my point.

oh dear! this is killing me! its so easy to slip on that. I meant mbps NOT gbps. Thanks for the correction.   

MTN is laying thousands of kilometers  across Nigeria at an amazing pace! Traveled to the north east and north central early in the year and the roll out is impressive. Am I excited at this,  yes and no.

yes cos the infrastructure to take broadband up country is being laid.

No, cos it appears only MTN is making such huge investment. The SNO Glo is not so aggressive. What this means is that MTN (notorious for not being pocket friendly) will maintain dominance in spread of data capability and ultimately keep prices high as long as possible. I wish so others are as aggressive and so ensure competition at the data sector

Onyocha:
ALL THOSE THAT HAVE CONTRIBUTED SO FAR IN THIS THREAD ARE VERY DU.MB AND SLOW THINKERS WHO HAVE MISSED OUT THE POINT OF THE GIST ON WHY THE USA WANTS TO INTERVENE IN OUR POWER SECTOR!

the reason why the USA is giving Nigeria "attention" and showing "concern" is 3 words:NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION!

read the entire article,and that is the only valid reason.the USA does not care if Nigeria can produce its electricity or not.they dont care how much power we are able to generate.they dont care whether our economy progresses or falls back.all they care about is for third world countries especially a country like Nigeria they feel suspicious towards should not acquire nuclear energy.this is the same USA that has thousands of nuclear war-heads and the only country to have actually used atomic bombs on Japan.this is the same USA that is itself benefitting from nuclear energy to run their economy and produce the huge amount of electricity from nuclear plants.the USA also does not care whether you intend to use nuclear plants for peaceful energy purpose or for producing weapons of mass destruction.they simply dont want you to get it and get there.they want us to be doomed to using petrol and kerosene forever even when our wells run dry.and believe me,even when they take over the power sector,that is if they do,we will still be lacking behind because you cannot expect the best from the USA.the best is always preserved for herself and her allies in Europe.only them deserve sophisticated technology including nuclear plants that produce huge amount of energy to run their economies.and if you want to attempt to develop yours,you're not allowed to do so.you will be accused of committing "treason" or sponsoring terrorists.they will even declare you a "rogue state".

NIGERIA SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL AND CAREFULLY STUDY EVERY WORD THE AMERICANS UTTER RELATING TO NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS.THEY ALWAYS HAVE DEEP MEANINGS AND THEY ARE VERY DECEPTIVE AND MANIPULATIVE.WE SHOULD ALWAYS ASK WHAT IS THE AMERICAN INTEREST FOR SHOWING INTEREST IN US.THEY ALWAYS HAVE THEIR WELL DRAFTED PLANS FOR EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.

BULLS EYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i couldn't agree more. Remember that the federal government was, last year, mulling the use of nuclear power to address our electricity problems.

nigerians. need to understand that unless we boycott MTN all talk about the company reaping off Nigeria will just be a waste of time. we talk and do nothing still going back to our 0803 etc. once the truth is told the person telling it must be an MTN mole!

two things must happen; either we ditch the network or the competition improves enough to change MTN killer tariff. its so simple.

oladuro:
I think it is rather unfortunate for one network to dominate the whole market such things never happen in other parts of the world it can only happen here in Nigeria where we have a system that is not working.Everybody is running its own show. The major problem is that our leader in almost every sphere are indifferent , they only reacts when it affect them either directly or indirectly. MTN CARRY GO.problem is that our leader in almost every sphere are indifferent , they only reacts when it affect them either directly or indirectly. MTN CARRY GO.

dudes lets be serious. MTN is dominating cos its business strategy is good QED ! did anyone put a gun to anyone's head to use MTN? i dislike MTN cos of their stingy network BUT you have to give it to them, they are investing in robust infrastructures and that attracts consumers, they get the best brains, have low operation margins etc. that's business! pray what can the government do? other networks need to brush up their acts. chikena!

glo is notorious for sacking people with no warning (one man show) putting young people bearly out of puberty to be directors (cos they are ogas children) for such a complex managerial undertaking, notorious for failed promises (4g, connection of glo 1 across west Africa, landines, cdma, 2nd national carrier services, launching in Ghana etc) sauve customers take them as unserious.

airtel is so unstable, they may have changed ownership by this time tomorrow. that is bad for customer loyalty.

etisalat is a late entrant. yet to commit serious cash for strong network connection throughout the country. even if they do, it will take a couple of years to get to the level of MTN. Nigeria is a big country.

NITEL? dead as a dodo.

MTN know all these and until serious competition comes, they will continue to be dominant and fix prices as they wish. another way is for consumers to ditch them so as to send a strong message that they are unhappy. as my people will say better soup na money make am. if you want services, you might as well pay for it or endure the bad to send the message.

p.s. i use glo for my voice and data connection

some mothers do have them Nigerian edition.

its obvious after helping to install obj in 1999, ibb is angry that his chances have been scuttled. in 2003, 2007, 2011. i don't blame him. will hate obj too if i were in his shoes. just that no Nigerian has had the golden opportunity to turn our lives around like these two men; they wasted it.

now to court trouble with some nairalanders, i think obj did a better job of the two. though by THEIR own admission they are both f.o.o.l.s.

the media aide is itching to prove his stupidity. a simple check of the website would have revealed it not worthy of commenting on. its a joke mister. but no. the man must prove to okonjo that he is the man to keep. so, he overeaches himself by adding a dose of 'enermies after okonjo's head'. i was embarrassed to read the release.

Nigerian love pointing fingers for the flimsiest of reasons

where u @?

BizBooks:
You don't need a ransom demand to confirm kidnapping. Once an individual is held against their will, it becomes a clear case of kidnapping or false imprisonment. You know people are sometimes kidnapped for reasons other than money. For instance, one parent can kidnap a child in a custody dispute and relocate to another country.

The police may suspect a kidnapping, [b]but without  a ransome demand or other evidence(s) [/b]they (police) cannot assume.

@ Bisbooks. Read my post well. I said "other evidence(s)" so I am covered.

For instance, one parent can kidnap a child in a custody dispute and relocate to another country.

Thats not kidnapping. Its abduction

grinda:
But the kiddnappers ve contacted the family!

If they (kidnappers) have contacted the family then its settled. We have another case of kidnapping on our hands. With John Mikel Obi as the son (and most probably the ultimate target for the kidnappers(for ransome money)) this will get maximum publicity abroad. Another minus for Nigeria

legally, missing and abduction/kidnapping are two different things. The procure of declaring a person missing or kidnapped are different and very clear. The police may suspect a kidnapping, but without  a ransome demand or other evidence(s) they (police) cannot assume. Then once the evidence becomes clear,  the police can update the public accordingly. Even though some many still condemn the police for "changing' their story

I think that dispite the very many short comings of the police, somethings borthering procedure should be appreciated by all and well thought through before commenting.

Shocked that the Commissioner couldn't tell the signs of Anencephaly and called the baby a "creature"! i thought that he was in a better position to enlighten the public instead of contributing to the sense of mystery surrounding the child.

Only God knows the kind of accusations the mother will face; witchcraft, infidelity, badluck, curse, all sorts of broken taboo!

Anencephaly is a cephalic disorder that results from a neural tube defect that occurs when the cephalic (head) end of the neural tube fails to close, usually between the 23rd and 26th day of pregnancy, resulting in the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp.[1] Children with this disorder are born without a forebrain, the largest part of the brain consisting mainly of the cerebral hemispheres (which include the neocortex, which is responsible for higher-level cognition, i.e., thinking). The remaining brain tissue is often exposed—not covered by bone or skin.[2] Most babies with this genetic disorder do not survive birth.

Signs and symptoms
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) describes the presentation of this condition as follows: "A baby born with anencephaly is usually blind, deaf, unconscious, and unable to feel pain. Although some individuals with anencephaly may be born with a main brain stem, the lack of a functioning cerebrum permanently rules out the possibility of ever gaining consciousness. Reflex actions such as breathing and responses to sound or touch occur."[2]
[edit]Causes
The cause of anencephaly is disputed. Generally, neural tube defects do not follow direct patterns of heredity, though there is some indirect evidence of inheritance,[3] and recent animal models indicate a possible association with deficiencies of the transcription factor TEAD2.[4] Studies show that a woman who has had one child with a neural tube defect such as anencephaly has about a 3% risk of having another child with a neural tube defect.[citation needed]
It is known that women taking certain medications for epilepsy and women with insulin-dependent diabetes have a higher risk of having a child with a neural tube defect.[citation needed] Genetic counseling is usually offered to women at a higher risk of having a child with a neural tube defect to discuss available testing.
Recent studies have shown that the addition of folic acid to the diet of women of child-bearing age may significantly reduce, although not eliminate, the incidence of neural tube defects. Therefore, it is recommended that all women of child-bearing age consume 0.4 mg of folic acid daily,[2] especially those attempting to conceive or who may possibly conceive, as this can reduce the risk to 0.03%.[citation needed] It is not advisable to wait until pregnancy has begun, since by the time a woman knows she is pregnant, the critical time for the formation of a neural tube defect has usually already passed. A physician may prescribe even higher dosages of folic acid(4 mg/day) for women who have had a previous pregnancy with a neural tube defect.[original research?]
Anencephaly and other physical and mental deformities have also been blamed on a high exposure to such toxins as lead, chromium, mercury, and nickel.[5]
[edit]Relation to genetic ciliopathy
Until recently, medical literature did not indicate a connection among many genetic disorders, both genetic syndromes and genetic diseases, that are now being found to be related. As a result of new genetic research, some of these are, in fact, highly related in their root cause despite the widely varying set of medical symptoms that are clinically visible in the disorders. Anencephaly is one such disease, part of an emerging class of diseases called ciliopathies. The underlying cause may be a dysfunctional molecular mechanism in the primary cilia structures of the cell, organelles which are present in many cellular types throughout the human body. The cilia defects adversely affect "numerous critical developmental signaling pathways" essential to cellular development and thus offer a plausible hypothesis for the often multi-symptom nature of a large set of syndromes and diseases. Known ciliopathies include primary ciliary dyskinesia, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, polycystic kidney andliver disease, nephronophthisis, Alstrom syndrome, Meckel-Gruber syndrome, and some forms of retinal degeneration.[6]
[edit]Diagnosis
Anencephaly can often be diagnosed before birth through an ultrasound examination. The maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP screening)[7] and detailed fetal ultrasound[8] can be useful for screening for neural tube defects such as spina bifida or anencephaly.
[edit]Prognosis

There is no cure or standard treatment for anencephaly and the prognosis for patients is death. Most anencephalic fetuses do not survive birth, accounting for 55% of non-aborted cases. If the infant is not stillborn, then he or she will usually die within a few hours or days after birth from cardiorespiratory arrest.
In almost all cases, anencephalic infants are not aggressively resuscitated because there is no chance of the infant ever achieving a conscious existence. Instead, the usual clinical practice is to offer hydration, nutrition, and comfort measures and to "let nature take its course". Artificial ventilation, surgery (to fix any co-existing congenital defects), and drug therapy (such as antibiotics) are usually regarded as futile efforts. Clinicians and medical ethicists may view the provision of nutrition and hydration as medically futile.
[edit]Epidemiology
In the United States, approximately 1 out of 150,000 to 200,000 babies is born with anencephaly each year. Research has suggested that, overall, female babies are more likely to be affected by the disorder.[9]
[edit]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anencephaly

N101:
I hear they're bringing out the Galaxy S 2011, an updated version of last year's Galaxy S. I might go for that one as I prefer its size over the Galaxy S 2.

While the screen is AWESOME, its large size makes it uncomfortable to manipulate for long, also its ssoooooo slippery! and then the battery life is really really bad. Switched off all WIFI, bluetooth, live wall papers, email sync, and anything that communicates outside the phone, BUT the battery last just a day with normal use. I know this a problem with most smart phones. Its a major problem no doubt

if money is not.ur.problem get an android phone espicially the galaxy sii for the ultimate experience. bought my yesterday, its so awesome i cldnt let it go now having painful fingers from non stop use! get a htc,sony erricson or lg android. i am certain you will like the experience


nokia is old school. symbian is dying. after using android, i am wondering if symbian should still be legal!

tried windows before on a htc. its good. i expect mango (the new os) to be good

dumping glo from MTN? dude that.cant be true. why dump N15 per minute to all network on glo for N35 or so for MTN? l chop crase?
dumping glo from MTN? dude that.cant be true. why dump N15 per minute to all network on glo for N35 or so for MTN? l chop crase?

Hi guys, just got me a galaxy SII today. its AAAAAWWWWWWSSSSOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEE!

Jeez i wonder what samsung will come up with in the S3

WARNING TROJAN ON THE PROWL ON THAT SITE!