Ben Murray-Bruce has been pushing the agenda of "Buy Nigerian" and "Common sense Revolution". He's even printed a book about it called "Common Sense Revolution". But he now printed the book IN THE UNITED STATES! Abeg, is he being serious at all? Should we trust this his message? I saw this video and I'm a bit confused.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETdh7CfBoPQ

@op does some of the tomato spoil on the way or are you able to keep most fresh?

@OP @catered4 how long does it take you to bring the stuff to Lagos?

Just heard today that there is a plot to unseat governor Fashola with ex-gov Tinubu behind it. It seems Fashola has decided that Lagos state is not really Tinubu's cash cow and the money could be better served serving us in the country. Lagosians, be aware!

Hey,

I was wondering whether I could tap into the collective wisdom of Nairaland and ask - which do you think is better between Nokia E71 and Blackberry Bold? And why?

XP for now o!

Asa (she has already started)
M.I.
9ice - he has unique music, and you don't even have to understand what he is saying
D'Banj
PSquare - because it sounds like Jamo music and that's already selling internationally
Majek Fashek (e don tay, e suppose don make am since but we still dey pray)

Why is 2Face not in this list? Because he needs to go for deliverance and has failed to do so,

@Poster. I have good news for you; she's not bringing you any kind of luck, good or bad.

The foundation of your problem is the foundation of your marriage. Your wife did not consider being the wife of someone in the entertainment industry; that's the truth. She also has not learnt to trust you, and she hasn't divorced herself from her family (for lack of a better word). The second impression is that she is rather immature, and constantly needs someone to be around her (even though it can be tough for a woman, especially if it's her first child). The other thing I've noticed is that it seems you are already looking for a way out of your marriage. I may be wrong, but if it so, it's unfortunate.

You and your wife need to draw close to God. It's not a cliché; it's true. Two, you need to focus on supporting each other. But most importantly, you need to start making money again. Look unto to God and work hard. Everyone in your family (or hers) won't like you, but you need to start earning again.

International Scene
Pharaoh Monche
Black Thought
Cannibus
Freeway (when he gets himself)
Rah Digga (eeevil chick from the FlipMode Squad)
Rakim (it's only this generation that doesn't recognize)
Mike Shinoda (from Fort Minor/Linkin Park)

Local scene
Pheroshuz


Exceptions
Abeg, make nobody mention Mode9 for this list again, How is he underrated?
Somebody mention Jigga, if them rate Jigga higher than this, na to start temple dey worship am.
Then all this Young Buck & Co, underrated [/i]is different from [i]underachieving and undertalented. Please, Young Buck no be rapper. Na clown. Full stop.

Hi Nairalanders,
Anyone who has been in Lagos should have realised by now that NEPA/PHCN are agents of the devil, petrol/diesel are just expensive, and our sun is wasting. I would like to know how/who/and any other information about how to generate up to 30KVA from Solar Power. Please, all and any good, workable information is appreciated; I understand it may be expensive, but if you calculate the cost of diesel, you go know say diesel na im cost pass.
Thanks

no be lie sha, abi na scam?

tite!

Apart from all the stuff about lighting (which you can easily fix using the burn and dodge tools in photoshop), another thing you REALLY need to work on is the background. Try a darker background and create a light source in it that would reflect the shadows as seen on the fighters. That would also fit the tone of the graphic you're creating and remove the pressure of achieving a photorealsitic effect. By the way, you do realise that it's not as important for ALL the shadows to be right as it is for it to be convincing as an art piece; and i think that the background and fonts work really hard to take away the "convincingness" of the design away. But nice concept anyways.

esp at mr. biggs. Those ones would almost not let you out until you give them "something". I sometimes get the feeling that it's official UAC foods policy as a way of padding the bottom line

Man, we need to recover the dignity in labour in this country. All of us don too big to dey do simple things. In fact, my horror stories; my wife was ill and in LUTH under observation. I went to pay for something or the other; the mama there was gisting instead of attending to me and me I no get that kin time. The next thing I hear is that, "I get your type for house" On top wetin? On top do your job?

Please, please and please, let us call out the names of the noise-makers (sorry, bad service providers). This anonymity is the reason for their continued boldness. Also, part of the problem is that employers are yet to start sacking staff for delivering poor quality service. If the Sweet Sensations/Barcelos (v. rude!)/Reddington (arrogant)/Starcomms Bode Thomas (Bad Service Oscar Winners!) staff knew they could be sacked for misbehaviour, they would sit up! We too also need to start demanding at the counter for good service. If the person at the counter is rude, COMPLAIN!

I have a friend who went to TFC Surulere (yes, names please!) and was waiting to collect food from the attendant. She was frowning as she attended to him. So he told her that she had to smile before he paid for the food. He told her that to collect money from his clients, he had to smile at them. He didn't like all of them, but he smiled anyway. At first she refused to comply, so he refused to move or pay for the food; until she smiled to his satisfaction. You need to remind these people that it's your N50 that contributes to their salary.

@Poster. God bless you o!

Please, is it possible to appoint directors without actually giving them shares?

Perhaps the poster/blogger is a staff of another bank who is behind on his target, 234Next reported that this is one tactic used by banks in a rush for depositors' funds. Let's take it easy with the rumours; banks make money by investing the money they receive from their customers. It's assumed that all the customers won't ask for their money AT THE SAME TIME. However, if a bank is even RUMOURED to be unstable, there can be a RUN ON THE BANK, which means that the bank has to sell its assets to keep its obligations, or even worse, fail to meet them and further feed the rumour mill.
In this wonderful economy, it won't be long before this panic would spread to other banks, and the result would be disastrous.

Let's try and get more facts than rumours.

Rap Artiste M.I. has released a new mixtape titled "Illegal Music". He basically samples all sorts of music from all over and has made it available free for download, if you know where to look. The link is on NL; I'll locate it and post it. Includes samples from Jay-Z, Kanye West, D-Banj as well as some not-so-well known artistes, It's absolutely hot!

However, it doesn't have an album cover, so I was thinking, in the spirit of the album, if the Graphics crew on NL could lend a few minutes to create their own custom covers for the album; and upload. Should prove interesting.

Again, the album title is "Illegal Music" from "M.I."

@poster. Well said, even though I don't know whether the word for what is going on is an "industry" not to talk of "dying".
@haze. Good analysis on the life cycles of companies.

Here's the truth, the visual communication services has some peculiarities to it as a business. One, the cost of entry is very low compared to other businesses. All you really need is a computer and your skills. As a result, a lot of people start without really thinking about it as a "business" and there's A LOT of lack of professionalism. Which may explain why we oftentimes don't cooperate. I've been guilty of this - Soji knows.

To take this scene higher, we need to stop thinking in terms of creatives and start thinking in terms of businesses. Which means that some of us are going to have to take some really really hard decisions. Like taking partners that are not creatives (e.g. marketers, administrators, client service people) and incorporating them into our outfits). Like making training and re-training a priority for those of us already in business. Personally, I've had to order a whole bunch of books because I want to improve the techniques I've been using to design - web pages, logos, branding etc. Like spending some of our income to hire and train staff, instead of just chopping the money ourselves.

Is it easy? Of course not, It's really hard; but unless we want South Africans to take up all the business around here, we're going to have to think about it seriously.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm still learning myself.

Also, there's this

@t-hanz. Very very practical steps. It's obvious you have quite a bit of experience in managing that kind of business. Nice one. You should also offer solutions for other kind of retail businesses; you seem to have a very practical mind. Again, nice one!

@ Yawa ti de.
Please, which one is your choice?

Dear WebMasters & Developers,

My grandfather used to say that "people will call you what you call yourself". That is one of the key issues in our industry - we don't take ourselves seriously. When you are younger and you are still very excited by your craft, and want to prove yourself, you will do practically anything to get a job, even if that job is rather elusive. As a result, we frequently find situations where a designer/developer has all but finished the work without even discussing cost with his client. There are various causes of this.
1. Artists are afraid of money.
We all love to get it, but are afraid to demand it; there is something in you that tells you that you will NOT get the job if you don't agree on the price. But the fact is that, if you can't get paid for a job, you're just being used. We need to understand what we're selling - our time. We have added value to our time by developing skills, but we only have 24 hours in a day. Therefore, we have to be judicious in the use of these hours and only use them for people who are willing to pay for them. Therefore, it is very important to discuss cost before you start working. Why? Well, when you go to a restaurant, before you order the food, they show you a menu with prices! This is what you use to determine whether or not you want to continue the transaction. You don't ask them to bring a sample of the food for you to taste before you determine whether to order, so why should you be delivering demos all around town?!

2. We don't understand that it takes money to do our work
Many of us think that starting and running our business is free. Nonsense! Apart from the cost of purchasing your computer & software; you also have to ensure that you have electricity, internet connection, transport. You are the main machine in this operation, so you have to maintain yourself - food, clothes, shelter. Then you have to update your skills. It's not free. Because you don't have one factory in Apapa doesn't mean that you can work for free. Remember that running yourself costs money, so don't expect to throw work around for free.

3. We are too easily intimidated
We go to a client's office. He is seated behind a desk, the A/C is blowing in your eyes; and suddenly all your senses abandon you. Rubbish! The reason you are in his office is because you have something he needs. Stand your ground. Designing a website will cost you x amount of naira. You need to pay 30% upfront. etc. If the job is yours, you'll get it. Any client that staunchly refuses was probably not planning to pay you.

Well, thank you for that information. However, is there a reliable brand of sine wave inverter I can pick up? Also, I'm interested in Solar lights, where can I get that information?

My people, it's not as easy as A-B-C!

If you go round a lot of "experienced" married couples, you'll hear many stories of the wife supporting the family for 7-10 years. It's not uncommon at all. So please, unless we know for sure that the husband is a "lazy, ne'er-do-well", let us keep our mouths quiet about his ability to feed his family.

Also, long-distance relationships are not the best; in fact, they usually lead to rather serious issues, which may not easily be resolved. So it's very easy to see how a difficult situation can be magnified by distance to become an impossible situation. I always believe that couples should stay together as much as possible. It allows them to bond very well, and they learn to tackle issues together. After all, that is the point of marriage.

Please, let us not confuse wedding with marriage. This couple is married. That means that they have a life-long commitment and covenant to each other which cannot be dissolved with any levity. Furthermore, I believe that when any situation, good or bad, is placed above the health of the marriage, the results for the couple can be disastrous.

I think that the couple need to decide, "where do we go from here?". They cannot continue this long-distance marriage indefinitely. They must, at some point, either come back to live under the same roof, or go their separte ways. Perhaps that time has come. They need to decide what their committment to each other means.

One last thing, many people are stuck abroad as "breadwinners", but they aren't winning anything. They're losing quite a lot actually - broke all the time, discriminated against, a lot of people living illegally, Who knows what would have happened if they were back home? Yet, I'm not advocating her return to Nigeria. Perhaps, her husband needs a little more patience (maybe a lot more). But if she's having trouble coming up with the ticket money, she may not really be making that much money over there either.

Hello Nairaland!

I'm considering purchasing an inverter for my home/office. I'm not sure whether to go for a brand that is locally-made, or one of the imported brands. I don't know where to get them from. In short, I don't know anything! Help!!!

Abeg, you can't compare 2003 Camry with all these new "plastic" cars o! That car is a "never-say-die". You probably won't be able to re-sell the Chevrolet, and you'll probably still be paying for it 4 years later, even after the nonsense has stopped working,

All the people talking about self-employment, God bless you, but know that every day in self-employment can be like a job interview. I've gone for many pitches (I'm in the design industry) and it feels like a job interview every day. If you're running away from interviews, self-employment is not for you!!

About the poster's grammar (not grammer), it's important to note that grammar, diction and spelling are also part and parcel of the employers' decision-making process. While the suit and co are important, it's also really important for you to inspire confidence in the employer or interviewers' board.

Remember that a new hire is a reflection on the employer's decision-making ability. Therefore, if the employer feels s/he'll look like an idiot hiring you, you won't get hired.

As a rule though, just try and stick to the following:
Try and find out about the company you're going to. Do a Google search. If you can't find any specifics on the company, at least find out about the field they operate in. There's nothing more irritating than an interviewee that doesn't know anything about the company.

You can't lose what you don't have. Some previous poster has said this and it's sooooo true. Go in to win, but avoid a "do-or-die" mentality. Determination is attractive, but desperation puts off anyone. So you'll have to show the interviewer that you want their job, but you won't die if they don't give it to you.

Dress Well. All that rubbish about a shirt and trouser is just rubbish. Wear a suit (ladies too). It doesn't kill. Polish your shoes, wear socks. If you find you're overdressed, you can always remove your tie and put it in your pocket. There's nothing more embarassing to find your interviewer is more dressed than you.

Smile. Not a goofy, idiotic smile. Smile a friendly, confident smile. Like you're happy with who you are, and you're happy with the people you're meeting.

Finito

A Graphics firm based in Lagos is looking for People willing to break the boundaries of Creativity and create an impact on the scene! Details below:

Interactive Media Design Creative Officer
You'll have to provide total interactive & multimedia solutions i.e. web design, multimedia CDs, cross-overs etc. You'll need to have good design sense – control of color, space and typography.
S/he should be able to comfortably handle graphic design software and translate that into functional format for the web, as well as for other digital formats – especially desktops.

Additional skills [/i]that would be advantageous (but not compulsory) include a sound knowledge of ActionScript (Flash®); 3D modeling and animation (any software), motion graphic knowledge (After Effects) as well as some sound editing skills.

[i]Software skill [/i]knowledge include :
Adobe® Flash – 3/3
Adobe® Dreamweaver - 2/3
Adobe® Photoshop - 2/3
Any of these vector software - CorelDraw, Adobe® Illustrator, Xara


Graphic Design Creative Officer
You'll be required to provide total graphic design solutions. This person needs to have good design sense – color, space and typography. Additional required skills include photo-editing and desktop publishing.
Primary functions would include logo creation & associated design, posters/flyers and magazine layouts.

[i]Additional skills [/i]that would be advantageous (but not compulsory) include a sound knowledge of 3D modeling (any software) as well as understanding of print technology and FA work.

[i]Software skill [/i]knowledge include :
Adobe® Photoshop – 3/3
[i]Either
CorelDraw® - 3/3
Or
Adobe® Illustrator - 2/3
Adobe® InDesign - 2/3

If you think you fit the bill, please send an email indicating:
[list]
[li]Full Name (Surname in Capitals)[/li]
[li]Date of Birth[/li]
[li]Address[/li]
[li]Mobile Number[/li]
[li]Email Address[/li]
[/list]

[list]
[li]Position Applied for[/li]
[li]Projects You've Worked On[/li]
[li]Work Experience[/li]
[/list]

Please attach a PowerPoint/PDF file/Flash file of work done. All attachments should not exceed 5MB
You may also provide links to work done currently online. Please ensure that links are working.

Pay is attractive. Please send in your details to creativejobsng@gmail.com. We'll be expecting your reply.

Not bad, some of the work here is not bad at all.