Umaru Yaradua: Biography (1951-2010)

Late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua 

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua became the first civilian leader in Nigeria to take over from another after winning controversial polls in 2007.

The former chemistry teacher is also the first Nigerian leader for 40 years to be university educated.

During his seven years as Katsina State governor, critics said contracts had gone to companies with links to his family's vast businesses.

He is one of only a few Nigerian politicians to publicly declare their assets - twice before being sworn in as governor and then again when he became president.

He is a father of nine children - five daughters and two sons with his first wife Turai, the first lady, whom he married in 1975 - and two sons with Hajiya Hauwa, whom he married in the 1990s. He divorced Ms Hauwa in 1997 before first running for governor.

Mr. Yaradua's daughter Nafisat is married to Bauchi State governor Isa Yuguda. and his other daughter, Zainab, is married to Kebbi State governor Usman Saidu Nasamu Dakingari.

As a governor he was known to have ignored the advice of aides and bodyguards and walked alone to tobacco kiosks to buy a single cigarette.

Yeardley Love: Profile and Biography

Yeardley Love

Earlier today the body of women’s lacrosse player Yeardley Love was found at her apartment, which she shared with other three friends. The UVA student death had an immediate suspect, UVA lacrosse player for men’s team George Huguely, how as apparently in a relationship with Love.

Love was a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame preparatory school and this was her fourth year in the University of Virginia. Officers in the scene witnessed that Yeardley Love had suffered physical trauma, but the cause of death has not been determined yet.

George Huguely is currently under arrest, and remains as the only suspect for the crime. He is being charged for First Degree Murder.

Vera Baker Profile

Vera Baker

Vera Baker is a former political fundraiser. With Muthoni Wambu, she founded Baker Wambu & Associates in 2000. According to The Politico, Baker’s organization became a top fundraising firm for the Congressional Black Caucus.  Baker was the Finance Director for Barack Obama’s 2004 Illinois Senate campaign and was identified by The American Prospect as one of the “rare” African-American major fundraisers.  She also served as the Deputy Political Director at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Baker was born and raised in San Francisco. She received duel Bachelor degrees in political,legal and economic analysis and African American studies from Mills College. She also worked toward a Masters of Art in political science from Howard University and a Masters of Art in African American studies.
After leaving political fundraising, Baker worked for Alta Capital Group, a municipal bond broker-dealer. She then launched Cape Caribbean, LLC, with offices in Fort de France, Martinique and Miami, Florida.

Meg Whitman's Profile

Margaret Cushing "Meg" Whitman (born August 4, 1956) is an American businesswoman and political figure.Ms. Whitman was born and raised in Long Island, New York. Meg Whitman was president and CEO of famous online marketplace, eBay, has been with this successful company since March of 1998. She aided the company’s growth from a national markeplace of 30 employees to a now global online resource with over 9,000 employees. Not only does she serve as president and CEO of this well-known organization but she is also on the Board of Directors for Proctor & Gamble as well as Dreamworks.She is a Republican candidate for Governor of California in the November 2010 election. Whitman was also the first self-made white female billionaire.

Education and Career

She then received a degree in economics from the Ivy League university, Princeton. After this undergraduate completion she went on to Harvard Business School where she received her MBA.

Her first career move was with Procter & Gamble where she was trained and gained experience in brand management, throughout her two year stent with the company. In 1981 she moved on to work for Bain and Company, a consulting firm, where she worked her way up to vice-president. After nine year with Bain and Company, she soon found herself working for Walt Disney Company as the Senior Vice President of Marketing. Following this prestigious position with Walt Disney she became the President of Stride Rite kids shoes. Before she began her career with eBay, from 1995 to 1997, she served as President and CEO of Florists Transworld Delivery.

Not only has Meg Whitman gained tremendous knowledege and business insight but she is also giving back to the University that so faithfully gave to her. She has made significant donations of more than $30 million to Princeton University. This contribution has single handedly allowed the construction of a sixth residential college in the university which will be complete in 2007.

Family

Whitman is married to Griffith Harsh IV, a neurosurgeon at Stanford University Medical Center. They have two sons. She has lived in Atherton, California, since March 1998.

Political Involvement

At the 2008 Republican National Convention, Whitman gave a speech about what John McCain would do in his first one hundred days in office if elected.

Whitman was a supporter of former Bain & Company CEO and Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in 2008 and was on his "National Finance Team." She was also listed as Finance co-chair of Romney's exploratory committee. However, after Romney stepped out of the race, and endorsed McCain, Whitman joined McCain's presidential campaign as a national co-chair.

McCain mentioned Whitman as a possible Secretary of the Treasury during the second presidential debate in 2008.

Whitman has made monetary donations to various candidates and PACs. While these have gone to both Republicans and Democrats, the donations are weighted to Republicans. Though Whitman has contributed to a few Democrats, including Senator Barbara Boxer; donating $4,000 to her campaign and serving on the "Friends of Boxer" committee in 2004, she donated more than $225,000.00 during the same period to Republicans, eBay’s PAC and to Americans for a Republican Majority, the PAC of former Rep. Tom DeLay.

Political Campaign

On September 22, 2009, Whitman announced she would run for governor of California in the 2010 election. Her candidacy has been endorsed by high-profile Republicans including Mitt Romney, John McCain, and the former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. If elected, Whitman would be the first female governor of California. Whitman is widely considered the GOP front-runner and is competitive in a likely race against Jerry Brown

Sources: www.bizography.org/ www.wikipedia.com

Chirayu Amin's Profile

Chirayu Amin

Chirayu Amin is the Chief Managing Director (CMD) of Baroda-based Alembic Ltd, which is 100-year-old pharmaceutical firm with Rs 1200 crore turnover.

Amin is the president of the Baroda Cricket Association and the Vice-President of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). He has also held the post of President of FICCI in the past.

BCCI president Shashank Manohar picked Amin for the job because of his marketing and finance experience.

He maintains a low profile, and is known for his clean image.

Amin lives in Baroda with his wife Mallika, who is also a whole-time Director in Alembic. The couple has three sons and all of them have joined the family business.

Amin's hobbies include cricket and golf.


Source: www.ndtv.com

Biography of DaGrin, Oladapo Olaitan Olanipekun (1987 -2010). Plus Dagrin's Unreleased Track Titled " If I Die"

DaGrin was born Oladapo Olaitan Olanipekun (25/10/1987 -22/04/2010). Mr. Olaitan Olanipekun  stage name is DaGrin. He also goes by other aliases such as Original Omoita, DaGrin Lomo Na, Lyrican Trouble, Fimilejo, Omo Onile, Solder Boy, Lyrical Wayray, Molenubi, Misofuyin, Omo Ogun, Akogun, Barack O'Grin, Chief Executive Omoita and other.

Education

DaGrin went Rosemary Nursery and Primary School and Good Shepherd Nursery and Primary School before attaining his secondary school education at the Community High School, Egbado College. Mr. Olaitan's attempts to gain admission to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions hit the rock due to financial and family issues. He did however study in a computer institution somewhere around Lagos State. He later decided to invest his time and effort in music since he loves doing music and writing lyrics with great passion.

Personal Life

He was born to a polygamous family; life was never rosy for Olaitan. Olaitan’s mother was the second of his father’s three wives.

Musical Career

DaGrin was a recording artiste, songwriter, rapper and performer. Like any other artiste, the start was rough for DaGrin. Olaitan’s first album titled “Still On the matter” came and went without much impact in the music industry. He was never deterred by the ratings of his first album; he was determined to make a lasting footprint in the music industry. He went back to the studio and re engineer is God given talents. The result of his hard work and persistence was his sophomore album titled "Chief Executive Omoita (C.E.O) and surely, it was a party banger. He was signed to his own label Missofunyin Entertainment and managed by Edlyne Records. 

His imprint Mi So Fu Yin Entertainment was gradually taking shape; Dagrin had a performance in and out of Lagos every other week. Everybody wanted him on their album, mixtape, single… it didn’t matter; everybody just wanted a piece of Dagrin.

Just two days before the horrific accident that took away his life occurred; Dagrin was putting together his last song, Show Me the Money, for Lineo ‘Elepepe Master’. On April 14th, just a few hours before the accident, Dagrin paid a visit to the Hip Hop World office in Ikeja. The awards were drawing closer and with three nominations to his name, the hustler’s dream was finally coming true.

Collaboration and Duet

During his brief presence in Nigeria's music industry, DaGrin  featured dozens of musicians including Kenny Saint Brown, 9ice, Oluwe, YQ Isolate and others within is short presence in Nigeria Hip-Pop scene. Dagrin is a three-time hip-pop awards nominee; he was nominated in the Album of the Year, Artist of the Year and Best Rap Album categories of the 2010 Hip-Hop World Awards.

DaGrin’s Quotes

1. “You know what it is, you knew what it was baby.”
2. ‘I just realized that I’m married to this game… and me and my b*tches never break up…’
3. God is my creator; Fela is my mentor. Money does not drive me; money is my conductor.
4. Ta Won eyan bari mi ni street, won pe mi lomo buruku.
   
   
   Won ni life ti moun live, mon ni pe ku. Ti olorun ko ba pa mi, kin lo tun kun.
5. ‘Aimoye igba ti awon eyan ni ki lo give up… Won ni mo local, pe o no mi o’nse hip-hop… But mo wa determined, mo de wa focus…T’orie ni oruko mi se spread bi staphylococcus’ -

Translation of Quotes in 4 and 5 to English Language

• 
  
  • 
    
    When people see me on the street, they called me bad boy. 
  
  
  
  They say I may not live long with my kind of lifestyle, If God does not kill me, what else?
• ‘How many times have people told me to give up…They say I’m local, that I’m not hip-hop. But I was determined and focused… Because of this, my name has spread like staphylococcus’. 

DaGrin’s Ghetto Dream

Mo ni dream lati fi Ajah se residence

Mo ni dream lati di Nigerian president,

Owoti awon president nje lo encourage mi

Epe ti awon eyan she fun won lon discourage mi

Mo ni dream lati di pastor but everytime ni mo n mu shepe, mo de n fa polli

Mo ni dream lati believe bi Pastor Chris but mo wa carried away pelu effizy Ludaris

DaGrin's Last Moments

According to Nigerian Entertainment Today's website, the last time he logged on to twitter was on April 8th at 1:01 pm. His last tweet was to a fan, Yewande Sobamowo - it simple said ‘lol’ (Laughing Out Loud).

According to report filed by The Nation, a Nigerian Newspaper, DaGrin’s last statement before he passed on  was, ‘Tell My Fans I Love Them.’ He made this statement in the presence of other musicians such as DJ Zeez, Dekunle Fuji, Tunde Peters (his manager), Lexydoo and Shebaby,

Although DaGrin is gone, he would not be forgotten for how he artfully blends his native language, Yoruba with English language to rap. I would like to thank Dagrin for his inspiring so many people that are frustrated and  have lost in Nigeria system.

Oladapo Olaitan Olanipekun a.k.a DaGrin. May your gentle soul Rest In Peace (RIP).


DaGrin's Unreleased Track Titled "If I Die."

Related Posts

• Tribute to Oladapo Olaitan Olanipekun a.k.a DaGrin
• DaGrin's Unreleased Track Titled " If I Die"

Gary Mark Gilmore's Profile

Gary Mark Gilmore (December 4, 1940 – January 17, 1977) was an American criminal and spree killer who gained international notoriety for demanding that his death sentence be fulfilled following two murders he committed in Utah. He became the first person executed in the United States after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a new series of death penalty statutes in the 1976 decision Gregg v. Georgia (these new statutes avoiding the problems that had led earlier death penalty statutes to be deemed unconstitutional in Furman v. Georgia). Gilmore was executed by firing squad and remained the last person to be killed that way in the United States until John Albert Taylor died in the same way in 1996.

Gilmore was born in Waco, Texas, the second of four sons born to Frank and Bessie Gilmore. His parents drifted around the Western United States while he and his brothers grew up, his father earning a living selling advertising space in magazines. Gilmore was raised in a dysfunctional family, and had a horrible relationship with his father. Gary's brother Mikal described their father as a "cruel and unreasonable man." Frank Gilmore's mother claimed that he was the illegitimate son of magician Harry Houdini, who rejected his paternity. Mikal has said he believes the story is not true, however his father believed this.

The Gilmore family settled in Portland, Oregon in 1952. Gilmore began getting into trouble with the law as a teenager, with offenses ranging from shoplifting, car theft and assault and battery. Although Gilmore had an I.Q. of 133, had high scores on both scholastic and academic tests, and clear artistic skills, he dropped out of high school at age 14. He ran away from home with a friend to Texas to see his place of birth, returning to Portland after several months.

The Murders he committed

On the evening of July 19, 1976, Gilmore robbed and murdered Max Jensen, a Sinclair gas station employee in Orem, Utah. The next evening, he robbed and murdered Bennie Bushnell, a motel manager in Provo. He murdered these people even though they complied with his demands. As he disposed of his .22 caliber pistol used in both killings, he accidentally shot himself in the hand, leaving a trail of blood from the gun to the service garage where he had left his truck to be repaired shortly before the murder of Bushnell. The garage owner, seeing the blood and hearing on a police scanner of the shooting at the nearby motel, wrote down Gilmore's license number and called the police. Gilmore's cousin, Brenda, turned him in to police shortly thereafter, after he placed a phone call to her asking for bandages and painkillers for the injury to his hand. Gilmore gave up without a fight as he was trying to drive out of Provo. He was charged with the murders of Bushnell and Jensen, although the latter case never went to trial, apparently because there were no eyewitnesses.

Execution

Gary Gilmore was executed by firing squad on January 17, 1977, at 8:07 a.m. The night before, Gilmore had requested an all-night gathering of friends and family at the prison mess hall. On the evening before his execution, he was served a last meal consisting of a steak, potatoes, milk and coffee, of which he consumed only the milk and coffee. His uncle, Vern Damico, who attended the gathering later claimed to have secretly smuggled in three small, one-ounce Jack Daniels whisky shot bottles for Gilmore which he supposedly consumed.

Source: Wikipedia

Ndamukong Suh" Profile - NFL Draft 2010

Ndamukong Suh

Ndamukong Suh was born on January 6, 1987. He is an American football defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Lions 2nd overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Nebraska.

As a senior in college, Suh received numerous awards including the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy. He was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing fourth.

Suh attended Grant High School in Portland, Oregon, where he earned Parade All-America honors and was voted the 2004 Portland Interscholastic League Defensive Player of the Year and the state Class 4A Defensive Player of the Year.

Personal Life

Suh’s mother, Bernadette (née Lennon), was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica and is a graduate of Southern Oregon University, while his father, Michael, comes from Cameroon and played semi-pro soccer in Germany for a few years while working as a machinist. They met and were married in Portland, Oregon in 1982 after he was accepted to a trade school in the area. In the Ngema ethnic group of Cameroon, Ndamukong means "House of Spears."

Suh has three sisters and is the second oldest of the four siblings. His older sister, Odette Lennon Ngum Suh, played soccer collegiately at Mississippi State University and is currently a midfielder on the Cameroon women's national football team.

2010 NFL Draft

Suh was selected with the second pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Suh was widely considered to be one of the best prospects available in the draft, ESPN.com's draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. describes Suh as "maybe the most dominating defensive tackle I've seen in 32 years" and projected him to go #1 overall to the St. Louis Rams. Suh is seen as an ideal fit at either defensive tackle in a 4-3 defense or as a defensive end in a 3-4 NFL defense. To prepare for the NFL Draft and signing Suh signed with Maximum Sports Management, and agent Roosevelt Barnes, will serve as Suh's lead agent. For off the field marketing activities, Suh signed with The Agency Sports Management & Marketing, where Russ Spielman will serve as lead agent. At the NFL Combine, Suh bench pressed 225 lbs 32 times and had a 35.5 inch vertical leap, the highest for a defensive tackle since 2000. According to Barnes: "He is not a hard worker; he is a relentless worker."

Philanthropy

On April 17, 2010 during the annual Spring Game, Suh announced that he would donate $2 million to Nebraska Athletics for its Strength and Conditioning Program and an additional $600,000 to the UNL College of Engineering to endow a scholarship. The donation from Ndamukong Suh was the largest single gift that Nebraska had received from a former player.

Suh's $600,000 gift to the University of Nebraska Foundation benefits students enrolled in UNL's College of Engineering. Suh is a graduate of the Charles Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction in the College of Engineering.

Suh asked that students from his high school, Grant High School in Portland, Ore., be given first preference for the scholarship he is creating. He said he wanted to help out-of-state students who pay more to attend the University of Nebraska. Suh's gift will be endowed, which means the principal will be invested and the net income used to create scholarships. By making the gift endowed, the Ndamukong Suh Scholarship will exist in perpetuity.

Source: Wikepedia

Samuel Bradford’s Profile: QuarterBack(QB)

Samuel Bradford

Samuel Jacob Bradford was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on November 8, 1987. He is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League.

He attended Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City, where he starred in football, basketball and golf. As a senior quarterback for his high school football team in 2005-2006, he threw for 2,029 yards and 17 touchdowns in 12 games.

 His senior year in basketball, he averaged a double-double. However, Bradford was a three-star recruit not that highly ranked among the high school class of 2006,

with his highest ranking being No. 12 amongst only Pro-Style quarterbacks by recruiting source Rivals.com, behind Pat Devlin, Juice Williams, Josh Freeman, and being overshadowed by the likes of five-star recruits Mitch Mustain, Matthew Stafford and Tim Tebow.

In 2008, as a redshirt sophomore, Bradford became the second sophomore to win a Heisman Trophy. Bradford also holds the NCAA record for touchdown passes by a freshman, with 36.

In 2009, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett declared January 13 as "Sam Bradford Day" in Oklahoma City.

Professional career (2010 NFL Draft

 On March 19, Bradford met with St. Louis Rams general manager Billy Devaney and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur in Pensacola, Florida, where he has been training and rehabbing since undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder

On April 22, 2010, Bradford was selected by the St. Louis Rams as the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. It was the first time the Rams selected a quarterback in the first round of a draft since the selection of Bill Munson in the 1964 NFL Draft. Bradford is the first No. 1 pick out of Oklahoma since Billy Sims was selected top overall by the Detroit Lions in the 1980 NFL Draft.

Personal Life

Bradford is an official citizen of the Cherokee Nation.Bradford is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.His father, Kent Bradford, was an offensive lineman for the Sooners from 1977-78.

Sam Bradford: QuarterBack(QB)

Height:6'4"

Weight:236 lbs.

Arm Length:34 3/8 in.

Hand Size:9 1/2 in.

College:Oklahoma

Conference:Big 12

Selected by: St. Louis Rams

Pick Analysis: The Rams tab Sam Bradford to be their new franchise quarterback. Though Bradford missed most of the 2009 season nursing a shoulder injury, his strong pre-draft workouts, intangibles and game tape made him the right choice in St. Louis. While the Rams don't have many weapons around him, Bradford gives the team an accurate thrower with the skills to develop into an elite quarterback as the team builds around him.

Bradford won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt sophomore in 2008 and then decided after his junior year to come out early. He missed most of the season after injuring and then re-injuring his shoulder which required surgery to repair in October of 2009. He has won a lot of games between his years at Oklahoma as well as during high school. He can be extremely accurate in the short to intermediate passing game and will flash the ability to time his throws leading his receivers so that they can catch the ball in stride when going downfield. While he may need a year or two to develop into a starting quarterback, he does have a tremendous upside.

Source: Wikipedia

Adaeze Igwe Yobo's Profile

Adaeze Igwe  (MBGN)2008  Photo Credits: Reuters

Adaeze Igwe Yobo was born Adaeze Stephanie Chinenye Igwe. She is a former Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) for 2008.

Adaeze Yobo was a former student of the University of Abuja. Igwe pursued her childhood dream by representing Anambra in the pageant with 29 other girls. Like Ann Suinner before her, Igwe's project is Sickle cell awareness; she also used her reign as a platform to showcase Nigerian talent. Apart from winning five million naira, a Hyundai car, and endorsement deals, Awka-Etiti-native Igwe represented Nigeria at Miss World 2008 in South Africa. She made the top twenty in Miss World Talent, and placed second in Miss World Sports.

During her reign, Igwe established her own charity The Adaeze Igwe Foundation, an organization which promotes AIDS and Breast Cancer awareness, and raises funds towards similar causes, including malaria and tuberculosis. Its mission is "to create and increase access and opportunities to Nigerian youths and communities towards addressing their needs and challenges in relation to health and sustainable development."

She has since left the University of Abuja, and started a Communications course at the New York Film Academy.

In 2010, Igwe married Everton player Joseph Yobo in a midnight ceremony held in Jos; the couple dated in 2009 and are now expecting their first child.

Source: Wikipedia

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Political Organization Profile: The African National Congress (ANC)

The African National Congress (ANC) led the South African liberation from apartheid, and has dominated the country's politics in the years since. The political party has won every election since the end of apartheid with overwhelming support, turning South Africa into a virtual one-party state.


In April 2009 the party, led by its leader Jacob G. Zuma, won its fourth consecutive electoral victory. Parliament elects the president, but the A.N.C.'s dominance assures that Mr. Zuma will take the oath of office on May 9.

Final results showed that the A.N.C. won the April 22 election with 66 percent of the vote, less than its victory margin in 2004 but an impressive tally nonetheless after a dissident group had broken away to form its own party. The A.N.C. won in eight of South Africa's nine provinces, the only exception being Western Cape, where it lost to the Democratic Alliance, a political sanctuary for the nation's white and mixed-race minorities.

Many now worry about the political future of the nation regarded as the democratic anchor of the continent.

The A.N.C. was formed in 1912 by well-educated, middle-class South African blacks, many of whom studied in American universities. Its initial character was more lawyerly than radical, but the foundation of its Youth League in the 1940s changed the group's focus. New leaders, including Nelson Mandela, favored more militant tactics as they sought to turn the A.N.C. into a mass movement.

The group was banned in the 1960s. A year later, it formed a military wing and began carrying out violent sabotage missions. Mr. Mandela was sentenced to life in prison in 1964 for attempting to overthrow the government.

In 1990 the party was unbanned, and Mr. Mandela was released from prison. Over the next four years Mr. Mandela and the A.N.C. helped lead to the dismantling of apartheid. In 1994 Mr. Mandela became the first president of post-apartheid South Africa.

Mr. Mandela served as president until 1999, when his chosen successor, Thabo Mbeki, took over. By 2007 the A.N.C. faced a potentially crippling leadership struggle. Mr. Zuma, a Zulu politician idolized in the eastern part of the country, ousted Mr. Mbeki for the top job in the party hierarchy. While it seemed that the infighting would leave the A.N.C. vulnerable to a credible rival, breakaway movements never developed to such a level. In 2008 Mr. Mbeki resigned as president, paving the way for Mr. Zuma to succeed him.

Mr. Zuma has had brushes with the law. He was acquitted in a 2006 rape trial. And in April 2009 prosecutors, citing procedural reasons, dropped a corruption case that had dogged him for eight years.

South Africa has a population of 48.7 million, and the poor rightfully credit the A.N.C. with giving them a lift. In 1996, two years after the end of apartheid, only 2.5 million people received government grants. That number is now 13.4 million, with most of the money provided for children.

South Africa has the continent's largest economy, and until the recession it enjoyed 10 consecutive years of growth. But wealth favors the few, and in South Africa the chasm of inequality is among the worst in the world. On average, whites still earn nearly 10 times as much as blacks.

Under apartheid, the school system was deliberately set up to provide nonwhites with inferior instruction, but many experts contend that the schools have worsened rather than improved. The A.N.C. government was slow in providing antiretroviral drugs to AIDS patients, allowing 365,000 South Africans to die prematurely, according to a Harvard University study.

Disappointment runs deep among South Africans. But though people complain about corrupt local officials, they rarely aim their anger at the A.N.C.

Country Profile:South Africa

General Information on South Africa

Official Name: Republic of South Africa
Capital: Pretoria (Current local time)
Government Type: Republic
Population: 43.99 million
Area: 470,462 square miles
Languages: IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Afrikaans, Sepedi, English, Setswana, Sesotho, Xitsonga
Literacy: Total Population: [82%] Male: [84%]; Female: [81%]
Year of Independence: 1910
Web site: Gov.za

South Africa's National Flag

Tracy Morgan’s Profile

Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan is an American actor and comedian,. He was born November 10, 1968 in The Bronx, New York. Tracy is the second of five children of Alicia (née Warden), a homemaker, and Jimmy Morgan, Sr., a musician who left the family when Morgan was six. Tracy Morgan also claims he grew up in the Marcy Projects in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, along with rapper Jay-Z. After attending De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx, he was discovered in 1984 while doing stand-up at The Apollo. Before Morgan began his career, he worked in New York City as a painter working for L&L Painting and Rose Company.

He is known for his seven seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live(SNL) and currently for co-starring on the hit NBC comedy series 30 Rock playing the role of Tracy Jordan. He is also in the 2008 movie First Sunday with Ice Cube.

Personal life

Funnyman Tracy Morgan has had a rough couple of years. In 2007 his wife of 22 years filed for divorce, citing his alcoholism, and a female DJ in Miami filed a complaint saying he groped her in a radio studio.

In 2006, he was arrested for DUI for the second time in as many years and had to wear a court-mandated alcohol monitoring device on his ankle. Morgan says he hopes this year will be better. He has a girlfriend. The eldest of his three kids is in college.

Autobiography

On October 20, 2009, Morgan's autobiography I Am the New Black, was released. The book includes stories from his life living in Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, to becoming a star as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Tracy appeared on on National Public Radio's Fresh Air hosted by Terry Gross, at times tearing up about his former life in a New York ghetto.

Sources: www.wikipedia.org and www.tracymorgan.net

Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche's Profile

Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche lived from January 31, 1941 to April 3, 2010. He was a Boer-Afrikaner who founded the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) during the apartheid era in South Africa. Until his death, Terre'Blanche remained leader of the AWB and continued to push for an Afrikaner secessionist state within South Africa.

Eugène Terre'Blanche's grandfather fought as a so-called "Cape Rebel" for the Boer cause in the Second Boer War, and his father was a lieutenant colonel in the South African Defence Force.

The progenitor of the Terre'Blanche name (translatable as either 'white land' or 'white earth' in French) in the region was a French Huguenot refugee named Estienne Terreblanche from Toulon (Provence), who arrived at the Cape in 1704. The Terreblanche name has generally retained its original spelling though other spellings include Terre'Blanche, Terre Blanche, Terblanche and Terblans.

Born on a farm in the Transvaal town of Ventersdorp on January 31, 1941, Terre'Blanche attended Laerskool Ventersdorp and Hoër Volkskool in Potchefstroom, matriculating in 1962. He joined the South African Police, and was initially deployed in South West Africa (now Namibia), which had been given to South Afica under a United Nations Trust mandate after World War I. Upon returning to South Africa proper, he became a Warrant Officer in the Special Guard Unit, which was assigned to members of the Cabinet.

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• Murder of white supremacist Eugene Terre’Blanche may make him a martyr
• Eugene Terreblanche: The man I knew
• Eugene Terre'Blanche Obituary

Former Governor Alhaji Abubakar Rimi Dies after Armed Robbery Attack

By Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano, 04.05.2010


Former governor of Kano State and former presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, has died after an armed robbery attack.

He was reportedly unhurt in the encounter with the robbers around 11pm last night. The robbers were said to have recognized him and decided not to rob him. Instead, they seized his phones so that he would not report to the police. On getting to Kano, he was said to have been in shock. His personal doctor, it was gathered, checked his blood pressure and decided to take him to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital. He never recovered and was pronounced dead shortly after. His body has been moved to his residence in Kano and will be buried according to Islamic rites this morning.

Initial reports said he was shot in the head in the attack which took place at a village called Darki in Wudil Local Government Area, Kano State, while he was returning from Bauchi State where he had gone for his eldest daughter's wedding.

But it was later revealed that he suffered no gunshot wounds. However, given that his blood pressure had shot up during the attack, he might have suffered a massive stroke, leading to his death.

The radical politician, who was instrumental to the victory of Chief MKO Abiola in the June 12, 1993 presidential election in Kano State, was traveling in a Landcruiser SUV in company with three other persons who are believed to be his relations.

Rimi had become politically reclusive in recent times and led a faction of the PDP in Kano called Garkuwa (Shield). He also staunchly supported President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

He was born in 1940 in Rimi Village, Sumaila Local Government Area, Kano State. According to wikipedia.com, Rimi attended an instructor's course at the Institute of Administration, Zaria. He obtained a General Certificate of Education (GCE) from the University of London.

In 1972, he did a diploma in International Affairs at the London institute of World Affairs, and later obtained a Master's Degree in International Relations.In January 2006, his wife was killed at his home. His son was among those charged for the murder, but was later released. It was treated as an armed robbery case.

Rimi was co-founder with the late Mallam Aminu Kano and other progressives the People's Redemption Party (PRP). In December 1978, he was elected PRP's Deputy National secretary at the party's first national convention in Lagos. He was the PRP candidate in the 1979 general election and was elected the governor of the old Kano State.

After a disagreement with the party's leader, Alhaji Aminu Kano, he defected to the Nigeria Peoples Party (NPP) in 1983 and resigned as governor "on principle". He lost the governorship election that year to Alhaji Sabo Bakin Zuwo, who ran as the PRP candidate.

In 1993, Rimi was appointed Minister of Communications, and later Chairman of NACB and NSPMC.

He was one of the foundation members of the PDP in 1998. He was the Chairman of the Finance Committee of the party.

He was briefly touted as former President Olusegun Obasanjo's running mate in the 1999 presidential election, but Obasanjo eventually settled for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Rimi began to openly oppose Obasanjo and ran against him for PDP's presidential ticket in 2003, although the PDP had insisted that the position was zoned to the South.

He later moved to the Action Congress (AC) in 2006, but returned to the PDP in 2007. In December 2008, he called on the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Professor Maurice Iwu, to resign from office, citing irregularities in the presidential election that brought Yar'Adua to power.



Source: www.thisdayonline.com



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Facebook’s company profile

Company Name:           Facebook
Founder:                      Mark Zuckerberg
Founded:                     February 1, 2004
Location:                     Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Data Center:                Prineville, Oregon, U.S.
Funding:                      $716M
Users’ Population:        350 million
Acquisitions:                Parakey  and FriendFeed.
Investments:                 Wildfire Interactive and LuckyCal.

James Dimon's Profile

James Dimon, Jamie has been the Chief Executive Officer of JP Morgan Chase & Co., since December 31, 2005. Mr. Dimon served as the President of JP Morgan Chase & Co. since July 1, 2004 and served as its Chief Operating Officer from July 1, 2004 to December 31, 2005. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Bank One Corp., (also known as Banc One Corporation) from March 27, 2000 to July 2004. He served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Bank One Wisconsin. Mr. Dimon served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of Citigroup Inc., a subsidiary Salomon Smith Barney Holdings Inc. from October 1998 to November 1998. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Smith Barney Holdings, Inc. From November 1998 to March 2000, he was a Private Investor. He served as the President of Citigroup Inc., having held that position during October and November 1998 following the merger of Travelers Group Inc. and Citicorp.

Mr. Dimon served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of J.P. Morgan & Co. Inc. since January 2004. From November 1993 to October 1998, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Travelers Group Inc., as well as serving in several other executive positions with Travelers' subsidiaries Smith Barney Inc. and Salomon Barney Inc. during that period. He has been the Chairman of JP Morgan Chase & Co. since December 31, 2006. He serves as Vice Chairman of The Business Council. Mr. Dimon serves as Chairman at The Clearing House LLC. He served as the Chairman of Smith Barney Holdings, Inc. He served as Chairman of Banc One Corporation from March 27, 2000 to July 2004. He served as Chairman of Citigroup Inc. from October 1998 to November 1998. He has been Executive Director of JPMorgan Chase & Co since 2000. He serves as Director of The Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Catalyst, Inc. He served as a Director of Banc One Corporation since 2000 and Yum! Brands Inc. since 1997. He serves as a Director of Chicago Clearing House Association.

He serves as a Director of College Fund/UNCF and Harvard Business School. He serves as a Trustee of The University of Chicago and New York University Medical Center and a Director of the National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse. He served as Director of Smith Barney Holdings, Inc. He serves as Co-Chair of Commission to Enhance Competitiveness for Financial Services Roundtable. Mr. Dimon is a graduate of Tufts University and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. 

Mr. Dimon is a graduate of Tufts University and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a director of The College Fund/UNCF and serves on the Board of Directors of The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, Catalyst and Harvard Business School and is on the Board of Trustees of New York University School of Medicine.

Lloyd C. Blankfein's Profile

Lloyd C. Blankfein




Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
New York ,  NY
Sector: FINANCIAL  /  Diversified Investments
Officer since January 2004



Mr. Blankfein, age 54, has been our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since June 2006. Previously, he had been our President and Chief Operating Officer since January 2004. Prior to that, from April 2002 until January 2004, he was a Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs, with management responsibility for Goldman Sachs' Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities Division (FICC) and Equities Division (Equities). Prior to becoming a Vice Chairman, he had served as co-head of FICC since its formation in 1997. From 1994 to 1997, he headed or co-headed the Currency and Commodities Division. Mr. Blankfein is not on the board of any public company other than Goldman Sachs. He is affiliated with certain non-profit organizations, including as a member of the Harvard University Committee on University Resources, the Advisory Board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management and the Governing Board of the Indian School of Business, an overseer of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and a director of the Partnership for New York City and Catalyst.
Forbes Rankings
45th on the Forbes Executive Pay in 2009
Goldman Sachs Group - 56th on the Forbes Global 2000 in 2009
8th on the Forbes Executive Pay in 2008
Goldman Sachs Group - 23rd on the Forbes Global 2000 in 2008
33rd on the Forbes Executive Pay in 2007


Compensation for 2008

Salary $600,000.00
Bonus $0.00
Restricted stock awards $277,828.00
All other compensation $235,943.00
Option awards $ $0.00
Non-equity incentive plan compensation $0.00
Change in pension value and nonqualified deferred compensation earnings $0.00
Total Compensation $1,113,771.00


Source:Forbes

Lars Largerback's Profile

Lars Edvin "Lasse" Lagerback was born 16 July 1948 in Katrineholm, Sweden. Lars Lagerback is a Swedish football manager and former player. He managed the Swedish National Team from 1998 until 2009 leading Sweden in five consecutive championships, the first time in Swedish history. He resigned as manager in 2009 after Sweden's failure to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

As youth, Lagerback played for Alby FF. When he was 13 years-old, he began playing for their P16 team. In 1970, he left and moved to Gimonäs CK under the guidance of Calle Lindelöf. He continued to play there until 1974.  In 1974, he attended Gynastik and Idrottshögskolan (GIH), where he was a classmate of current assistant coach Roland Andersson.

Lars Lagerback was called up to the senior team in 1977,. It was former teammate Kjell Pettersson that recommended him to Kilafors. He coached the Division IV team until 1982. In 1983, he moved to Arbrå IK until 1985. He took over Hudiksvall ABK in 1987, but he left by 1989.

In 1990, Lagerback takes a job with the Swedish Football Association. He began to coach the junior levels which included Fredrik Ljungberg. He helped Tommy Svensson and Tord Grip with Swedish National Team.

In 1996, Lagerback takes over Sweden B national team, until 1997. In 1998, Tommy Söderberg takes him on as assistant coach for the Swedish National Team. In 2000, he is promoted to dual-coach, a responsibility he would share with Söderberg until 2004. Under his guidance, the Swedish National Team qualified for the Euro 2000 but lost in the group stages.

Lagerback  led Sweden to the World Cup where Sweden was in 'group death' in 2002 Sweden lost against Senegal. In 2004, Sweden qualified for their third straight championship. In the Euro 2004, Sweden made it to the quarter-finals where they lost against Holland. Tommy Söderberg left the Swedish National Team to coach the U21 Team in that same year.

After the departure of Söderberg, Lagerback appointed Roland Andersson as assistant coach. In 2006, Lagerback took Sweden to their fourth consecutive championship, the first time in Swedish history. He led Sweden to the 2006 World Cup, losing against Germany 2–0 in the knockout stage.

 Under Lagerback, Sweden also qualified for UEFA Euro 2008, however they were eliminated in the group stage after losing 2-0 against Russia. The team's early dismissal from the tournament led sport columnists to ask Lagerback to be sacked.

Source: Wikipedia

Despite this, he signed an extension, which would keep him until the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign. After Sweden's unsuccessful qualification campaign for this summer's World Cup in South Africa, Lagerback resigned.

Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau's Profile

Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau was born in 1954 to the family of Alhaji Bala Dambazau and Hajiya Hajara Bala Dambazau. After his primary school education in Zaria, he gained admission into the prestigious Barewa College in the same town in 1970.  On graduation in June 1974, he went to the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna as a member of the 17 Regular Combatant Course.  He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the Infantry Corps of the Nigerian Army in June 1977.

During the course of his military career, he has held numerous command, instructional and staff appointments. Until his appointment as the 17th Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army, an army with over 100 years of history, he was the General Officer Commanding 2 Division Nigerian Army.

As part of his numerous contribution on training, General Dambazau served as the Registrar/Instructor, Nigerian Defence Academy from 1993 - 1999 and later Chief Instructor, at the Support Weapon Wing of the Infantry Centre and School from 1999 - 2001 before becoming  a Directing Staff at the then National War College from 2004 - 2006.  Subsequently, he became the Director, Higher Military Organization and Operations at the same Institution in 2006.  This earned him the highly revered appellation of the Fellow of the War College Dagger (FWCD).

Lieutenant General AB Dambazau has also held several Staff appointments before his appointment as the 17th Chief of Army Staff.  He was a Staff Officer at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police (NACMP) in 1979 before he became an Aide-de-Camp to the then Chief of Army Staff.  He was also a Special Investigator at the Special Investigation Bureau of the NACMP from 1984 - 1985.  Subsequently, he was appointed Military Assistant to the Director Army Training and Operations at the Army Headquarters.  Lieutenant General Dambazau also served as the Principal General Staff Officer to the Honourable Minister of Defence (PGSO-HMOD) in 2006.  In January 2007, he was appointed the Chief of Army Standard and Evaluation (CASE).

Since his commission as an officer, General Dambazau, in addition to the Young Officers' and Surveillance Platoon Commanders' Courses has attended at the then Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI) in 1978, he has over the years attended both civil and military courses within and outside Nigeria that earned him several academic qualifications and awards. These includes the United States Military Police School, Fort MacLelan where he earned a Diploma in Military Police Basic Training, Kent State University, Ohio, from 1980 - 1984, for a Bachelors' Degree in Criminal Justice and Masters Degree in International Relations.  He also attended the University of Keele, United Kingdom where he was awarded a Doctorate Degree in Criminology.  He also attended Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College for his Senior Division course from 1991 - 1992. The Chief of Army Staff was also at the Infantry Centre and School, Jaji for the Commanding Officers' Course before proceeding to India's National Defence College, New Delhi in 2003 for his Higher Strategic Military Course.

General Dambazau has an excellent flair for writing cutting across diverse aspect of human endeavours.  In addition to his doctorate thesis, he authored five books as follows:

a.             Military Law Terminologies, Spectrum Books Limited, 1990.

b.             Law and Criminality in Nigeria, University Press, 1994.

c.             Issues in Crime Prevention and Control in Nigeria, Baraka Press, 1996.

d.             Criminology and Criminal Justice, Nigerian Defence Academy Press, 1999.

e.             Criminology and Criminal Justice, Second Edition, Spectrum Books, 2007.

He has also written over eleven published papers on the United Nations, the Media, Human and Drug Trafficking, as well as on Democracy and the Rule of Law among other topics.  A highly versatile senior officer, he is a member of seven national and international professional bodies. A highly decorated senior officer, General Dambazau possesses many military honors and awards, qualifications and commendations.

Source:www.nigerian-army.org