| I still love Nigeria – Ogunbiyi
The former Enyimba player had to use all his persuasive power to convince his parents that he was making the right move. “Initially, they didn't like the idea of their son playing for another country. They would have wanted me to play for Nigeria, but I told them that might never happen." His parents eventually gave him their blessing, but with a condition attached. “My family name Ogunbiyi is very important to my parents. They insisted that if I was going to play for Benin I should not change my name for any reason. That's why my name remains unchanged. My Ogunbiyi is spelt like we spell it back in Nigeria," he said. Ogunbiyi, who is in Ghana for his adopted country's second Nations Cup appearance, having been at Tunisia 2004, claims he has had no reason to regret his choice of Benin.
The Big Gigs: Shows and highlights of the upcoming entertainment week
Like fellow Boston alt-rock trio Dinosaur Jr., Buffalo Tom has issued its first record since the '90s and sounds as if it never went away. Titled "Three Easy Pieces," the disc recaptures the band's fuzz-pop glory and melancholic mayhem, which were always as impressive onstage as on record. About the only difference now is that frontman Bill Janovitz sounds a little more weathered and weary, though in a charming way. Blame it on his day job as a real estate agent. Climbing back in the van with a rock band will probably pay better this year. Local newcomers Western Fifth and Sounds Under Radio open. (9 p.m. today, First Avenue. 18 and older. $15.) (C.R.) One of the nice things about the Dark Star Orchestra is you always know what to expect, but you can never expect it to be like the last time.
You Can Run, but You Can’t Hide: 925 Criminal Aliens Arrested
Officials with the Homeland Security Department's Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that deportation officers assigned to the Baltimore Office made a record number of arrests in fiscal year 2007. The Baltimore Field Office area of responsibility covers all of Maryland. In the Baltimore Field Office, there were 924 arrests made in FY 2007 – an increase from the 592 arrests made in FY 2006. ICE established its Fugitive Operations Program in 2003 to eliminate the nation's backlog of immigration fugitives and ensure that deportation orders handed down by immigration judges are enforced. The teams prioritize cases involving immigration violators who pose a threat to national security and community safety. These include child sexual exploiters, suspected gang members and those who have convictions for any violent crimes.
Illini fight trying to overcome absence of Pruitt
I swear, this Illini basketball team can wear a person out. I can only imagine what it might be like to be coaching it or playing on it. The latest chapter in this often-puzzling saga started Tuesday night with news that senior center Shaun Pruitt, the team's leading scorer and rebounder, would not play. Pruitt was wearing his warmups but did not participating in shooting drills. And he never got into the game. The reason? We were told it was not academic, not a legal matter and not an injury. Then, after Illinois' 64-58 loss at Ohio State, Bruce Weber had this to say: “As for Shaun Pruitt, it's a team matter, a family matter. It's being handled internally. We hope he has a positive attitude and we get him back involved with us. That's what we're hoping he'll do the rest of the week.
Chinese 'will keep business investment strong'
Access, in its latest Investment Monitor, says the value of definite investment projects reached $203.5 billion at the end of 2007 - a $25.1 billion increase during the December quarter and a huge $58 billion jump in the past year. "The value of projects in planning now stands at $353.3 billion, suggesting there is keen interest in the business community and government to keep exploring investment options," Mr Rumbens said. The report highlights 136 new investment projects with a combined value, for those which have cost estimates, of some $24 billion. "This is a solid performance on both the number and value of projects, and continues to reverse what had been a downward trend in the value of new projects since 2005." The resources sector continues to be the most direct beneficiary of China's industrial demand, with massive investment dollars being aimed at liquefied natural gas (LNG), iron ore and coal projects in particular.
Viewing all entries for: December 2007
Economist Anna Yurko details a model in which higher income inequality leads to competition on quality and price in a way that reduces the variation in product quality (i.e., makes what the richest and poorest buy more alike in quality), and leaves the lowest quality goods at both a lower price point and a higher level of quality than would be the case in a system with lower income inequality. "Thus," she argues, "aggregate consumer welfare is higher in less egalitarian economies." This may help us conceptualise why self-reported life satisfaction has been narrowing in many wealthy countries, even as income inequality has been on the rise. Of course, like all models, Ms Yurkos' contains a number of simplifying assumptions. The important thing to note is that fairly straightforward economic theory can support the counterintuitive idea that increasing income inequality can actually enable declining real consumption inequality.
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