Paradise News

Tag: General News

  • Mele Kyari’s NNPC Strategies: A Potential Saviour For The Naira?

    GCEO of NNPCL, Mele Kyari and NNPC Towers

    On January 25 this year during the uveiling of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) 2024 Macroeconomic Outlook Report, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso made an assertion that the “naira is undervalued.”

    This statement was one of the motivation that pushed the Nigerian government into looking for both short-term and long-term solutions to save the naira, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) may be the magic wand in the short-term.

    In January this year, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a global business advisory services firm said the naira depreciated to around N914 per dollar after the apex bank decided to float the naira on June 14, last year.

    Between January 2024 and February 23, the currency traded at N1,506 per dollar based on the CBN weighted average. The government had the intention to allow market forces to determine the value of the currency so that it would become attractive to foreign investors.

    But because foreign exchange earnings are low, demand pressure for foreign exchange had pushed the currency to plunge far beyond the expectations of the CBN.

    There are multifaceted pressures on the foreign exchange markets, and the country’s foreign exchange reserves are low to absorb all the shocks. At $33bn of gross foreign exchange reserves, the increased import bill, which grew by 33 per cent from N6.34tn in the third quarter of 2022 to N8.46tn in Q3, 2023 is also mounting pressure on the naira.

    Ultimately, the pressure on the naira is impacting on prices of goods and services, and the ripple effect is hardship on the over 200 million Nigerian population. Inflation has already reached 29.8 per cent as of January 2024, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

    The NNPCL is the goose that lays the golden egg for the continent’s biggest economy and all eyes are on the company that earns over 80 per cent of foreign exchange proceeds for the government to stem the tide.

    The Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mallam Mele Kyari has already laid a strategic foundation for both short-term and long-term remedies for the ailing naira before the country fully diversifies its economy away from over-reliance on crude oil proceeds.

    As a quick measure, the Kyari-led NNPCL is already helping the government to earn dollars from the $3.3bn deal signed with the African Import and Export Bank (Afreximbank) in September last year.

    On January 24, Afreximbank announced an initial disbursement of $2.25bn under the syndicated $3.3bn crude oil prepayment facility sponsored by the NNPCL.

    The disbursed amount played a vital role in the CBN settling the $2.3bn foreign exchange forwards backlog inherited by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, leaving a balance of $2.2bn.

    Even the CBN Governor, Cardoso, and experts like Muda Yusuf, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprises attested to the role the swap deal will play in reducing pressure on the naira and boosting the confidence of foreign investors whose funds were trapped for years.

    A second tranche of $1.05bn is expected to be disbursed by the Afreximbank as part of the $3.3bn. An injection of the $1.3bn would go a long way in helping the CBN to intervene in the bank when necessary.

    At the heart of the fight is a recent strategy announced by Kyari to move some of NNPCL’s accounts with commercial banks to the CBN. This move delighted the CBN because they are sure of more foreign exchange to defend the currency.

    A review of the decision of the NNPCL to domicile a significant portion of its revenues and other banking services with the CBN shows as crude oil earnings improve, the CBN will have more forex to shore up its reserves.

    In fact, the CBN now has more capacity to intervene in the official segment of the foreign exchange market and the Bureau de Change Segment of the Foreign Exchange Market. Already, the increased capacity has given the apex bank the morale to begin intervention in the BDC segment with a weekly disbursement of $20,000 to qualified operators.

    Although the NNPC Limited was not under any obligation to domicile its accounts with the Central Bank, Kyari believes that the strategy will boost foreign exchange liquidity for the CBN to perform its of maintaining foreign exchange stability.

    Nigeria is one of the emerging economies that spend the export proceeds from crude oil to import refined petroleum products and this is a major contributor to naira volatility.

    In 2021, Nigeria imported $11.3bn in refined petroleum products, mainly from the Netherlands ($3.62bn), Belgium ($1.78bn), Norway ($1.2bn), India ($992m), and the United Kingdom ($760m).

    In an attempt to wean the country off its heavy reliance on the importation of refined products, NNPCL began a radical move to revamp the Port Harcourt Refinery, Warri Refinery and the Kaduna Refinery.

    For two years, work has been ongoing at the Old Port Harcourt Refinery (Area 5) and NNPC Ltd. had pledged to complete Phase One of the project (mechanical completion and flare start-up).

    The refinery will begin by processing 60,000 barrels per day (bpd), and NNPCL expects to operate at the full capacity of 210,000 bpd later this year thereby reducing the pressure to import refined products with the scarce foreign exchange.

    As an oil and gas-rich emerging economy, Kyari has also laid the foundation for Nigeria to tap into the international gas market with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the $25bn Nigeria-Morrocco Gas Pipeline.

    Kyari is leading the push to fast-track the process of achieving the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline in line with the series of MoU signed in 2022. The initiative is expected to serve Africa and deliver gas to Europe.

    The international natural gas market size was over $1.029tn in 2023 and it would grow to $1.127tn in 2024. With a huge reserve of 200 trillion cubic feet, Kyari has set a pathway for Nigeria to earn huge foreign exchange from the mega gas market. Revenues from the numerous gas projects of the Kyari-led NNPCL will be one of the long-term remedies for the foreign exchange pressure on the naira.

    Mele Kyari’s NNPC Strategies: A Potential Saviour For The Naira? is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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  • Fact Check: No proof a study found lab-grown meat funded by Bill Gates causes ‘turbo cancer’

    A truck with a turbocharged engine boasts enhanced performance and fuel efficiency. TurboTax is one option for filing tax returns online. Turbo cancer … doesn’t exist.

    But that didn’t prevent Instagram users from sharing alarming claims about a meat alternative Feb. 22. 

    “Study Reveals Bill Gates’ Fake Meat Causes ‘Turbo Cancers’ in Humans,” read the post’s caption. “Bill Gates’ lab-grown meat causes cancer in humans who consume it, according to a disturbing new study.” 

    An image accompanying the post showed Gates, who co-founded Microsoft Corp., and a screenshot that purported to show something Gates posted on X: “Cancers found in fake meat are totally harmless to humans.” 

    This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

    (Screenshot from Instagram.)

    Gates, a billionaire who has invested heavily in charities and climate research, has invested in companies creating meat substitutes using plant-based ingredients and laboratory technology. 

    The original article with a headline that matched the Instagram post was published Feb. 23, 2023, on The People’s Voice, a website that has spread misinformation before. We’ve fact-checked the site’s false headlines numerous times, and Baxter Dmitry — who is credited with writing the article — is a byline seen often on misinformation sites. 

    The article doesn’t cite a specific study that supports its claims that “fake” or lab-grown meat causes cancer. 

    It linked to a Bloomberg News article about some lab-grown meat companies’ use of “immortalized cells,” or cells that proliferate indefinitely. Cancer researchers told Bloomberg News that “because the cells aren’t human, it’s essentially impossible for people who eat them to get cancer from them, or for the precancerous or cancerous cells to replicate inside people at all.”

    Bloomberg News noted that there are no long-term health studies backing the scientific consensus that immortalized cells are safe to consume. Bloomberg News also said “there’s no evidence that cultured meat cells are going to become cancerous in a diner’s body.” 

    Scientists who study cultivated meat told The Associated Press that it’s inaccurate to say that immortalized cells used to create lab-grown meat are cancerous.

    The People’s Voice article also linked to a Children’s Health Defense article about a protein used in plant-based Impossible Burgers; it did not mention lab-created meat. Children’s Health Defense is an anti-vaccine legal advocacy group created by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

    Neither the Bloomberg News nor the Children’s Health Defense articles contained the word “turbo” or the phrase “turbo cancer.” The term “turbo cancer” was popularized by anti-vaccine activists, who’ve repeatedly claimed — contrary to available evidence — that COVID-19 vaccines cause unusually aggressive, fast-growing cancer. 

    PolitiFact searched the Nexis database for news reports containing mentions of “turbo cancer” and “lab-grown meat,” and found nothing.

    Also, an advanced X search for the comment Gates allegedly posted about “cancers found in fake meats” showed no results.

    Our ruling

    An Instagram post claimed a study revealed “Bill Gates’ Fake Meat Causes ‘Turbo Cancers’ in Humans.” 

    We found neither reliable studies nor news reports supporting the claim that lab-grown meat causes fast-growing cancer that some people are calling “turbo cancer.” 

    We traced this claim back to an article on a website known for spreading misinformation. That article did not provide the study that purportedly supported the claim and it showed no proof that lab-grown meat is unsafe. 

    We rate this claim False.

    RELATED: What Bill Gates has to do with livestock, lab-grown meat



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  • Illinois judge orders Trump removed from primary ballot for his role in Jan. 6 riot

    An Illinois judge ruled Wednesday that former President Donald Trump’s name should be struck from the March 19 Illinois Republican primary ballot because he engaged in insurrection in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and is disqualified from holding the office of president.

    Cook County Judge Tracie Porter made her ruling based on the case law surrounding the Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision in December that removed Trump from that state’s ballot based on the “insurrection clause” of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court is reviewing the Colorado decision.

    While Porter ruled primary votes cast for Trump should not be counted by Illinois election officials, she stayed the effect of her ruling until March 1 in anticipation of an appeal in higher state courts and a ruling from the nation’s highest court in the Colorado case.

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  • Ferguson Secures Major Victory In Fight to Protect Consumers From Unlawful Medical Debt Collection Practices

    Attorney General Bob Ferguson

    Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that the debt collection agency Harris & Harris will pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit. The settlement, worth $1 million, addressed allegations of unlawful medical debt collection from more than 160,000 residents of Washington. The agency was accused of failing to inform patients of their rights regarding medical debt, a crucial aspect of the state’s consumer protection laws. This case is a key element of Ferguson’s ongoing initiative to enforce consumer protections, particularly in the healthcare sector.

    The origins of this lawsuit can be traced back to the practices of Harris & Harris, which, along with Optimum Outcomes, was employed by Providence Health & Services to collect medical debts. The methods used by these agencies came under scrutiny for possibly violating Washington state laws related to medical debt collection. The lawsuit, expanded in the summer of 2022 to include these agencies, alleged that they did not provide patients with essential information about their debts. Specifically, they failed to inform patients about their right to request detailed information about their debts and did not provide necessary contact information for the hospitals where the care was received.

    Emphasizing the importance of transparency and legal compliance in debt collection, Attorney General Ferguson stated, “Debt collectors must play by the rules. Washingtonians have a right to know about certain protections related to medical debt, and debt collectors have an obligation to inform them of those rights. We will continue to enforce these protections on medical debt.”

     This statement highlights the state’s dedication to ensuring that consumers are not only aware of their rights but also that these rights are upheld by corporations, especially in areas as sensitive as healthcare.

    In a related lawsuit, Providence Health & Services, the parent organization employing Harris & Harris, agreed to a settlement that included $157.8 million in refunds and debt forgiveness. This resolution significantly impacted nearly 100,000 patients, offering substantial benefits to low-income individuals who likely qualified for free or reduced-cost hospital care.

    Investigations into Harris & Harris’s practices by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) revealed that the agency sent over 294,652 first written collection notices to 166,872 Washingtonians without the required disclosures. This oversight led to the collection of nearly $25 million from patients, often without their knowledge of potential financial assistance or their legal rights.

    The settlement with Harris & Harris mandates a change in the agency’s business practices. The company must include all legally required disclosures in future collection notices and fund consumer education for affected individuals in Washington. This education aims to inform them about their rights regarding medical debt collection and the process of applying for financial assistance for hospital bills.

    Attorney General Ferguson’s Health Care Initiative, which encompasses this lawsuit, has yielded over $205 million in debt forgiveness and refunds for Washington residents. This initiative showcases the government’s commitment to protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive practices in the healthcare sector.

    The impact of this case is amplified by a new law enacted in March 2022 and effective from July 1, 2022. This law expands eligibility for financial assistance in Washington, potentially benefiting half of the state’s population with access to free or reduced-cost hospital care. It requires hospitals to provide clear notices about financial assistance, screen patients for eligibility, and suspend collection activities if a patient appears eligible for assistance.

    While the case against Harris & Harris has been settled, the legal battle against Optimum Outcomes continues, with a trial scheduled for February 22. This ongoing lawsuit signifies the state’s resolve to address all aspects of issues surrounding medical debt collection.

    According to the AGO, the settlement with Harris & Harris is a crucial step in Washington State’s efforts to safeguard consumer rights, particularly in healthcare. It brings immediate relief and education to thousands of individuals affected by unfair debt collection practices and sets a precedent for ethical and legal medical debt collection.

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  • WH Press Sec. Claims Biden ‘Doesn’t Need’ Cognitive Assessment, Says ‘Passes Cognitive Test Every Day’


    Apologists rely on ‘Trust me, bro’ deflection strategy as Biden’s mental decline a national concern.

    Bumbling 81-year-old puppet POTUS Joe Biden doesn’t need to take a cognitive test because he performs his job daily, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre unashamedly argued.

    Asked during a briefing Wednesday why Biden’s annual physical examination wouldn’t include a cognitive function screening, Jean-Pierre denied such a test was necessary and told reporters concerns over his mental decline were overblown.

    “I think folks need to understand that the president passes again a cognitive test every day,” Jean-Pierre claimed.

    The Biden admin propagandist went on to downplay the value of a clinical cognitive test characterizing it as a “15-minute appointment that is administered by someone that most of the time people don’t actually know.”

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    “And and the president has a team of doctors that is with him 24/7” she said, adding, “and he is able to do the work every day.”

    “That is rigorous,” Pierre insisted. “That is more rigorous than it would be for any 15 minute clinical appointment.”

    “The president doesn’t need a cognitive test,” she continued, claiming those were the word’s of Biden’s physician.

    Jean-Pierre then defended not having Biden’s doctor at the briefing, claiming it wasn’t “the norm.”

    The press sec’s fierce defense of the Democrat leader followed Biden’s trip to Walter Reed hospital Wednesday for an annual physical examination.

    “They think I look too young,” Biden, the oldest US president, joked following his check-up.

    “President Biden is a healthy, active, robust, 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” stated a letter by Dr. Kevin O’Connor, adding he had “no new concerns” with Biden.

    While the White House claims Biden’s mentally fit to serve, Mollie Hemingway notes at the same time Special Counsel Robert Hur’s justification for not filing charges against him was that a jury would take pity on Biden due to his advanced age and senility.

    The refusal to take a cognitive test comes as more Americans are expressing concerns with Biden’s mental ability as his deterioration becomes more apparent each passing day.

    The globalists are increasing their attacks on Infowars and the stakes have never been higher!

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  • How We Will Curb Rising Cost Of Drug-FG

    Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate

    The federal government has disclosed that it will soon issue an executive order to curb escalating drug prices in the country.

    The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate disclosed this on Wednesday during the third edition of the ministerial press briefing series initiated by the Ministry of Information in Abuja.

    The minister, however, stated that the executive order is short-term goal in curbing the rising prices of drugs in the country.

    He noted that the mid to long-term goals in reducing drug prices involve the domestication of imported drugs within the next three years in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment.

    “The rising cost of pharmaceuticals is a pressing concern, and we are taking decisive action to address this issue. An executive order will soon be issued to curb escalating drug prices in the short term, while our mid to long-term goal involves the domestication of imported drugs within the next three years, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade,” he said.

    He added that the federal government has also initiated the construction of pharmaceutical-grade warehouses in 21 states in collaboration with Drug Management Agencies.

    Pate disclosed that warehouses, built to fortify the pharmaceutical infrastructure across the nation, will be commissioned in April 2024.

    “Two additional warehouses at the federal level are also underway, complemented by the installation of the Warehousing Management Information System– M Supply, in these 21 pharma-grade warehouses This visionary project commenced in October 2023 and is slated for completion in March 2024, with a scheduled commissioning in April 2024,” he said.

    Speaking on the importance of the Warehousing Management Information System, Pate stated that it will significantly enhance accountability and transparency, ensuring the potency of public health medicines and other health commodities.

    “This infrastructure development aligns with our commitment to improving health outcomes for citizens nationwide.

    “Furthermore, the government has taken strides in advancing healthcare data management. Essential medicines and narcotics utilisation across the three levels of healthcare have been successfully onboarded onto the National Health Logistics Management Information System platform.

    “This decisive step not only strengthens our international image by enhancing medicines reporting but also establishes a robust framework for monitoring and optimising the supply chain. In addition, the federal government has led the development of the maiden National Policy on Cosmetics Safety in Nigeria, a crucial policy that will guide the production and safe use of cosmetics in the country.

    “Moreover, the development of two Unified Food Safety Training Manuals, focusing on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles, as well as the requirements for Good Hygiene and Manufacturing Practices along the food supply chain, underscores our commitment to promoting food safety and hygiene practices across the nation,” he said.

    The minister also disclosed that the Ministry has secured a $1bn pledge from Afrexim bank, alongside other foreign partners, to aid the unlocking of the full potential of the healthcare sector in the country.

    How We Will Curb Rising Cost Of Drug-FG is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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  • Fact Check: No, Donald Trump did not call his wife ‘Mercedes’ instead of Melania

    News headlines and social media posts claim former President Donald Trump forgot his wife’s name. 

    “Experts warn Donald Trump may be suffering from dementia after calling wife Melania ‘Mercedes,’” one Feb. 26 Facebook post said. 

    This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

    But Trump didn’t mistakenly call his wife the wrong name. The claims take Trump’s comments during his Feb. 24 speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference out of context. 

    During the speech, at around the 54-minute mark,Trump praised former first lady Melania Trump. 

    “She was a great first lady, people love her,” Trump said. 

    The crowd erupted in cheers and gave the former president a standing ovation.

    “Oh look at that, wow,” Trump responded, looking to his left at the audience. “Mercedes, that’s pretty good.”

    Trump was talking to Mercedes Schlapp, his former White House strategic communications director and wife of CPAC chair Matt Schlapp. We found no information in media reports about whether Melania Trump attended CPAC. 

    Late night talk show host Seth Meyers also poked fun at Trump, showing the clip from Trump’s speech before welcoming President Joe Biden on his show. 

    “I’m sorry, Mercedes? You had a nuclear meltdown when Biden messed up the president of Egypt and you can’t remember your wife’s name?” Meyers said. “Guys, I hate to say it, his mind is slipping.”

    Later in the show, Biden referenced Trump’s comment when Meyers asked him about voters’ concerns over his age. 

    “You’ve got to take a look at the other guy,” Biden said. “He’s about as old as I am but he can’t remember his wife’s name.”

    Trump’s references to Mercedes Schlapp

    Trump referenced Mercedes Schlapp three times during his CPAC speech, and each time he looked at the audience to his left, where Mercedes and Matt were sitting in the front row. 

    At the beginning of his speech, Trump spent eight minutes individually recognizing people in the room.

    “I want to thank Matt and Mercedes Schlapp,” Trump said around the 1:10 mark.”Two great people along with the entire staff of the American conservative union.”

    Trump looked to his left when he mentioned Mercedes during the crowd’s standing ovation for Melania, and then again at the end of the speech. 

    “So now, I’m going to the place I’m supposed to be. I’m going to South Carolina. I’m supposed to be there,” Trump said. “And if I do poorly I’m going to blame Mercedes. Forget about that. I’m gonna blame Mercedes. Because I am supposed to be there and I’m not there.”

    Trump has previously made gaffes and mistakenly used the wrong names for people when giving speeches. 

    During an October 2022 deposition in the case that found Trump liable for sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll, Trump mistook a picture of Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples. 

    “That’s Marla,” Trump said, pointing to a picture of Carroll. “That’s my wife.”

    In January, Trump was trying to refer to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., but called her Nikki Haley, his Republican presidential primary opponent.

    Trump has also mistakenly said he defeated President Barack Obama in an election and that Biden would lead the U.S. into World War II. 

    Trump’s and Biden’s mental aptitudes have been a key talking point during the 2024 presidential campaign, because, if elected, Trump and Biden would be the oldest presidents in U.S. history, breaking records they each set in 2016 and 2020, respectively.

    Our ruling

    A Facebook post claimed Donald Trump called his wife “Mercedes” instead of Melania.

    After Trump mentioned Melania during his CPAC speech, the crowd erupted in applause and gave him a standing ovation. He looked to his left at the audience, where Mercedes Schlapp was sitting in the front row, and said,”Oh look at that, wow. Mercedes, that’s pretty good.”

    He referred to Mercedes Schlapp two other times during his speech, and looked in the same direction each time.

    We rate this claim False.



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  • 49ers, Shanahan raved by players but hot tubs are different story

    SANTA CLARA — Coach Kyle Shanahan is the best thing going tor the 49ers, while Levi’s Stadium’s cramped training room and hot tubs are the worst.

    So says an annual survey of players that, overall, saw the 49ers climb from seventh to sixth in the NFL Players Association’s rankings among the league’s 32 franchises.

    Here is how the 49ers’ graded in each of 11 categories in the NFLPA’s second-annual survey, as completed by over 1,700 players (77 percent).

    Treatment of Families: A- (No. 2 in NFL)

    Food/Cafeteria: A- (No. 3)

    Nutritionist/Dietician: B+ (No. 8)

    Locker Room: B+ (No. 7)

    Training Room: C (No. 24)

    Training Staff: B- (No. 21)

    Weight Room: B+ (No. 11)

    Strength Coaches: B+ (No. 16)

    Team Travel: C+ (No. 13)

    Head Coach: A (No. 7)

    Ownership: A- (No. 10)

    The NFLPA’s summary of the 49ers: “The positives for the team start at the top of the organization, with the players giving high marks to the club ownership group and CEO Jed York along with head coach Kyle Shanahan. Responding players also highly ranked the treatment of families and the food program.”

    The head coach and ownership categories were added to this year’s survey. Shanahan just completed his seventh season, having guided the 49ers to their second Super Bowl appearance and fourth playoff berth in five years.

    “The one area that survey respondents believe needs to be prioritized going forward is the training room,” the NFLPA statement added. “The room itself is small with a limited number of treatment tables. Also, the hot/cold tubs are very small, which limits the players’ ability to comfortably use them to either warm up or recover.”

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  • Jenefeness Franke Honored With Economic Development Advocate of the Year Award

    Jenefeness Franke

    By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium

    The Washington Economic Development Association (WEDA), a non-profit entity devoted to fostering economic development and vitality throughout Washington, recently announced that they will honor Jenefeness Franke with the distinguished Economic Development Advocate of the Year Award. Franke, who has nurtured many future entrepreneurs as a professor and faculty coordinator at Seattle Central College, will become the first Black woman to receive the award.

    “I am deeply honored to receive this award, which reflects not only my personal journey but also the collective dedication of countless individuals and organizations committed to our shared mission,” says Franke, founder of Fiscal Finesse Consulting and co-founder of Black Owned Business Excellence (BOBE).

    Franke has been at the forefront of initiatives whose efforts help to elevate Black-owned businesses through the BOBE since 2019. Her influence has been essential in dismantling barriers, enhancing inclusivity, and catalyzing economic progress with an emphasis on diversity and equity.

    At the tail end of George Floyd and the start of the COVID pandemic, businesses across the country and in the region were privy to economic assistance to help sustain them, yet Black businesses were slipping through the cracks and missing out on much-needed financial and economic information and aid. In response, Franke teamed up with other like-minded individuals in the community and formed BOBE, a volunteer-powered 501(c)(3) entity founded in response to a community need for advocacy and access to resources, making a meaningful difference for minority businesses across Washington.

    “How we got started was myself, Curtis Calhoun of Black Dot, BJ Stewart at Urban Impact, we joined forces; it was in the beginning of COVID, and right after George Floyd was murdered. And we discovered a lot of the Black-owned businesses that we were connected to were not aware of like PPP loans, other loans or any of the support that was being given from different government entities and local organizations,” says Franke.

    “A lot of them were not connected to any financial institutions, were not getting information in a timely manner, a lot got information after the funds were depleted or the deadlines had already passed,” added Franke. “So, we decided to get together and start educating Black-owned businesses and creating this hub of resources that they can know about in advance.”

    The partnership with BOBE includes the Seattle Public Library, Washington State’s Small Business Development Center, UW Foster School of Business, and various other civic and business entities alongside state and city government agencies dedicated to the progress of BIPOC businesses.

    According to Franke, “these collectives aim to serve as a leading, trusted network for Black-owned enterprises in Washington State, joining forces with a variety of organizations to guarantee fair resource distribution and promote communal prosperity. Through united efforts and strategic alliances, they endeavor to provide businesses with essential resources, knowledge, and opportunities for growth and success, championing economic empowerment, diversity, and social justice towards a state where the promise of Black-owned businesses is fully acknowledged and celebrated.”

    Franke’s holistic approach brings together “inclusive strategies with a steadfast dedication to community upliftment,” this approach has produced significant advances towards connectivity and equal opportunities for BIPOC-owned enterprises in the Puget Sound region. Franke, along with a devoted team, has dedicated innumerable volunteer hours to lead BOBE’s endeavors.

    “BOBE is important because so many different organizations are operating in silos,” says Franke. “So, you have for example Black Dot which serves the Central District. You have the Tacoma Urban League and The Black Collective who are specifically serving the Tacoma and Hill Top area. But there is no organization that serves the entire state of Washington that is helping Black-owned businesses.”

    “These silos have been created and the information has been gatekept, so there are entrepreneurs who are not connected because they may not be in the vicinity of certain agencies or organizations. With BOBE, our resources are available for everyone in Washington state, we are here to create a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem across the entire state of Washington,” she added.

    As it relates to the award, Franke was nominated by Orlantha Coleman of the Minority Business Development Agency and Shana Barehand of the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services.

    “Jenefeness Franke is the embodiment of economic development excellence, tirelessly working towards equality and opportunities for minority business owners,” says Coleman. “Her cooperative method not only enriches our business landscape but also lays down a blueprint for future generations of entrepreneurs. We are thrilled to acknowledge her outstanding contributions and anticipate the ongoing positive effects of her efforts.”

    Franke will be formally recognized at the WEDA 2024 Winter Conference, an acknowledgment of her unwavering dedication and an inspiration for all who strive to create a more inclusive economic sphere.

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  • Watch: Fat Blue-Haired Teacher Dances To Sexual Song With Young Student


    Take your kids out of public school if at all possible

    A video going viral online shows an underage student dancing with a blue-haired “teacher” to a sexually explicit and vulgar song.

    In the brief video, the young girl mouths along to the lyrics and does hand motions matching the song.

    The song goes, “I play with her pearl. And I can fuck up her whole world. Boi-oi-oing. She bounce on that dick. Toes curled. But fuck these bitches, I’m tryna run up these riches.”

    Misspelled text on the screen of the video reads, “Dance with a teacher after are ternement,” showing the kid could likely use some more time in English class and less time dancing to graphic music.

    Commenters online criticized the teacher and questioned parents who send their children to public schools.



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