Why I was imprisoned by my Husband- First Lady Enugu State Clara Chime...

Clara Chime, the estranged wife of Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State, has advanced her quest for freedom from illegal house arrest by petitioning the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

Last week, in a story published by SaharaReporters, she called on the human rights agencies to come to her aid.  Only yesterday, human rights advocate Femi Falana, on her behalf, petitioned the Inspector General of Police to set her free without delay. 

In her letter to the NHRC, Mrs. Chime describes an abusive relationship which has led her into depression.  While they have been married for five years, she says the relationship has broken down irretrievably in the past couple of years.  

“We do not have a relationship anymore and the situation inevitably led to my nervous breakdown. I have been diagnosed with severe depression and at some point was quite suicidal.”

Saying she has been subjected “to the most horrific and intolerable of conditions to cause my demise,” she enumerated the major issues to include: lack of sexual relationship with her husband for four years; being deprived of responsibilities as a wife; being prevented from bonding with her four-year-old son; and being barred me from receiving visitors, whether family or friends.

She noted that three weeks ago, a lady friend who visited her was stopped from seeing her and the result is now complete incarceration from the outside world.

“In effect, I am locked up in my bedroom, without access to anybody,” she pleaded.

According to the letter, “I am only allowed food but no access to fresh air; I have been locked up because I demanded to leave, even without my son. Governor Chime recently revoked my land allocation; the governor is doing everything possible to break my will.”

She told the commission that her desire is simply to be allowed to leave.
“If I have committed any crime, I request that due process should be followed. I was also recently attacked by my husband before the visitor mentioned above who is a living witness and will be prepared to testify.”

She also accused Governor Chime of paying a doctor to inject her with all sorts of drugs, and that she is sometimes restrained and forced to take the drugs.

“I would also wish the Nigerian Medical Council be informed of the activity of this doctor who is only interested in my husband’s wishes and does not care about my suffering. Medical confidentiality is not part of this doctor’s tool,” she wrote.  

Stressing that she has no intention of taking her own life, she warned that should she die, it must be clear that it must have been brought about her husband. 

“The possibility of the doctor injecting me with a lethal substance must never be underestimated,” she wrote. “I have a friend who is a good friend of the family and would collaborate a lot in the event of any mishap to me and wish not to mention the name but he would contact you ultimately.”

SOURCE: Sahara Reports.

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Nokia Lumia 1520 gets RAW photos, Lytro-like refocusing

Along with the announcement of new handsets and a tablet at Nokia World, the company proved it was serious about photography with the addition of RAW support.

Nokia's camera-centric Lumia 1020 used the company's PureView technology and sported a 41-megapixel sensor, earning praise from photographers and critics thanks to its imaging technology. Alongside the announcement of the 6-inch Lumia 1520, the company provided another hook for photographers, revealing that the handset will be able to capture DNG files from the get-go. RAW support will come to the Lumia 1020 next year with the Black update.

Why are RAW files such a big deal? Because a RAW file is exactly that — raw image data from the camera's sensor before it is processed into a file type such as JPEG.

"We are responding to consumer feedback," said Nokia spokesman Doug Dawson. "It's clear that our Lumia range appeals to people passionate about photography. They've asked for raw format support, and we are happy to be the first smartphone camera that offers this kind of professional-quality data."

The good news about DNG is that it is an Adobe format that can be read by a wide range of programs, developed in response to the lack of an open standard for dealing with RAW files. Generally, every digital camera produces a proprietary RAW file format that can only be read by first-party processing software packages or programs such as Lightroom and Photoshop with the addition of add-ons.

Despite their advantages in terms of capturing the most image data, RAW files generally take up much more space than their compressed JPEG counterparts, which could present a problem on a handset like the 1020 that has no expandable storage options.

Nokia's other imaging announcement was around a new refocusing app. Taking inspiration from light-field cameras like the Lytro, Nokia Refocus Lens appears to be a software-based method of letting users refocus images after they have been taken. Details on the app are scarce, but Nokia has a microsite showing the technology at work.

Nokia Refocus Lens will come with the Lumia 1520, rolling out to earlier handsets in due course.

SOURCE: CNET

Microsoft Launches Windows 8.1: Details

Almost a year after the release of Windows 8, Microsoft on 17th October 2013 released the first major upgrade to its operating system, Windows 8.1.

This therefore, opens those with Windows 8 machines to upgrade to Windows 8.1 for free via the Windows Store. The update hit at 7 a.m. ET this 17th, and will be rolling out over the next 24 hours.

Those on Windows 7, Vista, or XP can visit the Windows upgrade page, which will detect whether or not your PC can handle Windows 8.1. On my PC running Windows 7 Professional service pack 1, I got a note that said "Windows 8.1 is coming soon," so it appears the rollout is still in the works.

Starting on Friday, meanwhile, Microsoft stores will stock the packaged DVD version of Windows 8.1, while new PCs and tablets running Windows 8.1 will hit the market. This week alone, Lenovo introduced an 8-inch version of its Miix tablet, while Acer debuted its 8-inch Iconia W4 tablet, both of which sport Windows 8.1.

 For the most comprehensive overview, be sure to check out our full review and the slideshow above. 

SOURCE: PCMAG.

New Facebook App/Site - ALL Facebook Profile Pictures Displayed On A Single Web Page

With over 1.2 billion Facebook users across the globe, it's a good bet you're one of them. Regardless of whether you joined the social network when it was still a pet project, or joined as recently as today, Natalia Rojas, a creative technologist, probably has your picture somewhere on her website, The Faces of Facebook.

READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/48565.html

Rojas' website took about a year and a half from start to finish, though she said she worked on it only during her free time. "I accidentally discovered how to access all the profile pictures from everyone on Facebook when I was playing around with their API," she says, referring to the application programming interface. "I thought, 'What do I do with this? Maybe make something beautiful?'"

Beautiful may be an odd choice when visitors first come across the website, as it doesn't look much different than static on a television.

"At the beginning, I thought to take all the photos and make them really small," said Rojas. "But I realized that no matter what you do, you'll get this noisy thing you see."

As a result, she decided to reduce every profile picture into a single-colored pixel, making the website load faster. When the website isn't overwhelmed with users, you can zoom into those pixels to reveal photos.

"We had one million users in the first two days," she recalls. "I want everyone to access it, but the servers we have don't have the capability to support everyone."

Rojas says she is not breaking Facebook privacy rules because she is not storing anyone's name, photo or private information -- just linking out to public Facebook profiles. She also said she hasn't heard from the social network, which she thinks is good news because "I was a bit worried about things like using their name in the URL."

Asked about her hopes for the project, Rojas said she was inspired by the idea that each Facebook profile photo is an example of that person's best self, and that millions of those images together combine to present a positive, universal message.

Rojas has put a lot of work into creating and maintaining the database of Facebook information, but she's not opposed to letting other people work with her data. "It took me a lot of time and money so it's not something that I want to give away," she said. "But if someone has an idea for some more amazing and interesting results, why not?"

READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/48565.html

How to Make Legitimate Money Online (First of its Kind)

To Get Started, Click Here & Register is FREE >>> HERE

Making Legitimate Money doesn't come Easy, just like many think. I have been Scammed for quiet a number of times, even with the latest of MegaStoon. But since i discovered SFI, I have peace of  Mind that at least the long hours I spend online can be Monetized.

Not only that, but when it comes to finding a legitimate business opportunity on the Internet, it’s a "minefield" out there—heavily populated with questionable, often-illegal money games and here-today-gone-tomorrow schemes. Make a wrong step or choose the wrong company, and you could lose big.

Yet deep down, you've probably figured that amongst all the "junk" out there, there has to be a few jewels. After all, the Internet is a huge, multi-billion-dollar marketplace; there's got to be SOMEBODY who's developed a real opportunity for cashing in on it.

We'd like to start showing you right now that SFI is indeed one of those rare jewels.

SFI's corporate headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska

For starters, you should know that:

• SFI (Strong Future International) Marketing Group is now in its 16th successful year on the Internet. In that time, SFI has grown from just one product to multiple subdivisions and 96,420 products and services.

• With 31,794 new affiliates joining weekly, SFI is one of the fastest growing companies of its kind in the world. See the Global Growth Report to see just how fast!

• Since 1998, SFI has paid out MILLIONS of dollars in commissions to affiliates in over 190 countries. In other words, SFI is in virtually every country in the world! And in the process, SFI has become, truly, one of the Internet’s biggest success stories.

• SFI's parent company, Carson Services, Inc., is now in its 26th year of business and is a longtime member of the Better Business Bureau serving southern Nebraska.

• Working with SFI means having the peace of mind of working with a proven, debt-free company with a long, successful track record.

WHAT IS SFI'S SECRET?

WHY has SFI been so successful, while thousands of other would-be competitors have fallen by the wayside over the last 10 years? WHY has SFI become arguably the #1 affiliate program in the world?

We attribute it largely to the unique makeup of our affiliate program—a hybrid sales and marketing system exquisitely powered by the Internet. It probably also has a lot to do with the simple fact that SFI WORKS for so many thousands of people.

SFI Founder

Company Leadership

SFI President and CEO, and founder of SFI, is Gery Carson. From 1985 to 1998, Gery was a top marketer and record-breaking distributor for several direct sales companies and a successful business magazine publisher. Known for his innovation, Gery has been a pioneering force in the direct mail and Internet marketing industries for more than two decades. His extraordinary achievements as an entrepreneur have been spotlighted in "Money Maker's Monthly," "Upline," "Opportunity World Magazine," and in numerous books and videos. National recognition has also included being named to 1992's Outstanding Young Men of America list and 1997's Who's Who in the Media and Communications.

In 1998, Gery set out to "put a dent in the universe" by creating SFI, a ground-breaking program that would utilize the Internet to empower and enrich the lives of millions of people around the world. Today, with 31794 new affiliates joining in the last week alone, SFI is one of the fastest growing companies of its kind in the world and is well on its way to achieving Gery's vision.

STILL NOT SURE?

Still not certain if SFI is a company with which you want to get active? Nothing wrong with that. Asking questions is smart. Tomorrow's LaunchPad asks a question of its own: "Are you on the 'Anti-Wealth' Plan?" which you're definitely going to want to check out. In the meantime, here are four more places for you to learn about SFI:

• Learn about SFI's history, company leadership, sub-divisions, and more.

• See what others are saying about SFI

• Compare SFI to other business opportunities

 Only Your Time is NEEDED

Apple Unseats Coca-Cola as World's No. 1 Brand of 2013

Apple has replaced Coca-Cola as the world's No. 1 brand of 2013, according to a new study from Interbrand Corp.

Apple's brand value grew 28 percent to $98.3 billion, while Google took second place with $93.3 billion, and Coca-Cola, which has held the top spot for 13 years, dropped to third with $79.2 billion. IBM came in fourth with $78.8 billion, followed by Microsoft at $59.5 billion.

"Every so often, a company changes our lives, not just with its products, but also with its ethos," the New York-based brand consultancy wrote in its report. "Few brands have enabled so many people to do so much so easily, which is why Apple has legions of adoring fans, as evidenced by the record-breaking launch of the iPhone 5c/5s."

Under the leadership of CEO Tim Cook, Apple's internal brand strength has "remained steady," the firm said. "Cook has assembled a solid team that is aligned around the Apple vision, which has allowed them to deliver against the promise time and time again."

The annual study, which first launched in 2000, determines a brand's value by examining its financial performance, role in influencing purchase decisions, and competitive strength. Rounding out the top 10 brands of 2013 were GE at No. 6, followed by McDonalds, Samsung, Intel, and Toyota.

Tech companies swept the rankings this year, and were also among the top risers. Google grew 34 percent and Samsung increased 20 percent to $39.6 billion. The average increase in brand value of the top 100 was 8 percent and 15 percent among IT companies.

Apple rival Samsung landed at No. 8 in the report. In a statement, the company attributed this to its "exceptional management and continued introduction of innovative products, such as smartphones, TVs and more, and its global brand marketing strategy."

Source: PCMAG

U.S. Government Shutdown: 800,000 workers go without pay...

The game of chicken failed. Neither side blinked. Now millions will pay the price.

Americans watched a colossal failure by Congress overnight and the shutdown of their government.

For weeks, the House and the Senate blamed and bickered, each claiming they're standing up for what the public wants.

In the end, it led to the one outcome nobody wanted -- one that will stop 800,000 Americans from getting paid and could cost the economy about $1 billion a week.

"Agencies should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown due to the absence of appropriations," the Office of Management & Budget said in a note it sent to federal employees.

This is the first time the government has shut down in nearly 18 years. The last time it did, the stalemate lasted 21 days.

Now, the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate will try to see if they can reconcile their two versions of the spending plan at the heart of the issue. So far, each has refused to budge.

House Republicans insist the spending plan for the new fiscal year include anti-Obamacare amendments. Senate Democrats are just as insistent that it doesn't.

Obamacare, as President Barack Obama's signature healthcare plan is known, isn't directly tied to funding the government. But it's so unpopular among a group of Republicans that they want it undercut, if not outright repealed.

"Healthcare law is the most insidious law known to man," Republican Rep. Todd Rokita of Indiana said.

Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the shutdown gives the United States a black eye.

"It is a dangerous message to the world," he said. "We tell other nations that we believe that they have to have certain disciplines. And yet, we cannot ultimately keep our own budget open and the nation and its government functioning."

Amid the finger-wagging and fulminating, the new health insurance went into effect on schedule Tuesday.

"The Affordable Care Act is moving forward. You can't shut it down," said a post on Barack Obama's verified Twitter feed.

What's next

About an hour after the shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. ET Tuesday, House members voted to once again tack on the anti-Obamacare amendments that the Senate has said is a deal-breaker. They also requested a conference with the Senate to work out their differences.

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has already said he wouldn't agree to such a meeting until the House presents a clean spending bill stripped of the amendments.

"We will not go to conference with a gun to our head," Reid said late Monday night.

The Senate will convene at 9:30 a.m. ET Tuesday, where it will once again reject the House amendments. The House wants to delay the requirement that everyone gets health insurance.

This is how it's gone for more than a week: The House sends a version of the bill with provisions the Senate finds objectionable; the Senate kicks it back. The House sends it again; the Senate kicks it back again.

While Congress could pass a temporary funding measure as they work out their differences, there are no signs of any discussion along those lines right now.

House Speaker John Boehner held a press conference overnight saying he hopes the Senate will agree to meet.

When asked if he had a message for the 800,000 furloughed employees -- or if he has a plan to restore back pay to them -- Boehner responded, "The House has voted to keep the government open, but we also want basic fairness for all Americans under Obamacare."

He then walked away from the podium.

A blow to the economy

The shutdown won't happen all at once. The federal government is the country's largest employer.

Federal employees who are considered essential will continue working. Those deemed non-essential -- more than 800,000 -- will be furloughed, unsure when they'll be able to work or get paid again. Most furloughed federal workers are supposed to be out of their offices within four hours of the start of business Tuesday.

The shutdown could cost the still-struggling U.S. economy about $1 billion a week in pay lost by furloughed federal workers. And that's only the tip of the iceberg.

While many agencies have reserve funds and contingency plans that would give them some short-term leeway, the economic loss would snowball as the shutdown continued.

The total economic impact is likely to be at least 10 times greater than the simple calculation of lost wages of federal workers, said Brian Kessler, economist with Moody's Analytics. His firm estimates that a three- to four-week shutdown would cost the economy about $55 billion.

Initial market reaction around the world was muted early Tuesday morning.

Lisa Buckley, who co-owns the Denver-based American Automation security firm, counts on government contracts for 60% of her business. She's worried about how she'll pay her employees if the shutdown drags on.

"It's quite irresponsible how the government has been running the country," Buckley said. "If I ran my business like Congress has been handling the budget, I'd lose my job."

Troops will still get paid

Congress actually managed to come together to pass one bill -- unanimously, at that.

The Senate approved a House-approved measure Monday to ensure members of the military would continue to get paid during the shutdown. Obama signed off on it.

"You and your families deserve better than the dysfunction we're seeing in Congress," the president said in a video message to troops and Defense Department employees early Tuesday morning.

But it's uncertain how the shutdown will affect military veterans, including the 3.3 million who are disabled.

If the shutdown stretches into late October, the Veterans Affairs Department -- meaning disability and pension checks could stop for elderly and ill veterans.

"That's what they need to pay rent, to pay food," said Tom Tarantino of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "It's not their total income, but it is a significant part of it."

Congressional paychecks also safe

Although much of the federal workforce will go without pay, checks will keep coming to the 533 current members of Congress.

Why? The 27th Amendment prevents any Congress from changing its own pay.

"That is disgraceful in my view," said freshman Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii. "Basically the only people who get paid in a shutdown are members of Congress, and that is irresponsible."

The combat veteran said she plans to send any pay she receives during the shutdown back to the Treasury.

Rep. John Fleming, R-Louisiana, said he hadn't thought through what he would do with his paychecks, but said he would likely donate his pay during a shutdown to charity.

"Obviously we need to share the pain of the American people," he said.

The president too will get paid. His salary -- $400,000 -- is considered mandatory spending.

10 ways the shutdown would affect you

Obamacare still focus

How long the shutdown lasts will depend on how soon the Republicans and Democrats can come to an understanding.

Democrats have pressured Boehner to give up a losing fight over Obamacare forced by tea party conservatives.

Noting that the 2010 Affordable Care Act has been upheld by the Supreme Court, they say it is settled law that voters endorsed last year by re-electing Obama over GOP candidate Mitt Romney, who campaigned on repealing it.

"They are fixated on embarrassing our president, the president of the United States," Reid said.

Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida predicted that such a "clean" spending plan would pass easily with support from all Democrats and more moderate Republicans.

Some Republicans too expressed frustration Monday with the tactics of their congressional colleagues. Veteran GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona noted that any attempt to repeal Obamacare would fail because of Obama's veto, which would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate to overcome.

"There's not 67 votes in the United States Senate, therefore, ergo, we're not going to repeal Obamacare," McCain said. "OK? That's it. We may do this for a day. We may do it for a week. We may do it for a month. It's going to end up the same way. "

Public reaction

A game of chicken between Dems, GOP

According to a CNN/ORC poll, 68% of Americans think shutting down the government for even a few days is a bad idea, while 27% think it's a good idea.

And it appears most Americans would blame congressional Republicans for a shutdown: Sixty-nine percent said they agreed with the statement that the party's elected officials were acting like "spoiled children."

Democrats, however, weren't far behind: Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they too were acting like spoiled kids.

Another poll showed public support for Congress at record low levels -- at 10%.

"Things like this can have such a big impact on people that aren't in the limelight. You know, people that are out working hourly positions" said Quinn Agard, who works on Liberty Island, the home of the Statue of Liberty.

More than 21,000 national park employees will be furloughed. Thousands more -- like cleanup crews and concession employees -- will be left without pay.

"This whole island will be shut down. So that's a ton of different positions that people wont be working and won't be getting paid for," Agard said.

The island draws up to 4 million visitors a year. And at $17 per adult ticket, it's also a big money maker.

Victoria Duncan, a concession stand worker at Liberty Island, is worried about what she'll do next.

"I'll have to find another job if they're not paying us while we're laid off, or file for unemployment. But it's still not going to be enough," she said. "It's hard. Even to think about it, is hard to think about."

Source: Washington (CNN)

Babatunde Fashola and His "Apology" – Femi Fani Kayode

The deportation of Igbos to Anambra state by the Lagos State Government a few months back was what sparked off all the Igbo/Yoruba bashing that happened online recently.

Governor Fashola apologized to the Igbos for the incident on September 26, 2013. However, Femi Fani Kayode doesn't think he should have apologized.

There can be little doubt that the relocation of the 19 Igbo destitute from Lagos state a few months ago was a lawful exercise and that it was done in the interest of Lagos state. Consequently I do not believe that Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola ought to have tendered any form of apology whatsoever to the Igbo for what he did. The only redeeming factor is the fact that the apology was obviously designed simply to calm frayed nerves and I commend Fashola for that gesture if nothing else. I say this because my understanding is that he apologised NOT for the deportation itself but for ''the misunderstanding that arose from it''. There is a world of difference between the two. I also commend him for admonishing the Igbo to develop their own region and to decide whether they are ''Igbo before they are Nigerians or Nigerians before they are Igbo''.

This is a fundamental question that I believe that we must all determine in our hearts and minds whether we are of Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani or Ijaw stock or anything else. For the purposes of clarification the debate that has been raging in the land for the last two months, though sparked off by Fashola's relocations, was more about the curious claim that Lagos state was ''no man's land'' which the Igbo jointly own with the Yoruba and which they had developed, and are indeed still developing, with their money and nothing else. It was that assertion, and not the plight of a handful of Igbo destitues, that many of us from west of the River Niger took issue with. Fashola and others have said publicly that it is ''absurd'' and ''insulting'' for anyone to call Lagos state ''no-man's land'' and that is good enough for me. As long as he did not apologise for saying that I have no problem with whatever he may or may not have said about the deportations even though, had I been governor, I would have handled it differently. The truth is that the Yoruba way is to apologize not only when you are wrong but also when you are right if you believe that the other party has been badly hurt by your actions. It is a generous and kind disposition which is borne out of the Yoruba concept of the ''omoluwabi spirit''- a good heart and a clean spirit that desires, above all else, peace, joy and harmony. Yet to those from outside Yorubaland that do not share that disposition, that do not understand that spirit and that cannot even begin to comprehend it, an apology is nothing less than an admission of guilt and wrong- doing and a trophy of triumph to those whom it is offered. It is for this reason that I believe that it was wrong for Fashola to apologise and that it is important for us to consider the long term implications of what he has done. The truth is that in life perception counts for everything. And rightly or wrongly the perception that most people have, particularly amongst the Igbo, is that Fashola has indeed apologised for the deportations. This perception is supported by misleading newspaper headlines which were drafted and written by journalists who did not bother to read the text or properly decipher the statement. Whether anyone likes it or not this latest development is viewed as a great triumph for the hardline Igbo nationalists and the Governor Peter Obi's of this world who honestly believe that the igbo have some kind of special rights or special status in Lagos and indeed in Yorubaland. They say and do things in Lagos and other parts of the west that they dare not do in the north and that they will never allow our people to do in the east. This is because they fear the northerners who have often put them in their place when they cross the line but they have nothing but contempt for us. Fashola has now given those within the Igbo community that have this mindset far more legitimacy, strength and confidence. In any case now that dishing out apologies is the order of the day and he has set the precedent, the question has to be asked- will Peter Obi take a cue from that, be a gentleman and apologise for deporting the people of Akwa Ibom from his Anambra state as well? Is Obi that reasonable or charitable? Do those that think like him believe that what is good for the goose is good for the gander? I doubt it very much. Again will Fashola apologise to the numerous northerners that he deported from Lagos as well and will he apologise to his Yoruba kith and kin from Oyo and Osun for deporting them too? I really do wonder how far this new-found large-heartedness and seasonal expression of regrets will go? Will it be spread everywhere or is it exclusively reserved for the Igbo? More importantly, in the spirit of this new rapprochement, will Fashola secretly concede portions of Lagos state and Yorubaland to them as well? Will he take my dear egbon and former cabinet colleague, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe's counsel, and wholeheartedly accept the interesting notion that the Igbo have ''married all our daughters'' in idungaran and isale-eko and that we should therefore give all our land and territory to them? Will he give up the patrimony of his people all in the name of trying to appease the Igbo and get their votes for the APC in the upcoming governorship election in Anambra state? If that is the plan I doubt that it will work because they are a pretty unforgiving lot. The more you give the more they will ask for and at the end of the day you will end up losing far more than you gain. Governor Chris Ngige, who is an amiable gentleman and one of the most decent, accommodating, liberal, detribalised and civilised people that I know from the east, will gain nothing from this and sadly the person that will gain from it will be the hardline, igbocentric Peter Obi and his APGA candidate in November’s gubernatorial election in Anambra state. People like Fashola need to understand that sometimes in trying to play the generous statesman and the kind-hearted omoluwabi we end up being taken for granted and making fools of ourselves. You only apologise to those who will appreciate it, who do not necessarily see it as an admission of guilt and who will not misconstrue it as weakness. This is because the display of weakness by any leader, no matter how well-liked, only attracts impudence and aggression from those who have a hidden agenda. A word is enough for the wise. 

Credit: Naij

Images From Space Confirm Pakistan Earthquake Created New Island

We now have confirmation from space that a new island has formed off the coast of Pakistan. Yesterday, NASA sent their Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite to check on the situation, and it took the picture on the right above (and below). The island is most likely a pile of mud from the ocean floor that erupted as a mud volcano shortly after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck northwestern Pakistan.

The image on the left was taken by the Landsat 8 satellite on April 17. The region has seen mud volcanoes in the past, including one spied by satellites in 2011. The volcanoes form when mud and or water is squeezed out of the sediment on the ocean floor, which may have been caused by the earthquake in this most recent instance.

Images: NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data from the NASA EO-1 team.

Credit: wired.com

WARNING: How Hackers Are Obtaining Your Credit Card Information

It’s incredibly easy for hackers to counterfeit your credit or debit card without even laying a finger on it!

Last year, counterfeit cards at ATMs racked up $426M in fraud. Brian Krebs, a security journalist, shared some of the common ways hackers are obtaining your information.

Skimmers are plastic devices that fit over the top of an ATM’s card acceptance slot. The electronic components within the device steal the information that’s stored in the stripe on the back of your card. Oftentimes, there’s also a hidden camera that allows hackers to capture video of you entering your PIN number.

Another device putting you at risk is the PIN pad overlay, which fits over the real PIN pad and records your PIN presses.

Source: Foxnews

'Control+Alt+Delete' Was a Mistake...Bill Gates

Bill Gates recently admitted that the familiar "Control+Alt+Delete" command was a "mistake."

During a far-reaching discussion at Harvard on Sept. 21, Gates was questioned about why the architects of the PC decided to go with the Control+Alt+Delete command. He said the decision was actually made by IBM.

"We could've had a single button, but the guy who did the IBM keyboard design didn't want to give us our single button," Gates said. "It was a mistake."

That guy, as GeekWire pointed out, is David Bradley, who designed the original IBM PC. During IBM's 20th anniversary of the IBM PC, Bradley said Control+Alt+Delete came about when PC architects were "trying to solve a development problem." While testing software, it would often freeze, requiring a reboot. As a result, Bradley created a shortcut, which was Control+Alt+Delete.

Developers "originally intended it to be an Easter egg," Bradley continued, but news of the shortcut caught on. "It was like a five-minute job," he said, "I didn't realize I was going to create a cultural icon when I did it."

He then quipped that while "I may have invented it, but I think Bill made it famous."

"We did some very clever things" when developing the PC, Gates said last week, but Control+Alt+Delete was not one of them.

Gates went into a bit more detail about why such a command is necessary, regardless of the keyboard configuration. "When you turn your computer on, you're going to see some screens and eventually type your password in, you want to have something you do with the keyboard that is signaling to a very low level of the software – actually hard-coded in the hardware – that it really is bringing in the operating system you expect," Gates said.

The hour-long chat delved into the rise of Microsoft, Gates's current philanthropic efforts, his friendship with Warren Buffett, and more. The Control+Alt+Delete part of the discussion comes in around 16:30 in the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cBHJ-8Bch4E

Source: Pcmag

Celebrity Gist: The Richest in the Hip Hop Game - Forbes

Last week Forbes Magazine revealed the highest earning celebrity couples in the game. Ofcourse Jay Z and Beyonce scooped this titled without much difficulty. Now Forbes has released the annual ‘Highest Paid Hip-Hop Artists’ list and as expected, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs topped the list once again. Diddy made himself a cool US$50million over the past year. Jay Z came in second with US$43million, while Dr. Dre wasn’t too far behind with his US$40million earnings. Checkout the Top 23 hip hop cash kings below:

1. Diddy ($50 million)
2. Jay Z ($43 million)
3. Dr. Dre ($40 million)
4. Nicki Minaj ($29 million)
5. Birdman ($21 million)
6. Kanye West ($20 million)
7. Lil Wayne ($16 million)
8. Wiz Khalifa ($14 million)
9. Ludacris ($12 million)
10. Pitbull ($11 million)
11. Drake ($10.5 million)
12. Snoop Lion ($10 million- tie)
12. Eminem ($10 million- tie)
13. Kendrick Lamar ($9 million -tie)
14. Pharrell Williams ($9 million -tie)
15. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ($9 million -tie)
16. Swizz Beatz ($8.5 million)
17. Tech N9ne ($7.5 million)
18. 50 Cent ($7 million)
19. Lil Jon ($6 million -tie)
20. Rick Ross ($6 million -tie)
21. Mac Miller ($6 million -tie)
22. Young Jeezy ($6 million -tie)
23. Questlove ($6 million -tie)

Source: MTVBase

HEALTH: Nose Grows on One Man’s Forehead

Chinese surgeons at a hospital in Fuzhou, Fujian grew a new nose on a 22-year-old man’s forehead after an accident left his original one unusable, Reuters reports.

Xiaolian had sustained injuries to his original nose after a traffic accident, which led to a severe infection and deformity.

To craft the new appendage, doctors took cartilage from Xiaolian’s ribs and implanted it under skin tissue on his forehead. When finished growing later this month, the nose will be transplanted to its proper place.

In January, British doctors grew a nose on a man’s arm after he lost his original to cancer.

Source: time.com

2013 Forbes 400: Facts And Figures On America's Richest

Bill Gates is the richest American for the 20th year in a row and has reclaimed the title of world’s richest person from Mexico’s Carlos Slim with a net worth of $72 billion.Warren Buffett, again number two, was the year’s biggest dollar gainer, having added $12.5 billion to his fortune. Facebook’s hot stock pumped up Mark Zuckerberg’s fortune by $9.6 billion and put him back into the top 20 after missing the top cut last year; Carl Icahn lost his battle to stop Dell DELL -0.11%from going private but he had a great year and moves back in the top 20 for the first time since 2008. The biggest percentage gainer was Workday’s David Duffield, whose fortune more than tripled to $6.4 billion, and just behind him in terms of percentage jumps was the entrepreneur Elon Musk, now worth $6.7 billion and ranked 61st.

Five years after the financial crisis sent the fortunes of many in the U.S. and around the world tumbling, the wealthiest as a group have finally gained back all that they lost. The 400 wealthiest Americans are worth just over $2 trillion, roughly equivalent to the GDP of Russia. That is a gain of $300 billion from a year ago, and more than double a decade ago. The average net worth of list members is a staggering $5 billion, $800 million more than a year ago and also a record. The minimum net worth needed to make the 400 list was $1.3 billion. The last time it was that high was in 2007 and 2008, before property and stock market values began sliding. Because the bar is so high, 61 American billionaires didn’t make the cut.

There are 20 newcomers to the list. Among the notables are Michael Rubin, whose online sports merchandise retailer Fanatics, recently attracted venture capital investors at a sky-high valuation; Jeff Sutton, who owns a number of the priciest store fronts on Fifth Avenue and Times Square, and 35-year-old Robert Pera, one of just nine under 40, whose wireless networking gear maker Ubiquiti Networks surged after a strong earnings announcement in August. At the time he tweeted this lyric from a Jay-Z song: “And as for the critics, tell me I don’t get it. Everybody can tell you how to do it, they never did it.”

Only 30 people from last year’s list are poorer than a year ago. Twenty-eight people dropped out of the ranks and six people died, including surround sound pioneer Ray Dolby. Of those 28, only 15 saw their fortunes drop, including T. Boone Pickens, whose costly bets on wind energy lost him his billionaire status, and Manoj Bhargava, whose 5-Hour Energy drink firm has been hit by lawsuits and falling revenues. The rest simply couldn’t keep up with the rising tide. Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder is one of the billionaires who didn’t qualify and, in his case, even with a rise in his fortune, just didn’t have enough to stay in the club.

METHODLOGY

This is the 32nd year of the flagship Forbes 400. Even though we’ve been at it a long time, it is always a challenge. Our reporters dig deep. This year we started with a list of 600 individuals considered strong candidates and then got to work. When possible we met with list candidates in person; we spoke with nearly 100 billionaires this year. We also interviewed their employees, handlers, rivals, peers and attorneys. We pored over thousands of Securities & Exchange Commission documents, court records, probate records, federal financial disclosures and Web and print stories. We took into account all assets: stakes in public and private companies, real estate, art, yachts, planes, ranches, vineyards, jewelry, car collections and more. We also factored in debt. Of course, we don’t pretend to know what is listed on each billionaire’s private balance sheet, although some candidates did provide paperwork to that effect.

Some billionaires who preside over privately held companies were happy to share their financial figures, but others were less forthcoming. A few even threatened to sue. To value these businesses we coupled estimates of revenues or profits with prevailing price-to-revenue or price-to-earnings ratios for similar public companies.

We did not include dispersed family fortunes (like the Du Ponts) when individual net worths were below our minimum. But we did include wealth belonging to a member’s immediate relatives if the wealth could be traced to one living individual; in that case, you’ll see “& family” on our list as an indication.

Our estimates are a snapshot of each list member’s wealth on Aug. 23, when we locked in net worth numbers and rankings. Some of The Forbes 400 will become richer or poorer within weeks—even days—of publication.

Source: Forbes.com

Jim Iyke Birthday Replies Via Twitter

                                      PHOTO: Trendy Africa

Nollywood Actor, James Ikechukwu Esomugha, a.k.a. Jim Iyke, turned 37 on September 25, 2013. 

His passion, the Beautiful Ghanaian actress Nadia, has sent him warm and sincere birthday greetings via Twitter.

Jim Iyke was surely happy to receive them and gave in his reply promptly. See His tweets below:

TUTORIAL - Web 101: 101 Most Useful Websites But Lesser Known on the Internet!!!

1. www.screenr.com – record movies of your desktop and send them straight to YouTube.

2. www.linkersnetsms.com – For Sending Customized Bulk SMS at  Cheaper Rates across the Globe, with over 98.7% instant Delivery (For Nigerians).

3.    www.goo.gl , www.bitly.com , www.adf.ly – shorten long URLs and convert URLs into QR codes.

4. www.untiny.me – find the original URLs that’s hiding behind a short URLs.

5.    www.localti.me – know more than just the local time of a city

6. www.copypastecharacter.com – copy-paste special characters that aren’t on your keyboard.

7.     www.topsy.com – a better search engine for twitter.

8.     www.fb.me/AppStore – search iOS apps without launching iTunes.

9.     www.iconfinder.com – the best place to find icons of all sizes.

10.   www.office.com – download templates,clipart and images for your Office documents.

11. www.woorank.com – everything you wanted to know about a website.

12. www.virustotal.com – scan any suspicious file or email attachment for viruses.

13. www.wolframalpha.com – gets answers directly without searching.

14. www.printwhatyoulike.com – print web pages without the clutter.

15. www.joliprint.com – reformats news articles and blog content as a
newspaper.

16. isnsfw.com – when you wish to share a NSFW page but with a warning.

17. www.e.ggtimer.com – a simple online timer for your daily needs.

18. www.coralcdn.org – if a site is down due to heavy traffic, try accessing it through coralCDN.

19. www.random.org – pick random numbers, flip coins, and more.

20. www.mywot.com – check the trust level of any website – example.

21. www.viewer.zoho.com – Preview PDFs and Presentations directly in the browser.

22. www.tubemogul.com – simultaneously upload videos to YouTube and other video sites.

23. www.truveo.com – the best place for searching web videos.

24. www.scr.im – share you email address online without worrying about spam.

25. www.spypig.com – now get read receipts for your email.

26. www.sizeasy.com – visualize and compare the size of any product.

27. www.whatfontis.com – quickly determine the font name from an image.

28. www.fontsquirrel.com – a good collection of fonts – free for personal and commercial use.

29. www.regex.info – find data hidden in your photographs – see more EXIF tools.

30. www.tineye.com – this is like an online version of Google Googles.

31. www.iwantmyname.com – helps you search domains across all TLDs.

32. www.tabbloid.com – your favorite blogs delivered as PDFs.

33. www.join.me – share you screen with anyone over the web.

34. www.onlineocr.net – recognize text from scanned PDFs and images – see other OCR tools.

35. www.flightstats.com – Track flight status at airports worldwide.

36. www.wetransfer.com – for sharing really big files online.

37. www.pastebin.com – a temporary online clipboard for your text and code snippets.

38. www.polishmywriting.com – check your writing for spelling or grammatical errors.

39. www.awesomehighlighter.com – easily highlight the important parts of a web page.

40. www.typewith.me – work on the same document with multiple people.

41. www.whichdateworks.com – planning an event? find a date that works for all.

42. www.everytimezone.com – a less confusing view of the world time zones.

43. www.warrick.cs.odu.edu – you’ll need this when your bookmarked web pages are deleted.

44. www.gtmetrix.com – the perfect tool for measuring your site performance online.

45. www.imo.im – chat with your buddies on Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, etc. from one place.

46. www.translate.google.com – translate web pages, PDFs and Office documents.

47. www.youtube.com/leanback – sit back and enjoy YouTube videos in full-screen mode.

48. www.similarsites.com – discover new sites that are similar to what you like already.

49. www.wordle.net – quick summarize long pieces of text with tag clouds.

50. www.bubbl.us – create mind-maps, brainstorm ideas in the browser.

51. www.kuler.adobe.com – get color ideas, also extract colors from photographs.

52. www.followupthen.com – setup quick reminders via email itself.

53. www.lmgtfy.com – when your friends are too lazy to use Google on their own.

54. www.tempalias.com – generate temporary email aliases, better than disposable email.

55. www.pdfescape.com – lets you can quickly edit PDFs in the browser itself.

56. www.faxzero.com – send an online fax for free – see more fax services.

57. www.feedmyinbox.com – get RSS feeds as an email newsletter.

58. www.isendr.com – transfer files without uploading to a server.

59. tinychat.com – setup a private chat room in micro-seconds.

60. www.privnote.com – create text notes that will self-destruct after being read.

61. www.flightaware.com – live flight tracking service for airports worldwide.

62. www.boxoh.com – track the status of any shipment on Google Maps – alternative.

63. www.chipin.com – when you need to raise funds online for an event or a cause.

64. www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com – is your favourite site really offline?

65. www.example.com – this website can be used as an example in documentation.

66. www.whoishostingthis.com – find the web host of any website.

67. www.google.com/history – found something on Google but can’t remember it now?

68. www.errorlevelanalysis.com – find whether a photo is real or a photoshopped one.

69. www.google.com/dictionary – get word meanings, pronunciations and usage examples.

70. www.urbandictionary.com – find definitions of slangs and informal words.

71. www.seatguru.com – consult this site before choosing a seat for your next flight.

72. www.sxc.hu – download stock images absolutely free.

73. www.imo.im – chat with your buddies on Skype, Facebook, Google Talk, etc. from one place.

74. www.wobzip.org – unzip your compressed files online.

75. www.vocaroo.com – record your voice with a click.

76. www.scribblemaps.com – create custom Google Maps easily.

77. www.buzzfeed.com – never miss another Internet meme or viral video.

78. www.alertful.com – quickly setup email reminders for important events.

79. www.encrypted.google.com – prevent your ISP and boss from reading your search queries.

80. www.formspring.me – you can ask or answer personal questions here.

81. www.snopes.com – find if that email offer you received is real or just another scam.

82. www.typingweb.com – master touch-typing with these practice
sessions.

83. www.mailvu.com – send video emails to anyone using your web cam.

84. www.ge.tt – quickly send a file to someone, they can even preview it before downloading.

85. www.timerime.com – create timelines with audio, video and images.

86. www.stupeflix.com – make a movie out of your images, audio and video clips.

87. www.aviary.com/myna – an online audio editor that lets you record and remix audio clip.

88. www.noteflight.com – print music sheets, write your own music online (review).

89. www.disposablewebpage.com – create a temporary web page that self-destruct.

90. www.namemytune.com – when you need to find the name of a song.

91. www.homestyler.com – design from scratch or re-model your home in 3d.

92. www.snapask.com – use email on your phone to find sports scores, read Wikipedia, etc.

93. www.teuxdeux.com – a beautiful to-do app that resembles a paper dairy.

94. www.livestream.com – broadcast events live over the web, including your desktop screen.

95. www.bing.com/images – automatically find perfectly-sized wallpapers for mobiles.

96. www.historio.us – preserve complete web pages with all the formatting.

97. www.dabbleboard.com – your virtual whiteboard.

98. www.whisperbot.com – send an email without using your own account.

99. www.sumopaint.com – an excellent layer-based online image editor.

100. www.lovelycharts.com – create flowcharts, network diagrams, sitemaps, etc.

101. www.bounceapp.com – for capturing full length screenshots of web pages.

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