There was a jam yesterday on the internet no wonder my mails weren't going through. There was an estimated 35% increase in the web users and it was estimated that 9 million poeple were using the net during that period .However it made history because 7.6 million poeple uplouded the clips and 10 million poeple were stuck on their television set.
The Obama inagration passed this mark by far infact it is thrice this it was estimated to be 27million viewers during that specific time.
Many people paid farewell to their loved one the so called the king of pop,but what mark did he leave behind apart from his music infact none. I did not celebrate because i did not see sense in his music.
Actually two things moved me yesterday ,the way fans were loyal to him and the speech from his lovely daugther Paris Kathy she said what was in her heart but the reality was her father mistreated her when young and that is it.
His brother gave an emotional speech that made me cry not for MJ but the repucusion following the family-the will is not known therefore prepare for the worst.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
AFRICAN DICTATORS
A list of African dictators who have been given, or more likely have given themselves, the strangest titles and names.
For some reason or the other, the continent of Africa seems to produce more than its fair share of dictators. Other areas of the world have certainly spawned megalomaniac despots aplenty. However Africa seems to have cornered the rather dubious market in eccentric despots with stupid titles.
Here are the top five arranged according to the sheer stupidity of their names:
No 5
Dictator: Robert Mugabe
Country: Zimbabwe (1980 - Present)
Opening our little list is Robert Mugabe, the current president of Zimbabwe. Mad Bob has single handedly turned his country from a shining beacon of hope and light in Southern Africa into a starving, economically destitute hell hole. Well done Bob.
Dictator Credentials
Bob Mugabe only really turned into “Mad” Bob Mugabe relatively recently. When Zimbabwe achieved independence from England the country progressed in leaps and bounds. Bob placed significant emphasis on improving agriculture and the educational system. In fact, after a few years, Zimbabwe's education system was probably the best in Africa and generated a huge number of well qualified graduates.
However in 1991 though it all started going pear shaped. Bob expatriated land from large economically active (and mostly white owned) farms with the intention to redistribute these to poorer black farmers.
Of course in a trend that feels almost inevitable these farms landed up in the hands of Bobs family and other cronies. No producing farms eventually meant no food and this process soon spiraled out of control into the situation as it is today with a starving population, a worthless currency and inflation at about 11000%.
The honest truth is that it for your average Zimbabwean it is cheaper to wipe your ass using 1 Zim Dollar notes than it is to buy toilet paper. That's just funny in a really sad way.
Strange Name
Mad Bob Mugabe earns his place in this list for a slightly different reason from his more eminently qualified colleagues. To his credit he didn't go around handing himself titles like the others on this list. Instead Bob was given his title by the Queen of England no less.
So to her eternal shame in 1994 Queen Elizabeth II bestowed upon Robert Mugabe the honor of Knight Commander of the Order of Bath. So his full name is Robert Mugabe KBC which is not quite Sir Bob but it's a bit too close for comfort.
No 4
Dictator: Muammar al-Gaddafi
Country: Libya (1969-present)
For the geographically challenged amongst you (read: American), Libya is in the North of Africa and not somewhere in the Middle East. Although this fact didn't exactly stop Muammar from behaving exactly like a crazy, plane bombing, child killing terrorist leader.
Dictator Credentials
In the grander scheme of things Muammar is quite a puppy compared to the other dictators in this list. A bloodthirsty, crazy, attack puppy but a puppy nonetheless. However to anyone from America or Britain he pretty quickly turned into a rabid pit-bull.
Muammar seized power in a bloodless coup in 1969, set himself up as president and instituted a series of law changes in Libya turning it into an Islamic socialist country.
Having settled his domestic affairs Muammar promptly proceeded to stir up trouble wherever he could including sponsoring the Munich Olympic massacre, hiring Carlos the Jackal to kidnap foreign oil ministers, bombing Pan Am flights and other similarly nefarious deeds.
For mental imagery alone its worth mentioning that Muammar's personal bodyguard is comprised completely of highly trained, ass kicking women called the Amazonians. No seriously, for all his crazy behavior, you have to admit that a bodyguard of Amazonians is pretty cool.
Strange Name
As if Muammar al-Gaddafi isn't enough to tie a clove-hitch in your tongue Muammar felt the need to add some zing to his title.
Brother Leader, Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Muammar al-Gaddafi. Yup that sounds about right.
No 3
Dictator: Jean Bedel Bokassa
Country: Central African Republic (1966-1979)
Most folks wouldn't have heard of Jean but back in the 70's he was “The Man”. Jean claim to fame is that of being a bloody thug, a money grabbing thief and an Emperor all rolled into one nutty package.
Dictator Credentials
On New Years Eve in 1965, while the rest of the world was listening to the Rolling Stones and getting high on pot, Bokassa was busy overthrowing the president of the Central African Republic. The very next day, he celebrated a job well done by proclaiming himself President, Prime Minister and leader of the Republics only political party.
After engaging in a few years of mayhem and self serving diamond grabs Jean decided to declare himself emperor of Central Africa. He then proceeded to blow 20 Million US Dollars on a coronation ceremony for himself, which translated to about one third of the countries entire budget.
Emperor Jean was eventually overthrown by a French invasion in 1979 (yes the French actually have an army) and he lived in exile till his death in 1996
Strange Name
Jean Bedel Bokassa was never going to be good enough for an Emperor. Even Emperor Bokassa wasn't quite imperious enough. But Empereur de Centrafrique par la volonté du peuple Centrafricain, uni au sein du parti politique national, le MESAN does sound much more special especially because it was in French.
All of that translated in English meant Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Centrafrican people, united within the national political party, the MESAN
No 2
Dictator: Mobutu Sese Seko
Country: Zaire (1930-1997)
Mobutu Sese Seko was actually born Joseph Desir'e Mobutu so if nothing else his life should be a rather pointed reminder of what can go wrong when parents give a boy a girls name. When Desir'e became president he “Africanized” his name to Mobutu Sese Seko but more than likely he just “desir'ed” his friends to stop making cheesy jokes about his name.
Dictator Credentials
After quite a bit of political wrangling, at least one CIA sponsored hit on a president and two political coups Desir'e slithered into power. As soon as he was president he swiftly canceled the next elections and in a stroke of political genius abolished all political parties. He then setup the Popular Movement for Revolution (MPR) as the sole approved political party and passed a law that all citizens were obliged to join. This was a rather clever way of proving that the people support your party and makes me wonder why the Republicans haven't tried this already?
Although Desire may not have covered himself in blood like the rest of his compatriots in this list he certainly didn't shy away from it. He had a habit of bumping of political rivals with consummate ease and supported by his pals France and America, he romped around Central Africa putting down rebellions in bloody style.
While he may have been an indifferent murderer, old Desir'e excelled as a thief. In 2004 he had squirreled away over 4 Billion US Dollars in various bank accounts around the world. In today's terms that would make him richer than Richard Branson (that English guy who is a Virgin and always falling out of balloons).
Full Name
I supposed it's not surprising that Desire eventually changed his name to Mobutu Sese Seko but in keeping with his colleagues on this list he went a touch overboard.
His full and complete name was Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga or roughly translated, “the all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, will go from conquest to conquest leaving fire in his wake.”
I still prefer Desir'e, it has a certain ring to it.
No 1
Dictator: Idi Amin
Country: Uganda (1971-1979)
And coming in the clear number one on this list is Idi Amin, the Butcher of Uganda. For a guy who started off his career as a slightly chubby assistant cook Idi Amin built up quite a head of steam. Between starting a war, engaging in a bit of ethnic cleansing and driving Uganda's economy into ruin old Idi was quite a busy guy.
Dictator Credentials
No one is actually sure but it is thought that Idi Amin over saw the death of almost 300,000 of his countrymen in a short but particularly bloody reign of terror.
During a particularly gory period of ethnic cleansing he presided over the murder of thousands of Ugandans including journalists, teachers, judges and students. Their rotting corpses were then promptly tossed into the river Nile and the sheer number of bodies floating downstream proceeded to completely clog the Owens Fall Hydro Electric Dam.
I suppose keeping up the hectic routine of slaughtering citizens and repressing millions does build up a hunger in a man. Idi Amin then decided to add insult to injury and eat his victims. To be fair to Idi the stories of cannibalism are only rumored to be true and no actual eyewitnesses can be found to corroborate the story.
I think it's probably because all the eyewitnesses were turned into the presidential buffet!
Full Name
While murder and cannibalism would have been enough for your garden variety dictator Idi Amin felt a little underappreciated by the world. And what better way to let people know what an inspirational leader you are than by conferring new and interesting titles on yourself?
When he was done his official title read "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Conqueror of the British Empire [CBE] in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular and the Most Ubiquitous of all King Of Scotland”
FINNALLY THE WORST ONE WAS:
Africa has and continues to have its share of dangerous and sometimes crazy dictators. A good example is Idi Amin Dada, a former British army lieutenant who subsequently styled himself as “His Excellency President for Life Field Marshal Al Hadji Dr. Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular”. Then there was also Mobutu of Congo, who forced all television news channels to precede the evening news by an image of him descending through clouds from the heavens. Central African Republic boasted the "emperor" Jean Bedel Bokassa, who it’s rumoured ate the human flesh of his victims. But perhaps, the scariest of them all is Robert Mugabe, who terrorizes Zimbabwe to this very day
For some reason or the other, the continent of Africa seems to produce more than its fair share of dictators. Other areas of the world have certainly spawned megalomaniac despots aplenty. However Africa seems to have cornered the rather dubious market in eccentric despots with stupid titles.
Here are the top five arranged according to the sheer stupidity of their names:
No 5
Dictator: Robert Mugabe
Country: Zimbabwe (1980 - Present)
Opening our little list is Robert Mugabe, the current president of Zimbabwe. Mad Bob has single handedly turned his country from a shining beacon of hope and light in Southern Africa into a starving, economically destitute hell hole. Well done Bob.
Dictator Credentials
Bob Mugabe only really turned into “Mad” Bob Mugabe relatively recently. When Zimbabwe achieved independence from England the country progressed in leaps and bounds. Bob placed significant emphasis on improving agriculture and the educational system. In fact, after a few years, Zimbabwe's education system was probably the best in Africa and generated a huge number of well qualified graduates.
However in 1991 though it all started going pear shaped. Bob expatriated land from large economically active (and mostly white owned) farms with the intention to redistribute these to poorer black farmers.
Of course in a trend that feels almost inevitable these farms landed up in the hands of Bobs family and other cronies. No producing farms eventually meant no food and this process soon spiraled out of control into the situation as it is today with a starving population, a worthless currency and inflation at about 11000%.
The honest truth is that it for your average Zimbabwean it is cheaper to wipe your ass using 1 Zim Dollar notes than it is to buy toilet paper. That's just funny in a really sad way.
Strange Name
Mad Bob Mugabe earns his place in this list for a slightly different reason from his more eminently qualified colleagues. To his credit he didn't go around handing himself titles like the others on this list. Instead Bob was given his title by the Queen of England no less.
So to her eternal shame in 1994 Queen Elizabeth II bestowed upon Robert Mugabe the honor of Knight Commander of the Order of Bath. So his full name is Robert Mugabe KBC which is not quite Sir Bob but it's a bit too close for comfort.
No 4
Dictator: Muammar al-Gaddafi
Country: Libya (1969-present)
For the geographically challenged amongst you (read: American), Libya is in the North of Africa and not somewhere in the Middle East. Although this fact didn't exactly stop Muammar from behaving exactly like a crazy, plane bombing, child killing terrorist leader.
Dictator Credentials
In the grander scheme of things Muammar is quite a puppy compared to the other dictators in this list. A bloodthirsty, crazy, attack puppy but a puppy nonetheless. However to anyone from America or Britain he pretty quickly turned into a rabid pit-bull.
Muammar seized power in a bloodless coup in 1969, set himself up as president and instituted a series of law changes in Libya turning it into an Islamic socialist country.
Having settled his domestic affairs Muammar promptly proceeded to stir up trouble wherever he could including sponsoring the Munich Olympic massacre, hiring Carlos the Jackal to kidnap foreign oil ministers, bombing Pan Am flights and other similarly nefarious deeds.
For mental imagery alone its worth mentioning that Muammar's personal bodyguard is comprised completely of highly trained, ass kicking women called the Amazonians. No seriously, for all his crazy behavior, you have to admit that a bodyguard of Amazonians is pretty cool.
Strange Name
As if Muammar al-Gaddafi isn't enough to tie a clove-hitch in your tongue Muammar felt the need to add some zing to his title.
Brother Leader, Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Muammar al-Gaddafi. Yup that sounds about right.
No 3
Dictator: Jean Bedel Bokassa
Country: Central African Republic (1966-1979)
Most folks wouldn't have heard of Jean but back in the 70's he was “The Man”. Jean claim to fame is that of being a bloody thug, a money grabbing thief and an Emperor all rolled into one nutty package.
Dictator Credentials
On New Years Eve in 1965, while the rest of the world was listening to the Rolling Stones and getting high on pot, Bokassa was busy overthrowing the president of the Central African Republic. The very next day, he celebrated a job well done by proclaiming himself President, Prime Minister and leader of the Republics only political party.
After engaging in a few years of mayhem and self serving diamond grabs Jean decided to declare himself emperor of Central Africa. He then proceeded to blow 20 Million US Dollars on a coronation ceremony for himself, which translated to about one third of the countries entire budget.
Emperor Jean was eventually overthrown by a French invasion in 1979 (yes the French actually have an army) and he lived in exile till his death in 1996
Strange Name
Jean Bedel Bokassa was never going to be good enough for an Emperor. Even Emperor Bokassa wasn't quite imperious enough. But Empereur de Centrafrique par la volonté du peuple Centrafricain, uni au sein du parti politique national, le MESAN does sound much more special especially because it was in French.
All of that translated in English meant Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Centrafrican people, united within the national political party, the MESAN
No 2
Dictator: Mobutu Sese Seko
Country: Zaire (1930-1997)
Mobutu Sese Seko was actually born Joseph Desir'e Mobutu so if nothing else his life should be a rather pointed reminder of what can go wrong when parents give a boy a girls name. When Desir'e became president he “Africanized” his name to Mobutu Sese Seko but more than likely he just “desir'ed” his friends to stop making cheesy jokes about his name.
Dictator Credentials
After quite a bit of political wrangling, at least one CIA sponsored hit on a president and two political coups Desir'e slithered into power. As soon as he was president he swiftly canceled the next elections and in a stroke of political genius abolished all political parties. He then setup the Popular Movement for Revolution (MPR) as the sole approved political party and passed a law that all citizens were obliged to join. This was a rather clever way of proving that the people support your party and makes me wonder why the Republicans haven't tried this already?
Although Desire may not have covered himself in blood like the rest of his compatriots in this list he certainly didn't shy away from it. He had a habit of bumping of political rivals with consummate ease and supported by his pals France and America, he romped around Central Africa putting down rebellions in bloody style.
While he may have been an indifferent murderer, old Desir'e excelled as a thief. In 2004 he had squirreled away over 4 Billion US Dollars in various bank accounts around the world. In today's terms that would make him richer than Richard Branson (that English guy who is a Virgin and always falling out of balloons).
Full Name
I supposed it's not surprising that Desire eventually changed his name to Mobutu Sese Seko but in keeping with his colleagues on this list he went a touch overboard.
His full and complete name was Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga or roughly translated, “the all-powerful warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, will go from conquest to conquest leaving fire in his wake.”
I still prefer Desir'e, it has a certain ring to it.
No 1
Dictator: Idi Amin
Country: Uganda (1971-1979)
And coming in the clear number one on this list is Idi Amin, the Butcher of Uganda. For a guy who started off his career as a slightly chubby assistant cook Idi Amin built up quite a head of steam. Between starting a war, engaging in a bit of ethnic cleansing and driving Uganda's economy into ruin old Idi was quite a busy guy.
Dictator Credentials
No one is actually sure but it is thought that Idi Amin over saw the death of almost 300,000 of his countrymen in a short but particularly bloody reign of terror.
During a particularly gory period of ethnic cleansing he presided over the murder of thousands of Ugandans including journalists, teachers, judges and students. Their rotting corpses were then promptly tossed into the river Nile and the sheer number of bodies floating downstream proceeded to completely clog the Owens Fall Hydro Electric Dam.
I suppose keeping up the hectic routine of slaughtering citizens and repressing millions does build up a hunger in a man. Idi Amin then decided to add insult to injury and eat his victims. To be fair to Idi the stories of cannibalism are only rumored to be true and no actual eyewitnesses can be found to corroborate the story.
I think it's probably because all the eyewitnesses were turned into the presidential buffet!
Full Name
While murder and cannibalism would have been enough for your garden variety dictator Idi Amin felt a little underappreciated by the world. And what better way to let people know what an inspirational leader you are than by conferring new and interesting titles on yourself?
When he was done his official title read "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Conqueror of the British Empire [CBE] in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular and the Most Ubiquitous of all King Of Scotland”
FINNALLY THE WORST ONE WAS:
Africa has and continues to have its share of dangerous and sometimes crazy dictators. A good example is Idi Amin Dada, a former British army lieutenant who subsequently styled himself as “His Excellency President for Life Field Marshal Al Hadji Dr. Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular”. Then there was also Mobutu of Congo, who forced all television news channels to precede the evening news by an image of him descending through clouds from the heavens. Central African Republic boasted the "emperor" Jean Bedel Bokassa, who it’s rumoured ate the human flesh of his victims. But perhaps, the scariest of them all is Robert Mugabe, who terrorizes Zimbabwe to this very day
Friday, August 1, 2008
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