A week in the life of Jamie

Where do I start, the 13 year old girl who is dying from leukemia or is it the sad sad case of Baby P who was continually abused the 17 months of his short life, or I could lighten things up a bit and talk about pre nuptial agreements in the UK. I think I'll start with my personal trials.

My passport has gone MIA, the home office sent it to my London address on the 21st and due to my working and living in another region, I got to the post office nine days later. They said that according to rules and regulations, they hold recorded mail for only seven days. So now I have to wait for the parcel to get to Belfast and then the person who is responsible for redirecting mails to get up and actually work. It is Christmas season and I need to travel to see my family. So this is really grinding my teeth.

Now on to other things, I can't even begin to imagine what the parents of the 13 year old girl are going through. How do you cope with watching your child die, not just before you but in so much pain. I really do not understand why the media cannot just let the parents spend these last days they have let with their daugther in peace. You get a mum who compares her child constipating to this case, and she says that the parents should force their daughter to continue seeking medical intervention. Are they also going to force her to recover, or force her body to accept the new heart.

Moving on, how can a mother watch her boyfriend abuse her child until he dies. Does the blame lie with the council worker who visited this baby 70 times and didnt notice anything wierd, or the physician who saw this baby and couldnt tell the difference of a cold from eight broken ribs. I can only hope that Baby P did not die in pain, I can only wish that there is a place these babies go to, when the world is so unfair to them.

Okay, prenups...If I was a billionaire would I make my to be spouse sign one. This is really tricky, I've been in relationships that months after they turned sour, I had to bear the financial costs that ensued. So the wise thing would be get protected so you dont get neglected. However, if you love someone, should you really plan for the relationship to fail before you get married? I'll leave this open to you my readers...let me know what you think.

And this sums up my week, don't forget stay positive and stay logged on to this blog weekly. You can RSS to make sure you dont miss out.

America's Election 3

Now on Out...This is truly a speech for the history books.

Obama's Victory Speech

Election Night
Tuesday, November 4th, 2008
Chicago, Illinois


If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, "We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection." And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Watch this space for Obama's next plan and the challenges he faces in the next four years. Already, the Russian President Medvedev has already announced plans to deploy a missile near the polish border.

America's Election 2

So far so good, Obama has just taken Ohio. The democrats are leading in the electoral votes by 178 to 69. We've also won by projections in Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont and the list just keeps growing. Check out CNN.com and BBC.co.uk for detailed updates...We can only hope that the democratic lead holds strong so this doesn't end up in a legal battle.

America's Election

'Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could march,
Martin marched so Barack Obama could run,
Obama ran so the future generation can fly'

As I write this, only a fortune teller could say who the next President would be(that's if you believe in seers). I'm not American but I have taken enough coffee to keep a person awake for a year, is today the day history is made? It's really amazing to think and to actually watch a Black man campaigning for the white house. Martin could only dream but we are actually seeing his dream come true.

I do implore those of you who are on the other side of the Atlantic to go out and vote, in this election one vote would make a very big difference. I remember meeting some Obama campaigners in Florida this summer and the passion in their voice brought my close to tears. Its not just the fact that he is black but he is also very believable and compelling. He's policies are so on point, the McCain team can call it what they want socialism, anti Joe the plumber...but it's high time the working class gets a break.

A part of me just can't be too positive, whatever the polls say, they are just polls. We'll know for sure in five hours time...

Watch this space

Indecent dressing bill...What's next!!!

In a country, where 2/3rds of the population are poor, armed robbery is on the rise, community clashes escalate, and corruption is the word of the day, a senator claims that indecent dressing is the root of all evil.

In Nigeria, Senator Eme Ekaette has proposed a bill on 'Indecent dressing'. She is of the view that ‘If you want to wear something, I believe that there are certain parts of the body that must be covered. You cannot go naked in the name of fashion.’ She goes further to say that her bill ‘will address issues of indecency and immorality’ and that she aims for the ‘preservation of cultural norms and values’. She added: ‘we are seeing a lot of moral decadence in the society today’.

This idea is absolutely brilliant, send the indecent dressers to jail and preserve our cultural values...What has politics become? You'd think that a legislator would be pay attention to economic and development laws. This bill, if passed would be another means for women in Nigeria to be discriminated. This would lead to an increase in unlawful arrest and sexual molestation of women, I mean who decides what indecent dressing is.

Well, what really amazes me here is, I'd expect Senator Ekaette to propose bills to protect our already vulnerable young women or propose bills on corruption, bad leadership and poverty which are the root causes of strife in Nigeria. While militants take over our cities and rural communities, Senator Ekaette is more concerned with indecent dressing rather than how to provide jobs and meaningfully engage our youths.

Something to note here is, Senator Ekaette is from the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, a region that has experienced years of profound injustice from oil exploration and disproportionate allocation of federal funds. Or could it be that people just don't get it, 'indecent dressing' is definitely the cause of the hunger and strife in the Delta region. How could we miss that!!!

There are laws, institutions and agencies and NGo's that tackle morals and value orientation, if they are not enough, we have countless religious institutions. I am sure that I am not the only one seeing the deception and inadequacies of this bill. If people want to make a mark, do something positive and creative, think your idea through before you say it, or even worse, propose it as a bill. Thank goodness we have Women in power who are tackling serious issues, there's Professor Dora Akunyii of NAFDAC, who is absolutely effective to name a few.

This evening, I watched 'Footprints in the Sand', a new music video by 'Leonna Lewis', and I must have shed a tear. There are so many hungry children in Africa, Our continent is riddled with HIV, we need people who would wake up, make money and put their finances to good use. Build free schools, hospitals, orphanages, etc and help the less fortunate in your community.

The solution is simple, VOTE JAMIE FOR PRESIDENT. Nigeria needs a revival, Africans need a revolution, and it is up to us, the young generation to make this change. Even Barrack Obama knows how important change is, I definately cannot be president right now, but I can start initiating change in my own way.

WATCH THIS SPACE...