Racism: Why 'the children of a ‘lesser God’ must redefine the next human century and beyond.....

CC™ - Editor-in-Chief

I have always stated to many, including Black intellectuals that racism is not an event, statement, person/personality or even an action. Racism, at its very core and foundation, is an institution and that is why I laugh consistently at the notion by white liberals and some Blacks that racism must be defeated.

Defeated? Those who are actually 'in the know' understand the implication of that statement and as such they will NEVER allow that to happen; as it would mean the loss of their privilege and influence. I mean why would anyone in their 'right senses' want to give up the power and position they have benefited from for generations.

That opening flurry then brings us to the state of things not only in America (particularly under Donald Trump, the 45th POTUS) but also in the world as we, 'the children of a lesser God' seek to navigate our way through s system and indeed a world that continually views us as a threat. Yes, I said 'as a threat' as the founders of the racist establishment that currently runs the world understand very well how formidable and capable Africans (Blacks) are.

Whether it is in the corporate world, national and international politics, sports and entertainment, the system engendered by racism has ensured that Blacks in particular remain removed from positions of influence (where far-reaching decisions are made) that determine the ultimate outcome of events in the critical arenas of human life.

THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM

A closer look at the global economic system would serve to buttress my point regarding the institutional nature of racism. It defies logic that a continent (Africa) that produces majority of the worlds key natural resources remains the poorest and the most indebted. A situation where the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (all created to perpetuate neocolonialism and western imperialism) determine if, when and how the governments of African countries function basically ensures that the rusty shackles of slavery are replaced by new and shiny ones. It is not a coincidence that the fate of African countries in the hands of these Western institutions is similar to that of Blacks in America, Europe or South America when dealing with financial institutions. Blacks generally, even when they have great credit on the average pay higher interest rates than whites and end up being buried (much like African governments) under the weight of indebtedness.

THE UNITED NATIONS

When one looks at the United Nations and most international non-governmental organizations, the tale is the same. There is an undue influence exerted by the United States and Europe (Western Europe to be exact) in the daily affairs of those organizations. Of the five permanent members of the United Stations Security Council (UNSC), only one (China) is non-European. The other four permanent members are Russia, United States of America, Great Britain and France. When you look at that list, three of those five permanent members, the United States, Great Britain and France were three of the key perpetrators of the worst carnage in human history, the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade that robbed a whole continent of its future and destroyed the promise, hope and aspiration of a whole race.

GLOBAL SPORTS AND ORGANIZATION - FIFA, NFL AND THE NBA

When you look at organizations such as the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), the National Football League (American Football) and the National Basketball Association (NBA), the mark that has been laid down by the institution of racism and white privilege can not be over-emphasized. FIFA for the longest time only allowed a whole continent (Africa) with over 50+ countries to produce just one representative to the global showpiece from its inception in 1930 until the 1982 edition (52 years later). At that 1982 edition, FIFA allotted just two slots to Africa in a field of 24 nations (Europe was allotted 14 spots out of the total 24).

The odds continue to be stacked against African representatives at the FIFA global showpiece with a view to ensuring that an African country never wins the most prestigious global event in the world. FIFA and the European Football Confederation (UEFA) want to ensure that there isn't a repeat of the 1996 Men's Olympic football tournament that saw Nigeria defeat global soccer giants (with star studded players) such as Brazil and Argentina on their way to winning the first Gold medal in soccer (football) ever by an African country or a country outside of Europe and South America. FIFA and the IOC went on to ensure the watering down of the Olympic Men's soccer tournament shortly after that Nigerian victory.

THE REALITY

The fact remains that the African (Black) resurgence can't be stopped. That resurgence is not intended to ensure the destruction, eclipsing or eradication of anyone (unless they decide to get in the way of its actualization), but instead, the restoration of the basic construct of our humanity. The latter has been lost over the past generations, as avaricious greed, obtuse immorality, unbecoming debauchery and senseless over-indulgence have become the order of the day. What separates humanity from animals is basic and common-sense restraint, as necessitated by our core human make-up. There are consequences to our actions, both intended and unintended. Guns, climate change and politics are not the problem.

The problem lies with the human beings that pull the trigger, engage in actions that harm the environment or profess political views that seek to promote hate, division and a general sense of social anxiety. The first 'Black" POTUS (Barack Obama) and the first African President of South Africa (Nelson Mandela) both brought a humanity to their respective positions during their tenures, that had been lacking from their predecessors. While both were invariably still bound by the ubiquitous realities of the positions they held, they nevertheless sought to bring a more humane reality to it and that was evident by the resistance both had to face while in office.

In conclusion, while the future may seem bleak, one thing remains a constant; the potential and the opportunity to rewrite the human destiny lies in the African resurgence. The West will not lead, as evidenced by European and American regression into the throes of bigotry and intolerance (with the ascent of the likes of Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and Italy's Matteo Salvini). Africa must and will lead as history has shown that continent and its people as the ever-enduring moral compass for the world.

© 2023 2CG MEDIA. Coker Confidential™

Putin orders strippers, dancers to entertain Russian soldiers

CC™ Global News

By Dayo Adegoke

In a bid to cheer up and boost the morale of Russian soldiers, President Vladimir Putin has ordered that strippers and pole dancers be sent to the front line to entertain the troops.

The move followed the announcement of Kremlin to honour the Russian soldiers with a medal after the deployment he called the “special military operation.”

The senior commanders have been issued directive to organise the entertainment as Putin’s forces approach the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, ABC News said.

More than 100 girls will be ferried to the front in a fleet of helicopters for a series of “concert shows” at supply bases across the Donbas where troops are given five days of rest and recuperation.

Crates of beer and Russian sausages will be shipped in for the troops and a ceremonial parade is expected on the 24th to mark the start of Russia’s operation and remember the fallen.

News of the ‘raunchy stripping sessions’ was revealed on social media by a Russian officer who announced that troops would be getting a special surprise.

In his post, the tank Colonel, codenamed ‘Armoured Death said, “Our heroes will be given special parties with pole dancing ladies, beer and food as a thank you for their service.

“Events will be held as part of the soldiers’ rest period and aimed to raise the morale of troops who have been fighting in the front line.”  

Wealthy Entrepreneur 'Reversed' His Biological Age with a $2 Million Treatment Program - Ethical concerns here?

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By Alexa Mikhail 

"Bryan Johnson, 45, has a team of more than 30 physicians working to keep him young by trying out the latest treatments Wealthy software entrepreneur Bryan Johnson, 45, has one goal: To have the brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, tendons, teeth, skin, hair, bladder, penis and rectum of an 18 year old...."

Bryan Johnson, a wealthy entrepreneur based in Venice California, who is 45 going on 18—is enamored with the idea of being biologically young again. So much so that he is on the path to spending over $2 million this year alone on a host of medical interventions and tests aimed at helping him be younger. They range from electromagnetic pulses to improve the muscles in his pelvic floor to a device calculating the number of erections he has per night, according to a recent profile of the software businessman in Bloomberg. Johnson also routinely has MRIs, and has his body fat, heart rate variability, and blood and stool samples examined. 

Johnson sees a team of 30 doctors for regular, and sometimes invasive, tests for what they have named Project Blueprint, according to Bloomberg. 

The 29-year-old lead doctor and “regenerative medicine physician” on the project Oliver Zolman is dedicated “to help reverse the aging process in every one of Johnson’s organs” and charges up to $1,000 an hour for patients interested in the vast testing that Johnson participates in, Bloomberg reports. 

While the data is preliminary, Johnson has the heart of a 37-year-old, the skin of a 28-year-old, and the lung capacity of an 18-year-old, according to tests his doctors performed. His overall biological age is at least five years younger, per the report. 

“We have not achieved any remarkable results,” Zolman tells Bloomberg. “In Bryan, we have achieved small, reasonable results, and it’s to be expected.”

Johnson, who has a medical facility in his own home, also adheres to a hyper-strict exercise and eating ritual, taking two dozen supplements/other medicines at 5 a.m. each day, consuming 1,977 “vegan calories a day,” exercising for an hour, and hitting the hay at the same time after using blue light evasive glasses. 

“What I do may sound extreme, but I’m trying to prove that self-harm and decay are not inevitable,” he told Bloomberg. Since beginning to see results, he’s continued the project, despite criticism that it’s all a step too far in a way that impedes on the spontaneity that can define living a happy life. 

When Bloomberg reporter Ashlee Vance visited Johnson’s home, he writes, “He could have been mistaken for a big, swollen porcelain doll.” (He had recently undergone a fat injecting face procedure, which he says will help him accumulate more youthful cells, though it produced an allergic reaction.) 

Johnson has made it clear—whether due to a dream of staying fit and young, outliving his own generation, or to simply explore the untapped potential of emerging longevity technology—he is not stopping anytime soon. 

“The whole longevity field is transitioning into a much more rigorous, clinical place,” George Church, a geneticist at Harvard University, tells Bloomberg.

For the majority of people who don’t have the resources to have a medical facility in their home or access a team of doctors and regularly undergo medical tests, there are a myriad of questions—namely, what will this mean for the rest of us? What is the result of this kind of healthcare that allows the ultra-rich to literally descend in age?

For Johnson, though, it’s all fun for now. “If you say that you want to live forever or defeat aging, that’s bad—it’s a rich person thing,” Johnson says to Bloomberg. “If it’s more akin to a professional sport, it’s entertainment. It has the virtues of establishing standards and protocols. It benefits everyone in a systemic way.”

Source: Fortune Well

Don’t vote politicians who’ll drag Nigeria back to dark ages, Buhari tells Nigerians

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“Ironic, considering that is exactly what he (Buhari) basically did…..”

As activities geared towards the 2023 general elections gathers momentum, President Muhammadu Buhari has advised Nigerians against voting politicians who would drag the country back to ‘dark ages.’

He stated this during an event organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, with the theme: “Fighting corruption in Nigeria: The past, the present and the future.”

Buhari said he made sure to leave behind a legacy of ‘zero tolerance,’ for corruption, adding that he expects the next administration to follow the same light.

He said, “I strongly believe that our anti-corruption agencies need to concentrate more on asset forfeiture regimes in addition to prosecution to deny looters the gains from the proceeds of their crime. All looted assets within and outside Nigeria must be recovered and used for the wellbeing of our citizens while the looters will be prosecuted and convicted if found culpable.

“In a matter of weeks, Nigerians will need to go to the polls again to elect their leaders in the general elections. I beseech Nigerians to reject politicians who would drag our country back to the dark ages in which corruption was made the order of the day.

“As I leave office in a matter of months, I have left behind a legacy of zero-tolerance for corruption for our teaming youths and to every citizen. For me, corruption is Evil and must be vehemently rejected in all ramifications by all Nigerians anywhere, anytime. 

“It is by integrity, respect for rule of law, due process and genuine patriotism that we will make Nigeria the nation of our dream.”

In the same vein, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, PACAC, Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, lamented that the judiciary has not shown true commitment to the war against corruption.

The Jim Crow Era and the vestige of white supremacy

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Marilyn York: What representing men in divorce taught me about fatherhood

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Priest describes ‘horrifying’ new attack on Catholics in Nigeria that leaves at least 11 dead

Close to 500,000 Nigerians have been either killed or displaced since Buhari took office

CC™ Global News

By Jude Atemanke

At least 11 people, most of them Catholics, were killed Jan. 19 when alleged Fulani herdsmen attacked a village near a refugee camp in Nigeria’s Makurdi Diocese, a diocesan official has reported.

In an interview with ACI Africa, CNA’s sister news partner, Father Moses Aondover Iorapuu, the diocese’s vicar general, recounted the “horrifying” persecution that Catholics were subjected to during the attack.

“The images of the attack are horrifying, and I keep saying that not even ISIS is capable of such brutality,” he said. “After killing, these guys decapitated some and took the parts away as proof to whoever is the sponsor.”

Aondover said the attacks took place Thursday about 9 p.m. in a village near Makurdi, the Benue State capital, where there is a displaced persons camp.

“As of this evening 11 people were killed, including women and children, and many with life-threatening wounds in the hospital,” he reported.

“Almost all the victims” of the attack were Catholics, he said, adding: “The attackers, according to the survivors, were Fulani, who occupied some of the villages they had abandoned in earlier raids.”

Aondover criticized the delayed response from security agents, saying: “The response from the police and the military as always: normal late arrival at the scene, and the attackers remain unidentified.”

Nigeria has been experiencing insecurity since 2009 when Boko Haram’s insurgency began with the aim of turning the country into an Islamic state.

Since then, the group, one of largest Islamist groups in Africa, has been orchestrating indiscriminate terrorist attacks on various targets, including religious and political groups as well as civilians.

The situation of insecurity in the West African nation has further been complicated by the involvement of the predominantly Muslim Fulani herdsmen, also referred to as the Fulani Militia, who have been clashing frequently with Christian farmers over grazing land.

The Jan. 19 attack on the village saw the inhabitants “forcefully driven from their homes by these herdsmen,” Aondover said, lamenting “the incessant attacks without a single arrest and meaningful reaction from the government.”

“We feel terribly frustrated and abandoned by our government and the international community,” he said.

This story originally was published by ACI Africa, CNA's sister news partner.

Source: Catholic News Agency

Liverpool’s Premier League struggles continue with draw at Anfield against Chelsea

CC™ Soccernet

By the Editor-in-Chief 

--- Boyejo A. Coker

Another Premier League game, and once again, another lackluster and listless performance from Liverpool, this time at Anfield against fellow strugglers, Chelsea FC.

While many thought the team had turned the proverbial corner with the mid-week victory over Wolves (at the Molineux) in the FA Cup replay, the reds once again showed no bite, as they were lacking in both verve and spirit against a struggling Chelsea side that was there for the taking. The largely forgettable match ended goalless.

Thus, the narrative of the 7th-year-itch as it relates to Klopp’s documented struggles after 7 years in charge at previous clubs, is bound to continue, and perhaps escalate. And why not? One might be tempted to ask. After all, it is a fact that Klopp has never turned around the fortunes of any of the previous clubs he has managed after being at the helm of those clubs for 7 years.

In fact, at least one of those clubs (Dortmund) flirted with relegation, and the panacea for each of those past struggles was for Klopp to leave as manager. 

One therefore must wonder if FSG and Liverpool fans are essentially asking the German to do what he has never done before as a manager; turn around the fortunes of a struggling team, and in this case, one that looks like a tired and utterly spent force! The difference between LFC and those other teams though lies in the pedigree of the latter. Liverpool are ‘European royalty’ where football is concerned at club level, and allowing this obviously evolving train wreck to continue might be debilitatingly detrimental to the future of the club, in the long run. 

Klopp frankly looks tired and short on ideas as to how to fix the rut. His carefully curated press conferences not withstanding, his demeanor and overall disposition smacks of someone who has lost the plot and would like to be put out of his misery. 

As drastic as it may sound, the ownership at FSG might want to consider helping him in the latter regard.

It is glaringly obvious that the players have stopped listening to him. Perhaps, a new face and a different voice might just do the magic.

African History: The Black Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

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Judge confirms Attorney General’s authority to investigate potential race discrimination by auto insurers PEMCO and Progressive

CC™ Legal News

“Auto insurance companies made investigation public by fighting to quash inquiry into use of credit history to choose customers and price car insurance.”

Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that a Thurston County Superior Court judge rejected an attempt by PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company and subsidiaries of the Progressive Corporation to stop his office’s investigation of potential race discrimination against Washington drivers. The companies both use consumer credit histories — or “credit-based insurance scores” derived from a consumer’s credit history — to decide whether to sell, and at what price to sell, their auto insurance products, despite evidence that this practice disproportionately harms people of color.

PEMCO and Progressive have a significant presence in Washington state. PEMCO has issued approximately 160,000 private passenger auto insurance policies to Washingtonians; Progressive likewise insures a significant portion of Washington drivers. Both companies openly use credit history and/or credit-based insurance scores to decide who they will provide coverage to, and at what price. Publicly available information indicates PEMCO charges people with low credit scores as much as triple those with high credit scores; Progressive likewise significantly increases premiums for individuals with negative credit histories.

The companies brought the matter to court to fight the office’s investigation, making the investigation public.

The office has a longstanding policy that it does not comment on investigations, including confirming whether they exist. However, in fighting to quash the Attorney General’s investigative demands, the insurance companies revealed the investigation. Given the significant importance of, and the public interest in, the practices under investigation, the office is offering comment.

“Washington law is clear: Unfair, deceptive or discriminatory business practices are illegal,” Ferguson said. “Significant evidence shows that using credit history to price insurance disproportionately affects people of color — even when their driving history is just as safe as white drivers. My office has a responsibility to investigate race discrimination against Washingtonians. I intend to do that."

Analyses show that the use of consumers’ credit history and/or credit-based insurance scores disproportionately affects drivers who are people of color, even if their driving records are just as safe as the driving records of white drivers. In 2020, the Consumer Federation of America, a consumer advocacy group, reported that when insurance companies rely on factors having nothing to do with driving, including credit scores, to price their insurance products, Black drivers “will pay more for auto insurance than white drivers, even when everything related to driving safety and vehicle type is held constant.”

One media report notes this stems from “a long history of discrimination” in lending, banking, and government programs that is well-understood to “affect the data that credit scoring models use today.”

According to the Consumer Federation of America, “[b]ecause insurance is required in every state but New Hampshire, the disparate pricing likely causes higher levels of uninsured driving among African Americans and higher incidence of state uninsured driving penalties for African Americans, which can include fines, car impoundment, and jail. It also means less access to vehicles and reduced access to jobs, as the nexus between car ownership and employment opportunity is well established.”

The Attorney General’s Office is seeking information about PEMCO and Progressive’s compliance with the Washington Consumer Protection Act and the Washington Law Against Discrimination as part of its investigation.

Any Washingtonians with information about PEMCO’s or Progressive’s use of credit history in pricing, or deciding whether to offer, auto insurance, including people who believe they have experienced discrimination as a result of those practices, should reach out to the Wing Luke Civil Rights Division at 1-833-660-4877, and choose option 9 from the main menu. Individuals can also contact the Attorney General’s Office by email at AutoInsurance@atg.wa.gov.

Assistant Attorneys General Yesica Hernandez and Patricio Marquez, and Legal Assistants Anna Alfonso and Allie Lard, handled the Attorney General’s Office’s motion to enforce its investigation demands.

The Washington Law Against Discrimination prohibits discrimination in insurance transactions on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, citizenship or immigration status, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or honorably discharged veteran or military status.

The Wing Luke Civil Rights Division was created in 2015 to protect the rights of all Washington residents by enforcing state and federal anti-discrimination laws. It is named for Wing Luke, who served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He went on to become the first person of color elected to the Seattle City Council and the first Asian-American elected to public office in the Pacific Northwest.

Individuals may file civil rights complaints here.

SOURCE: ATG.WA.GOV

A suit filed by the Center for Race, Inequality, and the Law takes a new approach to proving racial bias in the insurance industry

CC™ Matters Arising

“The study found that, compared to White homeowners, Black customers had to submit more paperwork to have their claims approved, were likely to have more conversations with a State Farm representative before having their claims approved, and experienced longer wait times to receive payouts.”

For Alexander Rose ’20, the highlight of his 2L year was participating in the Civil Rights Clinic taught by Professor of Clinical Law Deborah Archer. Over the course of the year, he worked on an employment discrimination dispute, advocated against the New York Police Department gang database, and co-drafted litigation strategies for advocates in the wake of the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. “Her course was the defining experience of law school and helped make me the type of advocate I am today,” Rose says.

Now, two years after his graduation, Rose and Archer are working together again, this time on a potentially groundbreaking case of racial discrimination.

Filed on December 14 in federal court in Illinois, the suit, which is seeking class action status, alleges that insurance company State Farm discriminates against Black homeowners and makes it harder for them to receive pay outs for insurance claims. The case claims that State Farm utilizes fraud detection software that has a disparate impact on Black customers. Brought under the Fair Housing Act, the case is the first lawsuit of its kind to use data specific to an insurance company in making racial bias claims, according to an article on the litigation in the New York Times.

Representing the plaintiffs are NYU Law’s Center for Race, Inequality, and the Law (CRIL), where Archer is faculty co-director; and Fairmark Partners, a Washington, DC–based firm focused on civil rights and corporate accountability where Rose serves as chief of staff; and local counsel.

“This suit does not reflect the values we hold at State Farm,” Gina Morss-Fischer, a State Farm spokeswoman, told the New York Times. “State Farm is committed to a diverse and inclusive environment, where all customers and associates are treated with fairness, respect, and dignity. We are dedicated to paying what we owe, promptly and courteously.”

The case is built on a study which began when Archer, CRIL fellow David Jimenez ’23, Rose, and other members of Fairmark began discussing a 2020 story in the New York Times that reported Black homeowners often encounter difficulties when seeking payments for their property insurance claims. While these claims of bias are widespread, the Times reported, it was difficult to determine patterns of discrimination because insurance companies do not make information about claims publicly available.

“This question about wealth inequality and the links to home ownership and insurance kept coming up,” says Archer, who served as lead researcher for the study, “and CRIL has an interest in algorithmic bias, but also in thinking about community equity and the things and policies in place that make some communities less equitable and less hospitable for success,” says Archer. As many insurance companies use algorithms to handle a portion of claims, “it seemed like an important thing to explore,” she says. Archer says that CRIL and Fairmark worked with polling company YouGov to conduct a survey and analyze data from 800 State Farm claimants over several months in 2021.

The study found that, compared to White homeowners, Black customers had to submit more paperwork to have their claims approved, were likely to have more conversations with a State Farm representative before having their claims approved, and experienced longer wait times to receive payouts.

After analyzing the data, the Center and Fairmark spoke with individuals and community organizations to assess how impacted communities would like to file litigation, Archer says.

“In the past year, CRIL has become more sharply focused on challenging some of the modern tools of racial inequality, particularly with a sharper focus on economic justice issues, as well as diving deeper into exploring issues at the intersection of race and technology and algorithmic bias,” says Archer. She notes: “The practices of insurance companies and how they perpetuate racial bias and racial inequality is kind of a black box.”

SOURCE: NYU LAW NEWS

The True History Of Britain's Horrifying Role In Slavery

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Buhari’s Killing Fields: Catholic priest burnt to death and another shot in northern Nigeria

CC™ Breaking News

Gunmen burned a Catholic priest to death and shot and injured his colleague in northwest Nigeria on Sunday, police said, the latest violence raising concerns about security ahead of an election next month.

Nigerians will vote for a new president on Feb. 25 but kidnappings for ransom and killings by armed gangs in the north have lead to fears that polls may not be held in some areas.

The motive for the latest attack was not immediately clear but gunmen have previously targeted priests in the largely Muslim north.

Wasiu Abiodun, police spokesperson for Niger state, said in a statement that armed men torched the residence of Father Isaac Achi, of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, in Paikoro local government area, after failing to gain entry around 3:00 a.m.

Father Achi was burned to death while another priest identified as Father Collins, who was at the house, was shot and injured as he tried to escape.

He is recovering at a local hospital, Adiodun said.

Butcher of Daura: The Real Muhammadu Buhari

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Breaking: More classified documents found in Biden's 'personal library'

CC™ Politico News

By Zeke Miller and Michael Balsamo

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden acknowledged on Thursday that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his “personal library” at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with other documents found in his garage.

Biden told reporters at the White House that he is “cooperating fully and completely” with a Justice Department investigation into how classified information and government records made their way to his home and the office of his former institute in Washington.

Biden did not say when the latest series of documents were found, only that his lawyers' review of potential storage locations was completed Wednesday night. Lawyers found the first set on Nov. 2, days before the midterm elections, but only publicly revealed that development on Monday.

AP

Letter From US Senators 'Inappropriate,' Won’t Sway Me, FTX Bankruptcy Judge Says

CC™ Legal News

By Jack Schickler

A bipartisan letter from four U.S. senators is an “inappropriate” intervention in bankruptcy proceedings that won’t sway judicial decisions, Delaware Judge John Dorsey told a court hearing Wednesday.

The letter, from John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) called for an independent examiner to be appointed to investigate the collapse of the crypto exchange.

The letter is an “inappropriate ex parte communication,” Dorsey said, using a legal term for court interventions that don't give all parties the chance to be represented.

“I will make my decisions on the matters referred to in the letter based only upon admissible evidence and the arguments of parties and interest presented in open court,” Dorsey said. The bankruptcy court judge added that the letter “will have no impact whatsoever on my decisions in this case which will only be based upon the facts and law presented by the parties."

The senators’ letter raised questions about ​​the ability of law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to impartially represent the crypto company's new executives. FTX filed for bankruptcy Nov. 11.

Read more: FTX Has Recovered 'Over $5B' in Assets, Bankruptcy Attorney Says

CoinDesk

Elom Musk makes history: Becomes first person to lose $200 billion and counting......

Illustration: Ryan Trefes

CC™ News

By Tade Ogunjobi

Billionaire Elon Musk, formerly the richest man in the world, has broken a new record as the first person in history to lose $200 billion and counting, as things stand.

According to the Western/European centric Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index, the Tesla founder and Twitter owner lost $200 billion off his net worth.

It was gathered that Musk’s wealth plummeted to $137 billion following the decline in Tesla shares in recent week. This includes a massive 11 per cent fall in Tesla shares on December 27.

Tesla, out of desperation resorted to offering consumers in the United States a $7,500 discount for its two highest-volume models before the end of 2022. 

Recall Musk’s fortune topped at $340 billion in November 2021.

On the back of this, he was the world’s richest person for more than a year at a stretch.

The new Twitter owner was then overtaken this month by Bernard Arnault, the French business magnate and co-founder of luxury goods powerhouse LVMH.

Putin ally Patrushev says Russia is now fighting NATO in Ukraine

CC™ Global News

By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) -One of President Vladimir Putin's closest allies said on Tuesday that Moscow was now fighting the U.S.-led NATO military alliance in Ukraine and that the West was trying to wipe Russia from the political map of the world.

Putin casts the war in Ukraine as an existential battle with an aggressive and arrogant West, and has said that Russia will use all available means to protect itself and its people against any aggressor.

Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev is seen by diplomats as one of the major hardline influences on Putin, who has promised victory in Ukraine despite a series of battlefield setbacks.

"The events in Ukraine are not a clash between Moscow and Kyiv - this is a military confrontation between Russia and NATO, and above all the United States and Britain," Patrushev told the Argumenti i Fakti newspaper in an interview.

"The Westerners' plans are to continue to pull Russia apart, and eventually just erase it from the political map of the world," Patrushev said.

The United States has denied Russian claims that it wants to destroy Russia, the world's biggest producer of natural resources, while President Joe Biden has cautioned that a conflict between Russia and NATO could trigger World War Three.

Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered one of the deadliest European conflicts since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the Soviet Union and United States came closest to intentional nuclear war.

The United States and its Western allies have condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an imperial land grab, while Ukraine has vowed to fight until the last Russian soldier is ejected from its territory.

RUSSIA ALONE

As a former Soviet spy who has known Putin since the 1970s, Patrushev's views give an insight into thinking at the very highest levels of the Kremlin. He rebuffed CIA Director William Burns' warnings in 2021 against an invasion of Ukraine.

In a Soviet-style analysis of the West, Patrushev cast Western political elites as corrupt and controlled by trans-national corporations and business clans which planned and executed "colour revolutions" across the world.

"The American state is just a shell for a conglomerate of huge corporations that rule the country and try to dominate the world," Patrushev said.

The United States, Patrushev said, had sown chaos in Afghanistan, Vietnam and the Middle East, and had been trying for years to undermine Russia's "unique" culture and language.

Russia, he said, was a victim of Western designs to push it back to the borders of 15th century Muscovy, and accused the West of bleeding Ukraine to undermine Russia.

"There is no place for our country in the West," he said.

In response, he said, Russia would achieve economic sovereignty and financial independence but also build armed forces and special services capable of deterring any potential aggressor.

Russian business and private capital, he said, needed to be more "nationally oriented".

"The younger generation should be inspired by the ideas of creative work for the benefit of our Motherland, and not sit in the offices of Western corporations," he said.

Reuters

Were the Ancient Egyptians Black?

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Another year, another hit, as Kizz Daniel drops new hit - "Rich Till I Die" (RTID).....

CC™ Entertainment News

Nigerian Afro classic pioneer, Kizz Daniel, is at it again to spin and thrill music enthusiasts with electrifying hits in the New Year.

Once again, his creative energy and incredible tunnel vision have come to play this year as he drops another banger hit alongside visuals for his highly anticipated single, Rich Till I Die (RTID).

Produced by Reward Beatz and Co-produced by Blaise Beatz, the single is a perfect reflection of hard work, diligence, resilience, and a summation of his musical journey so far. 

This sumptuous musical cocktail has the well-made and gifted artiste in a state of thankfulness, especially visible through lyrics that are enshrined in proverbs and wise sayings throughout a delicious sound whose chorus is nothing short of a prayer.

Breathing life into this Afropop poster tune, sensational video director, TG Omori stamped his signature on the RTID visuals. This showcased depth and dexterity in capturing the very essence of this nostalgic tune. 

It also displayed the luxurious life of Kizz Daniel in line with part of the song’s lyrics, “I live the life I want. I love the life I live”, as well as blending the odd pieces in between with corresponding visual frames.

This makes the RTID visuals a guaranteed pick-me-up for everyone wishing for a little bit more affirmation and inspiration as they head into the new year!

Hard on the heels of his masterpieces — ‘BUGA’ and ‘COUGH (ODO)’ which moved the world with millions of streams and views across several social media and streaming platforms, Kizz Daniel teased his audiences locally and internationally with a snippet of RTID via his Instagram page, which garnered instant reactions with his fans yearning for the full song. 

The widely acclaimed singer who has had incredibly successful singles and albums that have gone on to become street anthems across Africa and the world has become almost a mini-god in knowing the exact type of music to dish out and continually fan the eternal flame of good music for his fans in Nigeria, Africa and the world.

Rich Till I Die (RTID), a perfect song to curl up with in a new year, hit music airwaves Friday, 6th  January 2023 on all digital platforms.

Why Nigerians will never forgive Babangida - "If the foundation be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

             

             CC™ Introspective Flashback

“On June 12: Severally and with great remorse too, I have taken responsibility as a true leader for the actions and decisions of the military administration that I led. The annulment of the June 12 election is one of the ugly spots one has to live with...I know that a day will come when Nigerians will forgive our regime because we are a godly nation that embraces the culture of forgiveness”. Gen Ibrahim Babangida, Minna, August 15 2010.

Brigadier John Dennis Profumo was a British politician. Although Profumo held a series of political posts in the 1950s, he is best known for his involvement in a 1963 scandal involving a prostitute. The scandal, now known as the Profumo Affair, led to Profumo's resignation and withdrawal from politics, and it may have helped to topple the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan. 

Profumo, a well-connected politician with a good war record was highly regarded in the Conservative party. On 5 June 1963 Profumo was forced to admit that he had lied to the British House of Parliament, an unforgivable offence in British politics. He resigned from office, from the House and from the Privy Council. The scandal rocked the Conservative government, and was generally held to have been among the causes of its defeat by Labor at the 1964 election. 

After his resignation, Profumo began to work as a volunteer cleaning toilet at Toynbee Hall, a charity based in the East End of London, and continued to work there for the rest of his life. Eventually, Profumo volunteered as the charity's chief fundraiser. These charitable activities helped to restore the fallen politician's reputation; he was awarded a CBE in 1975, and in 1995 was invited to Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday dinner. He was a member of Boodle's club in St James's Court, London from 1969 until his death.

Tony Blair is a British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. 

The 43-year old Blair became the youngest Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 2 May 1997 since Lord Liverpool in 1812. With electoral victories in 1997, 2001, and 2005, Blair was the Labour Party's longest-serving prime minister, the only person to lead the party to three consecutive general election victories. 

Tony Blair was a very popular and charismatic with lots of achievement including the Northern Ireland Peace Process (after 30 years of conflict) and one of the longest periods of economic prosperity in UK modern history. 

But in 2003, Blair joined the United States and invaded Iraq. This was particularly controversial, as it attracted widespread public opposition and no less than 139 of Blair's MP's opposed it. 

As a result, he faced criticism over the policy itself and the circumstances in which it was decided upon—especially his claims that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction, which have not been discovered. 

Blair's decision to invade Iraq in 2003 prompted huge antiwar protests and till date, Blair cannot come out in public in the UK without huge security. 

In fact, Anti-war campaigners are planning to hold a demonstration at his book-signing in central London on 1 September 2010. 

Lindsey German, from Stop The War Coalition, said: "It would have been much better for everyone if he hadn't taken us into these wars in the first place. Blair lied about the Iraq war, he refused to express any regret at the Chilcot inquiry. 

Blair was highly vilified, summoned before the Chilcot Inquiry and some people, including Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter and former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, have accused Blair of war crimes. 

However, yesterday, August 16 2010, Tony Blair announced he will donate all the profits from his forthcoming memoirs to a new sports centre for injured troops. The former prime minister is handing over the reported £4.6 million advance he received for the book, A Journey, as well as any royalties. 

The money - which represents a significant chunk of Mr Blair's estimated £15 million-plus fortune - will go towards the Royal British Legion's Battle Back Challenge Centre, which is due to open in summer 2012. The £12 million complex will provide accommodation and a state-of-the-art gym and training facility for injured service personnel. 

For the former prime minister it was "a way of marking the enormous sacrifice" of the UK's armed forces. For some others it was little more than an attempt to assuage a guilty conscience. 

The proceeds from the book will go to the Royal British Legion's Battle Back campaign, a project that will provide a new rehabilitation centre for seriously injured troops returning from the frontline. 

Simpkins of the British Legion said: "Mr Blair's generosity is much appreciated and will help us to make a real and lasting difference to the lives of hundreds of injured personnel." 

"In making this decision Tony Blair recognises the courage and sacrifice the armed forces demonstrate day in, day out," said his spokesman. "As prime minister he witnessed that for himself in Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone and Kosovo. This is his way of honouring their courage and sacrifice."

What is the lesson for Ibrahim Babangida in these two stories?

General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian military ruler. He ruled Nigeria from his coup against Muhammadu Buhari on August 27, 1985 until his departure from office in August 27, 1993 after his annulment of elections held on June 12 that year. 

Babangida was the Chief of Army Staff and a member of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) under the administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Babangida would later overthrow Buhari's regime on 27 August 1985 in a bloodless military coup that relied on mid-level officers that Babangida silently and strategically positioned over the years. 

He came into power in a military coup promising to bring to an end the human rights abuses perpetuated by Buhari's government, and to hand over power to a civilian government by 1990. Eventually, he perpetuated one of the worst human right abuses and lots of murder of military officers on phantom coup plots and unresolved plane crash that killed dozens of military officers. 

Ibrahim Babangida is widely regarded in Nigeria as a thief and criminal and was accused of being responsible for the theft of over 12 Billion Dollars. He was also accused of institutionalizing corruption. 

In his declaration speech, August 15 2010, IBB admitted that his ambition to be president has generated “robust debate as to whether or not I should contest the highest office in the land. In fact, some people in their negative criticism continue to render acrimonious misrepresentation to distort and disparage my true character and general contributions”. 

He went to point out four controversial issues that “touch on some of the impressions and issues that you and I must have been confronted with relating to my personality and previous administration”: 

1. The murder of Dele Giwa
2. The annulment of June 12 elections widely held to be free and fair
3. The Okigbo Panel Report and the missing $12.5 billion Gulf Windfall
4. The Democratization of corruption 

On 1, 3, and 4 issues above IBB strove to exonerate himself from “the allegation for want of evidence by the prosecutors” while acknowledging that “perception, often repeated, no matter how untrue, becomes very hard to obliterate”. 

But on the issue of the annulment of June 12 election IBB said: “Severally and with great remorse too, I have taken responsibility as a true leader for the actions and decisions of the military administration that I led. The annulment of the June 12 election is one of the ugly spots one has to live with. It was a collective decision taken after series of consultations with several stakeholders. Even though ours was a military regime, yet we governed as a team, majority decision always carried the day. I know that a day will come when Nigerians will forgive our regime because we are a godly nation that embraces the culture of forgiveness”. 

Babangida in effect was asking Nigerians to forgive him and come next year, 2011, elect him as our civilian president. (I watched his declaration on NTA, he said “civilian president” with a crooked smile). 

Of the three other controversial issues above, I ask Nigerians: 

1. Is Babangida the most corrupt leader Nigeria has ever produced? I don’t think so. Otherwise, Atiku Abubakar - indicted in the USA for corruption would not be contesting and Olusegun Obasanjo would be in jail. 

Even Abacha’s son is reportedly warming up to be the next Kano State governor. 

2. Is IBB the only leader that may have killed political opponents including killed journalists? Since he left office, dozens of journalists has been murdered. Under OBJ’s watch, Bola Ige was murdered and no one has been prosecuted. 

3. Is the missing $12billion dollars reportedly stolen by IBB the worst looting Nigeria have ever witnessed?

I say, under Obasanjo, the publicly televised Elumelu Power Probe proved that $16billion earmarked for power generation under former President Olusegun Obasanjo equally disappeared. And yet OBJ remains one of the most powerful power brokers in the ruling party!

But on June 12, I tell IBB, No sir, Nigerians will not forgive you as to allow you be the next president. 

WHY?
Simple, the answer is found in the narratives above about Tony Blair and Brigadier Profumo. 

Since 1993, For seventeen years, IBB by his own account, lived with a guilty conscience for criminally annulling the freest and fairest election ever conducted in the annals of this country and thereby: 

1. Set the clock of Nigeria’s development back by some 50 years!
2. Brought the country to the brink of perdition and civil war
3. Caused the loss of many innocent lives
4. Imposed the most wicked, callous and sadist leader on Nigerians in the person of Sani Abacha.  

And yet when he “stepped aside” in 1993, and through all these 17 years, IBB continued to harbor and nurture the dream of coming back to rule Nigeria, and yet he did absolutely nothing to assuage his conscience, assuage the aggrieved and heal the wounds caused by his wicked act. 

He failed to toe the path trod by Tony Blair Brigadier Profumo and even our own Moshood Abiola. 

Before June 12 no one considered Abiola a saint. In fact, when digital telephony eventually came to Nigeria in the late 90’s, I could not help then thinking that but for Moshood Abiola, we should have had digital telephony in our house 20 years earlier. 

Fela Anikulapo Kuti captured the disgraceful episode in his classic: ‘ITT, International Thief Thief’! 

And yet, by the time Abiola contested for President in 1993, what comes into the mind of Nigerians when Abiola's name is mentioned is not ITT but philanthropy! 

Unarguably, No part of Nigeria was excluded from benefitting from Abiola’s philanthropy. Even a secondary school in my home town, Nnewi, South-Eastern Nigeria got 250,000 Naira during one inter-house sports ceremony. 

So again I ask IBB: 

Since you knew even when you were stepping aside in disgrace in 1993 that you will come back to ask for our vote in a democratic Nigeria, what did you do to assuage our hurt, to win the hearts of the aggrieved, and show that you are not the evil genius you acknowledged we take you to be? 

Where is your public school (not the elite school you established with your wife) for the masses? 

You claimed to be “conscious of the geopolitical divides in the country”, how many indigent students from the all the geopolitical divides in the country benefitted from your scholarship? 

You led the Nigerian army to Liberia, What charity did you establish for those that lost their limbs or for the widows that lost their husbands in that war?

What tangible Foundations did you establish to entrench democracy and good governance in the country? 

Gen Obasanjo after handing over in 1979 and despite all his faults acted as the conscience of the Nation during the locust years of military maladministration of Nigeria including yours – we remember OBJ begging you to give your flagship economic policy, SAP, a human face and milk of human kindness, He spoke up against bad military rule, and established African Leadership Forum.

It can be argued that without the statesmanlike roles Obasanjo played between 1979 and 1994, the Federal establishment would not have approached him to assume the mantle of leadership in 1999.

So again I ask IBB: What statesmanlike role did you play in Nigeria between 1993 and 2010? 

Where were you as religious and ethnic crisis and Sharia riots engulfed parts of the North since 2001 till date? 

why didn’t you speak up when the man you nurtured, Sani Abacha was treading Nigeria with his jack-boot? You became deaf and dumb! 

Or even speak against the injustice of Obasanjo sending the Nigerian Army to massacre peaceful Odi and Zaki biam indigenes?

IBB didn’t care because he believes that he could always use his looted funds to buy some of us over to sing his praise. He was confident he could gather a few journalists to feed from the crumbs from his table. 

That to me is the height of arrogant disdain for Nigerians and a manifestation of megalomaniac sense of entitlement that should be quashed by all means! 

It shows that IBB take Nigerians to be gullible fools that could always be taken in by guile and a flash of gap-toothed smile. Or alternatively, he considers us a bunch of stupid idiots that could always be bought with money. 

And for this, we will never forgive IBB! 

I hardly agree with Alhaji Umaru Dikko on anything but on one thing I am on all fours with him; the Nigeria’s presidency is not for the highest bidder! 

This historical lesson proved again and again in Nigerian political history the daft-heads parading as presidential aspirants have always failed to learn.

To their detriment!