China urges assistance for Syria to spur diplomacy
February 29, 2012 08:11 GMT
Today is Wednesday, Feb. 29, the 60th day of 2012. There are 306 days left in the year. This is Leap Day.
Today’s Highlights in History:
On Feb. 29, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson’s National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (also known as the Kerner Commission) warned that racism was causing America to move “toward two societies, one black, one white — separate and unequal.” The discovery of a “pulsar,” a star which emits regular radio waves, was announced by Dr. Jocelyn Bell Burnell in Cambridge, England. At the Grammy Awards, the 5th Dimension’s “Up, Up and Away” won record of the year for 1967, while album of the year honors went to The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”
On this date:
In 1504, Christopher Columbus, stranded in Jamaica during his fourth voyage to the West, used a correctly predicted lunar eclipse to frighten hostile natives into providing food for his crew.
In 1792, composer Gioachino Antonio Rossini was born in Pesaro, Italy.
In 1796, President George Washington proclaimed Jay’s Treaty, which settled some outstanding differences with Britain, in effect.
In 1892, the United States and Britain agreed to submit to arbitration their dispute over seal-hunting rights in the Bering Sea. (A commission later ruled in favor of Britain.)
In 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed a seven-member commission to facilitate completion of the Panama Canal.
In 1908, the artist Balthus was born in Paris.
In 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a second Neutrality Act as he appealed to American businesses not to increase exports to belligerents.
In 1940, “Gone with the Wind” won eight Academy Awards, including best picture of 1939; Hattie McDaniel won for best supporting actress, the first black performer so honored.
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower announced he would seek a second term of office.
In 1960, the first Playboy Club, featuring waitresses clad in “bunny” outfits, opened in Chicago.
In 1984, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau announced he was stepping down after more than 15 combined years in power.
In 1996, Daniel Green was convicted in Lumberton, N.C., of murdering James R. Jordan, the father of basketball star Michael Jordan, during a 1993 roadside holdup. (Green and an accomplice, Larry Martin Demery, were sentenced to life in prison.) A Peruvian Boeing 737 crashed on approach to Arequipa, killing all 123 people on board.
Twelve years ago (2000): George W. Bush won Republican presidential primaries in Virginia, Washington state and North Dakota, defeating John McCain; Vice President Al Gore crushed fellow Democrat Bill Bradley in Washington state. Six-year-old Kayla Rolland was fatally shot by a fellow first-grader at Buell Elementary School in Mount Morris Township, Mich. Sparky Anderson was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame along with Turkey Stearnes of the Negro leagues and 19th-century second baseman Bid McPhee. Kathie Lee Gifford announced her intention to leave the syndicated morning show “Live with Regis Kathie Lee.”
Eight years ago (2004): Facing rebellion, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide (zhahn behr-TRAHN’ ahr-ihs-TEED’) resigned and left for exile in the Central African Republic. (Aristide returned to Haiti in March 2011.) “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” won a record-tying 11 Academy Awards, including best picture; Sean Penn took the best-actor prize for “Mystic River” and Charlize Theron won best actress for “Monster.” Playwright Jerome Lawrence died in Malibu, Calif., at age 88.
Four years ago (2008): Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama accused rival Hillary Rodham Clinton of trying to “play on people’s fears to scare up votes” with a TV ad showing sleeping children and asking who would be more qualified to answer a national security emergency call at 3 a.m.
Today’s Birthdays: Actress Michele Morgan is 92. Former All-Star baseball player Al Rosen is 88. Actor Joss Ackland is 84. Actor Alex Rocco is 76. Former space shuttle astronaut Jack Lousma is 76. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople is 72. Actor Dennis Farina is 68. Actress Phyllis Frelich is 68. Motivational speaker Tony Robbins is 52. Actor Antonio Sabato Jr. is 40. Rapper Ja Rule is 36.
Thought for Today: “Well, it has happened again. The Earth has circled four times around the sun, astronomers have designated this a leap year and anxious bachelors won’t answer their telephones until midnight.” — David O’Reilly, American journalist.
Article source: http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.international/354108b1-www.wgme.com.shtml
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SPRM Is Not For Rating
The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) , Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State has said that State Peer Review Mechanism (SPRM) introduced in the country by the forum last year was not a score card to rate themselves but to advance good governance and development among state governments.
He disclosed this in Minna yesterday at the opening of a two day sensitisation workshop on SPRM that the idea was to help come up with a methodology of assessing the level of development in the states using comparative indices.
Consequently, he said, the workshop was the beginning of review process in Niger state, and that the self assessment report of each state, would form the basis for peer review by members of NGF for peer learning and experience sharing.
Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu in his speech charged all the states in the federation to go beyond developing the peer review frameworks to the implementation of the states’ programs of action so as to give a practical meaning of what was needed to be delivered.
According to him the peer review was a platform for benchmarking standard in service delivery for sustainable socio-economic development of the state.
Article source: http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/17745/2012/02/29/sprm_not_rating_ourselves_%E2%80%93gov_ameachi.html
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S’Court Has Vindicated Me –
The Governor of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has described the verdict of the Supreme Court that yesterday upheld his victory at the April 2011 governorship election as a confirmation that his administration got the mandate of the people of the state.
The Supreme Court in Abuja upheld the verdict of the Appeal Court that upheld the ruling of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that gave victory to Governor Aliyu in Minna and dismissed the petition of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and its governorship candidate, Alhaji Shettima Bako for lack of merit.
Aliyu stated that after winning the case at the tribunal, the opposition party took appeal which was thrown out at the Appeal Court to the apex court, adding that the petitioners would have backed out at this point but their legal representative advised them to proceed to the Supreme Court.
“We won at the tribunal and at the Appeal Court. Actually the candidate told me that he was not going to be at Supreme Court but I understand the SAN has to register the number of appearances he has made. I believe that he must have been convinced to go to Supreme Court”.
Article source: http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/17746/2012/02/29/s%E2%80%99court_has_vindicated_me_%E2%80%93_gov_aliyu.html
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QR codes changing the way we access information
HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
The way we relay information is getting faster thanks to quick-response codes, or QR codes for short.
The codes were first used in Japan back in the 1990′s. After then surfacing in Europe, they’re now showing up across the United States.
Dan Scheel, the owner of Dano’s Pizza, is using the codes to connect with customers. Scheel started using the two-dimensional squares. “It’s just the newest thing out there, and Facebook in general is such a new thing,” said Scheel. “It keeps advancing, and we’re trying to keep up with it.”
Here’s how they work. Download a QR code reader to your smart phone. Then you open the reader and scan the code to see where it takes you. A QR code can contain different kinds of information. You can choose to use a web URL, an e-mail address, phone number and geo location or simply use words.
Dano’s QR code quickly links customers to a Facebook page where they can “like” the restaurant. Then they get e-mails with coupons or information about the pizza place. “It’s so flexible,” said Scheel, “You change it and keep it interesting every time they go on.” From pizza to the marketing playbook for the University of South Carolina Athletics, QR codes are everywhere. You can even find one on next season’s football schedule poster.
The QR code links fans to a YouTube playlist that contains videos about the football team. More videos will be added throughout the summer to promote the upcoming 2011 season. The goal is to build off an already strong fan base.
“We want to have as many one-to-one connections as we can – whether it is YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and now QR codes – as an extension of that where we can allow people to immerse themselves in SC Gamecocks,” said USC Marketing Director Eric Nichols.
Jack Heape, owns Linklocal marketing. He used to do traditional marketing, but moved to online marketing a few years back. He is currently working with three businesses in the Midlands, helping them incorporate QR codes.
“The advantage of using a QR code is that it connects you with the social media fraternity. It helps establish a customer relationship and that’s how social media should be used” said Heape.
A growing QR code use is business cards. People are starting to put a code on their card. Recipients can then use a smart phone to scan the code. The contact information is placed directly in their phone. Not only is it a fast relay of information, but there is no typing involved.
Businessman Craig Plank recently added a QR code to his business card. His goal is to remain on the cutting edge. Plank said he added the code “…to capture the youthful market and to add additional ways of access to my business.”
A quick Internet search found a number of area businesses using QR codes on their websites. We found a code on the website for the Mast General store opening in Columbia later this month. The QR code is for a Google map.
The search also showed attorneys and auto repair shops using these codes on their websites.
Scotti Dodson, a prospective student, and her parents had never seen a QR code until they saw the poster. “I think it is great because it is definitely quicker and easier for people to use,” said Dodson, “So I like it.”
QR codes have to be precise, especially in tattoo form. Artist Eddie Kane recently started doing QR code tattoos. He thinks more and more people will want to get these kinds of tattoos. “A cool little phrase, maybe lucky number or who knows, maybe your health history,” said Kane, “Whatever you want you can put in it.”
Kane’s brother loves getting ink. He wanted to be one of the first with that kind of tattoo. Johnny Kane said, “I believe one is enough. I don’t want to be covered in codes, but it’s actually unique.”
His QR code tattoo contains text. It reads “lucky you.”
Copyright 2012 WAFF. All rights reserved
Article source: http://www.waff.com/story/17037876/kellys-qr-code-story
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Alleged N47.1b Theft: Court
Justice Hakeem Abiru of a Lagos High Court in Ikeja has dismissed an application by the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Intercontinental Bank Plc (now Access Bank), Dr. Erastus Akingbola, seeking to compel the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to provide him with the original of documents vital for his defence in court.
Akingbola’s lawyer, Chief Felix Fagboungbe (SAN,) claimed that the EFCC had denied him access to documents that would assist him during the trial.
Akingbola and an associate, Bayo Dada, are standing trial for alleged theft of N47.1 billion brought against them by the EFCC.
Fagbohungbe told the court that his client would have been denied the right to fair hearing if his application was denied.
Article source: http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/17689/2012/02/29/alleged_n471b_theft_court_stops_akingbola%E2%80%99s_attempt_stall_trial.html
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FAAN: Ongoing Airports
The ongoing nationwide upgrading and renovation of twenty two airports by the federal government is to gulp a total sum of N32billion.
Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), George Uriesi, who disclosed this to newsmen in Benin City, Edo State capital while on a first hand assessment of the ongoing expansion of the Benin airport terminal building said a total number of eleven airports was contracted out for N16billion for the first phase while the second phase would equally gulp same amount.
He noted that the ongoing infrastructural upgrading of the airport by the federal government was not only aimed at raising the standard of Nigeria airports to compete internationally but also to address the series of hiccups in the area of revenue collection between the airport management and airline operators.
Article source: http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/17691/2012/02/29/faan_ongoing_airports_renovation_gulp_n32bn.html
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Lawyer Sues Lagos Police
A Lagos- based lawyer, Mr Wale Ogunade, has dragged the Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Yusuf Alkali, before a Lagos High Court for allegedly disrupting the recent protest against the removal of the fuel subsidy by the federal government.
In the suit filed by his lawyer, Mr Bamidele Aturu Ogunnade is asking the court to compel the Lagos CP to pay him N1billion damages.
Ogunade is contending that his fundamental human rights has been breached by the defendant who prevented him from carrying out a peaceful protest. Apart from his contention that the action of the defendant was an affront on the relevant laws of the land, Ogunade also claimed that it contravened the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Article source: http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/17688/2012/02/29/lawyer_sues_lagos_police_boss_n1bn.html
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Ex-wrestler says ‘heel’ kicked him in bid to win
February 28, 2012 08:09 GMT
Today is Tuesday, Feb. 28, the 59th day of 2012. There are 307 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Feb. 28, 1942, the heavy cruiser USS Houston and the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth came under attack by Japanese forces during the World War II Battle of Sunda Strait; both were sunk shortly after midnight. (The Houston lost 693 men while the Perth lost 353.)
On this date:
In 1844, a 12-inch gun aboard the USS Princeton exploded as the ship was sailing on the Potomac River, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Navy Secretary Thomas W. Gilmer and several others.
In 1849, the California gold rush began in earnest as regular steamship service started bringing gold-seekers to San Francisco.
In 1861, the Territory of Colorado was organized.
In 1911, President William Howard Taft nominated William H. Lewis to be the first black Assistant Attorney General of the United States.
In 1951, the Senate committee headed by Estes Kefauver (ES’-teez KEE’-faw-vuhr), D-Tenn., issued an interim report saying at least two major crime syndicates were operating in the U.S.
In 1953, scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick announced they had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule that contains the human genes.
In 1960, a day after defeating the Soviets at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, Calif., the United States won its first Olympic hockey gold medal by defeating Czechoslovakia’s team, 9-4.
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communique, which called for normalizing relations between their countries, at the conclusion of Nixon’s historic visit to China.
In 1975, more than 40 people were killed in London’s Underground when a subway train smashed into the end of a tunnel.
In 1986, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme (PAHL’-meh) was shot to death in central Stockholm. (The killing remains unsolved.)
In 1993, a gun battle erupted at a compound near Waco, Texas, when Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents tried to serve warrants on the Branch Davidians; four agents and six Davidians were killed as a 51-day standoff began.
In 1997, in North Hollywood, Calif., two heavily armed and armored robbers bungled a bank heist and came out firing, unleashing their arsenal on police, bystanders, cars and TV choppers before they were killed.
Ten years ago: The body of a young girl found outside San Diego was positively identified as that of seven-year-old Danielle van Dam, who’d disappeared from her bedroom about a month earlier; a neighbor, David Westerfield, was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to death. Hindus in western India retaliated for a train attack that claimed some 60 lives by setting fire to Muslims’ homes, then keeping firefighters away for hours. Soap opera actress Mary Stuart, who had starred in “Search for Tomorrow” for some 35 years, died in New York at age 75.
Five years ago: A federal judge in Miami ruled that suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla (hoh-ZAY’ puh-DEE’-uh) was competent to stand trial on terrorism support charges, rejecting arguments that he was severely damaged by 3 1/2 years of interrogation and isolation in a military brig. Wall Street rebounded fitfully from the previous session’s 416-point plunge in the Dow industrials as investors took comfort from comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that he still expected moderate economic growth. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. died in New York at age 89.
One year ago: The United States and European allies intensified efforts to isolate Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, redoubling demands for him to step down, questioning his mental state and warning that those who stayed loyal to him risked losing their wealth and facing prosecution for human rights abuses. Actress and World War II pin-up bombshell Jane Russell died in Santa Maria, Calif., at age 89. French actress Annie Girardot died in Paris at age 79.
(Stations: “Bobb’e J. Thompson” is correct)
Today’s Birthdays: Producer Saul Zaentz is 91. Actor Charles Durning is 89. Architect Frank Gehry is 83. Actor Gavin MacLeod is 81. Actor Don Francks is 80. Actor-director-dancer Tommy Tune is 73. Hall of Fame auto racer Mario Andretti is 72. Singer Joe South is 72. Actor Frank Bonner is 70. Actress Kelly Bishop is 68. Actress Stephanie Beacham is 65. Writer-director Mike Figgis is 64. Actress Mercedes Ruehl is 64. Actress Bernadette Peters is 64. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is 64. Actress Ilene Graff is 63. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman is 59. Comedian Gilbert Gottfried is 57. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Adrian Dantley is 56. Actor John Turturro is 55. Rock singer Cindy Wilson is 55. Actress Rae Dawn Chong is 51. Actress Maxine Bahns is 43. Actor Robert Sean Leonard is 43. Rock singer Pat Monahan is 43. Author Daniel Handler (AKA “Lemony Snicket”) is 42. Actor Rory Cochrane is 40. Actress Ali Larter is 36. Country singer Jason Aldean is 35. Actor Geoffrey Arend is 34. Actress Michelle Horn is 25. Actor Bobb’e J. Thompson is 16.
Thought for Today: “If we are to survive, we must have ideas, vision, and courage. These things are rarely produced by committees. Everything that matters in our intellectual and moral life begins with an individual confronting his own mind and conscience in a room by himself.” — Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917-2007).
Article source: http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/2b4102dc-www.wgme.com.shtml
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Judge’s dismissal of harassment charge goes viral
February 28, 2012 08:09 GMT
Today is Tuesday, Feb. 28, the 59th day of 2012. There are 307 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History:
On Feb. 28, 1942, the heavy cruiser USS Houston and the Australian light cruiser HMAS Perth came under attack by Japanese forces during the World War II Battle of Sunda Strait; both were sunk shortly after midnight. (The Houston lost 693 men while the Perth lost 353.)
On this date:
In 1844, a 12-inch gun aboard the USS Princeton exploded as the ship was sailing on the Potomac River, killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Navy Secretary Thomas W. Gilmer and several others.
In 1849, the California gold rush began in earnest as regular steamship service started bringing gold-seekers to San Francisco.
In 1861, the Territory of Colorado was organized.
In 1911, President William Howard Taft nominated William H. Lewis to be the first black Assistant Attorney General of the United States.
In 1951, the Senate committee headed by Estes Kefauver (ES’-teez KEE’-faw-vuhr), D-Tenn., issued an interim report saying at least two major crime syndicates were operating in the U.S.
In 1953, scientists James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick announced they had discovered the double-helix structure of DNA, the molecule that contains the human genes.
In 1960, a day after defeating the Soviets at the Winter Games in Squaw Valley, Calif., the United States won its first Olympic hockey gold medal by defeating Czechoslovakia’s team, 9-4.
In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communique, which called for normalizing relations between their countries, at the conclusion of Nixon’s historic visit to China.
In 1975, more than 40 people were killed in London’s Underground when a subway train smashed into the end of a tunnel.
In 1986, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme (PAHL’-meh) was shot to death in central Stockholm. (The killing remains unsolved.)
In 1993, a gun battle erupted at a compound near Waco, Texas, when Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents tried to serve warrants on the Branch Davidians; four agents and six Davidians were killed as a 51-day standoff began.
In 1997, in North Hollywood, Calif., two heavily armed and armored robbers bungled a bank heist and came out firing, unleashing their arsenal on police, bystanders, cars and TV choppers before they were killed.
Ten years ago: The body of a young girl found outside San Diego was positively identified as that of seven-year-old Danielle van Dam, who’d disappeared from her bedroom about a month earlier; a neighbor, David Westerfield, was later convicted of her murder and sentenced to death. Hindus in western India retaliated for a train attack that claimed some 60 lives by setting fire to Muslims’ homes, then keeping firefighters away for hours. Soap opera actress Mary Stuart, who had starred in “Search for Tomorrow” for some 35 years, died in New York at age 75.
Five years ago: A federal judge in Miami ruled that suspected al-Qaida operative Jose Padilla (hoh-ZAY’ puh-DEE’-uh) was competent to stand trial on terrorism support charges, rejecting arguments that he was severely damaged by 3 1/2 years of interrogation and isolation in a military brig. Wall Street rebounded fitfully from the previous session’s 416-point plunge in the Dow industrials as investors took comfort from comments by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that he still expected moderate economic growth. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. died in New York at age 89.
One year ago: The United States and European allies intensified efforts to isolate Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi, redoubling demands for him to step down, questioning his mental state and warning that those who stayed loyal to him risked losing their wealth and facing prosecution for human rights abuses. Actress and World War II pin-up bombshell Jane Russell died in Santa Maria, Calif., at age 89. French actress Annie Girardot died in Paris at age 79.
(Stations: “Bobb’e J. Thompson” is correct)
Today’s Birthdays: Producer Saul Zaentz is 91. Actor Charles Durning is 89. Architect Frank Gehry is 83. Actor Gavin MacLeod is 81. Actor Don Francks is 80. Actor-director-dancer Tommy Tune is 73. Hall of Fame auto racer Mario Andretti is 72. Singer Joe South is 72. Actor Frank Bonner is 70. Actress Kelly Bishop is 68. Actress Stephanie Beacham is 65. Writer-director Mike Figgis is 64. Actress Mercedes Ruehl is 64. Actress Bernadette Peters is 64. Energy Secretary Steven Chu is 64. Actress Ilene Graff is 63. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman is 59. Comedian Gilbert Gottfried is 57. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Adrian Dantley is 56. Actor John Turturro is 55. Rock singer Cindy Wilson is 55. Actress Rae Dawn Chong is 51. Actress Maxine Bahns is 43. Actor Robert Sean Leonard is 43. Rock singer Pat Monahan is 43. Author Daniel Handler (AKA “Lemony Snicket”) is 42. Actor Rory Cochrane is 40. Actress Ali Larter is 36. Country singer Jason Aldean is 35. Actor Geoffrey Arend is 34. Actress Michelle Horn is 25. Actor Bobb’e J. Thompson is 16.
Thought for Today: “If we are to survive, we must have ideas, vision, and courage. These things are rarely produced by committees. Everything that matters in our intellectual and moral life begins with an individual confronting his own mind and conscience in a room by himself.” — Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917-2007).
Article source: http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.national/3c410344-www.wgme.com.shtml
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Rihanna Short -listed For
Article source: http://leadership.ng/nga/articles/17671/2012/02/28/rihanna_short_-listed_whitney_houston_biopic.html
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