Nigerian Times

Obama’s Pastor and Clintons’ Tactics Make Race a Central Issue ~ by Robert Novak and Timothy P. Carney (more by this author) Posted 03/19/2008 ETUpdated 03/20/2008 ET Outlook Race, studiously avoided by the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and subtly peddled by the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), has bloomed into a central issue in this presidential campaign thanks to the now-ubiquitous words of his mentor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. This is bad news for Obama, but he is managing the development nearly as well as he can. National polls show a dead heat in the presidential election -- for both Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) v. Clinton and McCain v. Obama. But the cloud looming over the horizon is a financial crisis. The Federal Reserve's unprecedented intervention in financial markets to bail out Bear Stearns is intended to prevent the incipient panic on Wall Street from expanding into a depression. (See below). Amid the financial crisis with vast political implications,...

The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright (left), pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. (January 17, 2008) Credit: Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune I have actually ignored the uproar over the so-called anti-American and unpatriotic sermon of Rev. Jeremiah Wright and I have been accused of been pro-Obama on my blog. Many of the supporters of Senator Barack Obama were really annoyed and disappointed by the lame excuses of Barack Obama. A poster said Barack Obama lied that he was not present on the day Jeremiah Wright preached the fiery sermon after the catastrophe of 9/11 . The misleading untternaces of Jeremiah Wright have made many Americans to doubt the personality of Senator Barack Obama and such erroneous utterances could harm the prospects of the Democratic Party in the presidential election in November. The burden is the crisis of faith in America and not about racism. The fact is, Barack Obama lacks sound judgment and from Pas...

"Kill a Hundred Turks and Rest" is another brilliant piece by the Israeli peace activist, Uri Avnery, where he captures the tragic irony of the mentality that allowsthe violence in Israel and the Middle East to continue. Read the article .

Five Years of Iraqi Occupation by Father Dave My brief "Five Years of Iraqi Occupation" speech is the one I was supposed to give at a recently washed-out rally. Read the complete speech .

Time for Real Change on the Economy and Taxes by Newt Gingrich (more by this author) Posted 03/18/2008 ETUpdated 03/18/2008 ET The news on the economy this week is increasingly unsettling. Gas prices continue to rise, with inflationary ripple effects throughout the economy. And the bust of the subprime mortgage market has now spread throughout the credit markets to such a degree that Bear Stearns, the fifth largest American investment bank, was sold last weekend in a firesale. Worse still, Wall Street's banks have essentially stopped lending. The appetite for any type of risk has come to a screeching stop. The problem is that a modern economy can't grow, let alone be sustained, for very long when banks stop lending. Companies use loans to finance operations, new equipment, and new acquisitions. That means if companies can't borrow, many will ultimately go out of business and thousands of people will lose their jobs. First Step: Immediate Action Needed to Stabilize the Hous...

By Loki Barack Obama is a liar,,, To all. Obama speech ,,,, Not sure if you caught not only did Obama refuses to denounce him,, but even more, he says in his own words, Barack Obama was in the Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC) when Jeremiah Wright was spewing Anti-American Racism. Those were his own words. Barack was there. After going on Keith Oberman Show, Obama said he would denounce that if he heard that language, he would leave and not tolerate it , and denounce it. He went on MSNBC, he went on FOX, CNN, ABC and all the news station saying he was never there, in his church when he said these things. But today, during his speech entitled A More Perfect Union ., he states flat out, he was there. Last week Barack Obama lied, went on all the news stations, and lied, but you're not reporting that. You can be rest assured, that the CNN, Fox, ABC and MSNBC,, are getting more on this. They will be reporting on this, and we will see, if you chose to report, Obama lying on TV. ...

Every vote counts in the desperation of Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to win the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. Barack Obama is ready to kiss the butt of every gay voter in America and Hillary Clinton is ready to kiss Elton John, the King of Gay Pop Stars. Here is the open invitation sent out by the Hillary Clinton for President. Dear Orikinla, There is nothing I like better than throwing a party for a good friend. Will you come out to support my friend Hillary Clinton at a special, one-night-only solo concert in New York? I promise this will be one night that you won't want to miss. Click here for more details and to be notified when tickets go on sale. Sincerely, Elton John

18 Mar 2008 01:51 Africa/Lagos Hillary Clinton Voted onto Mt. Rushmore by wowOwow Readers NEW YORK, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Candice Bergen, Whoopi Goldberg, and Lesley Stahl among other famous female contributors celebrated the first week success of their new website wowOwow.com by posting the results of the first "Question of the Day", asking readers "Which Four Women Would You Like to See on Mt. Rushmore?" (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080317/NYM141 ) With nearly 3,000 votes cast, Eleanor Roosevelt , Susan B. Anthony , Rosa Parks , and Hilary Clinton led a field of contenders to become the faces of the all female Mountain Monument. Others who received substantial votes included Harriet Tubman, Mother Theresa, and Oprah Winfrey. Of the living women who received votes Hillary Clinton led the pack with 718 votes including Candice Bergen's, who also voted for Britney Spears. Liz Smith, another WOW contributor has said "We are going t...

15 Mar 2008 22:42 Africa/Lagos Dr. James Zogby and Mr. John Zogby Discuss the Impact of the 2008 Elections on the Arab-American Relationship Noted pollster John Zogby , President of Zogby International and Middle East Expert Dr. James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute (AAI) USA, offer remarks at the second annual YAL Global Action Forum DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, John and James Zogby offered remarks before the Young Arab Leader's Global Action Forum in New York City on the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election and the role of Middle East issues in this election. The Young Arab Leaders (YAL) is the region's foremost development platform for business, public sector and civil society leaders in the Middle East. Highly-respected American pollster, John Zogby, offered the crowd a broad overview of the political landscape. Based on his polling, he identified trends in the American electorate. Of these broader trends, he cite...

Dear Orikinla, Throughout this campaign, one of the things that has touched me the most has been the incredible show of support I've seen from the people I meet every day. I'm energized by the crowds of thousands cheering on my campaign. I'm moved by the mother who takes my arm and tells me to fight to make sure the insurance companies don't deny her son coverage. And I am inspired by all you have done for my campaign. You've made calls, you've volunteered, you've voted, you've given -- and I'm so grateful for all you've done. My campaign has put together an album of some recent photos from the campaign trail in Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I hope you'll take a look and enjoy! Thank you for everything, Hillary Rodham Clinton

Geraldine Ferraro 14 Mar 2008 18:21 Africa/Lagos Democrats Do Not Agree With Ferraro that Race was a Factor in Obama's Success FLEMINGTON, N.J., March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Results from a national study among 431 Democrats indicated that more than half (53%), do not agree with former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro 's comment that "Barack Obama would not have made it this far if he was a white man." (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071204/NYTU133LOGO ) The communications research study was conducted on March 23, by HCD Research to obtain Americans' perceptions of video segments from an interview with Ms. Ferraro on Fox News, during which she explained her comments about Senator Obama. While viewing the video, participants indicated their levels of agreement by moving their mouse from left to right on a continuum. The responses were recorded in quarter-second intervals and reported in the form of curves. To view detailed results of...

An American father and daughter from Florida have been charged with money laundering, mail fraud and securities fraud. They "conned" 15,000 Britons of more than $70m (£34m). The BBC has the full report . This has confirmed my hypothesis that the Americans are also actively engaged in 419 Internet Scams like the notorious Nigerian "Yahoo-Yahoo" Internet Scammers. Lest I forget, the worst fraudsters in Nigeria are the former heads of state General Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Matthew Obasanjo (rtd.) and General Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar (rtd.) who duped Nigerians of $2.2bn-worth of energy contracts and misappropriated more billions of dollars meant for the development of Nigeria.

14 Mar 2008 01:01 Africa/Lagos Amnesty International Reveals New CIA 'Disappearance' Case That Began in Abu Ghraib Former Detainee Was Held More Than 2 Years in "Black Site," Human Rights Organization Reports WASHINGTON, March 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amnesty International today exposed in a new report, "From Abu Ghraib to secret CIA custody: The case of Khaled al-Maqtari," further details of the cruelty and illegality of the CIA program of secret detentions and enforced disappearances -- a program re-authorized by President Bush in June 2007. In an exclusive to Amnesty International, 31-year-old Yemeni national Khaled Abdu Ahmed Saleh al-Maqtari recounted his ordeal as one of the men most recently released from secret detention in May 2007. Initially a "ghost detainee" at Abu Ghraib, he was transferred to CIA custody in Afghanistan, then held in unknown locations and in complete isolation for more than two and a half years, without ch...

More than five years of conflict in Darfur has left at least 200,000 people dead and more than 2.5 million people homeless, with new attacks on villages in West Darfur recently. Human Rights First has launched a new campaign to get China, by far the largest known provider of small arms to Sudan, to stop selling these weapons to Sudan. I just joined their efforts and I hope you will do the same by visiting their new campaign website, Made in China: Stop Arms Sales to Sudan: The continuing violence in Darfur, combined with China's latest "charm offensive," gives us a unique moment to get China to take a fundamental step toward promoting peace by halting its arm sales to Sudan. China claims that its arms sales to Sudan are insignificant, but a report being released by Human Rights First argues that China has supplied Sudan with some 90% of its small arms and munitions since 2004-the types of weapons and bullets that are used to kill, maim, and leave people homeless in Darf...

13 Mar 2008 15:57 Africa/Lagos Presidential Campaigns Show Businesses How to Tap Social Networking and New Media Tactics: Deloitte NEW YORK, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2008 presidential campaign serves as the harbinger of change in marketing strategies and the use of new media, as well as understanding how social networking can be adapted for building, marketing and in some cases, defending a brand, according to a new paper from Deloitte Consulting LLP. While businesses may sometimes be ahead of politicians in using new media, the velocity of the presidential campaigns forces politicians into much more aggressive experimentation and adoption. "Businesses are well advised to keep a keen eye on effective and ineffective uses of new media by the campaigns, in particular as a response tool to attacks," said Deloitte Consulting's David Smith, a co-author of the paper, "New Media and the 2008 Campaign Season - Valuable Lessons for Business about being First, Fast ...

Addax Petroleum Announces Successful Oil Appraisal Offshore Nigeria CALGARY, Canada, March 11/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- - Successful Appraisal at OML123 Expands Kita Marine Area Addax Petroleum Corporation ("Addax Petroleum" or the "Corporation") (TSX:AXC and LSE:AXC) announced today the successful appraisal of and addition to the Kita Marine discovery. The recently completed KTM-6 well encountered an aggregate gross oil column of 173 feet over four zones. The Kita Marine discoveries lie in the northern part of the prolific OML123 block offshore Nigeria in an area which has not previously had production. Commenting, Jean Claude Gandur, President and Chief Executive Officer of Addax Petroleum said: "I am very pleased to report an encouraging start to 2008 with these promising appraisal well results from OML123. The expansion the Kita Marine area opens up the very real possibility to initiate development and production for the first time in the northern part of OM...

Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York "In the meantime, everyone who makes a comment about this should be asked to sign a sworn deposition saying that they have never paid for sex ..." ~ Eric Alterman on Media Matters The New York Times and the Amerikans brought unto me Gov. Eliot Spitzer who has been caught on a federal wiretap ; in adultery with "Kristen" a young woman of easy virtue from the Emperor's Club VIP . I referred them to how Jesus Christ my Lord and Master, the Perfect Teacher judged a similar case about 2, 000 years ago. 1. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4. They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5. Now Moses in...

12 Mar 2008 12:00 Africa/Lagos Talent Void, A Top Five Business Issue for Oil and Gas Executives, According to Ernst & Young and Rice University Survey Competition among peer companies a significant issue; Ernst & Young offers solutions HOUSTON, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 90% of senior human resources (HR) executives at 22 top international oil and gas companies believe their industry faces a talent shortage and call the problem one of the top five business issues facing their companies. Working with Rice University, Ernst & Young LLP recently surveyed HR executives in the oil and gas industry to glean insights on the challenges of workforce recruiting and retention and how to overcome these challenges. Nearly all (88 percent) of the respondents agreed the shortage has the potential to impede growth and financial performance. Respondents were asked to rank the following issues on a one to 10 scale, with 10 representing a significant problem: -- Corporate growt...

11 Mar 2008 16:28 Africa/Lagos Could the Patriot Act Have Brought Down Eliot Spitzer? U.S. Politics Today Covers Breaking Stories WASHINGTON, March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was exposed for his frequenting a prostitute, it was ABC News which broke the story about the nature of bank transactions that got Spitzer busted. Commentators are questioning if Spitzer wasn't the victim of political intrigue in retribution for his tough stance on Wall Street corruption. It was reported that Spitzer's bank was the first one to contact the FBI, but speculation is surfacing over whether the governor's well-placed enemies could have notified the FBI about Spitzer's private life and then the Patriot Act was used to get at this controversial Democrat's bank information. Stay on top of U.S. Politics with a free trial to EIN News' U.S. Politics Today: http://uspolitics.einnews.com/users/register.php See also: -- Daily Breaking News on U.S...

Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain have reacted to Gov. Eliot Spitzer 's sex scandal. Hillary Rodham Clinton: “Let’s wait and see what comes out over the next days. But right now I don’t have any comment and I think it’s appropriate just to wish his family well and we’ll wait and see how things develop.” Gov. Eliot Spitzer is one of the Super Delegates who have endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama: “I really haven’t seen the details of it, so I don’t know what’s going on. I’m a little in the dark.” He declined to comment further. John McCain: “I was just watching, as all of you have, this information about the governor of New York. I don’t know what to make of it.’’ Later, he said that it was something that “nobody ever expected” and added, “Our prayers go out to his family.’’