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#my limit of travel for ms. swift is at its limit
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My mum: "Wow! The prices for US eras tickets have gone down! They're only $1000USD!"
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cinemamablog · 5 years
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Past, Present, and Future: Greta Gerwig’s "Little Women” Refuses to Keep Still
What can possibly be done to improve upon Little Women, you ask? Besides adding and subtracting scenes willy nilly from the hundreds of pages of Louisa May Alcott’s book (two books if you’re being annoying about it), countless film and television and opera and radio and anime and musical adaptations have cut Little Women’s basic plot into our cultural stone: four sisters representing four archetypes, one mother, several suitors, and a story of love, loss, dreams, and growth. But to misquote one of my favorite children’s books, Chester’s Way: “And then Greta moved into the neighborhood.”
After its premiere, rumors disseminated regarding the story structure of Greta Gerwig’s second solo directorial feature: Jo March’s story, like in the relatively recent Broadway musical, begins in New York and travels back in time to her girlhood in Concord, Massachusetts. Unlike the Broadway musical, the time travel does not cease, but rather plays a key part of the storytelling, contrasting the warm hues of summer and the dark clouds of death, the joy of hope and the devastation of loss, and sharing with us the March girls’ life in a manner as similar to life’s structure as cinematically possible: interconnected and forever touched by the past and leading to the future.
When I first heard tell of this time-jumping structure, I feared for the worst: I hated the dual timelines of last year’s Joaquin Phoenix vehicle Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, because every time I settled into one storyline and got comfortable, the film flung the audience to another time and another story. Unlike Don’t Worry…, 2019’s Little Women uses its dual timelines to compliment the events within each and travels between them frequently enough that the plot denies the audience any opportunities to rest on their laurels. A thinking woman’s Little Women, if you will, with artistic choices you may not initially understand, but upon reflection, offer a wealth of discoveries to the curious viewer.
The other whisper on the street regarding this adaptation regarded Florence Pugh’s performance as the youngest March sister, Amy. Heck, any whisper on the street regarding any film featuring Pugh regards her performance. Her work speaks for itself, but let me join the complimentary chorus: her naturalism and charm make every character, whether a grieving girlfriend in Midsommar or a confident Amy in Little Women, not only lovable, but addictive to watch. (Her scenes alone give Little Women a significant boost in re-watch value.) Thank goodness Gerwig decided to honor Pugh’s range as an actress by keeping her onscreen for both “young Amy”’s and “old Amy”’s scenes, unlike the 1994 film’s decision to split the role between a brilliant pre-teen Kirsten Dunst and a lackluster Samantha Mathis. (Ms. Mathis’ character felt undeveloped and cold in contrast to Dunst’s feisty performance.)
Are you ready for another delightful take on Little Women, courtesy of Greta Gerwig’s original screenplay? May I introduce one of the unexpected themes of 2019’s Little Women: the unique relationship between women and money, now and then. Jo fights for ownership of her work and fair compensation, Amy sees marriage as a necessary and unavoidable “economic proposition,” Meg struggles between the reality of her modest life and her luxurious desires, and, as the TV show Friends stressed back in 1997, Beth dies. Despite structural innovation, that fact never changes, I’m sorry (but not surprised) to write. While the Alcott, I mean, March family’s lack of funds always factors into their story and individual fates, Gerwig takes care to stress in pointed scenes how women in the 1800s dealt with some of the same issues facing women today. (As Emma Watson pointed out in a recent interview, Taylor Swift’s contemporary fight to own the masters of her music reflects that of Jo March.)
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Performances from Laura Dern, Saoirse Ronan, and Meryl Streep, and of course the aforementioned Florence Pugh, give Little Women a strong foundation, but Gerwig’s innovative script and clever direction give the audience something to ponder long after they leave the theatre. This adaptation of the 100+ year-old story of four sisters encompasses their past and their future as a whole, with moments gaining significance with hindsight and bright days seeming all the more so when contrasted to the bleak ones. The March sisters’ timeless story cannot be contained within the present moment and as such, will no longer be limited to a linear pattern, but rather belongs to the ages, now and forever, amen.
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Selling a car but keeping insurance?
Selling a car but keeping insurance?
my question is, i have a car at the moment with 2 years no claims bonus.. (i should have 3 years in july) but i am selling my car this week to a mate. they said if i cancel my insurance policy i will only have 2 years no claims can i still sell the car to someone else and just keep the insurance running for it without saying so i l have 3 years by july or do u have to cancel it once sold, the guy im selling it hasnt actually passed his tes so prob wont even be insuring it for a while and when he does he said hes gonna put the car on his girlfriends insurance
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my question is, i have a car at the moment with 2 years no claims bonus.. (i should have 3 years in july) but i am selling my car this week to a mate. they said if i cancel my insurance policy i will only have 2 years no claims can i still sell the car to someone else and just keep the insurance running for it without saying so i l have 3 years by july or do u have to cancel it once sold, the guy im selling it hasnt actually passed his tes so prob wont even be insuring it for a while and when he does he said hes gonna put the car on his girlfriends insurance
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my question is, i have a car at the moment with 2 years no claims bonus.. (i should have 3 years in july) but i am selling my car this week to a mate. they said if i cancel my insurance policy i will only have 2 years no claims can i still sell the car to someone else and just keep the insurance running for it without saying so i l have 3 years by july or do u have to cancel it once sold, the guy im selling it hasnt actually passed his tes so prob wont even be insuring it for a while and when he does he said hes gonna put the car on his girlfriends insurance
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euroman1945-blog · 6 years
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The Daily Thistle
The Daily Thistle – News From Scotland
Monday 27th August 2018
"Madainn Mhath” …Fellow Scot, I hope the day brings joy to you…. “Starry Starry Night” goes the lines from the Don McClean song about Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh…Well as  I walk Bella this morning I feel as if I have stepped into the painting.. tendrils of cloud and mist are swirling in the heavens and stars in abundance are each fighting to attract my attention… quite magnificent! I love mornings like this, the Mediterranean is a flat calm this morning and being plied by little one man fishing boats, their lights seemingly dull against the starry heaven, they are fishing for Pulpa or Squid as we would call it, one of the staple’s here on the Costa del Sol, they cook it in garlic oil and then fry with a very light batter, excellent if cooked correctly but reminiscent of rubber if done wrongly…
HEADLESS WOMAN AT CENTRE OF CLAN MYSTERY REINTERRED…. A special service was held at Wardlaw Mausoleum in Beauly, near Inverness, on Thursday. The remains of a headless woman at the centre of a Highland clan mystery have been reinterred at a special service. It had been thought the coffin at Wardlaw Mausoleum in Beauly, near Inverness, may have contained the bones of the 11th Lord Lovat Simon Fraser, known as the Old Fox, who was beheaded in London in 1747 following the Battle of Culloden. Clan Fraser legend had suggested his remains had been stolen by supporters and taken back to Scotland to the family mausoleum. But a DNA examination by renowned forensic expert Dame Sue Black found the remains were that of a young woman aged between 25 and 35. The search for the Old Fox continues and next month historian and clan member Sarah Fraser and Erik Lundberg from Wardlaw Mausoleum will travel to the Tower of London where the remains of Simon Fraser were said to have been originally interred following his execution. Fans of historical time-travel series Outlander regularly visit the mausoleum, with the Old Fox featuring in the stories as the grandfather of fictional character Jamie Fraser.
FREEDOM OF EDINBURGH STRIPPED FROM MYANMAR LEADER …. Auan San Suu Kyi was accused of ignoring violence against Rohingya Muslims in her country. Former Nobel peace prize laureate Auan San Suu Kyi has had the Freedom of Edinburgh revoked amid the Rohingya crisis. City councillors agreed unanimously to strip the Myanmar leader of the honour following claims she has ignored violence against Rohingya Muslims in the Buddhist-majority country she represents. The UN has described the Myanmar military's actions in Rakhine state as "textbook ethnic cleansing". More than 700,000 Muslim-majority Rohingya have fled the region to neighbouring Bangladesh due to widespread persecution. Ms Suu Kui has refused to condemn the alleged brutality of government troops, however, sparking worldwide outcry. She was given the Freedom of Edinburgh in 2005, for her support of democracy while under house arrest. Today she was stripped of it with immediate effect after a unanimous vote by all Edinburgh councillors after a motion was lodged by Lord Provost Frank Ross. He said: "It has been ten months since this chamber discussed the status of this award for Aung San Suu Kyi. "It did so in the light of the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar (Burma), which was and continues to be broadcast around the world.  "At that time this chamber instructed me to write to Aung San Suu Kyi, making it very clear that as a recipient of the Freedom of our City, we urged her to use her powers to alleviate this human crisis."  Mr Ross added: "I did so and we have tried every route that we possibly have available to us to make contact, via our armed forces, through diplomatic means, by writing directly - yet we have seen the situation in Myanmar continue to deteriorate.  "This award is granted rarely and only to those individuals who are held in the highest esteem by the citizens of Edinburgh. It was presented to Aung San Suu Kyi in recognition of her personal courage and relentless pursuit of justice. "I no longer believe her receipt of this award or the reasons it was presented are appropriate or accurate. It is not a decision we take lightly to revoke the honour granted to her in 2005." Edinburgh follows Dublin, Newcastle and Oxford in revoking an honour from Ms Suu Kyi. It's the first time that Edinburgh has stripped a Freedom of the City honour since 1890. Irish politician Charles Parnell lost his amid a love affair scandal.
BALLOON BIRDS COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR REAL-LIFE COUNTERPARTS…. A Scotsman is making balloon birds so realistic they could be mistaken for their real-life counterparts. Terry Cook, 32, spent hours perfecting the inflatable sculptures to make them look like the real thing. "I am obsessed with birds and animals and have been since I was a child," Terry said. "I have an interest in magic tricks, and from that an interest in balloon modelling developed. "A few years back my niece had a birthday party and I was asked to make some balloon animals, all the kids loved it and it spurred me on to do it a bit more. "I used to just make all the classic balloons like dogs, elephants and swans, but then I thought it would be cool to try and make something out of the ordinary." Terry, who lives in Aberdeen and also breeds birds, says his collection includes a heron, a woodpecker and his favourite - a blue tit. "My favourite one is the blue tit, just because it was the first one I made, and it looked quite cute when it was finished," he continued. "I can remember staring at swifts in the sky for ages when I was a kid and my folks laughing at how into them I was. "I was curious as to why you never saw them perching in trees or on the ground." He makes the birds in is free time and despite the time they take to make, he loves the rewarding feeling he gets after finishing a piece. "They can take a couple of hours to make because I just make it up as I go along," he added. "It can be difficult figuring out how to get the right shape, and by the end of it your absolute sick of hearing them squeaking against each other. "I can hear the sound of latex squeaking in my sleep sometimes." Terry is passionately against irresponsible littering and emphasised that he properly disposes the balloons after each of his projects. He said: "So many man-made products will be here long after we die, and are equally as harmful as balloons, but because balloons are actively released into the environment by people who are ignorant of the damage they cause. "People then perceive balloons as an overall bad thing. "The issue comes from careless discard and irresponsible disposal of these products, not so much their use. "I love creating the balloon birds but disposing of the plastic properly is the most important part of the project."
DRIVER CAUGHT SPEEDING AT 75MPH PAST SCHOOL AND NURSERY…. A blue Audi was clocked speeding in the 20mph zone near Carmyllie Primary School, Angus. A driver has been caught doing 75mph past a primary school and nursery. A blue Audi A3 was clocked speeding in the 20mph zone near Carmyllie Primary School in Angus. The driver has been charged with dangerous driving following the incident at 3.40pm on Wednesday. Inspector Ray Cuthill said the outcome could have been "much, much worse". He said: "To drive in such a manner and at such speeds within a built up area is completely unacceptable. "It is even worse that a driver would choose to drive at a speed approaching four times the speed limit past a primary school and nursery just as the children have finished for the day. "Thankfully nobody was hurt as a result of the driver's actions but it is clear that the outcome could have been much, much worse."
CONCERNS RAISED OVER PLANS TO HARVEST KELP ON WEST COAST…. Proposals by firm Marine Biopolymers would eventually see more than 30,000 tonnes of the seaweed gathered each year by specially adapted boats. The company has been criticised over the plans which involve large-toothed devices being trawled through kelp beds, which are home to considerable amounts of sea-life. Seaweed has a number of uses, from pharmaceuticals to food, and the market for it is thriving. Critics claim the move could harm the marine environment, deplete fish stocks, increase coastal erosion and even contribute towards climate change. Nick Underdown, head of campaigns at sustainable fisheries charity, Open Seas, said: "Dredging our kelp forests is not dissimilar to clear-felling virgin rainforest. "It's one of the few pristine habitats in our seas that remain unscathed by over-intensive exploitation. "It provides a fundamental foundation to the way our seas work, providing habitat for many hundreds of species, and represents one of our best stores of blue carbon. "On land we are trying to actively recover our native pine forests, why repeat the mistake of deforestation at sea?" 'The proposal is completely adrift from sensible, sustainable use of our seas and would drag us backwards.' "But allowing mechanical dredging in the way proposed will not only undermine the health of our sea, it will undermine other marine businesses and alternative harvesting methods." Marine Biopolymers, based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, has submitted a scoping report to Marine Scotland. It outlines its plans to apply for "one or more" licences to harvest kelp in waters from Mull up to Lochinver and across to the Outer Hebrides. Mussel farmer and seaweed picker from Ullapool, Ailsa McLellan, said: "I'm concerned from an environmental point of view. "Kelp is a significant absorber of carbon, it buffers ocean acidity caused by warming seas and prevents coastal erosion. "It seems utterly bonkers to take that away at this stage in our planetary evolution. There is nothing green about dredging up kelp." A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Marine Scotland will consult fully on any forthcoming application and environmental assessments. "Scottish ministers will then make a determination on a licence application, taking into account the effects on the environment and other uses of the sea." "We believe that we have a world leading technology and products that will balance the needs of the sustainable environment with commercial reality, producing a business that is both innovative and 'Green' at its heart."
On that note I will say that I hope you have enjoyed the news from Scotland today,
Our look at Scotland today is of Abbotsford house on the Borders rather lovely I think...
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A Sincere Thank You for your company and Thank You for your likes and comments I love them and always try to reply, so please keep them coming, it's always good fun, As is my custom, I will go and get myself another mug of "Colombian" Coffee and wish you a safe Monday 27th August 2018 from my home on the southern coast of Spain, where the blue waters of the Alboran Sea washes the coast of Africa and Europe and the smell of the night blooming Jasmine and Honeysuckle fills the air…and a crazy old guy and his dog Bella go out for a walk at 4:00 am…on the streets of Estepona…
All good stuff....But remember it’s a dangerous world we live in
Be safe out there…
Robert McAngus #Scotland #News #Spain
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premimtimes · 7 years
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On the night of Friday June 7, 2013, a pre-wedding party was in progress at the Cavalli Club – named after the renowned Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli – within the 5-star luxury Fairmont Hotel in Dubai. There was champagne in abundance and some of the performers on ground for the all-night gig included DJ Jimmy Jatt, leading comedian, Basketmouth, singer Wizkid and rapper Naeto C. It was the summer party to be at.
The next day, the wedding proper held at the JW Marriot Marquis Hotel on the same street. Most of the floors at the hotel and the nearby Mirage Palace were occupied by the over 300 guests who had flown in for the wedding from Nigeria to attend. Over 40 private jets were buzzing in and out of the United Arab Emirates with sitting governors, senators, traditional rulers, government officials, politicians and businessmen.
The entire weekend was, as tabloids will call it, awash with pomp and pageantry. The groom was Oluwatosin Omokore, first son of Olajide Omokore, a maverick oil trader; and his bride was Faiza Fari, first daughter of Abdulkadir Fari, then Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources. Encomium Magazine reported that souvenirs at the wedding rumoured to have cost an estimated $8 million (N1.2 billion using the exchange rate at the time), included the Blackberry Q10 released in January of that year, other smartphones, Bang & Olufsen luxury speakers.
In the aftermath, the then Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, acting on the recommendation of his petroleum minister and Mr. Fari’s boss, Diezani Alison-Madueke, suspended and later redeployed the father of the bride to another parastatal. His accounts were also reportedly frozen by the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. An insider at the ministry told The Nation newspaper that the wedding was deemed too lavish for a civil servant to fund and that in allowing his daughter marry the son of a major player in his sector, Mr. Musa had triggered a conflict of interest.
In reality, the wedding had been primarily funded by Mr. Omokore who understandably spared no cost to give his first son the gift of a good wedding. Mr. Fari who reportedly had been a little too strict in demanding due process on some deals relating to marginal oilfields, was simply the sacrificial lamb who had to go for delaying Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s desires. He was one of many in a revolving door policy that saw five group managing directors and several permanent secretaries exit the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in the five years of Mrs. Alison-Madueke’s tenure.
Back in May 2010, the death of Umaru Musa Yar’adua precipitated the ascension of Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria’s president. There was pressure on him from his kinsmen and others within the enclave of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to run for the 2011 elections. It was only expedient to turn to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, a major source of election funding for incumbents since the return of democracy in 1999.
To ensure a smooth process, Rilwanu Lukman, the incumbent minister who favoured a restructuring of NNPC into a full commercial entity, was replaced with Diezani Alison-Madueke in a cabinet reshuffle. Mrs. Alison-Madueke eventually became like an unofficial prime minister. From then till May 2015 when the Muhammadu Buhari presidency took over; anyone that stood in her way was removed either by her personally or the presidency acting on her recommendations.
In an era where Nigeria earned over N51 trillion from oil and the commodity price peaked at $112 per barrel, it was the best of times to have the listening ears of the president and the discretionary powers of an oil minister as enshrined in the Petroleum Act of 1969. In that five-year period, Mrs. Alison-Madueke, whose name means ‘look before you leap’ in her native Ijaw, leapt to unbelievable levels of immense influence and the accompanying affluence.
DIEZANI’S CHILDHOOD
Born Diezani Kogbeni Agama in the city of Port Harcourt two months after Nigeria’s independence, the young girl had a decent childhood as the third of six children. Her father Frederick Agama – had a distinguished career at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) as a management executive before retiring to become a traditional ruler of the Epie-Atissa Clan in Yenaka, Bayelsa State. Her mother, Beatrice Agama, is a retired schoolteacher. Though her parents were not as wealthy as rumoured, they lived a decent life by all standards. She grew up at the Shell residential camp in Rumuomasi, Port Harcourt and schooled in Warri, Port Harcourt and Mubi.
An intervention from her maternal grandfather N. K. Porbeni, a renowned Ijaw chief from Delta State led her to study architecture rather than the creative arts. “He travelled all the way from Warri [to the UK] to tell me in no uncertain terms that my father hadn’t spent all that money on my education for me to study Fine Art”, she said in a 2007 interview.
Mrs. Alison-Maueke began her architecture training in the UK. It is unclear why she abandoned her studies in the UK, but she later moved to the United States to do a 5-year architecture course at Howard University. She graduated in 1992. Right after her graduation from Howard, she was employed by SPDC and would continue to go through the ranks, heading strategy and planning team handling its joint ventures with the NNPC. By this time, she was married to a former military governor of Imo and Enugu State, Alison Madueke.
In 2006, she was appointed Executive Director, Facilities, becoming the company’s first female Nigerian director in its entire history. Ann Pickard, the controversial American who headed Shell’s operations in Nigeria from 2005-2010 fast-tracked her from mid-level executive, singling out her and other promising young women for top roles. Perhaps Ms. Pickard, believed to have placed moles in the Nigerian government – according to US diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks – and described as “having a willingness to manipulate every available political angle to further the company’s interests”, saw a reflection of herself in the younger woman.
While at Shell, she was rumoured to be involved in contract racketeering and it was not uncommon to see staff in the corridor whispering about her dirty deals during lunch breaks. “The Business Integrity Department takes time to act”, an insider in Shell Nigeria revealed on the condition of anonymity, because the company strictly forbids unauthorised persons from talking to the media. “It can be tracking an executive for years, so it would have caught up on her activities sooner or later. She got away with it because she was ED for just over a year.”
In July 2007, she was named Minister of Transport. Her tenure was brief and uneventful save for when she wept openly in August that year while inspecting a bad road. Between December 2008 and March 2010, she was heading the Ministry of Mines & Steel Development.
During her time in the Ministry of Mines & Steel Development, it funded ‘Hollywood Glamour Collection’, a new limited-edition collection of Nigerian gold and gemstone jewelry by the popular jeweler Chris Aire. The collection was unveiled at an exclusive event in Beverly Hills, California on April 7, 2010, barely hours after Mrs. Alison-Madueke had been moved to the petroleum ministry. In the months after, Mr. Aire registered new companies for the sole purpose of being awarded questionable contracts to handle crude lifting, earning over an estimated $30,000 daily.
Her royal heritage, love for jewellery, style and the finer things of life inevitably drew swift comparisons with the late Princess Diana of Great Britain. In time, friends, well-wishers and hangers-on began to call her Princess Di.
  THE MEN
One of these hangers-on was Donald Chidi Amamgbo, the lawyer who reportedly became her lover for a while when they met at Howard. Usually described by the Nigerian press as her cousin, he hails from Imo State, not Bayelsa and runs a thriving U.S.-based legal practice, Amamgbo & Associates. In 2012, he was put on probation by the state bar of California for misconduct.
When government appointees and politicians in general assume office, friends, well-wishers, government contractors and stakeholders in their specific industry find ways to contact them through their network, sending unsolicited gifts to them and their relatives and taking out pages in the newspapers for congratulatory advertorials.
“When someone sends you a $10,000 watch here or expensive jewellery there with no favours asked, you have to call one day to say thanks and have the person visit”, said a former staff of the ministry, who asked not to be named because he still works for the government and has not been permitted to talk to the press. “Or your daughter calls from Dubai that an unknown person paid her tuition for two years and sublet an apartment for her. Can you say no? Even the Bible says it that ‘A man’s gift maketh a way for him’.”
No one knows for sure which gifts came to Mrs. Alison-Madueke from some of the men at the centre of the storm in her world today. But they worked regardless because they became her close associates soon enough. There was Kola Aluko, an oil trader seeking a big break; Mr. Omokore, a shipping magnate looking to diversify and swell his fortune. There were also the fronts and middlemen, Benedict Peters and Walter Wagbatsoma.
One of the many billionaire conquests of supermodel Naomi Campbell, Mr. Aluko was born and bred in Lagos as one of the nine children of Akanni Aluko, a geologist and popular traditional chief in Ilesha, Osun State. His first reported stint in the oil business was in 1995, after years of wandering through the pharmaceutics and automobile industries, when he cofounded Besse Oil, an oil trading firm. By the mid-2000s, one of his serial companies, Exoro Energy International merged with a partner firm, Weatherford, to become Seven Energy. It was run by Aluko who had one per cent equity, alongside Mr. Omokore and a third man, Phillip Ihenacho.
Kogi-born Mr. Omokore, who was given the title of Elegbe of Egbe in his hometown in October 2014 for his commitment to his town, was an affiliate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from state to national level. As a government financier, he was rewarded with waivers and mega contracts from agriculture to oil & gas. From time to time, there were contingency bailouts requested by members of the inner caucus of government. After the 2012 flooding disaster, he donated N50 million to the victims.
In February 2014, Lamido Sanusi, then governor of the central bank was suspended by Mr. Jonathan after a controversial statement about missing $20 billion in crude oil earnings. According to an insider in the oil & gas sector who did not want to be identified due to his current position, Mr. Omokore allegedly doled out $200,000 to a number of local journalists to begin a campaign against the outspoken central bank governor; Mr. Jonathan had apparently fallen for the bait and wanted the pressure off his beloved minister.
  In 2010, Shell was plagued with a lot of issues in its onshore operations. Oil spills across the Niger Delta had gotten it into a lot of legal tussles; its goodwill with the host communities had been on a decline since the days of slain environmental activist, Ken Saro Wiwa in the 1990s; militants had wreaked considerable havoc on its asset causing countless force majeures; the government was seeking to get more local marginal field operators out onshore. It has gone on a large-scale divesting spree since then. That same year, Shell fixed one of the major pipelines in the country – the 97 kilometre-long Nembe Creek Trunkline passing through 14 oil pumping stations –  for $1.1 billion. By November 2013, it was on the market.
The company went ahead then to divest its stake (45 per cent) in asset held in joint venture partnership with NNPC which held the remainder (55 per cent) on behalf of the Nigerian government, and focus on the less ‘dramatic’ offshore fields. The divested fields were the OMLs 4, 26, 30, 34, 38, 40, 41 and 42 and Shell sold them to indigenous operators, raking in a total $2.3 billion.
Meanwhile NNPC transferred its shares to one of its many loss-making subsidiaries, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, for $1.8 billion as valued by the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR. Till date, over $1.7 billion is outstanding as only $100m has been remitted to NNPC which wholly owns it.
On September 16, 2011, a Strategic Alliance Agreement (SAA) was signed between the NPDC and Septa Energy, a subsidiary of Seven Energy for OMLs 4, 38 and 41. Another SAA was signed with Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts (AEDC) Ltd for OMLs 30 and 34. These companies were registered in tax havens like the British Virgin Islands and in the United Kingdom, limiting the revenue payable to the Nigerian government in form of taxes.
The contracts were awarded by single-source procurement, in clear violation of Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act which stipulates that bids be subject to public tender and competitive. Mrs Alison-Madueke  also contravened a guideline under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010 that mandated companies wanting to lift Nigerian crude to show records of involvement in the industry in the preceding ten years.
SAAs are usually signed between two or more companies for a number of reasons including collaborating to augment technical expertise, meet capital requirement or reduce high costs of operation. NNPC adopted this approach to meet the huge capital requirement for cash call and lack of required skill and manpower at the corporation.
According to the terms of the SAAs, the partner company provides the capital outlay required to lift crude in the assets supplied by the NPDC as well as non-refundable entry fees of $0.30 per barrel and $0.010/mcf, 70 days after the start of exploration activity. It was to recoup its investment by lifting crude. Quite interestingly, another requirement was that the collaborating firm pay a fixed sum of $350,000 per asset annually for five years to facilitate the training of NPDC staff. This came to $1.4 million per year and Atlantic Energy never paid up.
Till date, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) is pursuing Atlantic Energy to get its tax returns. And while the NNPC has moved to terminate the SAAs so it can get new partners who will pay as at when due, a court order obtained in  October 2016 by Seven Energy, may be restraining it from doing so.
“NPDC has till date paid only $100m for those eight OMLs but is still enjoying the benefits of an owner”, says Waziri Adio, executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) which tracks revenues accruing to government.
An alternate commercial valuation by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2015 took Shell’s divested assets into consideration and roughly estimated these eight assets to be worth $3.4 billion in total.
“NPDC brought them on as partners because they are supposed to have financial capacity and technical capacity even though the assumption is that NPDC itself has financial and technical capacity to manage the assets”, Adio explains. “These firms had neither and the same assets were used in raising the money. What stops NPDC from raising the money and hiring contractors to do this job as well?”
Essentially, an unnecessary medium was created to pay the SAA partners for sourcing capital which they used the national assets to raise. All of this was possible because of Mrs Alison-Madueke’s discretionary powers.
In 2014, Mr Sanusi told the Senate that Atlantic had lifted over $7 billion worth of oil between January 2012 and July 2013, but while the NPDC had paid $400 million as petroleum profit tax (PPT), its partner had paid nothing, flouting the PPT Act 2007.
“The profit sharing arrangement was too good to be true”, The Cable screamed in its analysis. “Under Article 10 (d) (i)-(v), the two parties were to share “profit oil” and “profit gas” in ratios of 90% for NPDC to 10% for Atlantic (“profit oil” and “profit gas” with regards to undepreciated costs associated to capital costs prior to execution of agreement); 40% to 60% (upon full recovery of development costs by Atlantic); and, thereafter, it would be 70% to 30%.”
“Up to the full recovery of development costs related to the continental resources, “profit oil” was to be shared 40% to 60% and, thereafter, 70% to 30%. For the “profit gas” upon full recovery of development costs regarding non-associated gas by Atlantic, NPDC would take 30% and Atlantic 70%, and reverse to 30% to 70% thereafter. Profit gas” from the continental resources was to be shared 30% to NPDC and 70% to Atlantic, and thereafter, 70% to NPDC and 30% to Atlantic.”
“When you look at the depositions from the US courts, you see that it (the SAA) was a cover for Mrs Alison-Madueke and others to cream off things that should have come to the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, Mr Adio concludes. According to a July 2017 affidavit at a federal high court, Messrs. Aluko and Omokore owe the Nigerian government the princely sum of $1,762,338,184.40.
Curiously, the 55% held by NPDC was not given to the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), the NNPC subsidiary concerned with supervising Nigeria’s joint ventures (JVs), production sharing contracts (PSCs) and services contracts (SCs). Why then did the NNPC transfer them to the NPDC, which had no capacity for exploration?
Back in March 1999, as former military head of state,  Abdusalami Abubakar was wrapping up his eleven-month stint in office and preparing for the transition from military to democratic rule, the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act was sent to his desk. The bill was meant to stem declining investment in the upstream sector at that point in time due to the absence of a defined fiscal structure. Nigeria had also entered PSC agreements in 1993* and did not have legal backing for the agreements it was entering.
Particularly significant was Section 16.
For the purpose of the efficient management of Production Sharing Contracts and joint ventures under this Decree, the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (in this Decree referred to as “NAPIMS’) shall be incorporated into a limited liability company under the Companies and Allied Matters Decree 1990, as amended.
Accordingly, NAPIMS shall be vested with the exploration and production properties and assets owned by the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the purposes of this Decree.
It was following in a tradition of governments signing controversial or hard-hitting legislations at the end of their tenure. Nineteen days to Democracy Day (May 29, 1999), the bill was signed into law; however, a single clause present in the initial version had been deleted. It was Section 16.
The amendment effectively opened the floodgates. “With that clause, JVs would have been incorporated”, says a source within the Ministry of Petroleum who requested to be named because he does not have the permission to on the matter. “If they were, as opposed to the unincorporated JVs agreement we run currently, quite a few things would not be permissible. NPDC would pay its bills, crude lifted will be accounted for, recently incorporated companies will not be given such juicy OMLs to operate, cash calls will not be paid ‘mistakenly’ etc.”
“Will NPDC use shareholders’ funds to be doing rubbish?”, the source asked rhetorically. “Will an incorporated company setup to make profit be acting so silly? So many ifs.”
If the deleted clause was a loophole, the discretionary powers given to the oil minister in the Petroleum Act was a spade that helped Mrs Alison-Madueke  dig into depths previously unknown. The entire petroleum industry is controlled by the president and the minister; the former appoints the latter who is then empowered by law. Only the National Assembly could have checked her excesses, but it didn’t.
“The political pressure on petroleum ministers to finance elections has turned NNPC into petty cash machine for government”, says Bassey (last name withheld for anonymity), an industry insider. “That the minister has discretionary powers that makes things worse and that’s what we’re trying to unbundle with the PIB. Discretion can make or mar our industry but it is clear what happens in Nigeria.”
Who and what institutions dropped the ball and allowed her fully exercise those powers? “The CBN was definitely not one of them, because Mr Sanusi kept harping on the rot in the oil sector”, says Mr Bassey. “The greatest enablers of corruption are civil servants who keep quiet or look the other way to save their jobs because of the god complex of chief executives in Nigeria. Red flags were raised only because of inter-agency collusion with banks, audit firms etc.”
“The government is one single unit”, emphasizes Kola Banwo of Abuja-based Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center. “Institutions have roles but usually, with the nature of patronage and corrupt party system we operate, corruption is endemic. The NNPC has internal mechanisms and systems to prevent fraud. The relevant National Assembly Committees have oversight roles and could have prevented this. The Office of the Auditor-General could also have made some difference. The EFCC, ICPC, etc. However, these all formed part of the problem and so did nothing then. Some action from one or all of these, could have reduced if not prevented what happened during that period.”
Those in the know say it was the impunity with which Mrs Alison-Madueke broke the rules that set her apart from those before her. There were times when she stopped receiving visitors at the office and made them come to her in the comfort of her official residence. She would keep governors waiting for hours, dodge calls from CEOs and chairpersons of multinationals, employ domestic staff on the bill of the corporation and more.
Mrs Alison-Madueke requested kickbacks from her collaborators to approve dubious contracts and the infamous oil swaps which Buhari ended in November 2015. Mr Aluko for instance, admitted paying rent for Mrs Beatrice Agama’s luxury home in Parkwood Point, St. Edmund’s Terrace, St. John’s Wood, London, describing it as “simply gifts to a friend, given long after Atlantic had signed its deal.”
Under her, the NNPC ran accounts that CBN and Ministry of Finance were unaware of. The president would regularly send people to her with odd financial requests and she became the nation’s unofficial treasury with the state corporation as her petty cash ATM. As a result, she was not remitting funds and records to the Ministry of Finance which as in turn unable to remit to the CBN.
In the run-up to the 2015 elections, pressure mounted again on Mrs Alison-Madueke to deliver funding and then something happened. In October 2014, Bernard Otti a director at the NNPC was appointed deputy group managing director (Finance and Accounts), a position created entirely out of thin air. The press release justified his appointment as needed to transform NNPC into a commercially-driven entity but the truth was that he had to close some deals to secure election funding.
After the Mr Buhari’s inauguration, he ran to the UK after reportedly entering a plea bargain with the EFCC; With his help, the EFCC traced monies allocated for the Ekiti gubernatorial elections and other issues. His retirement was later announced by Kachikwu in August 2015.
Audits by both PwC and KPMG showed that the NNPC had at its discretion, spent an average of $6 billion annually from 2011 to 2013 and there were no watertight records. A similar amount had also not been remitted on a yearly basis by NNPC to the CBN.
  After studying the patterns and making calculations, Mr Sanusi cried out in a September 2013 20-page memo to Jonathan that $20 billion was missing. The NNPC claimed the money had been spent on subsidy payments for kerosene and pipeline maintenance even though Mr Yar’adua had ended the payments in July 2009. Another audit by PwC was submitted before the 2015 elections but never released by the government.
  “Civil society has always suspected that there was corruption in the oil sector”, reveals Banwo. “When information of extravagant spending for maintain jet emerged, civil society raised alarm, called for investigations and her immediate resignation or removal, which the then president ignored. The NASS set up a committee to probe but nothing came out of it.”
  “When in 2015, the then CBN Governor alleged that she was responsible for the missing  $20 Billion from the NNPC coffers, civil society also initiated a campaign for her investigation and removal. The impunity in the then government allowed her get away with the deeds.”
  If Mrs Alison-Madueke was Princess Di, then Mr Aluko, who was last seen in Porza-Lugano, Switzerland, in 2016, was The Fresh Prince. He owned quite a few private jets and an $80 million yacht, Galactica Star; in September 2013, it was rented to Jay-Z and Beyoncé at the cost of $900,000 a week for two weeks for the latter’s 32nd birthday party. A big fan of Ayrton Senna, he is also a car racing enthusiast and placed third with a Ferrari 458 GT2 at Rome’s Vallelunga circuit in December 2012. Mr Aluko was also the owner of the eighth most expensive condo in New York, costing a mere $50 million.
  Omokore likewise had expensive lovers including Porsha Williams of; Sanomi and co would reportedly send jets to different cities to pick random girls for weekend parties in cities in another continent. It was the good life.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit under its Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative against the trio asking for the forfeiture of assets worth $144 million, proceeds from the oil contracts. Mr Aluko remains elusive while Omokore has been arraigned in court since July 2016. Mrs Alison-Madueke herself has been arrested even though she is yet to be tried in court. The proverbial mills of God that grind slowly, seem to at last be grinding well
“She kept saying ‘when we come back’, says Mr Bassey. “She did not think that Jonathan would lose the elections. Maybe the opaque deals would have continued till now.”
Beyond Mrs Alison-Madueke and her oil men, perhaps the biggest fear of stakeholders in the industry is that there could be deja vu in this administration or another. As the salacious details of her time in government circulate, the loopholes that made this possible remain open. The NNPC currently remains more of a political financing tool than a truly national oil company like her peers globally. Newcomers to the party will be happy to take notes – literally.
This report was made possible by the BudgIT Media Fellowship 2017 with support from Natural Resource Governance Institute.
  SPECIAL REPORT: How Diezani, her men, their deals bled Nigeria (PART 1) On the night of Friday June 7, 2013, a pre-wedding party was in progress at the Cavalli Club – named after the renowned Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli - within the 5-star luxury Fairmont Hotel in Dubai.
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vanessagalang · 7 years
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If there’s anything I’m not good at, considering how vain I am, oh, let me rephrase that – I mean how meticulous and a valuable physical image is to me, it’s probably putting on makeup.
I mean, I know the basics, but I believe my skills need more didactics. Good thing CAVA came into my life.
CAVA or the Centre for Aesthetics and Visual Arts is a makeup school, makeup events place, a makeup junkie’s haven all rolled into one! I was fortunate to be invited in their launch and got a lot of makeup takeaways after! So scroll down my dear merfriends to know more about this gem.
It’s the baby of HG Studio
HG Studio is a makeup and photography studio spearheaded by Ms. Hazel Gonzales, an International Airbrush Specialist, Professional Bridal Makeup Artist, Beauty Consultant, and Entrepreneur.
Her passion and talent allowed her to travel the globe and perfect her craft. She has represented the esteemed cosmetic brand, Estee Lauder, by being its head makeup artist, and has been trained under international makeup gurus. No wonder, she is one of the most sought-after makeup consultants in the country.
Her creative works have also graced media covers and events, from magazines, billboards, commercials, tv shows, to photo shoots and fashion shows.
I was thrilled to know that HG Studio’s main love is working their magic in debuts and weddings. Considering I’m getting married in two years, it felt like destiny meeting them.
With all the things I wrote here, it was a matter of time (and maybe because of an insistent public demand) that HG Studio shares its creative prowess to those who would like to learn the art of makeup, hence the launch of CAVA.
Wonderful Vision
Ms. Hazel shared about her formative years, wherein it was a bit challenging to enroll in Makeup Studies. She related that there was only one makeup school back then, and the tuition fees are a bit pricey, so she really had to work very hard to be able to afford her dream.
She even said that they were required to wear uniforms, and these added more to the ‘list’. That is why with CAVA, she wanted to assist those like her to be able to start and achieve their dreams a lot easier. So expect reasonable terms, merfriends!
Waze-able and Familiar Location
Having a background in real estate, I was trained that location is the first thing you look at in establishments. I was ecstatic to know that CAVA is very easy to find, and I can waze myself going towards it. Your UBER/GRAB ride can be as swift too!
Here are their addresses:
HG Studio – Torre Venezia Suites 170 Timog Avenue, corner Scout Santiago Street, Diliman, Quezon City, 1103 Metro Manila, Pilipinas
CAVA (Centre for Aesthetics and Visual Arts) – Unit 305 Victoria Tower Commercial, Panay Avenue Cor. Timog Avenue, Quezon City
Gorgeous Interiors
I love how the upscale interiors are designed; they make me want to learn makeup professionally already. I am sure, one look at this, and CAVA’s email will be bombarded by makeup enthusiasts wanting to be enlisted in their makeup classes.
The interiors remind me of Moulin Rouge, where performers prepare before the show, only this looks more chic and modern.
Quality Program and Services Trusted by Celebrities
Since there is only one brain mom who gave birth to HG Studio and CAVA, it’s no wonder that some of their clients attended and visited them during the launch.
Rachel Alejandro and Marco Alcaraz were there. And we had a quick sesh posting for photos.
One of the makeup artists who did a demo, Ms Eva is also a student from CAVA and she now works for MAC. She’s a testimony that CAVA can help you achieve your beauty dreams and take you places!
Amazing Mentors and Staff
Ms Hazel, together with Ms Maria and all the members of CAVA Team were all nice and accommodating. Their friendly smiles surely diminish the tension of awkward introductions, attendees’ reserved demeanor, and I bet, even the nervousness of their clients either an artist,  debutante or bride. Their warm personalities and professionalism make you want to book them for every event!
Ms Hazel also showed us how wearing a primer can drastically make colors pop more, compared to none. She also mentioned that primers cater to different types of skin, so we shouldn’t be mixing the primers meant for eyes lids, face, and lips.
I also learned that skin’s reaction to makeup regarding acidity is not seen days after. You can actually see it within minutes, 30 minutes at most.
How would you know if you’re acidic to a makeup brand? Apply some directly on the skin where you’re supposed to use it and then wait. If it turns darker, you’re acidic. :) Such a huge takeaway! :)
Ideal Venue for Beauty and Makeup Events
Now things start to become more and more interesting for CAVA. This isn’t just a makeup school; you can actually rent the place out for events, tutorials, makeup parties, meet-ups, talks, sponsorship affairs, etc. How fascinating is that? So if you’re a makeup artist wanting to host your first event, head on to CAVA and have this amazing place enjoyed by you and your attendees!
After the makeup sesh, JC Gellidon (Sony Ambassador) also taught us how we can maximize our camera phones to achieve good selfies and create beautiful photos with basic photography know-how.
Mireh Manna also stuffed our tummies with good food, which is why learning makeup and basic photography became more fun! And The Sexy Chef was there too! I am sure you heard that they deliver healthy food to those wanting to achieve great summer bods!
I learned so many things that day, pretty new wonderful things actually! And since you’re reading this post today, I have some good news!
CAVA will be hosting their second Makeup Workshop tomorrow! April 29, 2017, in their studio! Each enrollee will also be given a certificate of participation upon finishing the course as well as a gift bag filled with goodies for makeup junkies. Slots are limited so enroll now!
Please text or call (02) 6220360 / 09178830086 to know more!
You may also contact them through the following:
CAVA – Centre for Aesthetics and Visual Arts
3rd Floor Victoria Towers Commercial Bldg., Timog Ave. Quezon City,
http://www.cava.ph/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CAVAPhilippines/
Phone.: +632.622.0360      Mobile: +63917.8830086
HG Studio
Torre Venezia Suites, Timog Ave.Quezon City, Philippines
http://www.hgstudio.asia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/HGStudio/
Twitter: @MakeupbyHG       Instagram: @hg.studio
Phone: +63 2 622 0360        Mobile: +63 917 883 0086
With fellow blogger, Kisty Mea! Had such a great time sharing this experience with you! :)
Excited to learn makeup? What’s your favorite makeup product? I love lipsticks! What’s yours?
**, Via
7 Things Why CAVA is Your Dream Makeup School If there’s anything I’m not good at, considering how vain I am, oh, let me rephrase that – I mean how meticulous and a valuable physical image is to me, it’s probably putting on makeup.
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