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iPhone Xc: Is Apple Bending To Competition?

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The iPhone Xc just surfaced – a smaller and less expensive replica of iPhone X.  Yes, it’s official from Apple but what’s the implications to Apple’s competitors? Yesterday, information leaked about next year’s  iPhones  coming with Bigger Batteries. So, is Apple beginning to bend to competition?

iPhone Xc specifications

The front TrueDepth camera, the A11 Bionic chipset, the rear vertical dual camera, bezelless design etc follow iPhone X. The back was designed with polycarbonate (plastic) rather than glass on the back panel of the iPhone Xc, not only a rich color, but also a lower cost than the iPhone X of the glass panel is realized. It is more resistant to falling shock than glass body. Wireless charging is also available due to the material used at the back.

 

Why the iPhone Xc?

It seems Apple wants to explore the midrange sector of smartphone users who have been constantly priced out by premium iPhone products. There are surely millions of people who’ll love to own an iPhone if it wasn’t pricy. The competition in the flagship sector of smartphone is highly heated so, the need for iPhone Xc. It won’t come that cheap though but a sign that Apple for once, is beginning to listen to the yearning of their fans. This new direction by Apple may also be the reason they are increasing the battery if the 2018 iPhones. The cry of many iPhone users for years now as a little more battery won’t hurt.

Stay in touch for more information on the price and availability of the iPhone Xc.

Source: Smart Depot

THE STORY BEHIND THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS SONG

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It might seem unbelievable given that the radio has been blasting Christmas tunes since December 1st, but the true Christmas season actually starts on Christmas Day itself. That’s right: December 25 marks the official start of the 12 days of Christmas, the Christian tradition that shares its name with a relentlessly stick-in-your-head Christmas carol.

Here are a few things you may not have known about the song and the season.

What are the 12 days of Christmas?

The 12 days of Christmas is the period that in Christian theology marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi — the three wise men. It begins on December 25 (Christmas) and runs through January 6 (the Epiphany, sometimes also called Three Kings’ Day). Additionally, the four weeks preceding Christmas are collectively known as Advent, which begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on December 24.

Some families choose to mark the 12-day period by observing the feast days of various saints (including St. Stephen on December 26) and planning daily Christmas-related activities, but for many, after December 25 things go back to business as usual.

“The 12 Days of Christmas” is also a Christmas carol in which the singer brags about all the cool gifts they received from their “true love” during the 12 days of Christmas. Each verse builds on the previous one, serving as a really effective way to annoy family members on road trips.

But according to the catholic news agency.com, Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829, when Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England, were prohibited from ANY practice of their faith by law – private OR public. It was a crime to BE a Catholic.

“The Twelve Days of Christmas” was written in England as one of the “catechism songs” to help young Catholics learn the tenets of their faith – a memory aid, when to be caught with anything in writing indicating adherence to the Catholic faith could not only get you imprisoned, it could get you hanged, or shortened by a head – or hanged, drawn and quartered, a rather peculiar and ghastly punishment I’m not aware was ever practiced anywhere else. Hanging, drawing and quartering involved hanging a person by the neck until they had almost, but not quite, suffocated to death; then the party was taken down from the gallows, and disemboweled while still alive; and while the entrails were still lying on the street, where the executioners stomped all over them, the victim was tied to four large farm horses, and literally torn into five parts – one to each limb and the remaining torso.

The songs gifts are hidden meanings to the teachings of the faith. The “true love” mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, it refers to God Himself. The “me” who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ’s sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so…”

“My true love” refers to God Himself, the giver of all good gifts.

  1. The First Day of Christmas – A Partridge in a Pear Tree

The partridge in a pear tree refers to Jesus. A mother partridge, when in the presence of a predator, is willing to risk injury and death to save her chicks. This image points to Christ’s death on the cross to save his people and echoes Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…” (Luke 13:34).

  1. The Second Day of Christmas – Two Turtle Doves

The two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments, which together give the full story of God’s creation, his love for his people, how his people broke their relationship with God, his plan to redeem them, and what is to come as they are reunited to God and how they will worship him forever.

  1. The Third Day of Christmas – Three French Hens

There are two versions of what the three French hens stand for. Some say they are the three Biblical virtues the author Paul espoused in 1 Corinthians 13:13: Faith, Hope, and Love.

Others claim the three French hens represent the three precious gifts the Wise Men brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and inspire us to bring our best to Christ.

  1. The Fourth Day of Christmas – Four Calling Birds

The four calling birds stand for the four gospels that call all people to Christ.

  1. The Fifth Day of Christmas – Five Golden Rings

The five golden rings represent the Torah, which Christians call the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. These books give a rich history of God’s people and point to God’s grace in spite of their unfaithfulness.

  1. The Sixth Day of Christmas – Six Geese A-Laying

The six geese represent the six days of creation.

  1. The Seventh Day of Christmas – Seven Swans A-Swimming

The seven swans tell of the seven gifts the Holy Spirit gives, described in Romans 12:6-8: prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading and compassion.

  1. The Eighth Day of Christmas – Eight Maids A-Milking

The eight maids are the eight Beatitudes Jesus preached in Matthew 5:3-10:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

  1. The Ninth Day of Christmas – Nine Ladies Dancing

The nine ladies are the nine Fruit of the Spirit that distinguishes the character of a follower of Christ: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

“Dancing” is an appropriate description for this day, I think, for when our lives are marked by these characteristics, our spirits can’t help but want to dance!

  1. The Tenth Day of Christmas – Ten Lords A-Leaping

The ten lords are the Ten Commandments God gives his people to show them how to live.

  1. The Eleventh Day of Christmas – Eleven Pipers Piping

The eleven pipers are the eleven apostles who remained faithful to Jesus: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. The number of apostles is eleven, not twelve, because the twelfth, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Jesus.

  1. The Twelfth Day of Christmas – Twelve Drummers Drumming

 

The Apostles’ Creed, one of the most widely accepted creeds across Christendom, includes twelve points of doctrine that outline what Christians believe

FUEL QUEUES ARE BACK! NIGERIANS IN PANIC MODE NATIONWIDE AS FUEL SCARCITY RETURNS

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PIC. 19. VEHICLES QUEUING FOR PETROL AS SCARCITY OF THE COMMODITY PERSISTS IN ABUJA ON MONDAY (2/3/15). 1109/2/3/2015/SAA/BJO/CH/NAN
DIAGNOSTICS OF THE CURRENT FUEL (PMS) SCARCITY IN NIGERIA
Christmas is around the corner. The demand for PMS is usually high during this period because many Nigerians will be traveling for the celebration.
Up until yesterday, the 5th of December 2017, any customer who goes to buy PMS at any filling station would spend less than 10 minutes before leaving with his tank filled with the product.
In less than 24 hours; the situation in some filling stations across the country changed. Queues started building up, some other filling stations were outrightly shut. What is happening? What could have happened overnight? How come the product suddenly became scarce? These are some of the questions motorists are asking.
MAIN CAUSE
1. According to the GMD of NNPC, a rumour about impending increase in oil price has been making the rounds in the country in recent times. This has led to panic buying by motorists, which further led to excessive demand in some parts of the country. This has resulted in theshortage of PMS to meet the excessive demand caused by panic buying. In other words, it has created a huge gap between demand and supply of PMS.
2. Independent marketers are taking advantage of the situation to hoard the little available PMS in their storage tanks with the aim of further increasing the gap between demand and supply of PMS. This, they know, would lead to an astronomical rise in the price of the product, so that they can make abnormal profits. This situation in economics can be found under the The Principle of Demand.
THE LAW OF DEMAND
The law of demand states that “the higher the price, the higher the quantity demanded…” But in this case, the marketers have adopted “the higher the demand, the higher the price. And the higher the price; the higher the profits” principle.
This principle is similar to the strategy adopted by OPEC and some non-OPEC countries in recent times. They signed an Agreement on Output Cut that created an artificial scarcity in the global crude oil market. Their aim was to increase the price of crude oil. It has started yielding positive results because, as at November 29th 2017, Brent Crude oil price has moved up to $63.11 per barrel (nnpcgroup.com, 2017). I’m sure Nigerians are happy about this.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Nigerians should stop panic buying of PMS because according to the GMD of NNPC there is sufficient product to meet the increasing demand (nnpcgroup.com, published on energymixreport.com).
2. NNPC said that there is no plan to increase fuel price. The ex depot price still stands at N133.38 per litre while the pump price still remains N143/N145 per litre. So, stop panic buying.
3. The government should identify the “cabals” heading the associations acting as a cartel in Nigeria’s downstream oil sector and deal (negotiate) with them in a diplomatic way.
Credits:
Emmanuel Afimia
Energy Analyst, Afimia Consulting Services.

The Experience 2017,December 1, Lagos

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The Experience, holds this year, tomorrow, December 1,2017. An event convened and hosted by Pastor Paul Adefarasin, The Experience is an Interdenominational Gospel concert that features some of the best-known musical talents of our time.

The Event, which debuted in December 2006 with over 70,000 persons in attendance rapidly gained momentum at its second outing with a quantum leap in attendance of well over 700,000 people. The Experience has now become known as the largest musical concert in Africa.

TPCN will be on ground at the Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos to bring the entire low down to Gospel enthusiast in the city that won’t be making it to Lagos from Port Harcourt.

This global event is the greatest of its kind happening in Sub Saharan Africa that attracts global viewership , when streaming live and attracts a huge array of tourists to Nigeria.

Pastor of House on the Rock, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, and the initiator of this great event, said the forum would be a platform for Christians regardless of creed, doctrine or ethnicity to offer prayers for Nigeria. He said:

 ‘’The Experience is a focal gathering point for the Christian community and its many constituencies from across Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world. It features the very best of indigenous and international artists leading hundreds of thousands of people in worship and praise to our king and also provides an uncommon opportunity for all Christians regardless of creed, doctrine or ethnicity to offer prayers for our nation.”

 

This year’s edition features a great number of spot light grabbers on the planet earth:

Don Moen, Donnie McClurkin, Travis Greene, Tope Alabi , Chevelle Franklyn, Chioma Jesus, Sonnie Badu, Onos, Micah Stampley, Tim Godfrey, Midnight Crew, Frank Edwards, Eben, BeeJay Sax, Nathaniel Bassey and The Lagos Metropolitan Gospel Choir take centre stage and minister worship and praises to Jesus our king.

What will it cost you to be at this great event? Nothing!  Attendance is completely free for all. And the venue is safe and secured. Health facilities and volunteer Medicaids everywhere in case of emergency. Squeaky clean conveniences and parking is guaranteed.

Facebook makes Good Its Promise To Boost Tech Hub in Nigeria

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Pursuant to Mark Zuckerberg’s visit to Nigeria last August when he promised to invest more in Nigeria, having invested $24 million in a  start up, Andela, a Nigerian start up that recruits talented Africans and shape them into world-class developers through a four-year technical leadership programme earlier this year through the Mark Zuckerberg and Dr. Priscilla Chan’s fund.

Facebook has officially announced Nigeria Initiatives to further drive innovation, skills development and economic impact across Nigeria. The company plans to achieve this through various partnerships, training programmes and an innovation hub — NG_HUB — that will serve as a centre for learning and skill development. TPCN was at the event.

According to Facebook, the initiatives aim to help develop and nurture communities in Nigeria, including small businesses, the tech and startup ecosystem, youths and creatives.

This further reinforces not only Facebook’s support for Andela’s mission, but the belief that indeed the next generation of great technology leaders will come out of Nigeria. Ebele Okobi, Facebook’s Head of Public Policy, Africa echoed these sentiments as she spoke about the Hub.

Training Program:

Facebook plans to train and support at least 50,000 students, SMEs and entrepreneurs across Nigeria through a series of digital skills trainings. These trainings, which will be facilitated by local training partners, are designed to provide skills that lead to employment and to support the growth of small businesses.

Introducing NG_HUB

Facebook is partnering with CCHub to launch NG_HUB in Lagos which will bring together the Nigerian tech community including developers and startups to enable them collaborate, learn and exchange ideas.

Beyond  Lagos, the company will be supporting a number of existing tech hubs to serve the communities; Roar Nigeria,Enugu, Ventures Platform in Abuja, Co Lab in Kaduna and nHub  based in Jos ,Plateau State.  The hubs will function as learning centres for local communities, providing multiple opportunities for training and access.

Speaking on the NG_HUB, Emeka Afigbo, Facebook’s Head of Platform Partnerships, and Middle East & Africa said:

 “Nigeria is producing a new generation of exciting start-ups that have incredible potential. We understand the important role Facebook plays here in Nigeria with developers and start-ups and are invested in helping these communities build for the next billion. One of our key passions at Facebook is nurturing and helping to develop the tech and start-up community, and I’m excited to announce our partnership with the Nigerian tech hub ecosystem especially the NG_HUB space, here in Lagos.”

 Facebook hopes to attract the best talent and drive innovation in the Nigerian tech ecosystem through its provisioning of this Hub. One of Zuckerberg’s stop point during his visit was Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) located in Yaba, the heart of Nigeria’s technology innovation ecosystem. This and many more will benefit from this HUB in 2018.

Like the story? Follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook and check out our instagram page.

 

Story By Travis Kwent.

 

Eid-El-Maulud: Federal Govt declares Friday, Monday public holidays

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The federal government has declared Friday as public holiday in commemoration of the Muslim Eid-El-Maulud celebration.

The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, made the declaration on behalf of the federal government, according to a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja.

The statement was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Abubakar Magaji.

It said Mr. Dambazau urged all Muslim faithful and Nigerians in general to use the occasion to pray for peace, progress and unity of the nation.

He further urged all Nigerians to support the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in its efforts at building a virile nation, and wished Nigerians a happy Eid-El-Maulud celebration.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Eid-El-Maulud is celebrated every year by Muslims on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi-ul-Awwal as the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Wike says he can’t ‘see, hear or speak’

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The Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday , while inaugurating some projects at the Rivers State University in Port Harcourt, the state capital disclosed that he ‘can’t hear, see or talk’.

This phrase was used to chide lectures about the grave consequences associated with the practice of collecting monies from students to award grades to them. stressing that he would be unable to react to their plea for pardon if they are caught because in such situations he usually finds it difficult to see, hear or speak.

He charged the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Blessing Didia, to ensure that lectures desist from extorting monies from students in the guise to gift marks to them after examination as his administration will mot hesitate to prosecute such lecturers caught in the act.

“I don’t want to hear reports about ‘sorting’ in this university, let it end today. Vice Chancellor, if you don’t end it, I will end it for you”, he warned.

The governor also cautioned the students against involvement in cultism, saying that the state government would not hesitate to punish anyone found culpable.

On his part, Pro-chancellor of the Rivers State University, Justice Iche Ndu, commended Wike for completing the two faculty buildings at the institution.

According to him, what the governor has invested in the university is an eloquent testimony that he is committed to educational development.

Wike, who inaugurated ultra-modern buildings for the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Faculty of Management Sciences at the university, said he would never play politics with education.

He added that his administration would continue to sustain the development of critical infrastructure in state-owned tertiary institutions to improve the quality of education in the state.

Wike revealed that Rivers funds would be used strictly to develop the state and that he would not be deceived by the antics of political jobbers.

His words: “Facilities are vital to the growth of education, previous administrations never thought it wise to develop facilities in our institutions. Every Faculty should have a dedicated building for learning and teaching.

“We can’t talk about quality education without classrooms and offices; that is why we are working round the clock to build necessary facilities at the Rivers State University”.

Governor Wike also hinted those at the gathering that the new College of Medical Sciences building flagged off by his administration would be completed and commissioned in February 2018.

He said he had promised to release N1billion to further develop infrastructure in the university and had released N750million, adding that he would immediately release the balance of N250million having seen the commitment of the school administration.

INEC creates additional 370 CVR centres

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it has approved the creation of additional 370 Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) centres across the country.

The commission, in a statement issued on its online newspapers on Wednesday in Abuja, said that each states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was allocated 10 new centres each.

“When added to the existing 302 centres created in the first quarter of the CVR exercise, the total number will increase to 672 nationwide.”

It noted that decision was informed by INEC’s desire to provide citizens with wider access to registration centres to enable them register in the on-going CVR exercise ahead of the 2019 general election.

The CVR exercise commenced on April 27.

In another development, the statement disclosed that the Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators (ICMC) inducted five directing staff of the Commission.

It stated that the induction took place during the institute’s annual conference held on Monday in Abuja.

It quoted INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu at the occasion, as commending the Institute for its partnership with INEC in deploying the Electoral Alternative Dispute Resolution (EADR) tool, aimed at resolving electoral disputes peacefully.

Yakubu, represented by INEC National Commissioner, Dr Adekunle Ogunmola, said that the introduction of the EADR through several interventions such as trainings, mediation exercises and sensitization of electoral/political stakeholders had greatly helped in reducing cases of litigations in the electoral process.

He expressed optimism that with greater partnership with the ICMC, more awareness on the use of the ADR tool in resolving electoral disputes would be created.

It noted that Yakubu was also conferred with the Institute’s honorary fellowship in recognition of his support for the ADR mechanism.

According to the statement Commission had in the past, deployed the EADR tool through its ADR Directorate in resolving electoral disputes in different states including Kano and Imo.

(NAN)

Bitcoin price surges beyond $10,000

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Virtual currency Bitcoin continued its stratospheric rise on Wednesday, breaking through the $10,000 barrier for the first, a record of over 900 per cent gain in 2017.

The meteoric rise has sparked fears of an imminent bubble.

The virtual currency hit a high of $10,379 in Asia, according to Bloomberg News, more than 10 times higher than its value at the start of the year.

The breakthrough is the latest in a spectacular run for the online money dubbed “digital gold” by its advocates, which began life in 2009 as a bit of encrypted software supposedly written by an unknown coder with a Japanese-sounding name.

Bitcoin, which was valued at just a few US cents when it was launched, has no legal exchange rate, no central bank backing it and is traded on specialist platforms.

But it quickly gained popularity as an alternative to traditional investments, while it has been used to pay for items from a pint in a London pub to a manicure.

The virtual currency has attracted as much anger as praise, however, with the boss of JP Morgan Chase labelling it a fraud and governments, while China and South Korea have expressed concerns.

It got a major boost last month when exchange giant CME Group announced it would launch a futures marketplace for Bitcoin, which has not been listed on a major bourse before.

The announcement sparked a surge in its value — it has risen 45 percent in the past two weeks alone.

But the spectacular rate of growth, which has seen it increase in value from a 2017 low of $752 in mid-January, has also triggered concerns, and critics note the currency has suffered wild swings in the past.

“This is a bubble and there is a lot of froth. This is going to be the biggest bubble of our lifetimes,” warned hedge fund manager Mike Novogratz at a cryptocurrency conference Tuesday in New York, according to Bloomberg News.

Other commentators were more positive about Bitcoin, saying its surging popularity will attract cash from traditional investors, such as hedge funds and asset managers.

“I think the momentum is still very much to the upside,” Kay Van-Petersen, macro and crypto strategist with Saxo Bank in Singapore, told AFP.

He said it could still suffer pullbacks, but predicted it would be worth $50,000 to $100,000 in the next six to 18 months.

Transactions happen when heavily encrypted codes are passed across a computer network.

Bitcoin and other virtual currencies use block-chain, which records transactions that are updated in real time on an online ledger and which are maintained by a network of computers.

Hundreds of other digital currencies have been created since its launch, but Bitcoin remains by far the most popular.

 

Police rescue Kidnapped victims at Ondo

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The Ondo State Police Command has rescued three victims that were last week  kidnapped along Ore-Lagos Expressway after five days in the captivity.
The State  Police Commissioner,Olugbenga Adeyanju told reporters that a 18 year old , Timilehin Komolafe was abducted after his father was shot dead by the gunmen on their way to Lagos.
The Commissioners also said the duo of Michael Popoola and Henry Usifo who were traveling from Rivers State to Lagos were also rescued on the Ore-Lagos Expressway.
 The victims were, he said were, rescued without any ransom. after men of the Nigerian Police and local hunters combed the bush around Ore, where they intercepted the kidnappers, engaging in a gun battle with them, and injured one of them who escaped in the process.
 Although no arrest was made, the police boss said that his men were still around in the vicinity to make sure they arrest the kidnappers
 The rescued victims are also giving the police useful information that will aid their arrest
 The police commissioner appreciated governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for donating five motorcycles to local hunters in the state to help in moving around communities to gather information and protect citizens of the state.
 He said the motorcycles would be distributed across the three commands in the state.
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