Yvonne Nelson pics

Dear Gistplaza.com Reader,

In the effort to serve you well, dear Gistplaza.com readers, we thought of making some improvements especially with the ease of assessing our pages and its navigation; and the outcome has been the conclusion to move to a self hosted website.

The website still remain GISTPLAZA.COM; therefore logging on to gistplaza.blogspot.com will not direct you to our CURRENT PAGE but the previous one. In a nut shell, we have moved!

It's a great honour bounding with you dear readers; you have been so wonderful and we believe we both stand a better chance to enjoy one another much more.

Thank you and God bless! 

VoIP Buying Guide For Small Business

The cord-cutting movement isn't limited to consumer cable and Netflix. As Voice over Internet Protocol communication matures and as high-speed Internet becomes cheap and ubiquitous, an increasing number of businesses are ditching conventional landlines and jumping to VoIP.

VoIP sounds almost magical: The hype makes it sound more flexible, more full-featured, and best of all, significantly cheaper than placing your calls through traditional telephone service providers.

Stunning Omotola bags prestigious Ebony Vanguard Award (Photos)

Omotola Jalade Ekehinde was awarded with the prestigious Ebony Vanguard Award at the 7th Birmingham International Film Festival's MVISA Award hosted by Actor, Chukky Venn and Actress, Lorna Laidlaw.

It took place in the UK. Congrats to her 

"Ice Prince is a very loyal guy & I love him dearly"-Yvonne Nelson

In a recent interview with Village Square, Yvonne Nelson once again addressed Iyanya & Ice Prince..you can't blame her for talking because thats all journalists ask her about.

On Ice Prince
I've known Ice Prince since 2008, he is a very loyal guy and I love him dearly. I even introduced him in my movie so it should tell you alot.

Incredible pictures-Lioness forms bond with 2 men who saved her :exchange hugs

Aww as much as I fear Lions , this is an incredibly beautiful story of a lioness who has formed a bond with 2 men who saved her .
According to Dailymail
As a cub, Sirga was driven out of her pride and rescued by Valentin Gruener and Mikkel Legarth who could not stand by and watch her die.Now the 110lb lioness has developed an incredible bond with the pair who are fighting to save her species in Botswana, southern Africa.Sirga treats the two conservationists just like

HOT NEW VIDEO: Tiwa Savage ft Don Jazzy - Eminado

Check out the new video for the very popular music by Don Jazzy and Tiwa Savage titled Eminado (meaning "Good Luck Charm").

The video has got it all, nice visual concept to go with the song, hilarious storyline and of course Tiwa Savage's sexy dance moves to cap it all off. Enjoy.

Celine Dion Tries to Defend Miley Cyrus, Ends Up With a Viral Hit

God bless Celine Dion and that French Canadian accent of hers.

During an interview with Fuse, Dion tried to shed some light on why Miley Cyrusoutgrew Hannah Montana, the Disney character she played for six years.

Dion tried so hard to drive a point home. Instead, her broken English got the best of her, and interweb magic happened.

I Don't Belong to Illuminati or Any Secret Society -- Olamide

Twenty-two-year-old fuji/pop rapper, Olamide Adedeji, popularly known as Olamide has no doubt taken over the mantle of leadership as far as rap music is concerned in Nigeria.

Born on March 15, 1989, Olamide never hesitates to promote his roots, Bariga, Lagos, in his music. In 2010 he hit the limelight when he dropped the lead single from his debut album, Eni Duro, which transformed him into an emerging voice on the Nigerian music scene.

Strike: ASUU members to decide on FG’S fresh offer; "Offer is full of expectations and hope", FG Replies.

After thirteen hours of negotiations, the President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Dr. Nasir Isa Fagge on tuesday morning was not forthcoming with the new Federal Government’s offer as he insisted that his members have the final say on the issue.

Speaking with State House correspondents, he said that the meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan discussed how to tackle the problem of University education system in the country.

Dirty Fight: Waconzy Insults Olamide, Davido, Tonto Dikeh, etc

The platform for controversy between celebrities, it seems, is now on Rubbin Minds, where Waconzy threw a lot of caution to the wind on Sunday and insulted his colleagues, both those who are his seniors in the game

Jim Iyke Says Marriage Rumour is Unfounded; Nadia Deleted All His Pictures From Her Page

Anything going on between these two? Are they off again? Not only is Jim Iyke vehemently denying recent rumours that the two of them are planning to get married, but I also noticed that Nadia has deleted all his photos from her instagram page.

Eddie Murphy is Singing Again

Close your eyes, and pretend that Eddie Murphy is serenading you. What do you mean it's not working?

Murphy released the single, "Promise You Won't Break My Heart" from his new album, 9, out next spring. "Promise," however, is available on iTunes December 3rd.

Top Ten Economies of the World

Key factors determine a country’s economic ranking including the business environment, infrastructure, tax rates, and the general ease of operations within that country.

The world’s top ten economies can be determined by examining factors such as growth prospects, business environments, infrastructure, educational levels of the citizens, and governmental policies and institutions.

Perhaps the most authoritative ranking is the Global Competitiveness Report. It is produced in conjunction with the World Economic Forum, and captures both the perceptions of thousands of business leaders and statistical analysis by academics at universities and think tanks worldwide.Indeed, it includes the WEF’s Global Competitiveness Index, developed by Professor Martin at Columbia University, and the Business Competitiveness Index, developed by Professor Porter at the Harvard Business School.

According to the Global Competitiveness Index 2007 - 2008, the top ten economies of the world are:

• United States
• Switzerland
• Denmark
• Sweden
• Germany
• Finland
• Singapore
• Japan
• United Kingdom
• Netherlands

It is interesting to note that seven out of the top ten economies are from Europe. These include a number of small but well-run economies, such as Switzerland, Denmark and Finland. Singapore has a similar profile and is often dubbed the ‘Switzerland of Asia’.

Some of the largest economies in the world, however, such as China, France, Italy, Spain and Canada do not make the top ten list by competitiveness.

The Chinese economy still has many elements of state control and lacks some crucial legislative frameworks such as IP protection. France continues to be victimized by powerful unions while Italy has been called the ‘Sick Man of Europe’ after growth stalled in 1999. Spain is suffering from some fundamental economic problems such as its vast trade deficit, lower competitiveness and higher inflation.

Canada has made economic improvement one of its top priorities. It has benefited from global growth and the NAFTA free trade agreement, but maintained high levels of taxation and regulation, and hence has not made the list.

One of the major characteristics of the world’s top economies is the presence of organizations with sustained financial success. The quality of management at various levels has been high in all these countries, as has the level of education. There has also been a lot of innovation in the field of technology. All these factors have contributed substantially to the standings of the countries that are in the list of the top ten economies of the world. This is particularly true in the case of countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Singapore.

Culled from EconomyWatch

Nollywood Marketers ban Mercy Johnson for being too expensive

Nollywood marketers have banned actress Mercy Johnson Okojie for being too expensive. Doesn’t make sense does it? If someone’s fees is too high, the sensible thing to do would be to boycott them and use less expensive actresses. Leave her to those who can afford her na, abi?

Mercy Johnson is currently the highest paid actress in Nollywood. She charges between N1.8million to N2m

Funke Akindele And The Bastardisation Of The English Language

The entertainment industry is dulling our intelligence.

The Nigerian entertainment industry, as well as the Nigerian government and society, is greatly contributing to the falling standard of education in Nigeria.

Children, just like adults, over the years, believe in the printed and electronic media and they copy, or hold so dear, whatever they see or hear on TV and read in newspapers.

Rita Dominic and Lynn Whitfield Named Goodwill Ambassadors for Africa International Film Festival

The Executive Director and Founder of The Africa International Film Festival, Chioma Ude, has announced the appointment of Rita Dominic and Lynn Whitfield as AFRIFF Goodwill Ambassadors. The announcement was made today during a media parley at the AFRIFF offices in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Remarking on the choice of the two star actresses, Chioma said, “Rita Dominic is a consummate actress and indeed an African screen Icon, having won several awards and nominations throughout her career, most

Kenya’s Oil: The New Success Story In Africa?

Barely one year has passed since oil was first struck in Kenya. But with over $100 million in deals pouring into the country from major oil companies, Kenya could be pumping its first commercial oil as early as next year – an astonishing achievement helped by a hundred percent success rate for drilling in various parts of the country so far.

Kenya will start pumping its first commercial oil next year and begin exporting in 2016, but this is just the

Rihanna Ranks No.1 in Touring Revenue

While Kanye West is canceling shows because of poor ticket sales, Rihanna is selling out concerts. Her Diamonds World Tour has been ranked No.1 in touring revenue...

Rihanna ranks at No. 1 on Hot Tours with sales reported from her Diamonds world tour. The Diamonds tour, in support of Rihanna's 2012 album Unapologetic, kicked off on March 8 in Buffalo, N.Y. and played U.S. and Canadian arenas through May 7, closing with a packed house at Barclays Center in Brooklyn,

Davido Speaks On How He Plans To Quit Music At 30; How His Billionaire Dad Still Scolds Him

He granted an interview with punch where he said this and more. Wizkid is not a threat to him, Skelewu is already big and some people are just starting out at 30 but he is already a success and threat at 20.

“Wizkid is not a rival. I see nobody as competition or threat. God is behind me, so I just go into the studio, do my music and everything is fine. I develop and write most of my songs in the studio. I’m not afraid of competition or the fact that some person will just appear on the scene and take the shine. After all, I did it to some people, so I expect that it is something that must happen to everyone because you can’t be shining

A SERMON ON SUNDAY'S ECLIPSE

A MOST intriguing celestial event will occur on the 3rd, which happens to be this Sunday. So I guess you can say I’m “ministering” today.

Anyway, rest assured there’s going to be “miracles” and “wonders” in the sky! The Sun and the new Moon always put on a good show: And Sunday’s hybrid annular-total solar obscuration should definitely keep the covenant—provided you can see it.

How I Blasted Obasanjo Inside His Office ––Atiku Talks Tough

Former Vice-President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has revealed that he “blasted” his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, over his bid to run for a second term. Atiku made the disclosure during an interview with a newspaper published in Hausa.

“At first we started arguing, and then he (Obasanjo) opened his drawer and brought out a copy of the Quran

Obamacare losers could pack political punch

People are already finding out their old plans don’t measure up to the ACA’s standards. Meet the new Soccer Mom: Obamacare losers.

Millions of married, older, white, college-educated, GOP-leaning Americans have quickly seen their political profile rise after their health insurance companies sent them cancellation letters with the launch of the giant new health care law. It’s not a huge segment of the population — estimates show between 10 million to 19 million people bought

Cancer Fighting Foods – GARLIC

Garlic is a very powerful ANTI-CANCER spice. Studies all over the world have shown it to lower the risk of developing all types of cancers especially COLON, STOMACH. and INTESTINAL cancer. It has strong antibacterial properties as well as the ability to block formation and halt activation of cancer-causing substances.

N255m SCANDAL: This Is My Story ––By Stella Oduah

The embattled Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah appeared before the House of Reps Committee investigating all the issues relating to the N255m cars scandal. Below is her defence:

1.1 Let me first and foremost apologise for my inability to honour your invitation to appear before you on the last day the public hearing held. My non appearance was not borne out of disrespect to this
Honourable House. Let me also thank the Honourable Committee for rescheduling my appearance to today.

In What World Is This Considered a Police Uniform? Nicki Minaj's boobs make an appearance for Halloween.

Most people dress up for Halloween. In Nicki Minaj's case, she strips down. Once again going topless, the "Starships" rapper showed off her massive collection of nipples pasties this Thursday as she chose to be some S&M, boob-baring cop presumably from a fictional world where justice is served by the amount of cleavage one shows.

Toke Makinwa Engaged to Her Long Time Boyfriend, Maje Ayida

This is what a lot of people who love Toke Makinwa have been wishing for her and at last we are pleased to report to you guys that Toke is already on the way to become Mrs Maje. She has kept it under the raps for sometime now but finally dropped the good news in the studio:

"We've been together on/off for about eight years. We got engaged this year. And we were supposed to get married this year as well but I think it's the scheduling. Our schedules have gotten so busy... that's what

Photos from Iyanya's star studded 27th birthday party

Don Jazzy, Dr Sid, Jude Okoye, Timaya, May D, Naeto C, Kay Switch, Teebillz, Freeze of Cool FM and many other stars attended the 27th birthday party of Iyanya which held last night at 31 in Lekki Phase 1. Oh, and if you look intently, you will see HER in the pics... Continue to see more photos...

Governor Okorocha appoints singer Adokiye Youth Ambassador in Imo

This governor and female entertainers. Months after appointing actress and model Shirley Igwe as his Principal Protocol, he has appointed another female entertainment. Singer and architect Adokiye Kyrian was recently made a youth ambassador in Imo State. She is also the project co-ordinator of ‘The Youth Decides”. Adokiye and her team flew government private jet during their visit to the Imo state government. See more photos below:

PHOTOS: See What Iyanya's Manager, Girlfriend Present to Him

The Kukere master Iyanya, who turned 27 today [October 31, 2013], received wonderful gifts, besides the cake, from his close people: the manager and the girlfriend.

'Your waist' crooner got a N4 million ($25,000) Rolex watches from his manager and partner, Ubi Franklin as a birthday present.

Jim Iyke Openly Deny The Girl's Pregnancy; Who is lying Here?

Seriously this is no joke, except Jim himself knows something about this and just messing with us. Okay so there's this girl that they claim has been saying, she's pregnant for Jim and Jim has turned deaf ears to her. They claim she's a Lagos billionaire's daughter, and even claims Jim duped her of N2m. So after making some buzz on few blogs for two days, they said she came back to say some people asked her to frame Jim Iyke up! Sounds absurd? 

National dialogue: Why Jonathan cannot be trusted

Many have written about the pros and cons of the national dialogue. The difference between the writers, however, does not lie in whether they think the national dialogue should go ahead or it should not, the difference has been in the intention of each writer. Some have taken an opposing stance on the issue simply because of the name of the man who proposed it, i.e. Goodluck Jonathan, while some are defending the national dialogue idea with all they’ve got because the proposal comes from the source where their bread is buttered. Whether or not the national dialogue goes ahead would not have any telling effect on the majority

Why I Convert to a Muslim -- Actress Liz Anjorin

Popular actress Liz Anjorin surprised many recently when photos of her on Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca surfaced online. She later announced that she was changing her religion from Christianity to Islam. She also dropped the name Elizabeth and announced that she would like to be addressed as Aisha, in light with her new religion. Liz has finally opened up about why she made the decision..

Iyanya spends birthday at Ikoyi prisons; performs with inmates

Afro-pop superstar Iyanya celebrated his birthday today with a visit to Ikoyi Prisons. The singer who just turned 27 was welcomed warmly by the DCP Bamidele and the community; he proceeded into the correctional facility where he spoke with the inmates.

Highlights of the visit included his performance with the talented intimates; Iyanya also pledged to build a

Check Out Iyanya's Birthday Cake; Hmm, The Sexiest Ever!

That's one super hot cake! Iyanya got this 'explicit' birthday cake from his manager Ubi Franklin and the entire Made Men Music Group team. This is officially the sexiest cake I've ever seen. Wonder which girl Ubi had in mind to have presented such gift to his friend. The message is clear: Iyanya is a woman's man since all he always want is their waists. See another posture below:

VoIP buying guide for small business (PART III)

VoIP Service Comparisons

Let's take a brief look at three of the dozens of VoIP services available, starting with a relatively straightforward offering and ramping up the complexity (and flexibility) from there.

A Basic Service

RingCentral's overview page gives account administrators a wide view of what's happening in their network.

RingCentral Office, RingCentral's flagship business product, provides a good example of a basic VoIP service tailored to the needs of a small business. The company's reputation for reliability is top-notch, but the most notable aspect of RingCentral Office is just how simple it is to get up and running; the service plans are straightforward and require almost no new hardware.

Hardware: RingCentral handles all routing and VoIP-to-PSTN conversions in the cloud, so all you need are SIP-enabled phones. Any SIP-enabled phone or any analog phone with an adapter will work with RingCentral, but the IP phones the company sells directly are plug-and-play, while third-party phones require configuring to use the RingCentral software. RingCentral sells the Cisco-Linksys SPA-2102 analog telephone adapter for $69; phones start at $99 and go all the way up to $600 for a high-end conference phone.

Price per user: The service costs $40 per month for a single user, $30 per month per user for 2 to 20 users, $22 per month per user for 20 to 99 users, and $20 per month per user for 100 or more users. Note that “users” means each individual SIP endpoint, not employees. For example, if you have an office phone, a mobile phone, a dedicated fax machine, and a "softphone" (software client) installed on your PC, that counts as four separate users.

Standard features: All features come standard for every user, with no à la carte options available except for the option to buy additional fax lines for $5 per month each. Special "vanity" local or toll-free numbers are available, but you need to pay a $30 one-time fee and $5 per month for each separate vanity line.
Unlimited calling to the United States and Canada, Internet fax lines, and extensions
1000 toll-free minutes per month for your company
Three-way calling; ten-way calling via Call Controller softphone
Caller ID
Voicemail, with a "Visual Voicemail" graphical user interface for checking messages on phones and computers
Virtual receptionist with dial-by-name, music-on-hold, and departmental support; optional custom prerecorded greetings start at $50
Advanced call forwarding, screening, and recording rules; transfer calls between phones in real time
Microsoft Office and Box integration
Mobile apps for Android, BlackBerry, and iOS smartphones
A Midrange Service

Vocalocity is a good example of a VoIP service designed for the needs of larger small businesses. Services at this level are more expensive than the types of plans that RingCentral has to offer, but Vocalocity's plans include additional features such as 911 emergency-response support, as well as even more powerful options.

Vocalocity will help you plan your phone system before you buy, so you'll know exactly what you'll need to run the company's hosted VoIP service.Hardware: Other than SIP-enabled phones, no hardware is required. The company strongly suggests using the plug-and-play certified IP phones that it sells directly, which start at $75 each, but you'll find unofficial support for a number of otherSIP-enabled phones, too.

Price per user: Vocalocity offers a trio of plans, which you can mix and match for your various extensions. An unlimited extension costs $40 per month for unlimited U.S and Canadian calling. A metered extension costs $15 per month plus $0.03 per minute, and is intended for infrequently used lines. Finally, a $15 virtual extension with unlimited minutes is available for people who need VoIP only on their mobile phones, versus a landline or softphone.

Standard features:
Unlimited U.S. and Canadian calling
411/911 calling
Voicemail, available via Web interface or sent to email as an MP3 file
Caller ID
Three-way calling
Virtual receptionist for each extension, with support for music on hold and dial by name
Free mobile apps and a desktop client with plug-in-based integration for several services and programs, including Outlook, Microsoft Dynamics, SugarCRM, and LinkedIn
Advanced call forwarding, screening, logging, transferring, and parking options

The optional add-on features are too numerous to outline here, but you can find the entire list on Vocalocity's site. Highlights include the ability to add a paperless fax line ($15 per month), call bridging for 30-person conference calls ($15 per month plus $0.03 per minute), voicemail transcription, call recording, and call group and queue support.
A Complex Product

The Snom One Mini is a small, power-sipping IP-PBX server suitable for small offices and home offices.

If you want the highest level of control and security for your business’s telecommunications, consider a self-hosted VoIP product using an IP-PBX. Here's a look at one example, the Snom One Mini.

Hardware: The newly released Snom One Mini ($599) is a small-office/home-office IP-PBX server that draws just 60 kWh of power per year. If you want a completely in-house VoIP setup, you'll need to buy a PSTN gateway to connect VoIP calls to the public telephone network; such devices cost about $250 and up, and require an active landline. The Snom One Mini, however, was designed around the idea of using an external VoIP provider that provides "SIP trunking" services to handle the analog-to-digital signal conversion. Using one of those services would allow you to skip the PSTN gateway.

Finally, you'll need SIP phones. As with the other services discussed here, the phones that Snom sells directly—priced at $70 to $100 each—work best with this system due to their plug-and-play support. Other SIP phones or analog phones with adapters will also work, but they’ll require manual configuration with Snom's server software.

Price: Hardware pricing aside, the cost of this kind of VoIP service will vary according to the provider you choose. Skype Connect, for example, costs $7 per channel per month, plus 0.8 cent per minute on outgoing calls. The number of channels you purchase determines how many simultaneous calls the service will support. 8x8 is another popular business-oriented VoIP service provider, but you’ll need to request a quote from the company to get pricing information.

Features: The Snom One Mini supports Power over Ethernet, so you don’t need an AC outlet to set it up. It supports SIP-enabled devices, and it has no moving parts. In addition, you can configure the Linux-based IP-PBX to include VPN, DHCP, VLAN, and other services.

As for software, the Snom One Mini IP-PBX includes:
Support for up to 20 extensions making ten calls simultaneously
Mobile phone support with advanced functionality, including simultaneous ringing with your office phone, automatic transfers to mobile when you don't answer your office phone, and calling schedules that route calls to your mobile phone at specific times
Voicemail, optionally sent to email as an audio attachement
Caller ID
Customizable call routing and screening
Customizable trunking and dial plans
Multiple virtual receptionists
Music on hold, dial by name, and customizable time-based greetings
Email notifications for specific events
Personal greetings for each extension
Outlook integration
Conference calling with administrative controls, PIN codes, email notification for scheduled conference calls, multiple conference "rooms," and ad-hoc three-way calling
Fax machine support via ATA connections

Most small businesses will lean toward hosted VoIP services, but self-hosted VoIP arrangements offer more flexibility, security, and—if you're going the PSTN gateway route—a monthly cost of next to nothing in exchange for larger up-front costs (and a few more configuration headaches). Snom offers a one-year warranty that includes free setup support by phone or email, too.
Your Turn

As you can see, businesses have a wide array of options when it comes to switching from PSTN communications over to VoIP. Have you made the leap? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments, and help your fellow readers decide whether VoIP is right for them.

VoIP buying guide for small business (PART II)

VoIP Positives
What makes VoIP so attractive for businesses?

Vonage doesn't pull any punches: Big, bright banners trumpet its low cost and unlimited nationwide calling.

The low cost of VoIP is its biggest attraction. Business VoIP services are significantly less expensive than traditional phone services. You have much less hardware to buy or lease; in fact, many hosted services require no new hardware investment at all. If you do need hardware, it’s typically based on standardized technologies such as SIP, as opposed to proprietary products that tie you to a particular service provider. Monthly subscription fees are lower, as well. Verizon Small Business plans with unlimited nationwide calling, for example, start at just $63.50 per line, while Vocalocity offers the same unlimited calling with even more features for $40 per line. VoIP services also tend to be contract-free.

VoIP is cheaper than a traditional landline if you have staff in far-flung locations. Since in-network calls travel exclusively over data networks and don't need to hit the public phone lines, most VoIP providers let you make calls to your coworkers for free, even if you're in New York and they're in San Francisco. Don't worry, do-it-yourselfers: IP-PBX servers can handle remote employees as well.

Many hosted VoIP providers offer mobile apps that let you make and receive calls from the road using your data connection. Usually you can adjust the apps to ring simultaneously with your office phone or to act as a stand-alone extension.

Most business VoIP systems let you program how the network routes calls. Some even let you set up automatic macros based on characteristics such as the caller's location or the time of day.

Scalability is another boon. Rather than having to invest in costly new hardware, adding new extensions to a VoIP network is typically as easy as connecting your SIP-enabled phone to the network and tinkering with some software settings—and if you use a phone that's certified for use with your provider or software, it could be as simple as plug and play.

Most VoIP providers and IP-PBX software packages deliver a much more robust feature set than traditional phone providers do. All the basics you'd expect are present—including conference calling, voicemail, Internet faxing, and caller ID—but VoIP services also often supply virtual receptionists and greeting functionality, customizable advanced call screening and forwarding rules, integration with office software, and the ability to forward voicemail to your email or your mobile phone. Many providers offer these advanced features as part of a subscription; even when you must pay extra, the cost is usually less than you would pay a traditional phone provider for the same services.

If you need only a single line and want cheap calling, but don’t require all the bells and whistles associated with a business line, you might be able to get by with a residential VoIP plan, which you can find for as little as $5 per month for unlimited nationwide calling. Be aware, however, that the terms of use for consumer-focused plans typically forbid using the line for commercial activities. Most providers also have stringent fair-use policies, so you might run into trouble if your residential line rings off the hook day in and day out.
VoIP Negatives

VoIP’s most significant drawback is that if your Internet service or your power goes out, so does your VoIP service. Hosted services skirt around this issue by bumping incoming calls to voicemail automatically, or by rerouting calls to your mobile phone, in the event of a service disruption; but that doesn't change the fact that you won't be able to make or receive calls from your office phones in such a situation.

Another disadvantage involves emergency calling: Many VoIP providers don't offer 911 service, and the ones that do tend to charge extra for it or impose high base-subscription fees. This problem and the risk of a service disruption are the two main reasons why most providers suggest retaining a basic, traditional phone line to augment your VoIP service.

Most VoIP services offer unlimited calling in the United States and Canada, but connecting to mobile phones or special lines (such as free conference-call services) might incur an extra charge. Reaching foreign locales can be iffy at times, especially if you're calling a less-prominent country. On the plus side, the per-minute rates tend to be very competitive. If you make international calls on a frequent basis, you should read the fine print before subscribing to any service.

Finally, although VoIP voice quality typically rivals that of a landline or a good mobile phone connection, your network quality can seriously affect call quality. If you have a slow, spotty, or crowded network, audio quality can suffer greatly—or even drop out in a worst-case scenario.

Next Page: VoIP Service Comparisons

VoIP Buying Guide For Small Business

The cord-cutting movement isn't limited to consumer cable and Netflix. As Voice over Internet Protocol communication matures and as high-speed Internet becomes cheap and ubiquitous, an increasing number of businesses are ditching conventional landlines and jumping to VoIP.

VoIP sounds almost magical: The hype makes it sound more flexible, more full-featured, and best of all, significantly cheaper than placing your calls through traditional telephone service providers.

But is VoIP really all it's cracked up to be? Are the potential pitfalls worth the potential monetary payoffs? I'll walk you through the basics, discuss the pros and cons, and take a look at three commercial VoIP services of varying complexity.

How Does VoIP Work?

Generally, things are pretty simple if you're looking for a hosted service. Many of the top VoIP providers handle all the heavy lifting offsite, delivering calls to your phones and software clients without much hassle, especially if you use phones that are plug-and-play certified for the service in question. The majority require no additional on-site hardware aside from those phones; at most, you might need to find a space for a small box of hardware somewhere on-site.

In contrast, maintaining a self-hosted, on-site VoIP system requires a bit more work. You need an IP-based private branch exchange—a VoIP-friendly version of the PBX phone systems that many offices use—to route your calls to the appropriate phones on your network, as well as a device called a PSTN gateway. The PSTN gateway sits between the IP-PBX software and the analog signals of the public switched telephone network, converting calls to and from digital signals as necessary.

No matter which option you choose, typically you can handle the basic settings for your phone lines or extensions over the phone, while tweaking more advanced options requires diving into your provider's online account interface.

What Do You Need to Implement VoIP?

Depending on the size of your company and the infrastructure you already have in place, jumping on the VoIP bandwagon could cost your company next to nothing, or it could entail significant up-front costs.

Even home broadband connections can handle several VoIP calls simultaneously, though you'll need to be sure to leave bandwidth available for other applications as well.

VoIP requires a broadband connection—and the more simultaneous users you have, the more bandwidth you'll need. If you work alone out of a home office, or if you have only a few employees, you won't have much to worry about; for example, on my setup, running RingCentral'sConnection Capacity utility shows that my 15-mbps home Comcast connection could handle 11 calls simultaneously even if I had Netflix, Spotify, and an instant-messaging client running on the network at the same time.

Make sure that your internal network—including your routers and switches—can handle the load, too. Most providers suggest using a router with configurable Quality of Service settings and assigning VoIP traffic high priority to maximize quality.

If your Internet service provider has a bandwidth cap in place, you should take that into consideration as well. Most VoIP service providers use the high-quality G.711 codec for VoIP communications, which consumes 64kb of data every second you talk. In reality, even a large number of people should be able to chat it up on VoIP without having to worry about hitting bandwidth caps, but you'll want to keep close tabs on your data usage to avoid exceeding that cap.

You'll need a SIP-enabled phone, such as the Snom 300, if you want to make VoIP calls.

Finally, even if you subscribe to a cloud-based hosted VoIP service, you'll need to make sure your phones can communicate over VoIP. Most VoIP systems use session-initiation protocol technology to assign each phone or VoIP software client a specific address; that's how the IP-PBX routes calls to specific lines. As such, you'll need a SIP-enabled phone to make VoIP calls. (Some VoIP systems use H.323 technology rather than SIP, but those are rare.) If you want to keep your old analog touch-tone phones or fax machines, you can plug them into an analog telephone adapter (ATA), but they won't be able to use many of the advanced features that SIP-based VoIP phones provide.

Next Page: The Upside and Downside of VoIP

Nigeria spends $13bn on peace-keeping – Ex-Polish envoy

ABUJA—FORMER Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Grezgorz Walinski has said that Nigeria has spent about $13 billion on peacekeeping operations since 1960 and has also sent over 250,000 members of the Nigerian armed forces to the United Nation’s sponsored missions worldwide.

Ambassador Walinski disclosed this at the stakeholders’ dinner reception for the Nigeria Security Exhibition and Conference, 2014, organised by First Security Guards Limited in Abuja.

Miley Cyrus Wigs Out For Halloween, Shares Sexually Graphic Pumpkins (PICS)

Miley Cyrus is wigging out.

The ubiquitous pop star took to Twitter on Tuesday and shared a couple of pictures in which she tries out new (fake) hairstyles.

In the first photo, Cyrus goes with long locks that call to mind her “Hannah Montana” past (see right), while her second pic features a striking purple cut with bangs (see below).

Tests and diagnosis of Mesothelioma

If you have signs and symptoms that might indicate mesothelioma, your doctor will conduct a physical exam to check for any lumps or other unusual signs. Your doctor may order imaging scans, such as a chest X-ray and a computerized tomography (CT) scan of your chest or abdomen, to look for abnormalities. Based on the findings, you may undergo further testing to determine whether mesothelioma or another disease is causing your signs and symptoms.

Biopsy
Biopsy, a procedure to remove a small portion of tissue for laboratory examination, is the only way to determine whether you have mesothelioma. Depending on what area of your body is affected, your doctor selects the right biopsy procedure for you. Options include:

Fine-needle aspiration. The doctor removes fluid or a piece of tissue with a small needle inserted into your chest or abdomen.

Thoracoscopy. Thoracoscopy allows the surgeon to see inside your chest. In this procedure, the surgeon makes one or more small incisions between your ribs. A tube with a tiny video camera is then inserted into your chest cavity — a procedure sometimes called video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). Special surgical tools allow your surgeon to cut away small pieces of tissue for testing.

Laparoscopy. Laparoscopy allows the surgeon to see inside your abdomen. Using one or more small incisions into your abdomen, the surgeon inserts a tiny camera and special surgical tools to obtain a small piece of tissue for examination.

Thoracotomy. Thoracotomy is surgery to open your chest between the ribs to allow a surgeon to check for signs of disease. A sample of tissue may be removed for testing.
Laparotomy. Laparotomy is surgery to open your abdomen to allow a surgeon to check for signs of disease. A sample of tissue may be removed for testing.

The tissue sample is analyzed under a microscope to see whether the abnormal tissue is mesothelioma and what types of cells are involved. The type of mesothelioma you have determines your treatment plan.

Staging
Once mesothelioma is diagnosed, your doctor orders other tests to determine the extent, or stage, of the cancer. Imaging tests that may help determine the stage of your cancer may include:
Chest X-ray
CT scans of the chest and abdomen
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Positron emission tomography (PET)

Your doctor determines which tests are more appropriate for you. Not every person needs every test.

Once the extent of pleural mesothelioma is determined, a stage is assigned.
Stage I mesothelioma is considered localized cancer, meaning it's limited to one portion of the lining of the chest.
Stage II mesothelioma may have spread beyond the lining of the chest to the diaphragm or to a lung.
Stage III mesothelioma may have spread to other structures within the chest and may involve nearby lymph nodes.
Stage IV mesothelioma is an advanced cancer that has spread more extensively within the chest. Stage IV may also indicate that mesothelioma has spread to distant areas of the body, such as the brain, liver and lymph nodes elsewhere in the chest.

Formal stages aren't available for other types of mesothelioma because these types are rare and aren't well studied.

Alternative Medicine to Mesothelioma

No alternative medicine treatments have proved helpful in treating mesothelioma. But complementary and alternative treatments may help control mesothelioma signs and symptoms. Discuss options with your doctor.

Mesothelioma can cause pressure within your chest that can make you feel as if you're always short of breath. Breathlessness can be distressing. Your doctor may recommend using supplemental oxygen or taking medications to make you more comfortable, but often these aren't enough. Combining your doctor's recommended treatments with complementary and alternative approaches may help you feel better.

Alternative treatments that have shown some promise in helping people cope with breathlessness include:
Acupuncture. Acupuncture uses thin needles inserted at precise points into your skin.
Breath training. A nurse or physical therapist can teach you breathing techniques to use when you feel breathless. Sometimes you may feel breathless and begin to panic. Using these techniques may help you feel more in control of your breathing.

Relaxation exercises. Slowly tensing and relaxing different muscle groups may help you feel more at ease and breathe easier. Your doctor may refer you to a therapist who can teach you relaxation exercises so that you can do them on your own.

Sitting near a fan. Directing a fan to your face may help ease the sensation of breathlessness.

By Alex Davidson

Treatment and Drugs for Mesothelioma

What treatment you undergo for mesothelioma depends on your health and certain aspects of your cancer, such as its stage and location. Unfortunately, mesothelioma often is an aggressive disease and for most people a cure isn't possible. Mesothelioma is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage — when it isn't possible to remove the cancer through an operation. Instead, your doctor may work to control your cancer to make you more comfortable.

Treatments and drugs

What treatment you undergo for mesothelioma depends on your health and certain aspects of your cancer, such as its stage and location. Unfortunately, mesothelioma often is an aggressive disease and for most people a cure isn't possible. Mesothelioma is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage — when it isn't possible to remove the cancer through an operation. Instead, your doctor may work to control your cancer to make you more comfortable.

Discuss treatment goals with your doctor. Some people want to do everything they can to treat their cancer, even if that means enduring side effects for a small chance of an improvement. Others prefer treatments that make them comfortable so that they can live their remaining time as symptom-free as possible.

Surgery
Surgeons work to remove mesothelioma when it's diagnosed at an early stage. In some cases this may cure the cancer.

Sometimes it isn't possible to remove all of the cancer. In those cases, surgery may help to reduce the signs and symptoms caused by mesothelioma spreading in your body.

Surgical options may include:
Surgery to decrease fluid buildup. Pleural mesothelioma may cause fluid to build up in your chest, causing difficulty breathing. Surgeons insert a tube or catheter into your chest to drain the fluid. Doctors may also inject medicine into your chest to prevent fluid from returning (pleurodesis).
Surgery to remove the tissue around the lungs or abdomen.Surgeons may remove the tissue lining the ribs and the lungs (pleurectomy) or the tissue lining the abdominal cavity (peritonectomy). This procedure won't cure mesothelioma, but may relieve signs and symptoms.
Surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible (debulking). If all of the cancer can't be removed, surgeons may attempt to remove as much as possible. Debulking allows doctors to more accurately direct radiation treatments to relieve pain and fluid buildup caused by mesothelioma.
Surgery to remove a lung and the surrounding tissue. Removing the affected lung and the tissue that surrounds it may relieve signs and symptoms of pleural mesothelioma. If you'll be receiving radiation therapy to the chest after surgery, this procedure also allows doctors to use higher doses, since they won't need to worry about protecting your lung from damaging radiation.

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. Systemic chemotherapy travels throughout the body and may shrink or slow the growth of a mesothelioma that can't be removed using surgery. Chemotherapy may also be used before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) to make an operation easier or after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) to reduce the chance that cancer will return.

Chemotherapy drugs may also be heated and administered directly into the abdominal cavity (intraperitoneal chemotherapy), in the case of peritoneal mesothelioma, or into the chest cavity (intrapleural chemotherapy), in the case of pleural mesothelioma. Using this strategy, chemotherapy drugs can reach the mesothelioma directly without injuring healthy cells in other parts of the body. This allows doctors to administer higher doses of chemotherapy drugs.

Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy focuses high-energy beams, such as X-rays, to a specific spot or spots on your body. Radiation may reduce signs and symptoms in people with pleural mesothelioma. Radiation therapy is sometimes used after biopsy or surgery to prevent mesothelioma from spreading to the surgical incision.

Clinical trials
Clinical trials are studies of new mesothelioma treatment methods. People with mesothelioma may opt for a clinical trial for a chance to try new types of treatment. However, a cure isn't guaranteed. Carefully consider your treatment options and talk to your doctor about what clinical trials are open to you. Your participation in a clinical trial may help doctors better understand how to treat mesothelioma in the future.

Clinical trials are currently investigating a number of targeted drugs. Targeted drug therapy uses drugs to attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells. Targets being studied in mesothelioma include a substance that cancer cells make to attract new blood vessels that bring oxygen and nutrients to the cancer. Researchers hope drugs that target these areas can help kill mesothelioma cells.

Treatment for other types of mesothelioma
Pericardial mesothelioma and mesothelioma of tunica vaginalis are very rare. Early-stage cancer may be removed through surgery. Doctors have yet to determine the best way to treat later stage cancers, though. Your doctor may recommend other treatments to improve your quality of life.

This Beautiful Nollywood Actress Dumps Acting For Medicine (PHOTOS)

Nollywood actress Georgina Onuah, who got married to her medical doctor beau, Dr. Georgina Igwegbe in 2006, has dumped acting for a job in medical sector.

According to Nigeriafilms, Georgina Onuah got position of a Health Information Specialist at the North American Healthcare Inc. She is actually a Medical Research Auditor.

PHOTO: Nigeria Police Explains The Picture That Shows Senior Officer Fondling Lady’s Breast

The Nigeria Police has described the photograph, which showed a senior police officer in the act of fondling the chest of an unknown lady, as fake. It said the picture, which went viral on the Internet, was deliberately fabricated with the aid of Adobe Photoshop technology to mislead the public.

The alleged amorous scene, the police authorities claimed, did not take place and the officer had nothing to do with the woman.

Women gather at Federal Secretariat in support of Aviation Minister

If you've been expecting the pro-Stella campaign, don't go to far here they are! A small group of women this morning gathered at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja, in support of embattled minister of Aviation, Ms Stella Oduah. The women carried placards which read 'a fight against Stella Oduah is a fight against women'. I don't think so! See more photos below:

SEXY PHOTOS: Rihanna Flaunts Her Bikini Body (Again)

Singer, Rihanna showed off her rockin’ bikini body yet again as she posed for pics poolside in the Dominican Republic.

RiRi definitely looks hot and sure knows how to strike a sexy pose. See photos below....