Hand of Fa(ith)te?

A lame attempt at faith based ideological approach to fictional writing. If you desire to read a book that reinforces you own right wing ideological underpinnings about abortions (prohibited even after rape), government & politicians (not to be trusted) environmentalists (as terrorists and violent) and immigration (to be considered in family oriented terms), then Lis Wiehl's missive is the perfect read. For me, it was **yawn. Okay, after a few pages, the didactic melo-dramatic effects of who picked what, and what dropped and how and when gives way to the perfect reality that Lis was pushing a point of view.

Few chapters are worth reading, and perhaps the book could be two-thirds shorter if it were written with those chapters alone. The unnecessary dramatization of law, order and jury was one of such boring moments I wished Liz had saved her reader. No wonder it took me three months to finish reading this. Keep this at the bottom of your pile. One star.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The most ridiculous award yet..GCFR

Just when I was fuming about his allocation of ten billion naira to celebrate some independence in London, as well as the ridiculous jumbo pay for FG Senators making the email rounds, I was greeted with this picture

Yes, you guessed it right..the President self-awarded himself the highest honor in the land i.e. GCFR! Grand Commander of the Federal Republic it should read, but definitely Grand Commander of Federal Rogues it actually is! For if a revolution takes place today, and we need to identify the first criminals to take to the guillotine , the National Honors Lists especially the GCFR and GCON section will be a great go-by! People who actually have done something in Nigeria don't ever get GCFR and GCON..they will be lucky to get OON or MON. Criminals, political jobbers and thieves like IBB, and Abacha occupy this list.


The ridiculous spectacle of a sitting President bowing to an old one- and an inept one for that matter just to justify his rather immoral conflict of interest in awarding himself this honor was the height of the ridiculousness of it all! Granted, it was legal (even though a now an extant law would have nullified such). Guess even in the face of the moral double standard of awarding yourself a honor, the President sought to moralize this by gathering his band of thieving brethren aka. political jobbers and former heads of states to award him the honor. Who gave Shagari the power? Under which constitution? By the way, is Gowon not a former coupists? does he still pick a pension? Our nation is long overdue..for a thorough house cleaning!


In any case, if you are not mad enough..here is how much your 109 Senators each make...in a nation notedL where two-thirds live below one dollar a day! Criminal!

Fg Spending 10 Billion Naira For Independence Day - Adolf fumes @ Yahoo! Video

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Senator Earnings - N29, 479, 749.00 (  $193,945 ) Per Year.

Basic Salary - N2, 484, 245.50.

Hardship Allowance  @ 50% of Basic Salary - N1, 242, 122.70  ( I love this kind of hardship)

Consistuency allowance @ 200% of BS  -  N4, 968, 509.00

Furniture Allowance @ 300% of BS - N7, 452, 736.50

Newspaper allowance @  50% - N1, 242, 122.70 ( Which kind newspaper be this shey na online or hard copy).

Wardrobe allowance @ 25%  - N621, 061.37

Recess Allowance@ 10%: - N248, 424.55

Accommodation @ 200%  - N4, 968, 509.00.

Utilities @ 30%  - N828, 081.83.

Domestic Staff @ 35%  - N863, 184.12.

Entertainment @ 30% - N828, 081.83.

Personal Assistance @ 25%   - N621, 061.37.

Vehicle Maintenance Allowance @ 75%  - N1, 863, 184.12.     

Leave Allowance @10% - N248, 424.55.

One off payments (As advised by SagamiteSeverance gratuit)y @ 300%  - N7, 452, 736.50   (Once they get fired.)               

Motor Vehicle Allowance @ 400% of BS - N9, 936, 982.00  - Every Four Years

Senators Salary per month.                - N2, 456, 647.7

Total  = N29, 479, 749.00         i.e.  $193,945

* 109 Senators  Grand Total  = N 3, 264, 329, 264.10
                                                     i.e.  $21,475,850
A feeding frenzy!!!

Jobs, Odds & Polls

Just been thinking lately of the general turmoil in the economy. Never in a long time since have been in the US have I known so many people out of jobs at the same time. And yes, I live in Texas..one of the states with a better economy. It is kinda weird. One friend is been on the job hunt for one and a half years, another for four months..another is just about starting. No one seem to be safe.

As this plays out, it is quite interesting to note the truism of the general wisdom. Men (especially black men) seem to be out of their work quicker than the women. In fact, I know at least three home girls that found a newer , better jobs in the midst of all this turmoil. Must be something about the genders unh? I guess it is how you treat your job when the going was good that determine how it treats you when it gets tough. Black men still have whiles to go when it comes to work ethic- and I speak as one who see this struggle everyday.

 And forget the ethic, they just tend to not play in the mainstream of workplace politics. They are more likely to be at the edges of such power plays, and outside the circle where such decisions on whom to keep or lay off is taken. I have learned practically that the most effective workplace attitude is "dynamism", especially when the going is good. It was better to move into better and more stable places when it was hot. The most unstable position in any company is the one they just hired for...gba o. So find a better place within the group. Move up, move higher..move sideways. Just move...

On the other hand, sisters arrive at the workplace with a "can do" attitude. Willing to muscle their way into these important places. And they are less threatening, and tend to play coy with the natural feminine mien that hides the struggle of the outside world beyond the office (which they also contend with..heck, they are married or her dating these black men that are struggling too). Speaking of unemployed husbands, two of my friends are one. One called me the other day expressing his feeling of worthlessness and frustration; must be hard for a man: especially the proud ones who value taking care of his family. God help us...I hope.

Even the fellas that are still with their jobs, are still struggling with the bills. The economic conditions just seem to be crushing everything on its path. And here we have the politics playing out. The democrat's timid stimulus did not have the big bang effect, and the republicans that shamed them into timidity is hoping to cash in on this effect and blame democrats; hoping to seize congress and get back to doing what they did in the first place: screw the country up. The dems are learning fast though; hope they do a good job of highlighting who is holding up the unemployment checks...because that seem like dumb politics if you ask me. Unemployed people vote; and they will know who denied them those checks.

Speaking about the checks, is it not time the deficit hawks pick up "Predator State" and get re-tutored on the myths of deficit spending and why it makes no sense to cut now. Hope we don't cut our nose, to spite our face..this world...and who is going to poll that?