#the fifth element is a mixed bag as a movie

[cantsayidont]

More hateration holleration:

If you took one metric ton of stale cliches, marinated them for a week in fermented cliche sauce, roasted them until all the edges were thoroughly burned, rolled them in cliche batter, deep-fried them in Oil of Cliche, cut the ensuring mass into two unwieldy portions, and drenched each in a liberal quantity of CGI cliche gravy, you would have something approximating Zack Snyder's REBEL MOON (which is not in fact a Star War despite looking very much like one).

The fact that it has not one remotely original concept or idea might be excusable if it were any fun at all — most recent Mousified STAR WARS projects have been so dreary that there might be room for an off-brand knockoff that was actually a good time — but REBEL MOON PART ONE: A CHILD OF FIRE is ponderous, utterly without humor, and maddeningly self-important, which thoroughly squelches any fleeting spark of interest, emotion, or even memorable weirdness (like Jena Malone as an angry spider lady). Its main attribute is Sofia Boutella showing off the results of her latest personal training regimen, which doesn't seem enough to sustain more than four hours of joyless, labor-intensive space opera screen time. It's like watching someone you don't know play a video game in which you have no particular interest.

Is REBEL MOON worse than THE LAST JEDI or THE RISE OF SKYWALKER (or AHSOKA, etc.)? Not really, I guess, but it has nothing to offer that couldn't be more satisfactorily obtained by just rewatching THE FIFTH ELEMENT, or for that matter BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS.

[andsoimissedmychance]

Tagged by @heylucifer​ to post 10 comfort movies. This is gonna be a mixed bag. And if you feel like doing so too (no pressure) I will tag @secretojunko​, @neilmobile​, @chungsun​, @banji-effect​, @garethschweitzer, @mikeymcparlane, @phalrex, and @zacharyayotte or whoever wants to. Okay, mine are as follows (today anyways) and not in any particular order. Feel free to judge me: Star Trek: First contact Orlando The Last Unicorn The Fifth Element Dune (David Lynch version) But I’m A Cheerleader Naussica and The Valley of the Wind Sister Act Carol Parting Glances

[wumblr]

posting the full article under the cut because it’s “subscriber exclusive” but the thing i specifically wanted to take issue with is this

Wheeler acknowledged in a recent interview that his and the county’s focus for years has been about the “long-term strategies of getting people into housing.”

this is a lie. he threatened, to county chair deborah kafoury, to defund housing programs, as an ultimatum or bargaining chip, after his handling of protests over the summer turned into a national public relations disaster... this endangered his mayoral re-election so much, he had to spend more from his trust fund on his campaign than any of his actual contributors had

Homeless sweep at Laurelhurst Park By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh | The Oregonian/OregonLive

When city officials cleared a sprawling homeless encampment at Southeast Portland’s Laurelhurst Park in November, they offered the 100 people living there a safe place indoors to sleep.

Most declined shelter at Mt. Scott Community Center, opting instead to remain in the streets.

Scott M., 50, was one of about two dozen to give the shelter a try.

He ditched the refurbished bicycle parts and assorted camping gear he sometimes sold to earn a few extra dollars, as well as his large tent.

“I gave up everything to go there,” said Scott, who provided only the first initial of his last name.

Scott lasted about two weeks at the shelter, he said, during which time he was twice expelled for multiple infractions such as having a broken piece of drug paraphernalia under his bed and not adequately cleaning up a common space.

He left and joined a growing group living outside Sunnyside Environmental School, many of them former residents of the Laurelhurst encampment seven blocks away.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler opposes such camps and has intensified the city’s efforts to break them up following a sudden pivot he made four months ago. Homeless sweep at Laurelhurst Park

Portland mayor says homeless camp sweeps are a ‘humane response,’ key to his strategy

In September, as polls suggested his reelection bid was on shaky ground, Wheeler announced a re-write of his homelessness priorities and threatened to pull money from the years-long joint effort with Multnomah County to get homeless or near-homeless residents into permanent affordable housing, sometimes with wrap-around mental health care or other social services.

His new mandate: Create far more beds in temporary shelters — and fast — to get people camping outdoors under roofs and behind walls. Members of the public want “a humane solution to the folks camped outside on our streets. And I agree with them,” he said.

But for Scott, his stay at Mt. Scott, one of the city’s newly opened indoor sleeping options, didn’t feel humane. He is better off in the Sunnyside homeless camp, he said.

Sure, Scott would love an apartment of his own. But during his 10 years on the street, he said, no one has shown him a pathway to that. Camping, he said, is his best option.

And he’s not alone. City outreach workers told the four dozen or so campers hunkered down at Sunnyside this week to pack up and leave and offered them spots in a shelter.

Most say they’re heading back to Laurelhurst instead.

“I’ve been like a rat on a wheel this whole time,” Scott said.

‘WE NEED A FEMA-LIKE RESPONSE’

That reality complicates Wheeler’s drive to dramatically reduce street homelessness. He has touted the shelter-and-sweep at Laurelhurst as a model he aims to replicate across the city.

But many experiencing homelessness and their advocates believe the mayor is just trying to sweep them out of view with a shallow solution. And the numbers show it’s not working.

Only 26, or about a quarter, of the Laurelhurst campers set foot in a shelter after they were cleared from the park, figures from the Joint Office of Homeless Services show. Just one-fifth of those at Sunnyside expressed interest in going to one, according to city officials.

Wheeler acknowledged in a recent interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive that his and the county’s focus for years has been about the “long-term strategies of getting people into housing.”

But he said the conspicuous prevalence of those braving the elements nightly, and the livability issues they engender, prompted his change in tactic.

“We need a FEMA-like response to the emergency on the streets right now,” he said. “We need to get as many people off the sidewalks as quickly and as humanely as possible.”

That forceful, urgent demand is not brand new for the mayor. Old Town Chinatown in the time of coronavirus pandemic

Portland mayor threatens to pull city from county-partnered homeless efforts; county chair calls it ‘outrageous’

Wheeler launched his first City Hall run in 2015 with a pledge to provide a safe place to sleep for every person living on Portland’s streets by his second year in office, calling the task a “moral imperative.”

But as mayor, he walked back that promise, acknowledging the homelessness crisis had more complex causes than simply a lack of indoor cots to sleep on – ones that needed more expensive, harder-to-build solutions including subsidized housing, vastly expanded mental health and addiction services and ongoing case management for those toughest to house.

Meanwhile, Portland’s homeless population grew under his watch.

According to the most recent one-night tally from February 2019, 2,037 people slept outside in Multnomah County — more than a 20% increase from two years prior.

An additional 1,459 were sleeping in emergency shelters.

During his tough reelection battle last fall, as business leaders and some neighborhood groups who supported his campaign grew increasingly vocal about the sight of more people inhabiting sidewalks, parks and public right of ways, Wheeler renewed his focus on sweeping campers off the street.

“That’s where we need to put our resources, that’s where the problem is, and overwhelmingly, this is what we’re hearing from the public that they want us to address,” Wheeler told The Oregonian/OregonLive at the time.

The Joint Office of Homeless Services proceeded to open several new shelter spaces by the end of the year, including in the Mt. Scott and Charles Jordan community centers as well as the former Greyhound bus station downtown.

Other spaces designed to temporarily house the homeless, such as a tiny-home village in St. Johns and a former Rite Aid pharmacy in the Arbor Lodge neighborhood, will open later this year.

STREET ENCAMPMENTS REMAIN

City and county officials are currently operating 1,330 24-hour, year-round emergency shelter beds for adults, families, youths and domestic violence survivors, with an additional 275 beds for the winter, said Denis Theriault, a spokesman for the homeless services office.

The sites include a mix of traditional congregant shelters, outdoor villages and city-run campsites outfitted with weatherized pods that contain beds, heat and electricity.

Street encampments, however, remain an enduring fiber in the fabric of the city. They dot downtown blocks, crop up beneath bridges and run along parks and transit thoroughfares.

Portland residents in the last week reported 240 active campsites citywide, according to figures provided by the city’s Homelessness and Urban Camping Impact Reduction Program. Homelessness in Lents

Multnomah County sees 20% more people sleeping outside in latest homeless count

A recent count by city staff found 44 encampments with eight or more tents and other makeshift dwellings — making them eligible for removal under city rules — and 25 had eight or more vehicles with people living inside them, said Heather Hafer, a spokeswoman for the program.

Among those large encampments was the one at Sunnyside, which swelled to about 50 people. Amid reports of open drug use, nearby housed people’s complaints and what the city judged to be inadequate hygiene and social distancing, the city began clearing it out this week.

Hafer said outreach workers had referred eight campers to shelters or the Hooper Detoxification Stabilization Center. City and county officials could not say how many ultimately showed up at one.

‘A FAILED POLICY’

Scott Rupp, 58, who had relocated to Sunnyside after being displaced from Laurelhurst, said he declined multiple offers to stay in a shelter because he was told that staff could not guarantee they’d be able assist him with his mental health disorders or help him find permanent housing.

Rupp, a Portland native, said he’s been homeless since 1994 and that his wife of more than three decades died while they were living on the streets together in 2019.

But he added that the lack of privacy, the sometimes stringent rules and the limits on personal possessions at most shelters always made them a poor fit for him.

“You have to live out of a plastic bag,” he said. “That’s not the way I want to live.”

Instead, Rupp said, he planned to join some of the other people who had already returned to Laurelhurst Park.

“To me, this feels like a slow-motion movie of a failed policy,” said John Mayer, the director of Beacon PDX, a homeless service organization that’s worked closely with those camped at Sunnyside and Laurelhurst. “We were doing this exact same thing six weeks ago.” Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler’s urgent mandate to get homeless campers to ‘humane’ indoor shelters isn’t working

Scott Rupp, 58, relocated to a homeless encampment outside Sunnyside Environmental School in Southeast Portland after being displaced from nearby Laurelhurst Park.

“To live with the idea that your one modicum of stability is always under threat is such a drain on the psyche,” Mayer said. “Without stability, we’re never going to see progress on an individual level.”

Portland business officials aren’t uniformly fans of the way Wheeler’s change in tactics is playing out.

Pamela Pelett, the owner of City Liquidators in Portland’s Central Eastside, said she knows most of the people living in tents outside her Southeast Third Avenue furniture store by name and offers them food and other help when she can.

But the unsanitary conditions of the camps, coupled with fights and other troubling behavior, has strained business and left some of her employees concerned for their personal safety, she said.

“There’s a real health issue going on,” Pelett said. “I’d like to see the city find a reasonable solution that actually works, but I’m not hopeful. There are folks who don’t want to be anywhere but on the street.”

‘I’M GOING TO DIE OUT HERE’

Meanwhile, the city of Portland plans to continue pushing for more alternatives. The mayor and commissioners will decide this spring whether to make permanent changes to municipal codes and regulations to allow large indoor and outdoor shelters in all parts of the city.

City and county officials also plan to seek formal proposals soon from community organizations and the public for several alternative shelter and safe parking pilot programs, Theriault said.

But even with eased zoning restrictions and a willingness to rethink shelter spaces, finding places suitable to house people remains difficult and time-consuming, he said.

They can also come with a steep price tag. Portland’s three emergency outdoor shelters, which provide just 100 beds, currently cost about $175,000 a month for staffing, utilities and food for residents, city and county officials said.

The city spent about another $1 million to build 19 tiny homes and a large communal space at the site of soon-to-open St. Johns Village. Portland's new homeless navigation team

Metro homeless services tax measure passes: Oregon election results

“We need to have an honest conversation with our community about what role shelters should play and whether shelters are appropriate solutions for everyone currently unhoused,” said Andy Miller, the executive director for Human Solutions, a non-profit that develops affordable housing and provides emergency shelter and assistance to homeless families. “It is an expensive intervention and not a good fit for everyone – especially shelters with a lot of rules and little privacy.”

Part of the challenge, Miller said, has arisen from larger systemic failures and federal disinvestment that increased how long people have to stay in shelters. The affordable housing crunch and lack of money available for rent assistance have made transitioning to permanent housing a more elusive option.

“I think there’s a mistaken narrative that if we build enough shelter beds, we can get everyone off the sidewalk and no one will have to experience the negative impacts of urban camping but that is just not accurate,” he said. “Further, doing so would lock up resources that are desperately needed to move people already in shelter out of shelter into permanent housing.

“Are you going to spend the next million to add shelter beds? Or spend it to get people in existing shelter beds into a real home?”

Advocates, as well as city and county officials, do see an historic opportunity to get more people off the streets and into permanent housing in the next few years.

In May, Portland-area residents approved a new tax to fund homeless services that is expected to raise $250 million a year for Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas counties.

Much of the funding, which will start to become available this summer, must be dedicated to support those who are deemed chronically homeless.

Rupp said he hopes that the help he needs to become housed comes soon.

“Otherwise, I’m going to die out here in the streets, just like my wife,” he said.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

[venusprincess-ts3]

Antique Museum Closeups

“Solutions” under cut xD

Aladdin - magic carpet Alien - face hugger Blade - sword and glaive Back to the future - Hooverboard and Grey Sports Almanac Beauty and the beast - Chip Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - ticket Christine - License plate Child's Play - Chucky doll Donnie darko - wheres Donnie? white board Dark - sic mundus door Dragon Ball Z - radar Dennis the menace - radio flyer wagons Death Note - notepad ET - Elliot's bike Emperor's Groove - Kuzco hat Edward Scisor Hands - mansion photo Ed, Edd and Eddy - Plank Fight club - soaps bars Fifth element - elements and multipass Friends - Frame Friday 13th - Camp Crystal Lake Flyer Ghostbusters - ghost trap Guardians of the galaxy - awesome mix cassete Goonies - Skeleton Key Goosebumps - Slappy Hannibal - Clarice Starling's Id Happy! - Nick Sax scarf Hook- Captain Hook's hook xD Hellraiser - Cube Home alone - doves IT - Derry's map and baloon Jurassic park - pass Jumanji - game board Kill Bill  - katana Lord of the rings - One ring Knight rider - License plate Mr Robot - E corp newspaper Misery - type writter machine (I forgot to edit the brand before taking the pics) Matrix - pills and Morpheus chair Neverending story - book Nightmare on Elm Street - Freddy's glove Pirates of the carabeans - Jack Sparrow's compass Rick and Morty - portal gun Rubber - assassin tire Raiders of the Lost Ark - Indiana Jones hat and wip Resident evil - virus bottles Parks and recreation - Mouse rat cd Peaky Blinders - Garrison pub sign Pet Sematary - Sign Predator - Yautja shoulder weapon Pulp fiction - poster from Jack Rabbit restarant Sweeney Todd - razor Star Wars - Rebel alliance necklace, Luke's lightsabers S7ven- card box Sonic, The hedgehog - rings and bag Silent Hill - Pyramid head mask and sword Saw - Billy The Puppet Shinning - room door Shawshank redemption - letter to Red and post card Supernatural - License plate, Dean's pendant Teenage mutant ninja turtles - eye masks Toy Story - Woody Ted - Plushie Ted Trick 'r Treat  - Sam The Mandalorian - beskar steel plaques Ted movie - Ted Plushie The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance - Hup's spoon The witcher - Renfri's brooch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Chainsaw The ring - ladder V for Vendetta - GuyFawkes Wizard of OZ - Dorothy Ruby Shoes Walking Dead - Lucille Westworld - maze Zombieland - twinkies

[nonbinaryhatboxghost]

Okay, today has been a quiet Saturday morning so far, I have some time, and I like lists. So here is my random (personal) ranking of Star Trek series and movies, out of what I’ve seen, which is everything but seasons 5-7 of Voyager, all of Enterprise, and all of Picard. I’m only counting shows with three or more seasons because it’s easier. But let the record show that I love Lower Decks so far and The Animated Series is actually a blast.

SPOILERS THROUGHOUT

Series Ranking

The Original Series - As influential of a show as it is, I constantly forget how much damn fun the original Trek is. There is an almost Community-like variance in tone and genre throughout the show. And I’m a sucker for a future that embraces primary colors. It is the Trek show I revisit the most so far, and it remains my favorite.

Deep Space Nine - This one comes close, though. It starts out as a solid spinoff with very well-defined characters, and then becomes a big, sprawling epic that had my eyes welling up by the end. It feels more like a sequel to The Original Series than The Next Generation did to me. It dealt with subject matter both different and darker than was expected for the time. It had characters at odds with each other. Religion was explored in a way that balanced brutal honesty with genuine respect. War and the various traumas it induces were acknowledged. And it had “Take Me Out to the Holosuite”. I only finished this one recently but I look forward to watching it again.

Discovery - I was rooting for this show to be good even as it went through so much behind-the-scenes drama during its first two seasons. Even with all of that going on, the show became a fascinating watch as you saw it change from its arguably-too-dark beginnings as a prequel, to the almost Doctor Who-like second season with its joyful embracing of classic Trek, and finally to its current iteration that at long last gives us a Trek show that’s not bound by prequel limitations. Michael Burnham is such a great character and getting to see her arc alone makes this one of my favorite Trek stories. The queer/nonbinary representation also warms my heart.

Voyager - I’m just starting the fifth season, but the show has settled into an interesting groove with its characters. And Voyager’s characters are so damn good that they counterbalance a lot of the show’s early problems. It takes a while for Voyager to realize that the Kazon do not work very well as villains. But once the show realizes that, it begins an upward trajectory in quality that reminds me of Deep Space Nine after it began doing Dominion plots. And Seven of Nine’s effect on the crew dynamic lives up to the hype. Any scene between her and Janeway demonstrates such a unique relationship between captain and crewmate that an episode plot can be meh and still worth it for a scene with those two. Also, Janeway is the best captain character. No other Trek show (that I’ve seen so far) comes close to showing us the weight of leadership like Voyager, and Mulgrew constantly brings it.

The Next Generation - This is my first Trek show. It’s the one that my dad watched. There are several standout episodes to me, but I find myself less drawn to revisiting TNG than the other Trek shows because ultimately it took me too long to understand and care about its cast of characters. If you were to ask me to describe any character from any other Trek show, I would be able to. Ask me to describe a TNG character and I would likely fail to give any good adjectives for any character besides Data and Worf. As iconic as the show is, and as great as it became, it doesn’t have the same pull on me as other Trek shows. But it was the template for the spinoffs that followed, and the portrayal of Picard’s trauma post-Borg assimilation earns its reputation as an all-timer for me.

Movie Ranking

VI: The Undiscovered Country - I’m surprised this one isn’t talked about as much as other Trek movies. It’s a very frank depiction of prejudices and learning to deal with them. It has one of the best Kirk/Spock scenes ever. Christopher Plummer as a Klingon. The ORIGINAL cast credits sign-off (yes, Avengers: Endgame borrowed from this). A score that carefully balances menace with eventual hope. A fun whodunit structure. I could go on and on. It’s just so damn great, and so far the only successful send-off to a Trek crew in any of the movies.

II: The Wrath of Khan - It’s a classic for a reason. I’ve probably rewatched this more than any other Trek movie. You got your great villain, your classic crew beginning to deal with their mortality, an all-timer death scene, a kickass early James Horner score. What more could you want?

The Motion Picture - This is an interesting one. When I first watched it as a teen, I hated it. I agreed with every critique of it being thinly plotted and having an excessive runtime. When I revisited it in my 20s, it became a favorite. It’s Star Trek’s exploration of existential dread, and the struggle to find agency and identity within that dread. It has possibly Jerry Goldsmith’s greatest score. It is the best that the Enterprise has ever looked. This movie envelopes you with eerie and epic imagery, culminating in a finale with interesting philosophical ramifications and a well-earned return to optimism from its crew. This one is criminally underrated.

First Contact - This one is just rock solid all around. The best-ever TNG villains, further exploration of Picard’s trauma from Borg assimilation, Alfre Woodard, Alice Krige, fun action, the genesis of the Federation. It has the best balance of darkness and fun out of all of the Trek movies. It also has a character actually say the words “star trek” in a way that never ceases to make me smile. I don’t know if it’s a good line, but it’s funny regardless.

Beyond - Like The Motion Picture, I initially disliked this upon first viewing. I was still in the middle of watching The Original Series and was in the wrong mindset for this mashup of TOS and Fast & Furious. But it’s one of the most underrated Treks because it’s a perfect balance of the more kinetic action found in the 2010s with a very well-done breakdown of the inherent point and value of Star Trek: learning to be better and move beyond fighting the same battles among ourselves.

IV: The Voyage Home - This one is such a satisfying culmination of the crew’s arc starting in The Wrath of Khan that the joy of the 1980s material is almost just a bonus to me. Nimoy does a good job of keeping things light without disregarding stakes. He gets the best portrayal of the crew’s camaraderie in this and The Search for Spock. And Spock’s reaction to the concept of “exact change” always makes me laugh.

III: The Search for Spock - I revisited this one recently and it held up better than I expected. Seeing the weight of Spock’s death on Kirk in the beginning hits hard. Christopher Lloyd as the Klingon villain is casually one of the best Trek movie villains. And seeing the crew uniting over trying to bring back Spock gives us some of the best on-screen moments of this cast.

Star Trek - One of the reasons I love Beyond so much is that it retroactively makes this one better. I was crazy for this movie when it came out. I was in high school, Star Trek in general was something I was only really aware of because of my dad. But this is the thing that got me into Trek. And as mixed of a bag as it now plays to me, ‘09 Star Trek being a gateway for me to general Trek, combined with the perfect casting of the crew, the excellent Giacchino score, and the emotion of the opening sequence, thankfully makes this one still a blast to revisit.

Nemesis - I have only seen this twice, and both of those times without having seen TNG in its entirety. This was also the very first Trek movie I ever saw. Nostalgia is a factor for why this is higher than the others on the list. Curiosity is another, as I was unaware of Tom Hardy when I watched this, and have no idea what my opinion will be on rewatch. But what I always remembered of this movie was its ending, which even to a novice like myself when I first saw it had an impact.

Generations - There are quite a few great scenes that Stewart gets in this movie. Malcolm McDowell is also great in it. But the whole plot feels too forced for me to get actually swept up in it. And as fun as it is to see Shatner and Stewart share the screen... it ultimately has no impact and leads to a strangely lame death for Kirk.

Insurrection - The idea of Enterprise going rogue against the Federation for forcibly relocating a population for a natural resource is such a good concept... which makes the goofiness and half-baked writing of this entry all the more confusing. All the elements are there, but it feels like the tone was forced to be lighter than the material warranted. It’s frustrating because Frakes’ directing chops that he showed off on First Contact are still visible here. But for whatever reason, this one just falls apart.

Into Darkness - This one is low on the list mainly because it represents almost all the negative traits of the modern blockbuster to me. Darkness without depth, franchise callbacks without substance, and no character development/change by the end. Another reason why Beyond works better as a sequel to ‘09 Star Trek than this one is that Into Darkness feels more like it’s trying to make Star Trek a bigger movie franchise rather than develop this iteration of the Enterprise crew. Nothing and no one is changed by the end of this story.

V: The Final Frontier - It is the most difficult Trek movie to sit through, and yet I can’t call it a disaster. For all of its misfirings on the comedy front (dancing Uhura, for instance), the camping material with Kirk, Spock and McCoy is genuinely great. The premise of its villain being on a quest to find God is ultimately a misfire, but it leads to a very engagingly ridiculous climax centered around the question “What does God need with a starship?” There are far too many undeveloped ideas in this one, but that scene is worth seeing this movie for. At least, now that we know it didn’t kill the franchise, as so many apparently feared when this came out.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Aldrich Killian

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

You know, I really never wanted to talk about this guy. Iron Man 3 is a rather mixed bag to me, with some good stuff and some bad stuff, but undeniably the worst part of it is this Mandarin imposter who usurps the spotlight away from the far more interesting character we’ve been presented with, who is also revealed to be a fraud.

Killian is just a big pile of wasted potential, potential wasted in numerous directions even. You’d exoect the Mandarin, the head of AIM, and the guy who is ruining Tony Stark’s life to be a bit more impressive and memorable… and he just isn’t.

Actor: The best thing he has going for him is that he’s played by Guy Pearce, who is a fantastic actor. But as great as Pearce is, I really don’t think he is fully able to sell Killian. I don’t blame him at all, the character is just so poorly executed, it just sucks to see a good actor wasted on an underwhelming role like this.

Motivation/Goals: So what made this guy want to kill Tony? It must be something huge if he’s going to such absurd lengths to kill Tony, right? Get this: he wants to kill Tony because Tony blew him off once, thirteen years prior. A blow off that didn’t do much since Killian is the founder and CEO of AIM and also incredibly rich. Obviously he has goals relating to the Extremis, but it’s hard not to dwell on the incredibly weak and petty reasoning he has for going after Tony.

Personality: He’s much more sociopathic than most other villains in Iron Man’s solo films; the guy is out for petty revenge and a desire to own the War on Terror, not to mention his numerous other character flaws. He honestly would come off more like a Metal Gear villain if the writing of the film were better, but as it stands he’s a bit wooden and dull, and his lack of a personality helps make him all the more forgettable.

Final Fate: Pepper, injected with Extremis, blows a hole in him, an undignified end for him and a bungled moment of power for her. This guy can’t even die right.

Best Scene: This is one of those rare occasions that I have to say there is no best scene,

Best Quote: If I have to give him anything, I guess this quote will suffice:  “No more false faces. You said you wanted ‘The Mandarin’...you're looking right at him. It was always me, Tony, right from the start. I AM THE MANDARIN!” I mean, the line’s a load of crap, because he’s not the Mandarin, but whatever.

Final Thoughts & Score: This is such a weird character. They mashed together a minor character from the comics who had pretty much no major personality and then used him as a weird whitewashed version of Iron Man’s most iconic foe, and this is after giving us a more faithful and interesting modernized take in Ben Kingsley’s fake Mandarin. Throw in the fact that Killian is played by an incredibly talented actor and you have someone who is as baffling as Malekith and nearly as awful.

Killian is a 1/10, for sure, and there was no reason he had to be. Much like with Hammer and Vanko, the elements are all here for an interesting and compelling villain. The big issue is that he has the same exact problem that the villain of the fifth Friday the 13th movie does: the whole movie presents an iconic villain for most of its runtime, only to give us a last-minute twist that reveals, no, the character we’re watching is someone else who is far less interesting and has weaker motives. IF they were going to do the Mandarin here, they should have given us the Mandarin as portrayed by Ben Kingsley, and if they were gonna do AIM, why not just have Killian become MODOK or something rather than have him assume some other role? It just feels like there were a lot of missed opportunities with this guy, and he could have been good if only they didn’t try and shoehorn in an inane twist.

And yes, All Hail the King reveals the Mandarin is out there somewhere, but he hasn’t shown up yet, so it really doesn’t make this guy any better.

[justgotham]

Telling a Gotham fan to get ready for weird surprises is like telling Jim Gordon that it's going to be a long day. The information was plainly obvious from the start. So it should come as no real shock that Gotham is shaking things up a bit when the iconic villain Bane is introduced during the final nine-episode stretch. Speaking with CinemaBlend ahead of Episode 3, Gotham showrunner John Stephens is excited for audiences to expect the unexpected with Bane.

That was super-exciting, because we got to tell another origin story, you know? And a very different origin story than in the books, and in the Nolan movie. We do our version of [Bane's story], which for better or for worse is a very, very different version.

It cannot be denied that Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises changed the game when it comes to how Bane is viewed and portrayed within pop culture. Tom Hardy's performance, which was at once both contained and unbridled, coupled with his distorted voice to make his iteration the key version for many fans. But it's not like it was the most faithful take on the comics' use of Bane, so expect nothing different from Gotham.

In fact, Gotham almost has the disadvantage here, since Shane West will be offering up the second extended take on Bane in live-action, making heightened comparisons inevitable. (Batman & Robin's version doesn't count here, for all the obvious reasons.) Coming less than seven years after Tom Hardy's portrayal, and with an actor whose previous genre projects have been extremely hit or miss, Gotham's Bane surely needs some dramatic change-ups to stand apart.

Showrunner John Stephens gave me a better idea of what to expect from Gotham's Bane beyond just the notion that he'd be an intentionally altered take on the character.

I feel like it plays both very scary and it plays very 'boots on the ground,' which is really cool. I think it totally fits into the world. I hope fans like it. I think we'll see. I think Shane does a really great job when he comes into it as well.

What little we know about Shane West's Bane already runs counter to what anyone would have expected even six months ago. At the time when Bane-related rumors started floating, it was revealed that Gotham would bring in Eduardo Dorrance. That info had many thinking a live-action take on Bane's comic book father Edmund Dorrance was coming. (After all, Bane doesn't have an official alter ego.) However, Eduardo IS Bane, and that's obviously not the only change.

Though much of Eduardo's transition to supervillain is still under wraps, we know that the character's backstory will match up with Jim's. It was reported that the two will actually be old buddies from their Army days. But while Jim shifted over to police work, Eduardo seemingly stayed part of the military-industrial complex, which is what brings him to Gotham City in its most desperate "No Man's Land" times. Sounds somewhat similar to how The Punisher revamped Billy Russo for Netflix.

However close the two men were before, it'll clearly have little effect on what goes on in Season 5. Jim won't be able to stop Eduardo from taking on his more dastardly identity, and that doesn't bode well for a city that has been all but ignored by the government. Wait a minute, what if Bane is working for the government in order to destroy Gotham? Or...what if Eduardo is actually just Jeremiah in an extremely well-crafted mask? I'd buy it.

The way Gotham's John Stephens put it, the show was able to officially bring Bane to fans because the producers were given a little more creative leeway from DC to bring in various as-yet-unseen Batman characters and references. He's what he had to say about the restrictions laid upon the writing staff in Season 5.

There were very few. [DC was] really very, very open to us, saying, 'You know what? If you want to do that, go for it.' So, they were great.

As some fans may be aware, the deeper Gotham goes into Season 5, the more madcap and bonkers it'll get, with the series finale taking place years in the future, after Bruce's vigilantism as Batman has become more widely recognized within Gotham City. (And after Cameron Monaghan takes on some kind of a third role.) It seems likely that Bane will cause quite a bit of destruction before we get there, though.

This is such a huge year for Gotham, considering its chances of getting a fifth season weren't the strongest during 2018. The fans clamored for more, and Fox made the proper decision to bring these characters back for one more dark and sinister round. I'd asked John Stephen how he and the others felt about putting together the last dozen episodes of the pre-caped crusader drama and here's what he told me:

Like a lot these things, it's a double-edged sword. Because on the one hand, we're really excited, because anything we've been holding on the shelf, we could pull out and put out there. We didn't have to save anything, we could really leave it all on the street, as they say. On the other hand, there's that bittersweet element of knowing that this was the end, that we weren't gonna get to tell any more stories when we finished this season. So, it was definitely that mixed bag [where there's] a lot of excitement going into it, but the closer we got to the end, the more the realization was that this one actually was the end.

Get ready for Gotham to pull out all the stops going forward as it brings Jeremiah back into the fold alongside his Harley-esque sidekick Ecco.

It looks like we won't have long to wait at all before meeting up with Shane West's Eduardo Dorrance in Season 5, even if he may not make the full transition to Bane in his first episode. Here's hoping it doesn't take long for the iconic character to flip the villainous switch, though.

[rederiswrites]

Writing Questionnaire

Thanks to my dear @dafan7711

Short stories, novels, or poems?

For reading? Novels

What genre do you prefer reading?

Speculative fiction. Heavier on the fantasy than sci fi but both...ever since I started reading Dragonlance in fourth grade

What genre do you prefer writing?

Oh, fantasy, though I have a few more sci-fi original fiction ideas, too.

More below the cut:

Are you a planner or a write-as-I-go kind of person?

I’m a planner to the point of dysfunctionality. Can’t start writing til I’ve got everything worked out and then I don’t write because I’ve already told myself the story. I’m working on loosening up a bit.

What music do you listen to while writing?

EDM, trap, techno...words distract me, repetition helps me get in the groove. Here, my favorite writing playlist.

Fave books/movies?

Books: a lot of things by Ursula K. LeGuin, the Ender’s Game books (despite my anger with Card), Brandon Sanderson, Guy Gavriel Kay...

Movies? Generally I’m a sucker for shit blowing up and pithy one-liners. The MCU, Wonder Woman, The Fifth Element, Sahara (a vanity project of Matthew McConaughey based on a Clive Cussler novel which apparently no one but me and my husband watched but which we quote constantly. It’s our secret language.)

Any current WIPs?

*cries* Yeah uh, a couple. maybe one or twenty.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you, what would your standard outfit be?

 Red Deadpool hoodie and jeans

Create a character description for yourself:

Sarcastic, cynic, and rarely serious, Red is the idea person of the party. They put all their points into Intelligence and Charisma, so watch out or you’ll be carrying their backpack and thinking it’s good for you.

Do you like incorporating people you actually know into your writing?

I’ve done it here and there and it can be entertaining.

Are you kill-happy with characters?

No, not at all.

Coffee or tea while writing?

Tea.

Slow or fast writer?

I’d say it’s more a matter of all-or-nothing than slow or fast. :P

Where/who/what do you find inspiration from?

I mean, occasionally I write things to process stuff in real life, but mostly just I get my ideas from plain old thinking about the material at hand.

If you were put into a fantasy world, what would you be?

Realistically, or who would I choose to be? LOL. I guess the straightest port would be the blacksmith’s spouse who makes a little money on the side doing crafts and teaching neighborhood children.

Most fave book cliche? Least fave book cliche?

Most favorite? Probably loving family, either found or traditional. Usually found, because hardly any fantasy novels include loving birth families, but a while back I read an otherwise mixed bag of a book that had a big loving family all woven through and I instantly adored them.

Least favorite? I dunno, I just...can’t stomach books that don’t have any light moments, no bits of humor or sunshine.

Fave scenes to write?

Long overdue fights. Siblings or rivals or whoever just really letting it aaaall come out, lancing the wound.

Most productive time of day for writing?

Right about goddamn when I should be making dinner. VERY ANNOYING

Reason for writing?

Because I can? I always wanted to.

[bringinbackpod]

Interview with Oliver Francis

We had the pleasure of interviewing Oliver Francis over Zoom video!  The Columbia, MO rapper, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Oliver Francis creatively nods to Blade Runner and The Fifth Element as much as he nods to The Weeknd and Travis Scott. Now, he presents a bold blockbuster vision without boundaries. After amassing 100 million-plus streams, selling out shows, and receiving acclaim from Elevator and more, he widens the scope of the genre, fusing sci-fi ambition to gritty trap. “I had a bit of a breakthrough,” he admits. “I wanted to mix these great sci-fi movies with melodic hip-hop, trap, and pop. Once I struck this balance, I was on a roll. This phase took a conceptual turn, and it tells a very loose story. Thinking conceptually allows me to say things a rapper wouldn’t normally say. At the time, I was sick of saying all of the same shit about Balenciaga bags over and over again. I was tired of using the same drums too. I wanted to break out of the box and try new things sonically and lyrically.” A lifetime dedicated to music enabled him to do just that. Hailing from the small town of Ashland, MO, he grew up listening to Green Day, skateboarding, and obsessing over alternative culture to the “very conservative Midwestern landscape.” Raised by musicians, dad played guitar and performed worship music in church—where Oliver also picked up the drums. Listening to punk and emo, he played in numerous bands with the dream “to become a famous rock star.” He worked as a janitor for five years as he quietly wrote and recorded music. Taking the reins as a producer and artist, he introduced himself in 2017. Off his Essentials EP, “Aahhyeahh” posted up 39.5 million Spotify streams followed by “Anti-Grav,” “Gemini,” “3 Deep,” and “Chernobyl”—all of which also cracked the 10 million mark on Spotify. In between, he packed shows on tour and dropped three albums, culminating on 2019’s The Adventures of Oliver Francis. Praising the latter, Elevator predicted “[he] is destined to become a superstar.” Working out of his bedroom studio, he expanded the sonic palette for this next chapter. “I’m a guitar player and a drummer, but I find a lot of samples for my music,” he explains. “I stumbled on an eighties synth sound, and I knew immediately I had found where I wanted to go. Over the summer and fall of 2020, I was running about ten miles per day—and I even ran a marathon. Running allowed me to think creatively. It was during this time I knew where I was going sonically, and everything fell into place.” He kicks the door open with “Toxic Paradise.” As if musically finding the nexus between Travis Scott’s Rodeo and Linkin Park’s Hybrid Theory, a glitchy beat cuts through booming bass as he sets the scene with intensely anxious rhymes, “Girl, you know that heaven’s overrated, and you know that the angels honestly hate it.” Co-written with Aaron Gillespie of Underoath, it culminates on an irresistible and infectious refrain. “It was the discovery of the sound for sure,” he explains. “As far as the overarching narrative goes, it’s the moment where I arrive. I’m landing in Los Angeles, looking for drugs, obtaining them, and taking them, ultimately. ‘Toxic Paradise’ is giving away a piece of yourself to get high.” The entire project traces this story as the protagonist from “Toxic Paradise” goes undercover as part of a resistance against a mega-pharmaceutical company called Violence Labs. Twists and turns follow as he falls down a rabbit hole of deceit, lust, addiction, and ultimately catharsis. Ultimately, Oliver Francis gives the world something it has never heard before in 2021. We want to hear from you! Please email Tera@BringinitBackwards.com. www.BringinitBackwards.com #podcast #interview #bringinbackpod #OliverFrancis #zoom #aspn #americansongwriter #americansongwriterpodcastnetwork Listen & Subscribe to BiB Follow our podcast on Instagram and Twitter!  source https://www.spreaker.com/user/14706194/interview-with-oliver-francis

[frontproofmedia]

DOLO FLICKS: Friday The 13th Franchise Ranking From Worst to Best (#4-1)

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Published: November 05, 2020

In this final installment of my ranking of the Friday The 13th franchise, we take a look at what I consider to be the top movies in the series.

Two of the films on the list below do hold a level of nostalgia as they are the only movies I was able to see in theatres. The films that are in the top two don't stray far from common opinions.

Watching all 12 films in the franchise has given me a new appreciation for Friday The 13th and certainly solidified for me Jason's standing as a horror icon.

4. FREDDY VS. JASON

RELEASED: AUGUST 15, 2003

DIRECTOR: RONNY YU

APPROXIMATELY 22 KILLS

The long-awaited battle between Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees spent a decade in development hell before finally being released in 2003.

Freddy vs. Jason was one of the most anticipated films in horror history. It had a fantastic marketing campaign that led to the film becoming the highest-grossing film in both the Friday The 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises.

Admittedly, Freddy vs. Jason is a personal preference of mine since it was the first Friday The 13th/A Nightmare on Elm Street film I was able to see in theaters.

The movie premiere that I attended was filled with horror fanatics dawning all of their favorite Jason and Freddy memorabilia and clothes, leading to a fun movie-going experience where the audience loudly celebrated certain parts of the film.

The plot of the movie finds the people of Springwood, Ohio, unfamiliar with Freddy Krueger due to a pill that suppresses people’s dreams. Krueger manipulates Jason to kill people in Springwood to spread fear back in the community to regain his powers.

Jason, who is played by Ken Kerzinger, does the majority of the killing in the film. One of the kills at the beginning of the movie to a character named Trent sticks out as Jason folds him in half using a mattress.

Krueger isn’t the over-the-top, almost cartoonish character he portrayed in the latter A Nightmare on Elm Street films, specifically in the fifth and sixth entries in the franchise.

Robert Englund plays Krueger, similar to the franchise’s third installment Dream Warriors, a blend of comedic one-liners infused in terrifying nightmare scenarios.

The weakest portions of the film come when the movie focuses on its protagonist characters. Some of these characters are the worst in the franchise, such as Kelly Rowland’s Kia and Jason Ritter’s Will. There is even one character that is a blatant rip off of Jay from the Jay and Silent Bob movies.

There are some plot developments that make little sense, such as Jason being afraid of water as throughout the series Jason is shown going in and out of bodies of water.

The film’s ranking rests primarily with its third act, where Jason and Freddy battle at Crystal Lake. The action scene’s between the two delivers in big fashion, with both characters having their moments.

Surprisingly, there has not been a sequel with the amount of money the movie made. Despite the film's lower-tier characters, Freddy vs. Jason is a fun time for fans of both franchises and delivered in its most crucial act.

3. FRIDAY THE 13TH (2009)

RELEASED: FEBRUARY 13, 2009

DIRECTOR: MARCUS NISPEL

APPROXIMATELY 14 KILLS

The 2009 reboot of Friday The 13th may be the most divisive film in the franchise. Like Freddy vs. Jason, the film suffers from a subpar cast and, for many, one of the worst characters in horror movie history in Trent, played by Travis Van Winkle.

The film followed a reboot renaissance from studio Platinum Dunes that included The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that brought a more modern touch to the horror classics.

The film's best asset falls on its portrayal of Jason, played by Derek Mears. Jason is a hybrid of the zombie Jason that was introduced in Friday The 13th VI: Jason Lives and a survivalist that sets traps and can kill in a variety of ways.

Arguably, Jason is at his most frightening in the 2009 reboot.

The highlight of the film is in the first 25 minutes as it shows a group of friends camping as they look for a field of marijuana. Jason takes out each one brutally, including a sleeping bag kill leaving a victim hung in the bag over a fire for a brutal slow death.

Also, the fan-favorite bag head version of Jason makes an appearance in the film before finding his infamous hockey mask.

The plot of the film is somewhat by the numbers as Jason kidnaps one of the campers from the beginning of the movie, who resembles his mother. The girl’s brother comes looking for his sister and runs into a group of friends staying at a friends’ family cabin.

They run into Jason, and the killing commences.

While for many the characters in Friday The 13th (2009) may make the film hard to digest, Jason and the kills in the movie make it the most accessible Friday The 13th film. This film is the Friday The 13th that you would show to someone who has never seen any of the movies and is unfamiliar with the franchise.

2. FRIDAY THE 13TH IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER

RELEASED: APRIL 13, 1984

DIRECTOR: JOSEPH ZITO

APPROXIMATELY 13 KILLS

The fourth installment in the Friday The 13th franchise is an amalgamation of the previous three films that combines a majority of their best elements.

The Final Chapter is the quintessential Friday The 13th movie.

With the return of Tom Savini as a special makeup effects artist, the kills throughout the film are stellar.

Similar to the Friday The 13th Part 3, The Final Chapter begins immediately after the previous film's events.

Jason is taken to a hospital where he is presumed to be dead. He then awakens and brutally kills his way out of the hospital to head back to his stomping grounds at Crystal Lake.

The Final Chapter follows two groups of people.

The first is a group of friends staying at a friend’s home for the weekend. The second group that is being followed is the Jarvis family, who live next door.

There is also a slight storyline that follows the character Rob played by Erich Anderson, who is seeking revenge for his sister, who died in Friday The 13th Part 2.

The movie is best known for introducing Tommy Jarvis to the franchise who is played by Corey Feldman. Jarvis is a unique character that could be based on Tom Savini, as he is shown to have made horror movie quality masks.

In the age of social media, the standout star in the movie is Crispin Glover, who plays Jimmy. Glover has a scene in the film that would make Elaine from Seinfeld cringe as he shows off his dance moves in one of the most memorable and mocked scenes in the entire franchise.

Ted White, who chose not to be credited, portrays one of the best Jason’s in the franchise. One of the best kills in the film includes a twin character that is thrown out a window in dramatic fashion.

The movie’s final act features Trish Jarvis, played by Kimberly Beck, who runs the final girl circuit of discovering dead bodies one after the other. Trish does put up a fight against Jason, but it is ultimately Tommy Jarvis who puts Jason down for good.

Tommy shaves a majority of his head bald to resemble what Jason looked like as a kid, which puts the killer on hold, allowing for him to be whacked in the head by Trish with a machete.

Tommy follows up with a hit of his own with a machete that kills Jason dramatically.

Jason’s death is arguably the best kill in the film, with his head slowly going down the machete after getting hit.

The Final Chapter, for many, is the best Friday The 13th film. It features a serviceable yet memorable cast, fantastic kills, and one of the most satisfying endings in the franchise.

This film could have easily been at the top of my list, and over the years, it could end up at the number one spot.

1. FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES

RELEASED: AUGUST 1, 1986

DIRECTOR: TOM McLOUGHLIN

APPROXIMATELY 18 KILLS

Written and Directed by Tom McLoughlin, Friday The 13th: Jason Lives is one of the most unique and fun horror movies of the 1980s. The film brings forth the zombie version of Jason that is most well known in pop culture.

The film brings back Tommy Jarvis, who wants to make sure that Jason is dead. He heads to the deceased killer’s grave and digs up the body only to impale it with a metal rod. The metal rod is struck by lightning, and Jason is reborn.

The movie brilliantly inputs Meta elements throughout the film blending a mix of comedy and action that make it stand out to this day.

Jason Lives is the only Friday The 13th film with no nudity and even shows kids at the camp setting. Don’t worry; Jason does not kill any children in the movie.

The kills throughout the movie are well made despite the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) editing them down to reduce the gore amount. Even the kills that are done off-screen are well made as the film does a brilliant job of showing the aftermath of the kill.

The chemistry between the Sheriff’s daughter Megan played by Jennifer Cook and Tommy Jarvis, allows the audience to care more about the antagonists instead of viewing them as mere fodder for Jason.

The Friday The 13th franchise is a series that doesn’t have an absolute classic film that transcends the horror genre such as 1978’s Halloween or 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Jason Lives and even The Final Chapter are the closest the series comes to having a transcendent horror film. At the very least, these films are about as good as any of the sequels in the Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises.

Jason Lives is the film that I think of when I think of Friday The 13th. Undoubtedly, it is the movie in the franchise that has the most replay value and the film that I would choose to show to anyone who hasn’t seen Friday The 13th.

Let me know what you think of my rankings and put your rankings down below.

(Featured Photo: New Line Cinema/Platinum Dunes)



[boston-gossip]

Pls do a review of everyone’s outfits at the gala.

After tonight, my eyes are truly starving for some beauty.

Mara Richardson: A true fiesta del failure. Feathers and lace? Are you serious? That feather piece could’ve been a good idea if you were going for cheap Florida Stripper look, but no. It just hurts my eyes.

Liz Morgan: Surprise! She wore black… Her fashion choices are as bland as her personality, so I don’t even wanna waste my time on that.

Anders Larsson: A navy suit with blue shirt – how surprising! Honestly you might afford fancy designers but you definitely need to hire a stylist first.

Lila Johnson: Thanks for trying to bring 2005 back with that sequin skirt. All you succeed is giving me a seizure.

Winnie Mearns: I like the dress but a ballerina wearing white? So boring and predictable.

Annika Johnsson: One of my favorite looks of the night, you look like a high end hooker. 

Zoe Andrews: The dress was okay, nothing interesting nor special but girl, where did you even find that mask? You should burn it.

Emily Price: It’s modest and simple, just like Emily but I was hoping she could show some skin. Booooooring.

Mea Parker: Love me some Hellenistic look but that hair piece? Girl, this is a ball, not Coachella.

Kajal Malhotra: Finally a look that I truly like. It’s outside the box, I love the contrast between feathers and leather jacket. Not a fan of the mask but I can overlook that.

Spencer Brady: Honestly it’s a simple black ensemble, nothing to comment on.

Luke Rivers: Good god, did you guys plan this? Seems like all of you decided to wear black and look boring.

Sam Harden: First of all, brown is over. Second, brown is over. I don’t know why are you trying to make it happen but I can assure you it’s not gonna happen. I wish you could just put a bag on your head instead of that mask and save us from the misery.

Payton Atkinson: You matched your shoes with your mask, which I like. I am not sure about the dress though, you seem a little bit underdressed.

Brody Cohen: N. I don’t even have energy to say no anymore. Boooooooring.

Kristen Palmers: I always appreciate a good LBD with timeless Louboutins. I just don’t know why you murdered that great outfit with those gloves. Murderer!

Anton Stavros: I didn’t know this was a costume party, I thought it was just a black tie event. A for the effort, that’s for sure but that jacket? Did you borrow it from the costume department of Boston Lyric Opera?

Logan Mills: Another black suit. Groundbreaking, who would’ve thought?

Owen Burke: Insert another cliche insult about a black suit. I am tired of criticising, yet you all are not tired of wearing it.

Robert Berkshire: That look may be all the rage in wherever you came from but in Boston, they will arrest you for crime against humanity. 

James Kingston: I like how you paired your mask with your suits’ details, maybe you were trying to distract us from your bad hair but whatever, I approve.

Tristan Merriweather: Surprisingly I didn’t hate this look. I would get rid of the mask though, red and burgundy don’t mix. 

Gwen Mcguinness: A total cinderalla look. I wonder if she actually rented that dress because from what I’ve seen so far, there’s no way she could afford this dress without selling her right kidney.

Cassidy Michealis: I didn’t know the ball was taking a place in some soccer mom’s backyard because there isn’t another explanation for this disaster.

Lucy Bowers: Those ruffles made her look like a human pinata, I wonder would a candy fall out if I hit her with a stick?

Evelyn Mills: Definitely one of my favorite looks of the night. Sophisticated with a hint of slutty.

Fin Luther: Aww that’s a great dress… For a boring ass tea party with elderly people.

Alice Kingsley: I haven’t seen those cut outs since the movie The Fifth Element. The only good thing about this mask is that it covers up her face.

Keith Ward: Black on black — what a snore. He’s desperately trying to run away from good taste.

Sean Patterson: Am I drunk or did he pair blue jacket with black pants? Good Lord. That jacket with those pants is basically sin against the nature.

Philippa Walker: You actually dared to pair Currant red with Scarlet red. It’s guaranteed disaster. Like eating Mexican food before sex.

Layne Peterson: I was so sure he was going to wear pair of Converses under his suit but he surprised me. It’s your typical black suit, it’s whatever. 

Leonie Myers: Hands down the best look of the night. I am trying my best to find a flaw but I can’t see any. I wish your taste in men was as good as your taste in fashion.

Dominic Cuevas: It’s outside the box I like it, at least you didn’t wear a black suit. Did you pick that shirt after snorting five lines of coke? That’d explain it.

Deborah Gray: Very classy and chic, I truly approve this look. 

Blythe Rhodes: Someone she managed to dress like a toddler but ended up looking like a grandma. 

Elyana Cosio: You tried a little bit too hard there but I like it.

Tallhasse Wolfmeyer: Can I borrow those glasses? Because these retinas definitely need a day off from the disaster you’ve caused with that look. You look like Frank Ocean on a bad day. 

Alba West: This is what shows up when someone orders budget friendly hooker. A true mess.

Mason Parker: I just wanna start a fire, pour some expensive champagne on her (that would the only expensive thing on her) and watch her burn. A 90s slip dress with a classic beige trench coat?  

Lux Sinclair: She might not be the lightest bulb in the lamp but she sure knows how to dress. I really like her outfit.

Sadie Blair: She’s such a disaster, I think at this point when the trains actually wreck now, they call them “Sadie Farrows.”

[blackkudos]

Richie Havens

Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul, and rhythm and blues. He had an intense and rhythmic guitar style (often in open tunings), and played soulful covers of pop and folk songs. He was the opening act at Woodstock.

Life and career

Early life

Born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Havens was the oldest of nine children. He was of Native American (Blackfoot) descent on his father's side and of the British West Indies on his mother's. His grandfather was Blackfoot of the Montana/South Dakota area. Havens's grandfather and great-uncle joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, got off in New York City, and ended up on the Shinnecock Reservation in Long Island. Havens's grandfather got married, then moved to Brooklyn.

As a youth in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Havens began organizing his neighborhood friends into street corner doo-wop groups and, at age 16, was performing with the McCrea Gospel Singers.

Early career

At age 20, Havens left Brooklyn, seeking artistic stimulation in Greenwich Village. "I saw the Village as a place to escape to, in order to express yourself," he recalled. "I had first gone there during the beatnik days of the 1950s to perform poetry, then I drew portraits for two years and stayed up all night listening to folk music in the clubs. It took a while before I thought of picking up a guitar."

Havens's solo performances quickly spread beyond the Village folk circles. After cutting two records for Douglas Records, he signed on with Bob Dylan's manager, Albert Grossman, and landed a record deal with the Verve Folkways (later Verve Forecast) label. Verve released Mixed Bag in late 1966, which featured tracks such as "Handsome Johnny" (co-written by Havens and actor Louis Gossett Jr.), "Follow", and a cover of Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman". Havens released his first single, "No Opportunity Necessary", in 1967.

By 1969, he had released five more albums. Something Else Again (1968) became his first album to hit the Billboardcharts, and it pulled Mixed Bag back onto the charts. Two of those albums were unauthorized "exploitation albums" released by Douglas Records (or Douglas International):  Electric Havens (released June 1, 1968) and Richie Havens Record (1969).

Woodstock and rise in fame

Havens's live performances earned widespread notice. His Woodstock appearance in 1969 catapulted him into stardom and was a major turning point in his career. Despite Havens's own recollection that he performed for nearly three hours, the actual recording and setlist reflect that he played about fifty minutes. Havens recalled that he was told to continue playing because many artists scheduled to perform after him were delayed in reaching the festival location with highways at a virtual standstill. Havens recalled being called back for several encores. Having run out of tunes, he improvised a song based on the old spiritual "Motherless Child" that became "Freedom". In an interview with Cliff Smith, for Music-Room, he explained:

I'd already played every song I knew and I was stalling, asking for more guitar and mic, trying to think of something else to play – and then it just came to me ... The establishment was foolish enough to give us all this freedom and we used it in every way we could.

The subsequent Woodstock movie release helped Havens reach a worldwide audience. He also appeared two weeks later at the Isle of Wight Festival (in late August 1969).

Following the success of his Woodstock performance, Havens started his own record label, Stormy Forest, and released Stonehenge in 1970. Later that year came Alarm Clock, which included the George Harrison–penned hit single, "Here Comes the Sun". This was Havens's first album to reach Billboard's Top 30 Chart. Stormy Forest went on to release four more of his albums: The Great Blind Degree (1971), Live On Stage (1972), Portfolio (1973), and Mixed Bag II (1974). Memorable television appearances included performances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. On the latter program, the audience reacted with such enthusiasm that, when the applause continued even after the commercial break, Carson asked Havens to return the following night.

Havens also began acting during the 1970s. He was featured in the original 1972 stage presentation of The Who's Tommy, as Othello in the 1974 film Catch My Soul, in Greased Lightning alongside Richard Pryor, and in Bob Dylan's Hearts of Fire.

Havens increasingly devoted his energies to educating young people about ecological issues. In the mid-1970s, he co-founded the Northwind Undersea Institute, an oceanographic children's museum on City Island in The Bronx. That, in turn, led to the creation of the Natural Guard, an organization Havens described as "...a way of helping kids learn that they can have a hands-on role in affecting the environment. Children study the land, water, and air in their own communities and see how they can make positive changes from something as simple as planting a garden in an abandoned lot."

In July 1978, he was a featured performer at the Benefit Concert for The Longest Walk, an American Indian spiritual walk from Alcatraz to Washington, D.C. affirming treaty rights, as a result of legislation that had been introduced to abrogate Indian treaties.

Branching out more into the media

During the 1980s and 1990s, Havens continued a world touring schedule and steadily released albums. The release of 1993's Resume, The Best of Richie Havens, on Rhino Records, collected his late 1960s and early 1970s recordings. In 1982, he composed and performed a promotional slogan for NBC's 1982–83 television season, entitled We're NBC, Just Watch Us Now. He also performed slogans for CBS and ABC, and recorded commercials for Amtrak (singing the slogan, "There's something about a train that's magic") and in 1985, for Coca-Cola. Havens also did corporate commercial work for Maxwell House Coffee, as well as sang "The Fabric of Our Lives" theme for the cotton industry. In 1982, he appeared at the UK's Glastonbury Festival, closing the show on the Sunday night.

In 1993, Havens performed at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. Among the selections was the "Cotton" song, made famous by a series of television ads in the early 1990s. In 1999, Havens played at the Tibetan Freedom Concert for an audience of more than 100,000.

Havens also played a small role, as a character named Daze, in the film Street Hunter (1990), starring John Leguizamo.

Havens was the 20th living recipient of the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award, presented in Sherborn, Massachusetts, on April 12, 1991.

Final years

In 2000, Havens teamed with the electronic music duo Groove Armada for the retro 1970s-style song, "Hands of Time". The song was featured on the soundtrack of the film Collateral; that song was also used in the films Domino, A Lot Like Love, and Tell No One. Havens was also featured on "Little By Little" and "Healing" on the band's third album, Goodbye Country.

In 2000, he published They Can't Hide Us Anymore, an autobiography co-written with Steve Davidowitz. Havens maintained his status as a folk icon and continued to tour. In 2002, he released Wishing Well, followed by the 2004 album Grace of the Sun.

In 2003, the National Music Council awarded Havens the American Eagle Award for his place as part of America's musical heritage and for providing "a rare and inspiring voice of eloquence, integrity and social responsibility."

On October 15, 2006, Havens was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

In 2007, Havens appeared as "Old Man Arvin" in the Todd Haynes film I'm Not There. In a classic front-porch jam scene, he is shown singing the Bob Dylan song "Tombstone Blues" with Marcus Carl Franklin and Tyrone Benskin. Havens' version of the song also appears on the I'm Not There soundtrack.

In February 2008, Havens performed at The Jazz Café in London, England. The performance and the man were described by Cliff Smith, reporting for Music-News as "Mesmerising, poetic, profound, funny...".

Havens was invited to perform at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony. He played "Freedom" at the request of the jury president, Sean Penn. Havens also performed at the London, Ontario, Blues Festival in July 2008.

In March 2008, Havens released a new studio album entitled, Nobody Left To Crown. The first single release was the country-tinged "The Key".

Havens appeared in the acclaimed 2009 film Soundtrack for a Revolution, which provided a general history of the modern Civil Rights Movement and featured modern artists performing many of the era's musical classics. In the film, Havens performed a haunting rendition of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?".

On May 3, 2009, Havens performed at the fundraising concert in honor of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday. In June 2009, he performed at the fifth annual Mountain Jam Festival. The event, hosted by Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, was held at the Hunter Mountain Ski Resort in Hunter, New York. As is the tradition, the festival took place on the weekend following Memorial Day.

On June 20, 2009, Havens performed at the Clearwater Festival. On July 4, 2009, he performed at the Woodstock Tribute festival in Ramsey, New Jersey. On August 8, 2010, he performed at Musikfest 2010, at Foy Hall at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Health Issues

In 2010, Havens underwent kidney surgery but did not recover fully enough to perform as he had before. In March 2012, he announced on his Facebook page that he would retire from touring after 45 years, due to health issues.

Death

On April 22, 2013, Havens died of a heart attack at home in Jersey City, New Jersey, at the age of 72. The BBC referred to him as a "Woodstock icon," while Stephen Stills of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young said Havens "could never be replicated." The Daily Telegraph stated Havens "made an indelible mark on contemporary music," while Douglas Martin of The New York Times reported that Havens had "riveted Woodstock."

Pursuant to Havens's request, he was cremated, and his ashes were scattered from the air over the original site of the Woodstock Festival, in a ceremony held on August 18, 2013, the 44th anniversary of the festival's last day.

Havens was survived by his wife Nancy, three children, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Richie Havens among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

[eyeliketwowatch]

The Fifth Element - Mixed bag, but entertaining

Last week, after I had seen a trailer for ‘Valerian’, but before seeing the actual movie, I began watching this older science fiction film of Luc Besson’s out of curiosity, but, with time being in short supply, I watched it in fits and starts over the next week. I finally got to the end of it last night. If I’d have waited until after seeing ‘Valerian’, I probably wouldn’t have bothered.

Overall, this is pretty goofy stuff, but it has the benefit of not taking itself all that seriously, which helps sell the over-the-top elements a little better. Bruce Willis is pretty much the same character he plays in anything, a variation on his character from ‘Die Hard/Moonlighting’, all wisecracks and smirks. Gary Oldman is his usual scenery chewing self, but this time with a strange southern accent. Ian Holm is one of my favorite character actors, and even he doesn’t stray too far from his usual persona, although with occasional fits of humor which surprised me in a delightful way. Chris Tucker is as annoying as ever, although his costumes are quite eye catching. The real surprise is Milla Jovovich, who I expect to be all looks and no substance, who turns in a quite enjoyable performance as the beautiful alien love interest (”Multipass!”), and title character of the movie. Even though the special effects were a little bit dated, I think I preferred this one to ‘Valerian’, as this one seemed to have much more imagination, and more importantly, a sense of fun.

3.5 stars out of 5

Released 1997, First Viewing July 2017

[ruffsficstuffplace]

The Keeper of the Grove (Part 29)

When Weiss recalled her first time in the Job Gauntlet, her memories played out like a movie montage.

First Scene.

The participants sat in rows of tables, claws deftly working tools and manually-operated machines, cutting, bending, shaping, and sewing fabric and leather into clothes, armour, and bags.

The proctor walked up to the first desk, nodded as the young Fae held up a simple pouch-in-the-making. She patted him on the head, signed his card, and moved onto the second desk.

An older Fae proudly held up a dress fresh off the sewing machine, a beautiful pattern of colourful threads woven into the front and back. The proctor hummed, congratulated them and signed her card with a flourish, and moved onto the third.

She stopped as she saw Weiss with her cheek pressed against the table, her arm shooting out perpendicular to her sewing machine, the sleeve of her dress accidentally sewn into the fabric she was working on.

Weiss smiled sheepishly up at her, the proctor frowned and calmly pulled out a seam ripper.

Penny crossed out <Leather/Cloth Maker> as Weiss had her clothes repaired.

Second Scene.

The participants stood at the foot of long, great tables, strewn with plates, bowls, cups, and glasses of all sizes. They were all handed trays, upon which the proctor blew a whistle and off they went, clearing their assigned table as quickly as they could.

The sounds of stacking plates and the clatter of cups and bowls filled the room, before a loud, heavy “THUD!” rang out in the hall. Everyone stopped, looked around for the source of the noise, before someone noticed that Weiss had mysteriously disappeared from sight.

The proctor came over to Weiss, casually removed the loaded tray crushing her hands with one hand, and helped her up with the other.

Penny crossed out <Server> as Weiss got her hands examined by a Mender.

Third Scene.

The participants stood over their own cauldrons, intentionally assigned highly unstable solutions, an abundance of ingredients with which to try and stabilize it, and the barest minimum of instructions. The proctor blew their whistle and all the stoves underneath turned on, the liquid inside quickly boiling and bubbling.

After exactly one minute, the stoves were turned off, and the proctor began to check each individual cauldron.

The first had a sweating, panting, but proud Fae hunched over a blue fluid that was calm as a lake on a windless day.

The second had a Fae standing with a surprised look on their face face, now painted in several splotches of random colours from the explosion just moments before.

The third had both Weiss and the proctor peering into the cauldron; the solution had turned an ominous purple, and was still bubbling despite the lack of direct heat.

Then gooey tendrils reached out for them, and they started screaming.

Penny crossed out <Potion Maker> as Weiss, her proctor, and a small team of armed Watchers tried to reverse-engineer her creation, while a team of other Makers autopsied the remains of the original, their brows furrowed and their heads being scratched in confusion.

Fourth Scene.

The participants were in the Guild’s barn, dirt-packed floors, plants and trees growing at a carefully controlled pace, animals walking about in their respective pens and habitats. The participants were only allowed to handle the Valley’s most common domestic creatures:

“Thunder Wolves,” extremely large predators capable of generating and weaponizing electricity using their fur; “Cows,” which were actually giant horned bovines even bigger than Zwei, several times heavier and stronger, but almost completely docile; “Chickens,” like the non-Valley variety except 6 feet tall and infinitely more aggressive and angry; and “Sheep,” who could walk on two or four legs as they pleased, were rather intelligent, and happened to grow wool at an incredibly accelerated pace and sometimes with very exotic, useful qualities depending on their diet, and exposure to certain types of magic and elements.

Because of her qualifications and her performance at earlier tests, Weiss was only cleared for either milking the cows or shoveling manure for use as fertilizer and fuel. As the stench was already nearly overwhelming her as is, she opted for the former.

Her proctor was saying that milking the cows was one of the easiest and safest jobs as a Tender, so long as you knew exactly what you were doing and were careful to never grab their udders incorrectly. To emphasize the point, she had a model of said udders on a rack that every one in line had to grab, to correct their form before they risked getting it wrong on an actual cow.

Weiss wondered what exactly would happen, until the Fae in front of her did it wrong, upon which the beast screamed, panicked, and accidentally stomped him into a crater as she ran off.

The Tenders chased the rampaging animal before it destroyed any more of the barn, hurt the other animals or participants, or worse yet, started a stampede, damage that could easily spread to the rest of the Guild and the area around it.

A group of Menders that were on-hand rushed to the unfortunate victim, wielding what looked like shovels, giant tongs, and a bicycle pump.

Penny looked down at Weiss schedule, debated preemptively crossing out <Animal Tender> as Weiss handed her milk bucket back to her proctor, and went to go look for a shovel.

Fifth Scene.

The participants were in a combination of a kitchen and a laboratory, as the line between the culinary arts and experimental science was very thin for the Fae, even if the facility had a clear split down the middle.

As fetching ingredients could be easily done by trained animals, Fae workers had to go one step above and show that they were capable of cooking, creating, and solving problems as they arose, with or without supervision, so the test was a mix of seeing how fast you could gather ingredients from a communal storage area, then making something out of it as best as you could with limited time.

One of the proctors blew a whistle, and they were off once more, fighting each other over ingredients, sometimes stealing from the others' baskets, and a few pocketing food for later. Weiss stood just behind the crush, trying to figure out a game plan; like Candela, the ingredients were super fresh and maintained by a magical field, but unlike Candela, she didn't have the luxury of a screen popping up and showing her potential recipes and uses, and Penny was only allowed to warn her about dangerous combinations of ingredients or ones best left to professional chefs.

With the ransacked bins and shelves before her, Weiss just grabbed the most familiar looking ingredients and hauled them away. “Chicken” eggs normally weren't the size of a human baby, but everything else was almost exactly the same.

If it was any consolation, there were more than enough knives, tools, and cooking stations for everyone.

Stoves and ovens were fired up, the air was filled with flying slices of vegetables, meats, and fruits as they were cut with incredible speed, force, and precision, before they were fried, boiled, blanched, baked, roasted, smoked, or what have you. It was anarchy—delicious, delicious anarchy as no one was exactly going light on the fragrant herbs and spices, the premade soup stocks, and especially the boar bacon, and Penny had to shout over the chaos to remind Weiss that she'd best not taste test anything lest she risk suffering for it for the rest of the day.

At the tail end of the exam, some participants were focused on plating, arrangement, and last-minute touches to improve the presentation—culinary standards were universal too, it seemed, if with a much bigger focus on aroma for the Fae. The rest were trying to think of some last-minute gimmick that could work, cooking up something to replace their original plan, or trying to discretely get a free meal on the Guild's tab.

Then, a horn sounded, loud and bellowing, followed by a high-pitched whistle for those that didn't stop at the first. Weiss was glad she couldn't hear it as it had pretty much every Fae in the room cringing in pain.

The participants prepared three plates total, one for each judge: a purely vegetarian meal, for the herbivorous Llama Judge; a mostly meat meal, for the carnivorous Hyena Judge; and a mix of both, for the omnivorous Hedgehog Judge.

The first table had a young feline Fae who had made an artful arrangement of shredded, sliced, and pared vegetables and meat using his hands and special bladed caps to protect his claws. The food was very basic, the cuts messy and clumsy at times, but the presentation showed promise and enthusiasm, so the judges passed him on all three accounts; one even gave him a much appreciated pat on the head.

The second table had a middle-aged Fae who smiled and bowed as she presented three separate bowls of noodle soup made with three separate stocks. The judges took up chopsticks or drank directly from their bowl, and all three didn't stop until they had consumed everything. Two of them thanked her profusely while the third offered her a job at one of their restaurants on the spot.

They went to the third table. Weiss had made three variations of the one dish: egg omelets. The three judges smiled politely and ate them anyway; they didn't exactly start gagging or turn green, but they weren't exactly impressed, either.

<Decent enough, but it lacks something for distinct flavour,> said the Llama Judge.

<Yep, it lacks that kick, kind like an alpha for the ingredients, but at least you know how to balance out your flavours well, kid!> said the Hyena Judge.

<Agreed, perhaps you should have used boar bacon?> the Hedgehog Judge offered.

The Hyena Judge drooled a little. <Mmm, boar bacon... multi-paste of food, kid, you should always remember that,> she said as she wiped up her mouth.

<Indeed, few foods that can't be improved with boar bacon,> the Hedgehog Judge nodded.

<Oh goodness, yes! It's my one animal product, aside from eggs and milk,> the Llama Judge said, humming.

After Penny translated and summarized, Weiss asked back, “But wasn't one of the meals supposed to be purely vegetarian?”

The Llama smiled. <That's when you use boar bacon salt!> she said, pointing at her and winking. <Why didn't you, by the way?>

"I didn't know it existed...” Weiss muttered.

The Hyena Judge winced. <Oooh, now ain't that the saddest thing I've ever heard in a while...> She patted her on the shoulder. <Cheer up, kid! There's probably another job out there for you—always something that needs getting done wherever there's Fae out and about,> she laughed as they left for the next table.

Penny crossed out <Food Maker,> the last job on her schedule, and Weiss was very glad the proctor who needed to sign her card was on the way out of the lab.

Weiss turned in her fully signed schedule, waited with the other participants to get her evaluation. Her name was called, she walked up to the counter and received a freshly printed and stapled stack of papers. She couldn't understand the words, but the attached table with her tests on one column and all X's on the next, and the charts having all her levels at the lowest possible with the symbols being a Fae bent over and panting for breath, another scratching their head in confusion, and a third helplessly holding up raw materials were not encouraging.

She hadn't it over to Penny. “Give me as close to an exact translation as you possibly can,” she muttered as they walked out of the Trader's Guild.

Penny frowned. “Are you sure, Weiss? It'll take a lot longer--”

“Just do it.”

“Okay...”

Weiss sat on a bench outside as Penny did her work.

It was a beautiful, sunny day still, about 2 in the afternoon. Lunch time for the Bastion, it seemed, as hordes of Fae were clocking off from their jobs, heading out to eat at the many restaurants, street vendors, and take-out places that littered the area around the Guild, enjoying their packed lunches outside, or going back home through the Tubes, other means of transportation, or just hoofing it.

It took Penny five minutes to translate the letter, and she insisted that Weiss keep sitting as she began to read it:

“We of the Trader's Guild regret to inform you that you are completely, absolutely unqualified for any job we can offer you. You are physically unfit for manual labour; you are illiterate, and effectively uneducated; and have no salable practical skills whatsoever.

“We sincerely hope you can stay in Keeper Ruby Rose's good graces, or that you are fine with sleeping in the homeless shelter and eating rock bread and meat paste for the rest of your life, because unless you can vastly improve your physical fitness and capabilities to at least the normal levels of an adult Fae, become literate in Actaeon at an adult level and cram 12 years worth of basic education into your head, and/or develop talents and skills that oftentimes take years of intense, daily practice to master, those are your only two options to keep on living and surviving from day to day.

“Should you have need for work or Shinies, hopefully while you train and/or educate yourself, we suggest you try your luck with the Watchers, sell your body as a paid test subject with the Makers and Menders, or develop an entertaining act that folks will want to pay to see.

“For whatever it's worth, we are truly, honestly, from the very bottom of our hearts sorry for you, you poor, unfortunate soul, you, and wish you only the best in all your future endeavours.”

Penny put the letter down, frowned as she saw Weiss' teary eyes and shaking body. “Weiss…?”

She sniffed. “Do you have triple chocolate cake shakes here...?

Penny consulted the Codex. “There's a shop nearby that sells an exact replica of the famous Fiorina's recipe, yes.”

“How much is it?” Weiss said as she pulled out her pouch of Shinies, started counting the glimmering, carved rocks she'd gotten for participating in the Job Gauntlet for the first time.

“49 Shinies for a Small.”

Weiss carefully counted her money and noted the value on the faces. She had 45. She looked up. “Do you guys haggle here?” she asked.

Penny looked uneasy. “We do, but it's not likely to happen, given your position as both an outsider, and being associated with your father and his expeditions.”

Weiss nodded. “Okay.”

Then, she burst into tears.

Penny stashed the letter into one of her arm's compartments then hugged Weiss.

“There, there...” she whispered as she patted her on the back.

[mastcomm]

Buhari’s simple strides in 5 years – Presidency

President Buhari

The presidency has launched info and figures of the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari within the final 5 years.

Particular Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in an announcement on Thursday stated Might 29, 2020, marked the top of the primary yr of the second four-year time period of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, and the fifth yr of the federal government in workplace.

“Between Might 29, 2015, when it was inaugurated for the primary time period, and now, the Buhari administration has made salutary affect in virtually all of the sides of Nigerian life.

“The federal government swept into workplace on the wings of Change, and that change has been wrought in almost all phases of nationwide life. The place the lofty targets are but to be attained, it’s work in progress, and eyes are firmly mounted on the ball. No distraction.

“The three umbrella areas on which authorities primarily based its interventionist agenda are: safety, reviving the economic system (with explicit emphasis on job creation, particularly for teenagers), and preventing corruption. In these three areas, the place we’re right now can’t be in contrast with the place we was.,” he stated.

Adesina added that by Might 2015, insecurity had badly fractured the material of the nation, as nobody might wager that the nation would survive the following month, to not discuss of one other yr.

“Bombs went off like firecrackers, insurgents ran riot around the nation, different types of crime and criminality held sway. Life was nasty, brutish and quick. Over 5 years, the battle has been taken to insurgents and criminals. And they’re being extinguished by the day, and really shut to finish extirpation.

“The economic system, lengthy depending on a mono product – petroleum, is being retooled, refocused, with diversification as a activity that should be completed. Agriculture has been given a fillip, manufacturing has bought a shot within the arm, and stable minerals are contributing a big chunk to the Gross Home Product (GDP).

“The nation may be very near meals safety, with rice, beans, maize, millet, and all kinds of grain not imported. We now eat what we develop.

“On the battle in opposition to corruption, no quarter is requested, and none is given. Commit the crime, do the time period. No retreat, no give up.

“Information converse for themselves. And that’s what we current at this auspicious season of the fifth anniversary of the Buhari administration. Information are cussed issues, regardless of how anyone tries to disclaim, distort or deride them.”

Beneath is the five-year Reality Sheet of the Muhammadu Buhari administration

BUHARI ADMINISTRATION FIFTH ANNIVERSARY FACTSHEET (MAY 2020)

ECONOMY

AGRICULTURE

The Anchor Debtors Programme (ABP)of the Central Financial institution of Nigeria, launched by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 17, 2015, has made accessible greater than 200billion Naira in funding to greater than 1.5 millionsmallholder farmers of 16 completely different commodities (Rice, Wheat, Maize, Cotton, Cassava, Poultry, Soy Beans, Groundnut, Fish), cultivating over 1.Four million hectares of farmland.

The ABP has considerably raised native manufacturing of rice, doubling the manufacturing of paddy in addition to milled rice between 2015 and 2019.

Between 2016 and 2019, greater than 10 new rice mills got here on-stream in Nigeria. Lots of the present Mills have expanded their capability; a number of new ones are below development.

Greater than a billion {dollars} of personal sector investments within the manufacturing of Rice, Wheat, Sugar, Poultry, Animal Feed, Fertilizers, and so forth, since 2015.

Federal Government Council approval (2020) for a Nationwide Agriculture Mechanization Programme, “the Inexperienced Crucial”, in partnership with the Authorities of Brazil and multilateral financing establishments.

The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative:

Launched in January 2017, as a Authorities-to-Authorities settlement with the Kingdom of Morocco

Greater than 1,000,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer produced since 2017. This translated to distribution of greater than 18 million 50kg baggage of NPK fertilizer within the first three years of the PFI)

22 mixing vegetation resuscitated (mixed put in capability of greater than 2.5m MT)

Value discount from 9,000-11,000 per bag, to five,500

FX financial savings of $150m yearly by the substitution of imported elements with domestically manufactured ones

Subsidy financial savings of 50 billion Naira yearly

Making Enterprise Work

Help for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: The Administration has launched a sequence of funding and capability growth initiatives designed to assist MSMEs:

The brand new Improvement Financial institution of Nigeria (DBN) has lastly taken off, with preliminary funding of US$1.Three billion (N396.5 billion); to supply medium and long-term loans to MSMEs.

Since 2017, the DBN has disbursed a complete of N100 billion by the financial institution’s 27 Collaborating Monetary Establishments (PFIs) impacting greater than 100,000 MSMEs.

52% of loans disbursed in 2019 have been to youths and girls owned companies.

Financial institution of Business has disbursed greater than N400 billion in loans to giant, medium, small and micro enterprises since 2016.

It has additionally established a N5 Billion Fund for Artisanal Miners, as a part of the Federal Ministry of Mines and Stable Minerals Improvement’s Programme to spice up Mining actions in Nigeria; in addition to a $20 million Fund to assist younger know-how entrepreneurs in Nigeria

The MSME Clinics, which deliver related Authorities Businesses along with small companies working in varied cities throughout the nation, to allow the Businesses present direct assist to those companies. The interactions enable the Businesses higher perceive the problems dealing with small companies, and supply a platform for fast decision.

The Ease of Doing Enterprise Reform Programme (see beneath)

The Authorities Enterprise and Empowerment element (GEEP) of the Social Intervention Programme (SIP)

Ease of Doing Enterprise Reform Successes:

The work of the Presidential Enabling Enterprise Surroundings Council (inaugurated by President Buhari in August 2016) and the Enabling Enterprise Surroundings Secretariat (EBES) has resulted in Nigeria transferring up 39 locations on the World Financial institution’s Ease of Doing Enterprise rankings since 2016. Within the final Three years Nigeria has twice been adjudged one in every of 10 Most Improved Economies within the Rankings.

The Nigerian Funding Promotion Council (NIPC) in 2017 accomplished a long-overdue revision of the listing of actions that may profit from Nigeria’s Pioneer Standing Incentive, which grants beneficiary firms a Three to 5-year tax vacation. The revision, carried out greater than 10 ten years after the final one, has modernized the Listing, increasing the tax vacation incentives to qualifying firms in E-commerce, Software program Improvement, Animation, Music, Movie and TV.

NIPC revealed a Compendium of all Funding incentives in Nigeria, making it simpler for present and potential buyers to have equal entry to the data.

Among the particular Ease of Doing Enterprise Reform achievements are as follows:

Assent by President Buhari to the Finance Invoice, 2019.The Finance Act, 2019 is the primary time Nigeria is accompanying the passage of a Price range with complementary fiscal and enterprise setting reforms laws. The 2020 Price range can be the primary time in 12 years {that a} Federal Price range has been restored to the January-December cycle.

Creation of a Nationwide Collateral Registry (NCR). A NCR or Movable Property Registry was established by the Central Financial institution of Nigeria, in Might 2016. The NCR permits small companies to get entry to loans utilizing movable property – equipment, livestock, stock – as collateral. As of the top of June 2018, the NCR on-line portal had registered 630 monetary establishments. Between inception in 2016 and April 2020, these monetary establishments had recorded a complete of 65,370 moveable property on the portal,belonging to 165,456 debtors, and valued at 1.26 Trillion Naira

Automation of enterprise identify reservation, submission of registration paperwork, fee of registration charges, technology of Tax Identification Numbers (TIN), and submitting of federal Taxes.

Implementation of functioning Visa-on-Arrival system for Enterprise Guests and AU nationals.

PENSIONS

In January 2019, President Buhari launched Nigeria’s Micro Pension Scheme – which permits self-employed individuals and individuals working in organisations with lower than Three staff to save lots of for the supply of pension at retirement or incapacitation.

The Buhari Administration is prioritizing the fee of pension arrears owed workers of present and privatized/defunct Federal companies:

N54 billion launched to settle excellent 33% pension arrears (the 33% pension arrears date again to 2010 when the minimal wage was elevated to N18,000).

Delta Metal Firm (liquidated in 2005): 3,542 pensioners have now been positioned on the payroll, ending a 13-year wait for his or her entitlements.

NITEL: 9,216 pensioners payrolled, after greater than a decade of neglect

Retired Biafran Police Officers (dismissed by the Federal Authorities in 1971, after the Civil Conflict ended, and pardoned by President Obasanjo in 2000): President Buhari permitted the fee of the pensions, unpaid since their pardon in 2000. N571.56 million was paid to a complete of 174 beneficiaries in October 2017

Nigeria Airways: President Buhari permitted the discharge of N24 billion in September 2018, for the settlement of 50% of employees disengaged when the airline was liquidated in 2003/4.

Recoveries: The Pension Transitional Association Directorate (PTAD) has recovered money and non-cash property totaling N16 billion beforehand trapped in varied insurance coverage firms and underwriters managing the pension funds of Federal Parastatals and Universities.

 MONETARY, FISCAL, TRADE, IMMIGRATION, CONSUMER PROTECTIONREFORMS

Tax

Launch of a brand new Tax Identification Quantity (TIN) Registration System in 2019. For the primary time Nigeria has a consolidated, unified database of all taxpayers (particular person and company), throughout all States.

This new System is the product of elevated collaboration between FIRS and States’ Inland Income Companies (by improved sharing of knowledge, and an integration of databases, amongst others)

The brand new TIN Registration system leverages on present taxpayer knowledge accessible from databases of a number of organizations like Company Affairs Fee (CAC), Banks by Financial institution Verification Quantity (BVN), Nationwide Identification Card Administration Fee (NIMC) and others.

The improved collaboration between FIRS and the varied SIRS’ has resulted in a rise in Nigeria’s “Tax Internet” (variety of paying and non-paying people and firms within the Tax Database) from 13 million as at December 2015 to 35 million on the finish of 2018, and a projected 45 million by the top of 2019.

Commerce

Institution of the Nigerian Workplace for Commerce Negotiations by the Financial Administration Crew (EMT). The NOTN has produced Nigeria’s first Annual Nationwide Commerce Report, and is compiling, for the primary time in Nigeria’s historical past, a complete database of Nigerian Commerce Offers and Agreements.

The Renminbi-Naira Swap Settlement between the Peoples Financial institution of China and the Central Financial institution of Nigeria: On April 27, 2018, the CBN signed a 3-year bilateral forex swap settlement with the Peoples Financial institution of China (PBoC), value Chinese language Yuan (CNY) 15 billon – equal to N720.00 billon or US$2.5 billion.

Price range:

Price range proposal submission, which was carried out manually (submissions in arduous copy and flash drives) has moved to a web based platform, the Authorities Built-in Monetary Administration Data System (GIFMIS), since 2018. The brand new Price range Submission System considerably improves the transparency and effectivity of the budgeting system.

Restoration of Federal Price range to January-December cycle, with the 2020 Price range, for the primary time in 12 years.

Immigration:

Set up of the Migration Data and Information Evaluation System (MIDAS) – a world journey safety normal – in 5 Nigerian Worldwide Airports, commencing in late 2019, with the assist and collaboration of the Worldwide Group for Migration (IOM).

MIDAS is linked to Native and Worldwide Legal Dabatases / Watchlists (INTERPOL and so forth), and achieves real-time synchronization of information between all of Nigeria’s Worldwide Airports and the NIS Headquarters in Abuja. It finally creates a sooner and extra environment friendly airport expertise, whereas additionally guaranteeing that individuals crossing Nigeria’s borders by the Airports don’t pose any threats to nationwide and worldwide safety.

Accompanying the set up of MIDAS, is the launch of a New Visa Coverage, 2020 by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), as a part of a broader 5-year Border Technique Reform (2019 – 2023).

The brand new Visa Coverage incorporates the next reforms:

Enlargement of Visa Classes from 6 to 79, to replicate and cater to the complete vary of realities and eventualities for intending vacationers to Nigeria.

Introduction of e-Visas, which carry biometric info of visa holders. The eVisa issuance system is linked to MIDAS.

Automation of Visa Issuance and Cost to cut back human contact and related corruption.

The Visa on Arrival Coverage expanded to all holders of African Passports beginning January 2020.

Shopper Safety:

President Buhari in 2019 assented to the Federal Competitors and Shopper Safety Fee (FCCPC) Invoice, the primary laws in Nigeria’s historical past targeted on curbing anti-competition practices; and the institution of the Federal Competitors and Shopper Safety Fee.

Debt Administration:

Between 2017 and now, Nigeria has issued its first ever:

Diaspora Bond, within the Worldwide Capital Market. The Diaspora Bond was US$300 million with a tenor of 5-years. The proceeds have been used to half–finance the 2017 Price range.

Sukuk Bond (1st Tranche – 100 billion Naira in 2017; 2nd Tranche of 100 billion Naira in 2018 and threerd Tranche of 150 billion Naira has simply gone on sale in Might 2020). The Sukuk Bond proceeds are getting used to fund main highway tasks throughout the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

The Buhari Administration has issued Nigeria’s first ever Sovereign Inexperienced Bonds.

Home Borrowing Prices:

Via the CBN’s insurance policies and directives, Treasury Invoice charges – which signify home borrowing prices for the Authorities – have fallen from 16-18 p.c every year in 2017 to 2-6 p.c every year in 2019/2020.

 FISCAL SUPPORT TO STATES

The Buhari Administration has prolonged greater than N2 Trillion Naira in bailout packages to State Governments, to allow them meet their wage and pension obligations, particularly within the face of dwindling oil revenues within the first Three years of the Administration. The assist has come within the type of the next:

Price range Help Facility (Whole of N614 billion prolonged to the States.

Paris Membership Refunds ($5.Four billion)

Infrastructure Loans

Mortgage Restructuring for Amenities with Business Banks:In 2015, the DMO restructured Business Financial institution loans with a complete worth of N575.516 billion for 23 States to cut back the debt service burden on the states. In change for his or her loans to State Governments, the banks have been issued 20-year FGN Bonds at a yield of 14.83% every year. The Restructuring Train benefited the States by:

Discount within the month-to-month debt service burden of States from between 55% to 97% for varied States;

Rate of interest financial savings for the States starting from 3% to 9% every year;

Longer compensation interval for the loans now transformed into Bonds; and,

Liberating up of wanted money to run the equipment of Authorities.

 EXECUTIVE ORDERS

The Buhari Administration has, since 2017, issued various landmark Government Orders:

Government Order (001) on Enhancing Effectivity within the Enterprise Surroundings

Government Order (002) on Selling Native Procurement by Authorities Businesses

Government Order (005) on planning and execution of tasks, promotion of Nigerian content material in contracts and science, engineering and know-how

Government Order (008) on the Voluntary Offshore Property Regularization Scheme (VOARS)

Government Order (007) on Highway Infrastructure Improvement and Refurbishment Funding Tax Credit score Scheme

Government Order (010) Implementing Monetary Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary

 INFRASTRUCTURE

The Buhari Administration has demonstrated a single-minded dedication to upgrading and growing Nigeria’s Transport, Energy and Well being Infrastructure.

Three main rail tasks inherited from earlier administrations have been accomplished and commissioned: Abuja Metro Rail and the Abuja-Kaduna Rail, and the 327km Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Rail, began in 1987, have been accomplished in 2020.

A fourth Rail Mission, the Lagos-Ibadan Rail Mission, kicked off in 2017, and is because of be accomplished in 2020. The tracklaying for the principle element of the venture was accomplished in March 2020.

In Might 2018, the Federal Authorities launched the Presidential Infrastructure Improvement Fund (PIDF), below the administration of the Nigerian Sovereign Funding Authority. The PIDF kicked off with seed funding of US$650 million, and has already disbursed funds for 3 crucial highway tasks: Second Niger Bridge, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway.

Nigeria Sovereign Funding Authority (NSIA) in March 2018 invested US$11m to determine a world-class Most cancers Therapy Middle on the Lagos College Educating Hospital (LUTH), which commenced operations in 2019.

Work is ongoing on two US$5m Diagnostic Facilities within the Aminu Kano College Educating Hospital and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.

Abuja’s Gentle Rail system has been accomplished; it connects the town heart with the Airport, and the Abuja-Kaduna Railway Line.

New Abuja and Port Harcourt Worldwide Airport Terminals accomplished, in This fall 2018. New Lagos and Kano Worldwide Airport Terminals scheduled for completion in 2020. All have been inherited from the earlier administration at varied levels of completion, and in some instances required venture redesign and revision.

The Buhari Administration efficiently accomplished the reconstruction of the Abuja Airport runway inside the scheduled six-week interval (March – April 2017), and can full the reconstruction of the Enugu Worldwide Airport Runway in 2020.

The next Water Provide Tasks and Dam/Irrigation Tasks have been accomplished by the Buhari Administration:

Central Ogbia Regional Water Mission, in Bayelsa

Sabke/Dutsi/Mashi Water Provide Mission, in Katsina

Northern Ishan Regional Water Provide Mission, serving Ugboha and Uromi communities of Edo State.

Kashimbila Dam, Taraba State

Ogwashi-Uku Dam, Delta State(Precise Dam accomplished and reservoir “impounded” in 2016; additionally spillway discharge channel accomplished).

Shagari Dam Irrigation Mission, Sokoto State

Mangu Dam and Regional Water Provide Scheme in Plateau State

Completion of Part 1 of Galma Dam, Kaduna

Rehabilitation of Ojirami Dam Water Provide Mission, Edo State

The 25 Highway Tasks being funded by the Sukuk Bonds:

Development of Oju/Loko–Oweto bridge over​ ​River Benue to hyperlink Loko (Nasarawa state) and Oweto (Benue state) alongside route F2384

Dualisation of Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja Highway part I (Worldwide Airport hyperlink highway junction​–Sheda Village)

Dualisation of Suleja–Minna Highway in Niger State Part II (km 40+000-km101+000)

Dualisation of Abuja–Abaji–Lokoja Highway: Part IV Koton Karfe–Lokoja in Kogi State

Dualisation of Lokoja-Benin Highway: Obajana–Okene in Kogi State

Dualisation of Kano–Maiduguri Highway linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe

Dualisation of Kano–Maiduguri Highway linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States. Part III (Azare–Potiskum) in Bauchi

Dualisation of Kano–Maiduguri Highway linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States. Part IV (Potiskum–Damaturu highway) in Yobe

Dualisation of Kano–Maiduguri Highway linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States. Part V (Damaturu–Maiduguri)

Dualisation of Kano–Maiduguri Highway linking Kano–Jigawa–Bauchi–Yobe–Borno States. Part I (Kano–Wudil–Shuari) in Kano

Dualisation of Kano–Katsina Highway Part I, Kano City at Dawanau roundabout to Katsina border in Kano

Development of Kano Western Bypass as an extension of dualisation of Kano–Maiduguri Highway Part I

Development of Kaduna Japanese Bypass

Rehabilitation of excellent part of Onitsha–Enugu Expressway: Amansea–Enugu border

Rehabilitation of Enugu–Port Harcourt dual-carriage Part I: Lokpanta–Umuahia in Abia

Rehabilitation of Enugu–Port Harcourt dual-carriage Part II Umuahia tower–Aba Township Rail

Rehabilitation of Enugu–Port Harcourt Highway Part III: Enugu–Lokpanta

Rehabilitation of Enugu–Port Harcourt Highway Part IV: Aba–Port Harcourt in Rivers

Dualisation of Yenegwe Highway Junction–Kolo–Otuoke–Bayelsa Palm in Bayelsa

Dualisation of Lokoja–Benin Highway: Obajana Junction–Benin Part II Part I: Okene–Auchi, Kogi/Edo states

Dualisation of Lokoja–Benin Highway: Obajana Junction–Benin Part III Part I: Auchi–Ehor in Edo

Dualisation of Lokoja-Benin Highway: Obajana junction–Benin Part IV Part I: Ehor–Benin Metropolis, Edo state

Reconstruction and asphalt overlay of Benin–Ofosu–Ore–Ajebandele–Shagamu dual-carriage Part IV

Reconstruction of excellent part of sections of Benin–Ofusu–Ore–Ajebandele–Shagamu dual-carriage Part III

Dualisation of Ibadan–Ilorin Highway. Part II: Oyo–Ogbomosho Highway in Oyo ​

Energy Sector:

The Federal Authorities’s Energizing Economies Programme is a public-private partnership led by the Rural Electrification Company (REA), to ship secure energy provide to markets and financial clusters throughout the nation. The preliminary section is ongoing in Ariaria Market in Aba, Abia State (32,000 outlets), Sura Purchasing Advanced in Lagos (1,000 outlets), Shomolu Printing Neighborhood in Lagos (4,000 outlets) and the Sabon Gari Market in Kano (12,000 outlets). The Sura Purchasing Advanced venture was accomplished in August 2018, and commissioned by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in October 2018.

Launch of a 1.Three Trillion NairaPayment Assurance Programmedesigned to resolve the liquidity challenges within the Energy Sector by guaranteeing funds to Producing Corporations and Gasoline Suppliers.

Implementation of aKeen Purchaser, Keen Vendor Coverage for the facility sector, which has opened up alternatives for elevated supply of electrical energy to properties and industries. The Nigerian Electrical energy Regulatory Fee (NERC) has additionally lately issued an Order capping estimated billing by DisCos.

Greater than 90 Transmission Tasks accomplished or ongoing since 2016.

Oil and Gasoline:

NNPC is about to start development of the 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) pure gasoline pipeline, which can traverse Kogi, Niger, FCT, Kaduna and Kano, and feed energy vegetation and industries alongside the hall. NNPC has paid the 15 p.c counterpart funding for the $2.9 billion venture, whereas the Federal Government Council (FEC) has permitted the issuance of a sovereign assure to cowl the remainder of the funding, coming from the China Export and Credit score Insurance coverage Company.

Nigeria LNG Restricted concluded Closing Funding Choice (FID) on its Prepare 7 venture on the finish of 2019, and signed an EPC contract for the venture in Might 2020.A financing association value Three billion US {dollars} was additionally concluded, the biggest financing deal in Africa thus far in 2020. NNPC owns a 49 p.c stake in NLNG, on behalf of the Nigerian Authorities.

Controversial Offshore Processing Association (OPA) has been cancelled and changed with a ‘Direct Gross sales and Direct Buy (DSDP)’ scheme with respected offshore refineries.

The Passage of the lengthy overdue Deep Offshore and Inland Basin PSC (Modification) Act, 2019, which can ship elevated revenues to the Federation.

Negotiation of the billions of {dollars} in arrears of Money Calls we inherited once we assumed workplace, leading to an settlement for a major low cost of $1.7 billion. Since 2017 the NNPC has commenced fee of the arrears to the Oil Corporations, with a view to clearing the backlog. As at This fall 2018, about $2 billion of the $5.5 billion arrears had been cleared.

Removing of the gasoline subsidy regime and alternative by a market-led worth modulation mechanism.

The Modular Refinery Initiative of the Buhari Administration has delivered Three accomplished non-public sector-led tasks, in Rivers, Imo and Delta States, and several other others are in progress. Eminent individuals like former President Olusegun Obasanjo have publicly counseled the success recorded in that sector by the Buhari Administration.

INVESTING IN PEOPLE

The SIP is the biggest and most formidable social security web programme within the historical past of Nigeria, with 12 million direct beneficiaries thus far:

 500,000 N-Energy beneficiaries at the moment enrolled and have been deployed and are receiving N30,000 in month-to-month stipends. Extra 40,000 are at varied levels of enrolment.

Authorities Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP):

₦36.9 billion thus far disbursed in interest-free loans starting from N50,000 to N350,000 to greater than 2.Three million market ladies, merchants, artisans, farmers throughout all 36 States of the nation and the FCT, below GEEP, utilizing domestically developed and applied know-how options (Greater than half of the loans have gone to ladies).

By way of advancing the monetary inclusion targets of the Buhari Administration, GEEP has led to the opening of two,023,145 new cell wallets for beneficiaries.

In November 2017, GEEP was chosen because the pilot programme for the Invoice & Melinda Gates Basis Coverage Innovation Unit in Nigeria.

Dwelling Grown College Feeding Programme (HGSFP):

9 million Major 1 – Three pupils in 54,952 public major colleges in 35 States. Greater than 107,000 cooks are engaged to ship these meals.

The NHGSFP reduces starvation and malnutrition, and improves training outcomes (boosts faculty enrolment); farmers and produce ‘aggregators’ additionally profit from improved entry to highschool feeding markets and communities, and by extension improved incomes.

Conditional Money Switch (CCT):

Greater than Three million poor and weak households have been registered on the Nationwide Social Register, and multiple million of those households are at the moment benefiting from the CCT Scheme, which pays N5,000 to every family month-to-month.

Schooling

Grants and Disbursements:The Federal Authorities has disbursed greater than 170 billion Naira in UBE Matching Grants to States and the FCT since 2015, Eight billion Nairain Particular Schooling Grant to States and personal suppliers of Particular Schooling, and 34 billion Naira from the Lecturers Skilled Improvement Fund to States and the FCT.

Approval for the institution of the next:

Federal Maritime College, in Delta State

Nigerian Military College, in Borno State

Six new Schools of Schooling (one per geopolitical zone)

Switch of Almajiri Faculties constructed by the earlier administration to State Governments and credible Students of Islamic Schooling, for environment friendly administration and affect.

Healthcare

Grants to State Governments: A minimal of $2.5 million disbursed to every State of the Federation and the FCT, below the Saving One Million Lives (SOML) initiative, to enhance well being outcomes.

Primary Well being Care Provision Fund (BHCPF): For the primary time because the Nationwide Well being Act was handed in 2014, the Federal Authorities included the 1% minimal portion of the Consolidated Income Fund – amounting to 55 billion Naira – within the 2018 finances, to fund the Primary Well being Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). The Fund is designed to ship a assured set well being providers to all Nigerians, by the nationwide community of Major Well being Care facilities.

Passage of Enabling Lawsfor the Nigeria Middle for Illness Management (NCDC), for the primary time because it was based in 2011. President Buhari permitted a grant of 5 billion Naira for the NCDC in March 2020.

Tertiary Healthcare Improve Programme: Various key Federal Hospitals throughout the nation are being upgraded to successfully handle most cancers and different main well being challenges. Most cancers Radiotherapy machines and different tools are being supplied to those hospitals. The Nationwide Hospital in Abuja has already obtained two LINAC (most cancers therapy) machines.

Sports activities and Artistic Business

Nigeria nationwide U-17 soccer group, the Golden Eaglets, received the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the fifth time, in 2015. Their first ever win was 30 years earlier, in 1985, when President Buhari was army Head of State.

Nigeria’s participation on the 2016 Paralympic Video games yielded her finest gold medal outcome since Nigeria began collaborating within the Video games in 1992.

D’ Tigress, Nigeria’s Feminine Nationwide Basketball Crew received the 2017 FIBA Africa Ladies’s Championship, the continental championship Cup, for the primary time in 12 years, and earned qualification for its first FIBA Ladies’s World Cup look since 2006.

In 2018, D’ Tigress, Nigeria’s Feminine Nationwide Basketball Crew earned its first-ever win on the FIBA Ladies’s World Cup, and went on to advance to the quarterfinals. The Crew completed in 8th place – the perfect ever efficiency by an African Crew.

In 2019, D’ Tigress efficiently defended its 2017 Afro Basketball Ladies Championship Title.

In 2020, D’ Tigress grew to become the one feminine African Crew to qualify for participation within the 2020 Summer time Olympic Video games.

Nigeria’s Ladies’s Soccer Crew, the Tremendous Falcons, received the African Ladies Cup of Nations (AWCON) in 2016 and 2018.

In 2018, the Nationwide Sports activities Competition held for the primary time since 2012.

In 2018, Nigeria hosted a FIFA Government Soccer Summit, one in every of twelve worldwide.

In 2019, the Tremendous Falcons superior to the group stage of the Ladies’s World Cup, for the primary time in 20 years.

In 2019, Nigeria received its first Athletics World Championship Medal in six years.

Artistic Business Help

Institution of the Artistic Business Financing Initiative (CIFI), by the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN) in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee, to supply single-digit financing to younger Nigerians within the fields of Style, Movie, Music and Data Know-how.

In 2019, the Federal Authorities added Artistic Industries to the listing of qualifying sectors for ‘Pioneer Standing’ Incentives – which grants reduction from Company Earnings Tax for a specified time period.

Presidential Approval for the handover of the Nationwide Theatre, Lagos, to the Central Financial institution of Nigeria and the Bankers Committee, for redevelopment right into a world-class Artistic Park serving the theatre, movie, trend, music, and ICT sectors.

In 2017, Nigeria was elected Vice-President of United Nations World Tourism Group (UNWTO).

NEW VISION FOR THE NIGER DELTA

The Buhari administration’s ‘New Imaginative and prescient for the Niger Delta’ brings collectively a sturdy set of guarantees, options, targets and initiatives aimed toward guaranteeing that the folks of the Niger Delta profit maximally from the area’s oil wealth.

The New Imaginative and prescient provides an in depth response to the 16-point Demand Agenda submitted to President Buhari by the Pan Niger Delta Discussion board (PANDEF) in November 2016.

Tangible outcomes of the New Imaginative and prescient thus far embrace:

Take-off of the Nigerian Maritime College in Okerenkoko, Delta State. The College was granted approval in January 2018 by the Nationwide Universities Fee (NUC) to start undergraduate diploma programmes efficient 2017/18 session, and commenced tutorial actions on April 12, 2018.

President Buhari permitted 5 billion Naira in take-off grant for the Maritime College.

Ogoni Clear-Up: Setting apart of US$170m seed funding for the Ogoni Clear Up, in an Escrow Account established for that objective. The Escrow Settlement Signing Ceremony occurred in April 2018. The Clear-Up commenced in January 2019, with the handover of the primary batch of web sites to the chosen remediation companies, after a painstaking procurement course of.

Approvals for the institution of private-sector-led Modular Refineries throughout the 9 States of the Niger Delta – the primary three Refineries have now been accomplished, whereas development is ongoing on others.

ANTI-CORRUPTION &TRANSPARENCY

FISCAL REFORMS; PLUGGING LEAKAGES

New Whistleblowing Coverage:

The brand new Whistleblowing Coverage launched by the Federal Ministry of Finance in December 2016 has since then yielded a number of billions of Naira in recoveriesfrom tax evaders and public officers. (Within the first two years alone it yielded Eight billion, US$378million, and £27,800 in recoveries from public officers focused by whistleblowers).

Improvement of draft Whistleblowing and Witness Safety Invoice 2019

EFCC recovered 794 billion Naira between 2015 and 2019, along with tons of of properties and different property.

ICPC scrutiny of practices, methods and procedures of MDAs’ personnel value from 2017 to 2019, yielded greater than 41 billion Naira in recoveries from inflated personnel budgets.

In 2019 alone, ICPC recovered 32 billion Naira value of Land, Buildings and Automobiles.

ICPC’s audit of Constituency Tasks masking 2015 to 2018 helped recuperate 2 billion Naira of diverted funds and property.

 Elevated Oversight of MDAs

The Buhari Administration is addressing the problem of poor ranges of remittance of working surpluses by MDAs. From remitting solely N51 million between 2010 and 2016, JAMB has gone on to remit greater than 20 billion Naira to the Federal Authorities since 2017.

The Presidential Initiative on Steady Audit (PICA):

PICA was arrange by the Buhari Administration to strengthen controls over Authorities funds by a steady inner audit course of throughout all Ministries, Departments and Businesses (MDAs), notably in respect of payroll. Via the actions of PICA, greater than 54,000 fraudulent payroll entries have been recognized and eliminated, with payroll financial savings of N200 billion every year.

Enlargement of TSA Protection:

On August 7, 2015, President Buhari issued a directive to all Ministries, Departments and Businesses (MDAs) to shut their accounts with Deposit Cash Banks (DMBs) and switch their balances to the Central Financial institution of Nigeria on or earlier than 15th September 2015.

The TSA system was launched in 2012, however failed to achieve traction till President Buhari’s government order in August 2015.As of Might 2018, the TSA system has been applied in 92 p.c of all MDAs.

The TSA permits managers of Authorities’s funds, together with however not restricted to the Ministry of Finance and the Workplace of the Accountant-Normal of the Federation, to have, at any time limit, a complete overview of money flows throughout the whole Authorities.

This choice to completely operationalize the Treasury Single Account (TSA) system—a public accounting system that allows the Authorities to handle its funds (revenues and funds) utilizing a single/unified account, or sequence of linked accounts domiciled on the Central Financial institution of Nigeria — has resulted within the consolidation of greater than 17,000 financial institution accounts beforehand unfold throughout DMBs within the nation, and in financial savings of a mean of N4 billion month-to-month in banking fees.

The TSA has introduced the next advantages:

Improves transparency and accountability within the administration of all FGN receipts by offering a consolidated view of Authorities’s money circulation.

Blocks the leakages and abuses which hitherto characterised Public Finance Administration in Nigeria.

Ensures availability of funds for the execution of presidency insurance policies, programmes and tasks

Controls mixture money flows inside fiscal and financial limits

Improves administration of home borrowing programme

Allows investments of idle funds

The Ministry of Finance continues to fine-tune the system to enhance its effectivity, and has additionally commenced an audit to make sure that all funds because of the TSA are remitted into it.

Enlargement of IPPIS Protection

Regardless of nice opposition, the Buhari Administration has expanded IPPIS protection to the Armed Forces, in addition to Federal Universities and different tutorial establishments.

Deployment of BVN for Payroll and Social Funding Programmes:

Contemplating that personnel prices are the Federal Authorities’s largest expenditure line, the Federal Authorities has given precedence to the deployment of the BVN for payroll and pension audits. The usage of BVN to confirm payroll entries on the Built-in Personnel Payroll Data System (IPPIS) platform has thus far led to the detection of 54,000 fraudulent payroll entries.

The Federal Authorities has additionally ensured the deployment of BVN system to function the verification foundation for funds to beneficiaries and distributors within the Anchor Debtors Programme (ABP), the N-Energy Scheme and the Homegrown College Feeding Programme (HGSFP)

Creation of Asset Monitoring and Administration Mission

The Federal Ministry of Finance launched the Asset Monitoring and Administration Mission (ATM Mission) in 2016. By the ATM Mission, the Federal Authorities is, for the primary time, capable of find, determine, assess and consider all its moveable and immoveable property on an actual time foundation.

Additionally, a Central Asset Register was created and domiciled within the Ministry for recording the precise amount, worth, situation and site of all of the capital property belonging to the Federal Authorities. These initiatives are in step with the necessities of the Worldwide Public-Sector Reporting Commonplace (IPSAS), which has been applied by the Ministry of Finance.

Substitute of previous Money-Primarily based Accounting System with an Accruals-Primarily based System:

Accruals-based accounting, along with offering larger transparency in public monetary administration, gives complete info on Authorities’s present and projected money flows, main to raised money administration. For instance, the conversion from money accounting to accrual accounting led to the invention of unrecorded money owed owed contractors, oil entrepreneurs, exporters, electrical energy distribution firms and others.

Enlistment into Open Authorities Partnership (OGP):

In Might 2016, President Buhari attended and took part within the Worldwide Anti-Corruption Summit organised by the UK Authorities. At that Summit he pledged that Nigeria would be a part of the OGP, a global transparency, accountability and citizen engagement initiative.

In July 2016, Nigeria grew to become the 70th nation to affix the OGP. Following this, Nigeria constituted an OGP Nationwide Steering Committee (NSC), which went on to develop a Nationwide Motion Plan (2017–2019) that goals to deepen and mainstream transparency mechanisms and residents’ engagement within the administration of public sources throughout all sectors.

In 2018, Nigeria was elected to guide the OGP, alongside Argentina, France, and Romania. All 4 new members of the OGP Steering Committee will serve for 3 years beginning on October 1, 2018.

Creation of Effectivity Unit (EU) to spearhead the environment friendly use of presidency sources, and guarantee discount in Recurrent Expenditure:

The Effectivity Unit was arrange in November 2015, to cut back wastages, promote effectivity, guarantee prudence and add worth for cash in all authorities expenditures.

The Unit screens Ministries, Departments and Businesses (MDAs) of presidency, figuring out and eliminating wasteful spending, duplication and different inefficiencies, and figuring out finest practices in procurement and monetary administration

JUSTICE REFORMS

Institution of Presidential Advisory Committee In opposition to Corruption (PACAC)

PACAC was established by President Buhari in August 2015 to, amongst different issues; promote the reform agenda of the federal government on the anti-corruption effort, and advise the current administration within the prosecution of the battle in opposition to corruption and the implementation of required reforms in Nigeria’s felony justice system. It was the very first committee the President arrange after he was sworn into workplace.

PACAC has empowered Judges and Prosecutors to function successfully in finishing up their duties by Workshops on the brand new Administration of Legal Justice Act, 2015.

PACAC has:

Educated each Federal and States Prosecutors on correct drafting of fees.

Helped anti-corruption companies devise clearer methods for acquiring forfeiture of property suspected to have been acquired fraudulently, primarily from State Coffers, earlier than prosecuting suspected culprits. A part of this work has concerned painstakingly reviewing present Legal guidelines (just like the Cash Laundering Act, 2004, the EFCC Act, 2004 and the ICPC Act, 2000), to determine and spotlight sections instantly conferring powers of forfeiture on Nigeria’s anticorruption companies. This advocacy has led to a major enhance in the usage of Non-Conviction Primarily based Asset Forfeiture Mechanisms by anti-corruption companies;

Organized workshops for the Administration and Safety of Property, and really useful the institution of a Central Asset Administration Committee – the Presidential Committee on Asset Restoration (PCAR), headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, which superintends a devoted Central Financial institution Account that receives all recovered funds, for coordination and transparency of administration and oversight.

Produced manuals, protocols and Commonplace Working Procedures to help ACAs of their work. These embrace the Corruption Case Administration Guide; the Plea Bargaining Guide; Sentencing Pointers in Excessive Profile Instances; the Framework for the Administration of Recovered Stolen Property, Asset Restoration Technique Doc, Corruption Case Administration Guide; Framework for the Administration of Recovered Stolen Property; and so forth.

Drafted a Invoice for the institution of Particular Crimes Court docket

Initiated the whistle blower coverage of the Federal Authorities (see Whistleblower Coverage for particulars)

 Home Laws & Worldwide Agreements

President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Mutual Help in Legal Issues Invoice, an Government Invoice, into regulation in 2019, following passage by the Nationwide Meeting. TheBill facilitates the identification, tracing, freezing, restraining, restoration, forfeiture and confiscation of proceeds, property and different instrumentalities of crime, in addition to the prosecution of offenders in felony instances no matter the place on the planet they is perhaps.

Nigeria has signed Agreements and MOUs with varied nations to spice up worldwide cooperation for the investigation, monitoring, freezing and return of stolen property.

Prisons Reform:

The completion, in 2019, of the primary elementary reform of the Nigeria Prisons Act in virtually 50 years, ensuing within the institution of the Nigerian Correctional Service to switch the Nigerian Prisons Service.

Launch of New Jail Data Administration System:The Pilot Mission was accomplished at Kuje Jail, and launched in July 2017 with the set up of a brand new knowledge administration system (the primary of its sort in any jail in Nigeria), in addition to {Hardware} tools (computer systems, server, LAN connectivity, webcams, and so forth). Nationwide rollout being labored on. Deployment will probably be in 86 Nigeria Correctional Service areas throughout 16 States.

Additionally as a part of Legal Justice Reforms, President Buhari in 2020 granted amnesty to 2,600 prisoners nationwide, representing about 3.5 p.c of all inmates, in a bid to decongest Nigeria’s jail inhabitants. The beneficiaries have been these 60 years and above; these affected by ill-health which may doubtless result in loss of life; convicts serving three years and above and have lower than six months to serve; inmates with psychological well being defect; and inmates with a pending positive not exceeding N50,000 and with no pending instances.

 SECURITY

Nigeria’s Regulation Enforcement Businesses have considerably scaled up their footprint throughout the nation – Operation Whirl Stroke within the North Central, Operation Ex-Swift Response in border areas, a number of new Ahead Working Bases, Fast Response Wings, Commando Coaching Faculties, and so forth, and deployments of Particular Forces. The Buhari Administration has rolled out essentially the most vital response to Nigeria’s multifaceted safety challenges, since 1999.

Elevated Investments in Arms and Weapons:Authorities to Authorities army offers with the Governments of the US, China, Russia, Pakistan, and so forth have helped remove costly and opaque middlemen. In April 2020, a primary batch of 17 army autos (VT-Four foremost battle tanks, ST-1 wheeled tank destroyers, self-propelled howitzers and so forth) arrived from China, for the combat in opposition to Boko Haram.

Nigerian Air Pressure has acquired 22 model new plane since President Buhari assumed workplace in 2015, and is anticipating one other 16 (together with the 12 Tremendous Tucano at the moment on order from the US Authorities, and due for supply beginning 2021). The NAF can be domestically re-activating a number of beforehand unserviceable planes.

President Buhari resuscitated the Ministry of Police Affairs in 2019, to supervise the event and implementation of methods to reinforce inner safety in Nigeria

President Buhari permitted the recruitment of 10,000 new Police Officers yearly.

President Buhari signed into regulation, in 2019, the Invoice establishing the Police Belief Fund, which can considerably enhance funding for the Nigeria Police Pressure.

Nigeria Police Pressure launched a brand new Nationwide Command and Management Middle in Abuja in 2019

President Buhari has permitted and applied new Wage Packages for the Army and Police.

Institution of Operation Whirl Stroke in Might 2018, to curtail violence in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa States. OPWS has recorded outstanding success in tackling armed herders, cultists, kidnappers and bandits in its sphere of operation, and introduced rigidity ranges down from the escalated ranges seen in 2017/2018.

 Northeast

Revitalization of the Multi-Nationwide Joint Job Pressure (MNJTF), aimed toward combating trans-border crime and the Boko Haram insurgency.

El-Kanemi Warriors Soccer Membership returned to their residence base in Maiduguri in April 2016, two years after relocating to Katsina State due to the insurgency

Emirs of Askira and Uba returned residence in Might 2016, two years after fleeing their Palaces on account of the Boko Haram insurgency

Public Secondary Faculties resumed in Borno State on Monday September 26, 2016, after two years of closure

Maiduguri-Gubio and Maiduguri-Monguno Roads reopened in December 2016, after being closed for 3 years.

Seize of Boko Haram’s operational and non secular headquarters, “Camp Zero”, in Sambisa Forest, in December 2016. Following this the Nigerian Military performed its Small Arms Championship from 26th to 31st March 2017, a measure aimed toward enabling the Armed forces to dominate the realm, and keep away from regrouping by the terrorists.

Chairman of the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria (CAN) Borno State Chapter declared the 2017 Easter Celebrations as the perfect and most secure since 2009.

Arik Air resumed flights to Maiduguri in Might 2017, three years after suspending operations to the town.

Nigerian Army reopened Maiduguri-Bama-Banki Highway in March 2018, 4 years after it was seized by Boko Haram.

Greater than 1,000,000 displaced individuals have returned to their properties and communities throughout the Northeast, since 2015.

Hundreds of hostages have been free of Boko Haram captivity, together with 106 of the Chibok Ladies kidnapped in April 2014, and 105 of the Dapchi Ladies kidnapped in February 2018.

 North Central and North West

In Might 2018 the Defence Headquarters kicked off ‘Operation Whirl Stroke’(OPWS) – that includes a Joint Army Intervention Pressure (JMIF), comprising Common and Particular Forces personnel from the Military, Air Pressure and Navy, and dealing in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Pressure, Division of State Safety (DSS), and Nigeria Safety and Civil Protection Corps (NSCDC) – to counter armed herdsmen and militia teams working in and round Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba States. OPWS has been very profitable in restoring calm to its space of protection.

Reorganization of present Safety Operations focusing on banditry, kidnapping and different crimes within the North West led to institution of Operation Hadarin Daji (OPHD)by Defence Headquarters in Might 2019.

Institution in 2019 of Joint Job Pressure Operation THUNDER STRIKE (JTF OPTS) by Defence Headquarters to deal with kidnappers, bandits, cattle rustlers, and different felony actions alongside main highways and adjoining villages round Kaduna-Abuja axis.

Institution by Nigerian Air Pressure of Fast Response Wings (QRW) in Benue (21 QRW), Nasarawa (22 QRW), Taraba (23 QRW) and Katsina States, and a Fast Response Group in Zamfara State (QRG 207), and deployment of Particular Forces to those QRWs/QRG.

Nigerian Air Pressure has additionally established Ahead Operations Bases (FOB) in Kaduna and Katsina States

Flag-off of Nigerian Military 2 Battalion Ahead Working Base (FOB) in Kanfanin Doka Village, Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna State.

Coaching and deployment of tons of of Particular Forces personnel by the Nigerian Military and Nigerian Air Pressure

DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Re-establishment of Nigeria’s place and affect within the regional and international area. Fragile/damaged relations with the US, United Kingdom, South Africa, and with neighbouring nations (Chad, Niger, Cameroon) have been revived and strengthened since June 2015.

Nigeria’s outstanding participation within the London Anti-Corruption Summit and the Commonwealth Convention on Tackling Corruption, in Might, 2016 in London.

Main outcomes/outcomes/manifestations of Nigeria’s renewed visibility and respect on the Worldwide Stage:

The positions of Deputy Secretary-Normal of the United Nations, President of the UN Normal Meeting (UNGA), President of the Worldwide Legal Court docket (ICC), Secretary-Normal of the Group of Petroleum Exporting Nations (OPEC), African Improvement Financial institution, and African Export–Import Financial institution are all at the moment held by Nigerians.

The signing, in August 2016, of an MoU with the UK Authorities on modalities for the return of Nigeria’s stolen property within the UK.

The institution of a International Discussion board for Asset Restoration (GFAR), hosted by the governments of the US and UK in December 2017, to concentrate on helping Nigeria and three different nations to reclaim their stolen property.

Nigeria joined the Open Authorities Partnership (OGP)in 2016 and developed a Nationwide Motion Plan, which is already being applied.

In 2016 Nigeria signed an Settlement on the identification and repatriation of Illicit Funds with the United Arab Emirates throughout President Buhari’s Go to to that nation.

The Federal Authorities below President Buhari has efficiently engaged the governments of Switzerland, Jersey Island, United States, United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein amongst others, in an effort to make sure the repatriation of Nigeria’s stolen property.

A complete of US$622 million in looted Abacha funds repatriated to Nigeria in two tranches in December 2017 and April 2020. The primary tranche ($322m) is being disbursed as a part of the Buhari Administration’s Social Funding Programme interventions, whereas the second tranche ($311m) is being invested within the Presidential Infrastructure Improvement Fund (PIDF), managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Funding Authority (NSIA).

Beneath President Buhari’s watch, Nigeria has been enjoying an energetic and stabilizing function in OPEC. In 2017 Nigeria was capable of efficiently negotiate an important exemption from manufacturing cuts agreed on the time, a transfer that helped shore up revenues and international reserves.

The Buhari Administration has mobilized Worldwide Help for the Conflict in opposition to Boko Haram, forging sturdy partnerships with key nations, together with the US, the UK, France and Germany, ECOWAS, the AU, the UN, and others. After years of stalemate, the US lastly agreed to promote – and has offered – weapons to Nigeria, (12 Tremendous Tucano Plane)

Revamp of the Multinational Joint Job Pressure (MNJTF) comprising troops from Nigeria and Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin.

The designation of President Buhari because the African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion for 2018

The designation of President Buhari by ECOWAS Heads of State as West Africa’s Covid-19 Champion in 2020.

President Buhari’s interventions have helped restore and strengthen democracy in The Gambia and Guinea Bissau. He licensed the deployment of troops, fighter jets and warships to The Gambia through the deadlock that adopted the December 2016 Presidential elections.

Profitable evacuation and repatriationof greater than 10,000 Nigerian migrants from Libya, with the assist and partnership of the Worldwide Group for Migration (IOM).

Bilateral Relations:

CHINA:

Billions of {dollars} in concessional infrastructure funding for crucial highway and rail tasks. President Buhari’s April 2016 official go to to China has unlocked billions of {dollars} in infrastructure funding, primarily for highway and rail tasks;

Implementation of aChinese Yuan (CNY) 15 billion Forex Swap Settlement between the Peoples Financial institution of China and the Central Financial institution of Nigeria.

GERMANY

Help for the Presidential Energy Initiative (PPI), six-year Programme to modernise Nigeria’s electrical energy grid, below a Authorities-to-Authorities framework between the Nigerian and German Governments; to be managed and applied by Siemens AG.

Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria Incentive-Primarily based Danger Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) and Petkus Technologie of Germany, aimed toward considerably lowering the incidence/affect of post-harvest losses in Nigeria’s Agriculture Worth Chain.

Signing of a MoU with Volkswagen of South Africa (VWSA) to develop a joint imaginative and prescient for an automotive hub in Nigeria.

UNITED STATES (USA)

Renewed cooperation in Safety and Anti-Corruption. The US Authorities has permitted the sale of 12 Tremendous Tucano Plane to Nigeria, in addition to repatriation of recovered looted monies and property stashed within the US.

Nigerian and U.S. militaries collaborated to host, April 2018 in Abuja, the 2018 African Land Forces Summit, the biggest gathering of African Military chiefs, to debate cooperation aimed toward bettering safety on the continent.

 UNITED KINGDOM (UK)

2018: Nigeria commenced the implementation of Automated Change of Tax Data (AETI) protocol with the UK. This Protocol will present the Nigerian Authorities with knowledge on financial institution accounts, property and trusts held within the UK by Nigerian nationals, and can assist the Voluntary Property and Earnings Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) by permitting Nigerian tax authorities to examine the accuracy of declarations obtained concerning abroad property and revenue.

2018: Launch of a UK-Authorities funded £13 million training programme that can present coaching for academics, faculty tools, and safety for colleges, for 100,000 kids dwelling in elements of the Northeast affected by Boko Haram.

 SOUTH AFRICA:

The SA-Nigeria Bi-Nationwide Fee was in 2019 elevated from Vice Presidential to Presidential Stage, as an emblem of a renewed dedication to cooperation between Africa’s two largest economies.

 MOROCCO:

The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, PFI(which entails a partnership with the Authorities of Morocco, for the availability of phosphate, in addition to technical help), has resulted within the revitalization of 14 mixing vegetation throughout Nigeria.

As a part of the PFI, in 2018 Nigeria and Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (between OCP of Morocco and the Nigeria Sovereign Funding Authority) on the institution of a Primary Chemical compounds Platform, particularly to develop a major Ammonia Manufacturing Plant within the Niger Delta.

RUSSIA:

Authorities-to-Authorities Arms Deal involving the availability of 12 Assault Helicopters to Nigeria

Resuscitation Deal for the Ajaokuta Metal Rolling Mill, agreed by Presidents Buhari and Putin, through the Russia Africa Summit in 2019. The Russian Authorities has agreed to assist the completion and full operationalization of the plant.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE):

Nigeria has signed and ratified an Extradition Treaty with the United Arab Emirates that permits extradition of Nigerians who flee to the UAE after committing crimes in Nigeria.

The Nigerian Sovereign Funding Authority (NSIA) has seen inflows of round US$2 billion below the Buhari Administration. These are the primary authorities inflows because the unique US$1 billion which the Fund kicked off with in 2012.

SAUDI ARABIA:

Relations with Saudi Arabia have drastically improved. Through the Future Funding Initiative (FII) in 2019, President Buhari met individually and held intensive talks with the King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, MBS; in addition to the management of ARAMCO and the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund.

One of many outcomes of the Saudi Go to was the settlement by the 2 governments to arrange a joint Saudi-Nigeria Strategic Council, made up of presidency officers and businessmen from each nations, and which can concentrate on financial progress and growth, investments in oil and non-oil sectors, and safety cooperation.

CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

“In Nigeria, we’re taking a two-step method. First, to guard the lives of our fellow Nigerians and residents dwelling right here and second, to protect the livelihoods of employees and enterprise house owners to make sure their households get by this very tough time in dignity and with hope and peace of thoughts.” – President Buhari

The Federal Authorities of Nigeria is rolling out a number of measures and directives on healthcare, border safety, and monetary and financial insurance policies in response to the pandemic. Extra measures are coming.

The President has arrange an Financial Sustainability Committee chaired by Vice President Osinbajo, to develop a complete financial plan to reply to the disruptions and dislocations attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The President has additionally arrange a Presidential Job Pressure on #COVID-19, chaired by the Secretary to the Authorities of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, with Dr. Sani Aliyu because the Nationwide Coordinator. The PTF is coordinating Nigeria’s multi-sectoral inter-governmental method to COVID-19.

The President additionally arrange a Committee made up of the Minister and Minister of State of Finance, Price range and Nationwide Planning, Minister of State Petroleum Assets, Governor of the Central Financial institution of Nigeria and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Company (NNPC), to evaluate the affect of COVID-19 on the 2020 Price range and to suggest applicable and fast response methods.

President Buhari has additionally permitted the next:

Institution of a 500 billion Naira COVID-19 Disaster Intervention Fund, for the upgrading of well being amenities nationwide, finance a nationwide Particular Public Works Programme, in addition to another interventions that could be permitted sooner or later.

Launch of particular intervention grants of 10 billion Naira and 5 billion Naira to the Lagos State Authorities and the Nigeria Middle for Illness Management (NCDC) respectively, to facilitate the Covid-19 Response.

Rapid Launch of 70,000 Metric Tonnes of Grain for distribution to poor and weak households throughout the nation.

Institution of a Joint Technical Job Crew to facilitate the motion of meals and agricultural inputs throughout Nigeria, through the Coronavirus lockdown.

Graduation of a three-month compensation moratorium for all TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni loans, with fast impact.

Graduation of a three-month moratorium for all Federal Authorities funded loans issued by the Financial institution of Business, Financial institution of Agriculture and the Nigeria Export Import Financial institution.

Presidential directive for fast Enlargement of Nationwide Social Register (official database for implementation of the Conditional Money Switch programme) by 1 million further households.

Implementation of Modified model of Nationwide Dwelling Grown College Feeding Programme, to ship dry meals rations to households of pupils already benefiting from the NHGSFP.

    from WordPress https://mastcomm.com.ng/news/buharis-simple-strides-in-5-years-presidency/

[recentnews18-blog]

New Post has been published on https://shovelnews.com/theres-a-new-robin-hood-movie-and-it-is-incredibly-stupid/

There's a New Robin Hood Movie and It Is Incredibly Stupid

The new Robin Hood, starring Taron Egerton, is very, very bad. It is meant to be an of-the-times modernized update of a familiar story—Egerton goes by “Rob”—but feels like a movie for teens made by someone who dislikes teens and thinks they are idiots. It is a dumb and incoherent movie that provokes unintended giggling. It is not the kind of thing you’ll want to spend a lot of money on.

Here are some things that happen in the new Robin Hood:

• Jamie Foxx plays a Saracen named something unpronounceably Arabic so everyone just calls him “John.” “John” meets “Rob” during the Crusades and follows him home to England, where he tells Rob exactly what to do, how to dress, how to shoot arrows, how to steal, and who to steal from. This means Robin Hood never needs to make any decisions of his own, leading you to wonder if “John” is a figment of Rob’s imagination—perhaps a PTSD-generated devil on his shoulder dictating his every move. This movie is not creative enough for any of this to actually be the case, but it’s fun to pretend that it is.

• Bono’s daughter plays Maid Marian, and she’s also a thief! In the first scene, Bono’s daughter tries to steal one of Rob’s many horses (he’s rich) but soon falls for his dreamy eyes and sexy teen-cutting-class attitude. (Also, he’s rich. She doesn’t mind that.) Rob goes off to the Crusades and is presumed dead, so Bono’s daughter takes up with a Bernie Bro played by Jamie Dornan, a wormily sensitive guy so obviously awful that I think we’re supposed to hiss whenever he’s onscreen. Bono’s daughter, whose name is Eve Hewson, is actually a pretty good actor, and deserves better than this. I wish her well.

• This particular version of Nottingham has a gigantic, flame-bellowing, post-apocalyptic mine that also seems to be an ironworks, because I don’t think the makers of the movie know what a mine is, exactly, but at least it allows for an action scene where a huge vat of CGI liquid metal gets spilled near Rob and his friends for no reason and poses no real threat to anyone.

• There is no Sherwood Forest, and no one wears Lincoln green. Lincoln green is for sissies.

• Ben Mendelsohn plays the Sheriff of Nottingham, an all-powerful position that’s possibly appointed by the Vatican, maybe? The Sheriff, of course, takes all the money from the poor mine workers, but you wonder why he doesn’t just take over the actual mine and get his precious coins directly from the source. (About 15 minutes from the end of the movie, he figures it out.) Mendelsohn, a good actor, knows this is a bad movie and leans into it—he doesn’t save this thing by any stretch, but he doesn’t actively make it worse.

Jamie Foxx’s character loses his hand early on, so he goes to the ironworks and forges himself a hoof! For the rest of the movie, one of Jamie Foxx’s hands is a metal hoof.

• When a cardinal from Rome comes to Nottingham, the city decides to celebrate by throwing, for some reason, an orgy with lots of gambling and alcohol. It looks like a Baz Luhrmann fever dream mixed with The Fifth Element by way of The Shannara Chronicles, but much worse than that sounds. The cardinal is played by F. Murray Abraham, and he does what Mendelsohn’s doing, only times a thousand. It is an insane and delirious performance, and I kind of loved it.

• Jamie Foxx’s character loses his hand early on—a Crusades mishap, ouch—so when he gets to Nottingham, he goes to the ironworks and forges himself a hoof! For the rest of the movie, one of Jamie Foxx’s hands is a metal hoof. I am not joking about this.

• Taron Egerton is a delightfully charming young man who has been delightfully charming in a few things, namely the first Kingsmen movie. He’s awful in this, and I now like him less as a result. I’m bummed about this.

• Robin Hood steals maybe two tiny things before embarking on the grand heist that makes up the last part of the movie. This is an embarrassment. This thing should have been two solid hours of Robin Hood sneaking around and sneakily shooting arrows from the shadows and sneakily lifting bags of gold from under sleeping rich jerks’ noses.

• The movie is not unpleasant. But it is very, very, very dumb. It’s so dumb that it will be a good 20 or so years before anyone dares to make a Robin Hood movie again, which really sucks, because the Robin Hood story is legitimately awesome and hasn’t been turned into a good movie since 1938 and its story of the poor rising up against a bunch of corrupt rich assholes feels, I dunno, super relevant in the year 2018, but now we’ll have to wait a really long time for anyone to feel anything other than mild annoyance at the very idea of a Robin Hood movie, so enjoy those superheroes, I guess.

Source: https://www.portlandmercury.com/blogtown/2018/11/21/24732861/theres-a-new-robin-hood-movie-and-it-is-incredibly-stupid