$380,000 raised for bullied 68yr old

Meet Karen klien the 68yr old bus monitor in Greece, N.Y. I can understand that whenever the term bully is used it evokes images of a timid kid being pushed around by his/her peers, well not in this case.
The victim whose picture appears in this post was recorded being bullied by 4 seventh graders. The video which ended up on YouTube has already clocked over 2million views and has seen the boys receive numerous death threats. Concerned individuals who set out to raise $50,000 to send the woman on vacation as of yesterday had raised a whooping $380,000 for Karen. Who says disappointments can't be a blessing?

rE-iNveNtiNg tHE gLAssEs...

Built from a single strand of stylish wire and curled multiple times, this hinge-less frames have to be the coolest i have seen yet. Designed by Ron Arad and totally adjustable the simplicity of this concept just blows my mind.

microsoft's super sleek ipad killer

All hail the ipad killer! 

i may not consider meself  a bonafide member of the geek squad, heck im pretty sure they would even consider me an outcast despite my IT Background which i believe technically qualifies me to discuss gadgets like the microsoft surface tablet/pc/or whatever the MS surface eventually gets called. I appreciate the practically of this pretty gadget but i think its a really steep climb for Microsoft who over the last 2 decades have focused solely of software development. FOr some reason they have choosen to refine their business model and evolve to stay competitive with the likes of Apple.  for more info head on to the official site http://www.surface.com 

Adidas gets the boot for shackle design sneakers!

what do you get when you over simplify and leave you R&D department too much creative freedom?  a social scandal! something that started as a simple play design of sneakers for adidas has been met with so much criticism even earning a spot on CNN. Adidas came under intense fire for the shackle design on the new sneakers with comparisons even being made citing how offended the jews would be if a  swastika insignia was stamped on a brand of sneakers. Adidas has since apologised for this and from all iindication might not go commercial with the range.

Rossi's Luxury Motor Home

ok so i couldn't  resist the urge to post this for obvious reasons. i wonder if the name 'Valentino Rossi' rings any bell??? well doesn't matter, as it turns out the super biker owns this 2-bed motor home worth about 650,000 pounds yeah eaxctly what you just read, a luxury motor home that costs more than some service apartments in expensive cities complete with a mini scooter garage, several 46' flat screens and loads more, you gotta love what money can buy...lol

duets: not just another...

so last night i finally settled to see 2 episodes of 'duets'. The over hyped music tv show from ABC networks starring John Legend, Robin Thicke, Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Nettles as Judges/contestants is a huge modification to the popular reality shows like idols, x-factor among others. 

At a time when TV is over saturated with reality tv this different format is quite breath taking. 8 amateurs singers handpicked (2 each) by each of the professional artistes mentioned earlier perform duets all through the competition. at the end of every performance, the 3 judges that didn't just perform score the amateurs on their branded duet ipads which are then collated digitally and the amateurs ranked on the leaderboard displayed on the large screens. 

The show which has experienced one of john legend's duet partner (johnny gray) drop out of the competition due to unforeseen circumstances as announced by the host Quddus (which as far as i'm concerned is under suspiciously scandalous circumstances) is totally mind blowing, from the quality of production to the seamless application of technology. The winner of this competition gets a multi million dollar recording contract with Hollywood records. This show is definately worth watching. The best part for me about the show is how 48hrs before a contestant could be idle, jobless, or on a different job and then 48hrs later on stage singing with their favorite artiste infront of the world. Totally Awesome!

man on the ledge!

He didn't steal the diamonds?? seriously! ok no more spoilers, if you havent seen 'MAN ON THE LEDGE' you should cop the DVD and watch that movie.This breath taking action movie i had the privilege of watching recently 'LASTMAN things'every second of the movie was worth it, the best poart was that you couldnt predict what would happen next...

Man on the Ledge which stars Sam Worthington (avatar) and Ed Harris and directer by Asger Leth is an action movie about Nick played by Sam Worthington who is sent to jail after being accused of stealing a $40million diamond. He sets out to prove his innocence by attempting to jump off the ledge of a highrise building only there is alot more going on. This movie get 4 G-stamps from me.
*worth watching.

mis-'spaced' priorities!

using space technology to boost the economy??? that has to be the most ridiculous thing i have heard since i was hooked to a placenta. Our misplaced priorities as a nation is an ever present source of amazement. A few days ago i did say while discussing with some friends that from govt. to govt. in the last 10 years, there has been very little care for the people. Incase you have no idea what i am on about, The Nigerian government recently announced it will send astronauts to space by the year 2015, that's in 3 years. Isnt there a reason the American government recently put an end to its space program?

Riddle me this, is it the same nation that lost a communication satellite in space over night with out the slightest idea where the said satellite drifted to that now wants to endanger the lives of some  'wanna be Nigerian astronauts'. There a  pressing issues we have to contend with which in all fairness even the US govt.has challenges coping with, so far i have yet to see or read about any creative solution or positive move towards reducing this. I know for a fact that the SSS and DMI are working hard to fix this but as i always say: 'any organization/entity is a reflection of its leadership'. Until we begin to place value on human life and the welling being of the people misplaced priorities would be a norm.

we are our worst enemy!

You are your worst enemy! as i have always maintained: we are what we make of Grace, time and Circumstance. As far as certain aspects of our lives are concerned God has blessed us with an unimaginable amount of control and choices. Nothing ever happens by accident ever, and sometimes the best things in our lives come into existence as a spinoff of the worst times of our lives. 

Its been quite a while since my last post. over the years i have tried to train myself to be alert to the good (lesson/benefits) of every situation i find myself no matter how unsettling (*easier said than done right*)....

Let me put my ramblings into perspective:

In October 2002, a young music producer from a middle class background while working late with some world class artistes like the black eyed peas, left the studio at 3:00am to head home. While in his rented vehicle he was cut off at an intersection by another driver and was involved in a near fatal accident which left his jaw fractured into several pieces. while in recovery at the hospital he composed several singles from his first album which formed the basis for the next phase of his life. Fast forward 18 Grammy's and several other awards later he is without a doubt one of the most successful artistes in the history of music. His  is Kanye Omari West.

No matter the rumors you may have heard concerning Kanye you gotta admit he had to make certain choices on his recovery bed that set the stage for all he has amounted to today. Its all up to YOU! God has blessed us all with abilities in accordance with his perception of the big picture you are a cure to a certain pain, a plug to a certain leak.. What you do about it is all up to YOU!

~gd

The Journey- very shitty *

The sour taste in my mouth as I write my first post of the year is definitely not as a result of the cherry fruit (agbalumo) I didn’t suck on. It is with all certainty the bouts of bad or almost terrible movies I have subjected myself to within the last 2 weeks. ‘Common don’t take life too seriously its just a freaking movie’- I hear you say- hell NO! it is more than a freaking movie to me…

It is about the only semblance of a social life I have these days. Its never about the money but the principle…lol (#wash). Someone please explain to me why I should be forcefully subjected to 94-120 mins of paid  torture at the cinema when I could easily sit in my house hit download and endure a terrible movie at my own convenience. I really love movies, I am also a collector of good ones. But as it turns out it may seem like 2012 is setting itself up to be a shitty year in movies. Case in point: ‘The Journey 2’.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, and a bunch of terrible actors, the movie is about the story of a young boy who goes on an adventure with his step dad to find his long lost grandfather who went  missing while in search of a mysterious island years ago after receiving a weak satellite transmission from him. Everything about this movie sucked, from the crappy sound effects (probably the cinema’s fault in all fairness), to the lame CGI effects, the costumes (precisely the weird pants worn by Vanessa Hudgens), the shallow details (like jelly fish that refused to sting or the peaceful great white sharks) and stupid dialogue. This movie has to be the shittiest movie I have seen in a long while. Some movies are not worth watching at the cinemas and the journey 2 directed by Brad Peyton should have been a straight to DVD release.

I will give this movie a miserable 1-G stamp. I must mention also that ‘the Descendants’ though generally a good movie isn’t also worth watching at the cinemas seemed to me more like a film for the family living room.

the reactive mafia called the Presidency

This has to be my first critical post directed at the GEJ administration. I realize that blogging about my thoughts would make very little or no difference to the status quo.

In my opinion foresight or vision is one of the major requirements of leadership, its no longer news that majority of Nigerians voted for the current administration 'cos they wanted a departure from the recycling of the political mafia that existed, and at that point GEJ seemed to be a safe alternative.

"But you see the problem with forcing a person into power especially when it is apparent that the individual is not ready equates to walking on a broken ankle before it is fully healed".

The government of President Goodluck Jonathan has been a largely reactive one. The caliber of advisers he has also chosen to surround himself with makes me ashamed of being literate. Well as the saying goes any organization is a reflection of its leader, more often than not quality leadership has very little to do with the quality of education a leader has, its either you've got it or you aint got it. Almost every major issue since the re-election of the present administration has been reacted to from the terrorism, to gay rights, to the rape toll free helplines, to fuel subsidy removal, the economy, it is quite apparent that POLITICS is a major priority above every thing else.

These people in my opinion all have too much power, time and money on their hands that pressing social issues have never been a priority. Having foresight has alot to do with seeing potential challenges and having a backup plan to fix them.

But then again what do i know, all we ever do in this country is talk, talk and talk. from the government officials and their elaborate but empty speeches, to the youths and their blackberries, to the very loud but weak youth advocacy groups to the noisy bloggers online, all we do is talk.

For as long as everybody's business remains nobody's business, my patriotism will keep hanging by a thread.

~gd

the expert manifesto

(via The Expert Enough Manifesto | Expert Enough)

Love is not enough...

Remember that popular definition of Love that says: " Love is a feeling you feel you never felt before" ok now FORGET THAT! Yeah! you read that right. As far as the concept of marriage and relationships go, Love is never enough. It may sound like I'm about to put out a collage of psychotic ramblings but the plain truth is: genuine Love as we should know it cannot exist without a clear recognition of weaknesses in our partners- which as far as I'm concerned is the starting point of Love. 

Love alone is never enough to guarantee a happy marriage or relationship, for the sake of being crucified before i rest my 'keys', When i say Love i do not in any way refer to the God kind of Love (Agape) which is a whole new level of perfection which also only God can give, I refer to the form we share as humans & which has evolved into a diverse mix of dilution. In its purest form Love can only inspire a healthy level of patience and tolerance & affection that becomes happiness over a period and subsequently bliss. As far as i can tell any one who writes about Love being the only requirement for bliss is a scam artist.

I rarely write about subjects like this but from my experience in relationships it all starts with certain attributes, or characteristics which can be experienced at face value, and then moves on to who we are essentially, it is by understanding what our strengths and weaknesses are we can then embark on that journey called Love which by the way is not a destination. There is no such thing as Love at first sight. The former concept is at best a heightened sense of attraction which could evolve into the real form of Love. I can only love you if I can live with and be happy with helping you over come your weaknesses. Its not just about the good looks, the fabulous boobs and ass its a lot more of the internal mixed with a little of the external.

Patience, Wisdom, Strengths, Weaknesses, Tolerance, Affection and loads of other factors are compulsory ingredients of relationship Bliss, but above all God's Grace. It is that grace that makes a man do dishes with his spouse, that makes a woman nag less, that makes a woman turn her spouse away with wisdom while he stays faithful despite.. so when i say Love is not enough, this is what i mean.

~gd 

@gozzim

Osinachi: The Nigerian Born Production Genius (Joe, ciara, pitbull, wale prod. credits)

so last night while trying to fall asleep i decided to listen to the new Joe album 'The good, The Bad, and The Sexy'-great album by the way, and while i was at it i made a very interesting discovery..

Meet Osinachi Nwaneri, the Nigerian born super producer one of the many Nigerians in the diapora doing big things. With production credits for the likes of ciara,wale, joe, pitbull,pussycat dolls, Dawkins&Dawkins among others, this versatile production genius seems all in a class by himself.

Osinachi produced two tracks on the new Joe album ('Losing' & 'slow Kisses') and has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he is definately a force to reckon with. As further proof of his genius, he currently works with one of the world's best when it comes to music production: Darkchild. Word on the wire is Osinachi was signed back in the day within 24 hours after Rodney Jenkins CEO of Darkchild listened to his samples. So I realise technically being born in the US he may not count as one of ours as the industry bias goes but hey that Ibo name still screams Green white Green. 

cheers to green greatness!

~GD- @gozzim

License to Rob

I haven't made a blog entry since my last meeting with the Russian Billionaire friend. Unfortunately i would have to narrate the concluding part of my previous post in the near future, this minute i am saddled with the burden of how impossible it seems to reduce the 'legal thieves' that pose a huge danger to us which is the Nigerian Police. Like they say Karma's a bitch, its such a hard thing to find successful policemen that have accomplished extraordinary feats in life. The billions of curses heaped on them collectively in their day to day robbery of helpless citizens is probably the cause. 

I don't believe in stereotyping, but i do make exceptions to this principle every once in a while for example, its no news that a majority of Nigerians are quite STUBBORN, and as a result its hard to fix certain things like corruption, and indiscipline. In my honest opinion the easiest language a majority of us understand  is FEAR. when all logical and intellectual options have been fully explored and we are still faced with the demoralizing sight of uniformed men killing, and oppressing the masses they are supposed to protect, it becomes wise to adopt a more viable solution which is fear.

I would never subscribe to violence or terrorism in any form or shape but what do you do when faced with the choice of killing or be killed? Fear and cowardice is an integral part of the Nigerian Police training if we use this it just might yield the much desired solution to this problem of legalized bribery and extortion.

If i were a 'lunatic' i would issue a public statement, with an ultimatum to the NP to desist from the indirect encouragement of corruption after which i would initiate a maiming/killing campaign of every police officer caught in the act. But I'm not..

Lessons from my Russian Billionaire Friend - I

Last night i met a Russian billionaire, and don't even ask me how...lol apparently after spending about 25mins with him i also became a billionaire.- don't believe me? then read on.. As i have learned true wealth is measured in time and not in currency as riches. that said when you picture the so called 'billionaires' in our beautiful country and take to heart that earlier definition we then come to the conclusion that there is a huge scarcity of wealthy men within our shores.

'In reality the amount of time a man can can consistently maintain his current standard of living if he stops earning, is a clear indication of how wealthy he is. The term wealth is therefore relative.'

According to my Russian billionaire friend, "being wealthy is indeed a state of the mind, it all starts in the mind. it is the very reason a wealthy man can afford to get into his Jaguar XJ or gulf stream jet in the morning without actual cash in his pocket, cause within him there is a subtle confidence that he can never get stranded. After taking years of calculated risks you soon get into the realization that the fastest way to make financial progress is to be untethered to material things. luxuries are mostly a means to an end, they provide comfort and were made for man's use and not the other way round."

these were words from my new friend shortly after we met, after he was introduced to me by a young Nigerian CEO, we kind of got into a discussion about Kasparov- on time world chess grand master, and then to Russian politics and finally I asked him why it is that Russia has too many young billionaires, this is what brought about the lesson i will be sharing in these series. For the next two days of his stay in Lagos, we had interactions that blew my mind. I will go into more details in my next post but be prepared to live dangerously.