CC Video Highlight
Wednesday
Vigilantes in Northern Nigeria rout Boko Haram militants as mutiny rears its ugly head within the military
 |
| President Jonathan - A clueless leader? |
Residents of three villages in northern Nigeria have repelled an attack by suspected Boko Haram Islamist fighters, according to eye-witness reports.
About 200 of the militants were killed during the fighting in the Kala-Balge district of Borno state, he said.
The witness said the residents had formed a vigilante group.
Meanwhile, disgruntled soldiers opened fire on the convoy of a top military commander in Maiduguri, the main city in Borno, witnesses said.
No-one was injured when angry soldiers opened fire as the convoy was entering the Maimalari barracks to protest against poor pay and a lack of equipment to tackle Boko Haram, the sources said.
Maj-Gen Chris Olukolade confirmed an incident had taken place in Maiduguri, but said it was an internal matter and there was no reason for public concern.
It is exactly a year since President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno and its neighboring states of Adamawa and Yobe in an effort to curb Boko Haram's insurgency.
The area which came under attack by the suspected militants on Tuesday is not far from the site of a market massacre in the town of Gamboru Ngala 10 days when more than 300 people were killed by gunmen.
A security official told reporters that the vigilantes in Kala-Balge, which is near Lake Chad, were ready for a fight after learning of an impending Boko Haram attack.
Residents also seized three cars and a military vehicle from the attackers, sources said.
On Tuesday, Nigeria's government said it was ready to negotiate with Boko Haram after it abducted more than 200 girls during a raid on a boarding school in Borno state a month ago.
Their kidnapping has caused international outrage, and foreign teams of experts are in the country to assist the security forces in tracking them down.
Monday
Again, Nigeria's government shows it doesn't get it in Finance Minister's interview with Katie Couric
CC Global Insight
In this interview with Katie Couric, Nigeria's Finance Minister and former World Bank Executive, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala seems bent on promoting the "success" of the World Economic Forum event in Abuja (Nigeria's capital), rather than speak on what concrete steps the government is doing to ensure the safe return of the kidnapped Nigerian girls.
In this interview with Katie Couric, Nigeria's Finance Minister and former World Bank Executive, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala seems bent on promoting the "success" of the World Economic Forum event in Abuja (Nigeria's capital), rather than speak on what concrete steps the government is doing to ensure the safe return of the kidnapped Nigerian girls.
Thursday
Boko Haram leader Shekau made group more ruthless
 |
| Nigeria's President G.E. Jonathan |
Born in a village in Nigeria's northeastern Yobe state on the border with Niger, Shekau had a traditional Islamic education in neighboring Borno state, where Boko Haram was founded more than a decade ago by the cleric Mohammed Yusuf.
After meeting Yusuf, Shekau joined his movement made up largely of radical youths who believed that the prevalence of Western education and values were to blame for many of Nigeria's problems, including egregious corruption and crippling poverty.
Boko Haram, which loosely translates as "Western education is forbidden", is a nickname that the Islamists have disowned, referring to themselves as Jama'tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad (People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad).
Awareness and condemnation of Shekau spread across the globe this week after he released a video boasting about the April 14 mass abduction in Chibok, Borno state, in which he threatened to sell the hostages as "slaves".
But for Nigerians, the chilling video was consistent with an Islamist leader who is believed to have masterminded waves of horrific attacks since he took charge of Boko Haram several months after Yusuf was killed by Nigerian police in 2009.
"With Shekau at the helm," the International Crisis Group (ICG) said in a report last month, "Boko Haram has grown more ruthless, violent and destructive."
Shekau's extremism is perhaps best highlighted by the decision of Ansaru -- a Boko Haram offshoot which has kidnapped foreigners and published their execution online -- to cut ties.
Ansaru "distanced itself from the rest of Boko Haram because it disapproved of its indiscriminate killings and Shekau's lack of tact," the ICG report said, citing security sources and people with close ties to both militant groups.
There were significant outbursts of violence under Yusuf but the group was nominally committed to spreading sharia (Islamic law) across northern Nigeria, a goal some in the deeply conservative region support.
Yusuf's ideology and anti-corruption preachings have been largely buried by Shekau's repeated attacks on defenseless civilians, including mass kidnappings and the slaughter of scores of students in their sleep, analysts say.
Even before Yusuf's death, Shekau had accused him of "being too soft", according to the ICG, and Shekau signalled the new direction he meant to take Boko Haram roughly a year after taking charge.
Major attacks in Nigeria's capital Abuja in 2012, including a bombing at the United Nations headquarters that killed scores, raised concern that Boko Haram's new leaders had received jihadist training abroad, perhaps in Algeria or Somalia.
The specific details of those foreign links have been much debated by experts but little has been confirmed.
Since 2011, the Islamists have attacked churches, mosques, politicians, police and the military, among various other targets.
The United States has declared Shekau a global terrorist and put a $7 million (5.3 million euros) bounty on his head.
The US Justice Department lists 1965, 1969 and 1975 as possible years of the birth.
And Shekau's videos have become the primary channel through which the insurgents speak.
At times he makes threats against specific Nigerian targets.
At others he seems completely disconnected from current events, threatening world leaders who are dead, like recent warnings against ex-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, and the late pope John Paul II.
A quote from one his first video, released in 2012, has been cited by experts as perhaps providing a window into his character.
"I enjoy killing anyone that God commands me to kill the way I enjoy killing chickens and rams," Shekau said.
Wednesday
New Star Wars cast finally announced.....
Star Wars fans, your wish has finally been granted. All of the secret meetings Disney and J.J Abrams have had with actors around the world led to the first table read for the new movie. If you’re worried that you might not see Luke, Leia and Han again don’t fear because Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford are officially apart of the main cast.
Here is the official announcement from the Star Wars website:
“The Star Wars team is thrilled to announce the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.
Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the saga, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew and Kenny Baker are in the new film.
Director J.J. Abrams says, “We are so excited to finally share the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. It is both thrilling and surreal to watch the beloved original cast and these brilliant new performers come together to bring this world to life, once again. We start shooting in a couple of weeks, and everyone is doing their best to make the fans proud.”
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, J.J. Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing, and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.”
It seems with the cast list the producers and Abrams are working really hard to link the original trilogy with the newest installment. Beside the veterans, we don’t know yet what roles the Star Wars newcomers will take and how they relate to Star Wars lore. December 2015 will be an exciting month. If you agree with the casting please let us know in the comments below!
Friday
Nigeria vows to protect delegates to World Economic Forum event while its citizens are left to the mercy of Islamist mass-murderers
 |
| Nigerian Special Forces |
Nigeria will mount a massive security operation to protect a World Economic Forum on Africa planned in Abuja next month, following the bomb attack by suspected Islamist militants on the capital's outskirts on Monday, the event's Nigerian hosts said.
"Our security planning for the World Economic Forum on Africa (scheduled for May 7-9) is already well under way and will be the largest security operation ever mounted in this country for an international summit," Nigeria's Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, stated.
Monday's rush hour bomb blast at a bus station at Nyanya, which killed 71 people and injured more than 100 others, was the deadliest ever attack on the capital of Africa's No. 1 oil producer and what is now the continent's largest economy.
With President Goodluck Jonathan pointing the finger of suspicion at Islamist group Boko Haram which is waging an anti-government insurgency in the northeast, the bombing has raised questions about the government's ability to protect the capital.
Referring to what it called Monday's "suspected act of terrorism", the statement said over six thousand security personnel, consisting of police and army, would be deployed to guard the WEF Africa event in Abuja, securing an area the size of 97 square miles.
Assuring participants that they would be safe, the statement expressed "our deep commitment that these tragic events will not stop us from delivering on our promise to host a world-class meeting next month". It was also signed by Nwanze Okidegbe, chief economic adviser to President Jonathan.
Thursday
The NAACP and Donald Sterling
 |
| Lifetime Achievement Award? Guess money talks. |
You've probably heard the tape of what is purported to be Donald Sterling being a belligerent bigot and telling his girlfriend (who is half black and half Mexican) not to associate with any black people.
She’s also not allowed to bring any black people to his games, especially Magic Johnson.
It’s like Sterling wakes up everyday and reads the Willie Lynch letter while watching Birth of a Nation. The dude is such a classless caricature that I bet he has a pet blackbird named Jim Crow.
There are at least 15 messed up issues about this whole situation, including his girlfriend, who was talking about how she wished she could change her skin. Ma’am, who taught you to hate yourself, and where can we find them so we can wish perpetual paper-cuts on their lives? That’s a whole lot of unfortunate that I won’t even go into right now.
Then there’s the glaring fact that Donald the Degenerate sees black folks as valuable only when they bring you pleasure in bed and money for your wallet — but nothing else.
I’m here to side-eye the NAACP’s Los Angeles chapter, which was about to give Donald Sterling a Lifetime Achievement Award. Even though they have made a statement withdrawing it, it feels too little too late. Actually, my judging eyes are for the entire NAACP, who already gave him the award in 2009.
Even if the tape of him sounding like a raging racist never dropped, why would the NAACP want to give this man a Lifetime Achievement Award? TWICE, at that! One wasn't enough. He needed more props, it seems.
This is complete and utter nonsense.
Donald Sterling has been dedicated to the cause of being an intergalactic ignoramus with an aura the color of hot dog water for decades. He was investigated by the Justice Department and fined $2.7 million because he refused to rent his properties to people of color. It was the largest housing discrimination lawsuit ever.
Elgin Baylor, a former player, sued him and the Clippers and said the team had a “Southern Plantation type structure.” Clearly, we see Brother Elgin wasn’t telling lies. Donald has a long history of using racist slurs and just being a horrible human being, and none of it is a secret.
Again, I ask why the NAACP would consider him an appropriate honoree. I don’t care how much money this man has given to youth programs in LA or how many Clippers tickets he’s given to kids. Do I even need to point out that all that “goodwill” was probably tax-deductible anyway?
Yeah … I don’t.
If you are not working towards the advancement and freedom of black people, why would you be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award? Donald definitely wasn't with us shooting in the freedom gym. If you’re going to give a white man an NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award, he better be out on these front lines preaching equality right next to Al and Jesse. He better be taking down the bricks of the house of white supremacy one by one with his bare hands. He better be doing real concrete things that are dismantling the system of racism that his kinfolk work tirelessly to keep in place.
If he’s not doing any of that, there’s no reason for him to be awarded with some lifetime achievement by what is supposed to be the leading black civil rights organization in the country. The keyword here is “supposed.”
Shade.
If the NAACP didn't know of Donald Sterling’s past, then they’re proving that they’re incredibly out of the loop. In fact, it’ll mean that they’re so out of the loop that they must have ended up in a square by way of Apple Maps. And if they did know about his discriminatory deeds and they chose to honor him anyway just because he dropped some coins in a bucket, then they put a price on our people’s worth.
And I’m not sure which is worse, because one is negligent and the other is just shameful. Either way, this is a fail.
Donald Sterling’s recorded statements (and life, really) embodies the system of white supremacy that we live in. I’m less surprised that he’s an narrow-minded nincompoop, because he’s old and white. What gives me the most pause is the fact that he was even given an award in 2009 and then considered for one again. It proves that we’re enablers in this web too, giving positive reinforcement to the exploitation of our people.
America doesn't have to love us, but we need to love ourselves and stop awarding those who make a living out of stepping on our heads to get further. The NAACP is supposed to be a gatekeeper, but they left the gate wide open and took a nap right next to it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
