Inaugural President

By Ilobi Austin

When Honourable Peter Abugewa was elected last year as the Chairman of Uvwie local government area of Delta state, very few, amongst whom, includes this writer, gave him any chance of success, in piloting the affairs of the “most restless LGA in Nigeria”.

This pessimism was underscored by the fact that, it was one LG that, before his coming, had not known real peace since its creation y the Abacha regime; moving from one youth – factually, these are mostly men with excessive taste for worldly goods, stimulated upheaval to another.

But upon his inauguration, he had immediately moved to stem this tide which had seen businesses relocate to nearby communities by putting out a very strong lightening bolt which has prompted some, one never thought would ever have bothered to earn their keeps, to now take up jobs, which before now, they would have simply sold off and gone back to the same company to forcefully demand that they be made “ghost workers”.

With the obvious peace that this measure heralded, some sceptics still reckoned he was only hammering his opponents to the ground. But his response to the fire incidence of Sunday 4th January, at the Effurun main market finally removed all doubt his personal determination to chart a new course for the LG.

On getting information while still in the Church about the incidence, he had immediately stormed the market in his white garment to help co-ordinate efforts geared towards putting out the fire and salvaging goods. But this was not without first mobilizing, in intimidating numbers, the entire security agencies-Army, police, CIDS, etc, with units within the LG, not forgetting, the fire service, whose response, was with all  alacrity- very surprising. His conduct during and after the incidence and his statement of reassurances to the affected traders have no doubt, won him more converts.

One personage whose presence in the market immediately he got the news that morning, would forever be cherished by the traders, is the new traditional ruler of the Uvwie  kingdom, King Abe, the first; a very urbane and detribalized royal father.

One only wishes that his type would be allowed to populate the LG’s in the country and even state houses including the rocks of Abuja.

Ilobi Austin, www.vibratingaustin.blogspot.com , an eye witness writes from warri.    

ilobi austin
http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/effurun-market-fire-incidence-there-is-definitely-still-hope-for-a-better-nigeria-722064.html

The world changing and inspiring Presidential Inauguration of January 20, 2009 is past now.  The parades are cleared and the dancing and celebrations are over, for now.  There was a beautiful sense of hope that spread throughout the world.  The memory of that day and the feeling of hope and optimism that we dared to feel is still with many of us.  Time will tell, but it is very likely that our world changed on that day in a way that will never be forgotten and that is a good thing. 

On an individual level it would appear that many of us are in for a bit of a bumpy ride financially, economically, professionally. There are few people in the world who are untouched by the crashing markets of the last months of 2008.

Where you are at may be just fine and status quo may reign in your world, but for many of us,particularly Baby Boomers, we face a period of our lives that we were may not have been prepared for before the crash, and now, even the eternal optimists are wondering if they should start to worry.

So what to do – what to do? Here at Boomerway Global Headquarters we have created our own 5 point plan that we share with you. We invite and expect that you may need to adjust according to your own personal circumstances.

 Boomerway 5 Point Plan

1.         Keep the faith
2.         Make a Plan
3.         Take Action
4.         Seek Expert advice
5.         Do something that moves you closer to your goal everyday    

 Here is how we are implementing our plan:

1. Keep the faith  Whatever your personal code of spirituality might be, from organized religion to
personal practice to the notion of personal development, strengthen it through practice and observation.
Help each other – give the people in your world a break, give yourself a break. Maybe things have not worked out as you thought they would – but here you are now, today. What is behind you is done – what you do each moment of each day from this point forward is what will define your future.

If you do not have a faith or a personal mantra – maybe this is a good time to find one that could work for you.
One day at time, let go – let God, a meditation or an affirmation. Today, this minute, is better than before. You decide.

2. Make a Plan What do you need most? A job? A different job? a different way of working? Less debt?
Less clutter? Less weight? More vegetables?  A different relationship?  You can decide. You may not resolve it today – but you can make a start.
Do you need to call a close friend and commit out loud to your plan? You could write it down and help your thinking develop that way?
There are many ways to collect your thoughts that will help you make a start toward change.

3. Take Action When you are actively involved in change you cannot feel like a victim because you are making an active choice in your life.

 4. Seek Expert Advice Do you need the advice of a career counsellor, doctor, therapist, deacon of your church? Education for retraining to move your skills up the ladder?  Internet – yellow pages, libraries, computers at libraries, there are many different resources available to you and most of them are free of charge.

5. Do Something Regardless of your challenge – make sure that you do at least 1 thing every day that moves you closer to your goal.  It could mean, ensuring that your interview – job search clothes are ready for when you are called, it could mean that clutter throughout your home is cleared so that you can think without distraction.
Hope is probably the most important element for survival in these difficult times.

See number 1. Keep the faith.
Take action and hold on – this too shall pass and we will be stronger and wiser for it.
 

Anne MacGregor
http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/5-things-baby-boomers-can-do-to-make-2009-a-great-year-starting-today-745104.html

The inauguration is over, appointments are agreed upon, our nation’s capitol returns to itself and millions of Americans watch to see President Obama lead this country toward his vision for the United States of America.  It will take his embodying that vision for the country and the congress to agree and follow the strategic plans supporting that vision. That is the stature of leadership needed. Our new president is not alone in this important undertaking.

Along with government leaders, thousands of business owners, some small, some employing many, but all fundamentally vital to the welfare of their communities, state or nation, will be re-assessing their business mission and vision statements to determine their place in the new economy. As our new President says, we are all involved and needed; everyone is key!  Now is the time for all, big or small, government or commercial, local or international, to lead with a sense of vision rather than with a sense of desperation.

Peter Senge in The Dance of Change says “In today’s organizations, the idealization of great leadership leads to an endless search for heroic figures that can come in to rescue the rest of us from recalcitrant, non-competitive institutions.  But might this very thinking be a key reason such institutions prevail?  Might not the continual search for the hero-leader be a critical factor in itself, diverting our attention away from building institutions that, by their very nature, continually adapt and reinvent themselves, with leadership coming from many people in many places, not just from the top?”

Both institutional organizations and businesses of all sizes are full of leaders where initiative and creativity are plentiful.  The role of the leader is to harness and direct the activity.  Modern leadership is adaptive and aware; responsive, not reactive.

Our new leader, President Obama, must enlist the existing pool of leaders within our government institutions and many industries to truly reinvent themselves.  The change that is needed should occur as a result of new visions by both government and business.  It is a leader’s responsibility to implement this vision driven change.  The bottom line – what our government institutions and business communities need right now is visionary leadership – not just coming from President Obama, but coming from many people in many places; and these people must be committed to living the vision.

Need help with your leadership practices?  Go to www.missionvisionstatement.com/leadership now!

Don Midgett
http://www.articlesbase.com/economics-articles/leadership-means-living-the-vision-730909.html

For an indie band with a serious poppy sound, Death Cab for Cutie is doing pretty well raking in the dough via mainstream tours and albums. The group recently announced their plans to support their 2008 album Narrow Stairs with a spring concert, hitting up Japan (Nagoya, Tokyo and Osaka) and Australia (Freemantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, Newtown and Brisbane) before making a few US appearances in March. As the group’s first number one album, Narrow Stairs promotion is well worth the effort and move from their current cult status to mainstream rockers. Selling over 144,000 copies in its first week, Narrow Stairs follow up other mellow indie rockers like Dashboard Confessional as Death Cab for Cutie slowly make their way to superstardom.

For those who have been longtime fans of this quartet from Bellingham, WA it shouldn’t be a massive shock that the guys are finally seeing radio play on your favorite alternative stations. The guys, who have been together since 1997, exude an effortlessness that eradicates any sense that they aren’t hardworking. “The landscape of the thing [aka the album] is way, way more lunar than the urban meadow sort of thing that has been happening for the last couple of records,” Chris Walla, Death Cab’s guitarist, said to Billboard. “[It's also] louder and more dissonant and…I think abrasive would be a good word to use.” Whether or not an abrasive touch led to such mainstream mania for the men who ‘posses’ our hearts’, it’s clear that here is much more to come.

Along with the newly toned Ben Gibbard (who is engaged to actress and She & Him woman Zooey Deschanel), the guys are adding up Huntington Beach singer and songwriter Matt Costa to their lineup, fulfilling every southern California’s mellow ideals that sweet soulful music mixed with acoustic guitars and a rustic voice is an ideal concert, thus making Death Cab for Cutie tickets a hot commodity as the days pass and more sunshine reveals that http://www.stubhub.com/death-cab-for-cutie-tickets is selling their concert event.

If headlining their own jaunt in Japan (followed by North America) isn’t enough, then the Death Cab guys must really be reeling in the success as their single “Grapevine Fires” from Narrow Stairs finds itself on the Barack Obama inauguration album. The album, tentatively titled Change is Now: Renewing America’s Promise, also includes tracks from Will.I.Am, Wilco, Lenny Kravitz and more. The guys are also involved in productions for the Dark was the Night album in support of the Red Hot Organization (front man Gibbard worked with Feist for “The Train Song”). Continuing their rise from small time act to Grammy nominated kings, their single “Love Song” also appears on the Sweetheart compilation sold exclusively at North American Starbucks venues, a future rarity as albums have all but been banned from the coffee conglomerate.

The men plan on starting their stint at the Langerado Music Festival March 7th before hitting up a few legendary venues in Philadelphia, Washington DC, Louisville, Memphis and more as they continue to make mainstream dreams a reality.

Meaghan Clark
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/death-cab-for-cutie-tickets-smiling-freely-for-the-mainstream-1178416.html

Why is it that the same sensory experience of witnessing the inauguration of Barack Obama generates feelings of intense joy in some people and intense anger in others?

Because politics truly is a love / hate game. The more one leans in one direction, the more they dislike the the other.

David Drummond, Senior Vice President Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer speaks at the inauguration of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society in Berlin.

More information can be found here: http://googlepolicyeurope.blogspot.com/2011/10/launching-internet-society-research.html

Duration : 0:8:53

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Technorati Tags: david drummond google berlin, humboldt, institute

2008 was a crazy year for everyone. Here is a quick run down of the top news stories of 2008:

The Election of President Barack Obama: On November 4, 2008 Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. He is the first African American President in the country’s history and the significance of his taking the oath of office on slave-built steps on January 20, 2009 was not lost on those who attended the events or watched the ceremony on television. President Obama has been busy since being sworn in: closing Guantanamo Bay, passing the Lilly Ledbetter Act, redefining ethics for his administration and setting a tone of “I will be held accountable for what I do and I will always be up front in my decision making.” The theme for his administration is transparency and accountability and so far he seems to be living up to his promise.

The Crashing of the United States Economy: The stock market plummeted just days before the 2008 US Presidential Election making news in both the economic and political spectrum: less than twenty four hours before the crash, John McCain had insisted that the United States’ economy was strong. Some say that this might have been the final nail in the coffin of McCain’s doomed campaign. The news did not stop with the crashing of the stock market. The market somehow kept diving, prompting some to ask “does the Dow ever run out of points?” It will cost the federal government more than one trillion dollars to fix all of the damage done in the crash.

Oil Prices Dropping: When the news broke of the oil companies’ insanely high profits in a single quarter, many people decided that they were tired of funding oil companies and turned to other modes of transportation: mass transit, bicycles and even walking. This led to the crash of oil prices and the price of gasoline went from almost four dollars per gallon to less than one dollar and fifty cents per gallon in some areas. The prices have since leveled out at just fewer than two dollars per gallon.

The Russia-Georgia War: The nations of Russia and Georgia made news in 2008 when they went to war against each other for five days. The war was started with a Georgian artillery strike on the newly forming South Ossetia region. Russia fought back by invading Georgian territory which made their relationship even less stable.

Other major news stories of 2008 included the death of Heath Ledger (who accidentally overdosed on sleeping and anti-anxiety medication), the never ending Iraq war, the rise and fall of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, the terrorism in Mumbai, and the passing of Prop 8 in California by the exact same margin that the state elected Barack Obama President.

2008 was an exciting news year and 2009 is already off to a great start with the Israeli-Hamas conflict, President Obama’s inauguration, and the slow rebuilding of the United States economy.

For more information on the top news stories, visit http://www.dailymicroblog.com and http://www.crossmicroblog.com.

John Parks
http://www.articlesbase.com/news-and-society-articles/top-news-for-2008-754553.html

From Kenneth Anger’s 1954 short….with music by Czech opera composer Léos Janàček (1854-1928).

Duration : 0:3:5

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Technorati Tags: anger, bird, CAGE, Hollywood, Opera

Ever since his nomination, many people all over the world expressed a sigh of relief to their problems, why? After his inauguration many people had expectations and many viewed him as the messiah and expected him to start acting on them soon.
What the world expects from him:

Obama’s impact on Iraq
Send USA Troops Home.  Obama will immediately begin to remove troops from Iraq as a way of cutting down on government’s spending.

Impact on Iraqis
Two million Iraqis are refugees; two million more are displaced inside their own country. They expect that an international working group to address this crisis will be formed. The Iraqis are hoping that President Obama will provide funds to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, and ensure that they can find a safe haven inside their own country.

Impact on Iran
Iran has sought nuclear weapons, supports militias inside Iraq and terror across the region, and its leaders threaten Israel and deny the Holocaust. Iran will hope that negotiations on their nuclear program will be allowed without preconditions unlike in the past.

World leaders
Obama is willing to meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and enemies. He will do necessary preparations, and come to the table and tackle challenges like terrorism, and Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs.

Fight poverty in Africa
African citizens are hoping that America will double its aid funding to African countries, In order to build healthy and educated communities, reduce poverty, develop markets, and generate wealth.

Peace
He will negotiate with Middle East and some of Africa countries to bring lasting peace. Palestine and Israel believe that both countries will be given a chance to be heard and decisions concerning both of them will be made fairly.

‘Terrorists’
Those accused unfairly {Muslims} believe that a fair chance of defending oneself will be given and that they will not be discriminated and suspected every time an attack is launched in a certain place.

Race
With Barrack Obama having roots from the African continent many blacks believe that for once black people will be respected and seen as people with potential. They will now be given fair opportunity to participate in decision making of government’s policies.
His victory as President will also change the minds of black voters in America where by relations between black s and whites will improve.

Sports
Owners and athletes will be taxed to how to help Chicago land the 2016 Olympic Games; many youths especially in Africa are looking forward to get funding in their clubs and even be given that opportunity to be signed as international players.

Young generation
As a young leader Barrack Obama will give inspiration to many youths. They will believe in themselves and realize that they can make their dreams a reality.

Corruption
Most African countries are faced with corruption charges. Many people believe that Obama’s presidency will help fight corruption and will not let those involved go scot free.

Health
African countries are looking upon America to help them fight its common diseases like malaria which is a national disaster in many countries. They believe President Obama will increase the budget allocated to them.

Jeff
http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/obamas-administration-to-impact-the-world-756105.html

What are your thoughts of his inauguration? And how do you think this moment had an impact on America?

Because it was historical and because the President of the United States always have a say in what goes on in the world.