2014 fake images

Is this "Sad Putin" after Russia lost to Finland in hockey?

You may have seen this photo getting passed around yesterday showing a dejected Vladimir Putin after the Russian Olympic hockey team was defeated by Finland 3-1. Russia was bumped from medal contention, so it would be an understandable reaction.

But the photo isn't actually from that game. It's a Getty Images photo that was taken two days earlier when Russia played Slovakia. Amazingly, the Russians actually won that game 1-0. Yet another lesson that we should all be skeptical of just about every image coming out of Sochiright now.

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19) Is this really a double-decker bus race from 1933?

No, that's not a real photo of a double-decker bus race in 1933. It's a pre-Photoshop photo collage, despite what sources like Retronaut and @HistoryInPics might claim.

The National Archive of the Netherlands clearly archived the photo in its Flickr account under fakes, photo montages and retouched images. On the right, an actual double decker bus being tested circa 1933 to prove its stability.

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20) Is this a super moon from Sequoia National Park?

Is this a photo of the "super moon" in Sequoia National Park? No. But even the experts can be fooled when it comes to beautiful fakes of nature.

The Twitter account for the National Parks Conservation Association sadly tweeted this photofrom Imgur as if it were real. But as Twitter fakes sleuth @PicPedant points out, it's actually a photo from Europe with a gigantic, glowing "moon" photoshopped in.

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21) Is this a photo of Civil War soldiers with a tank?

Could this really be a color photo of Civil War soldiers posing in front of a tank? Of course not. It's clearly a modern photo of Civil War re-enactors. But that didn't stop one of the web's biggest history Twitter accounts from tweeting it out as real.

Someone recently started an account called @AhistoricalPics, poking fun at the inaccuracies of accounts like @HistoryInPics and @HistoryInPix. The parody account tweets out obviously false facts, and silly photoshopped creations. But amazingly, the folks behind @HistoryInPix didn't get the joke. They took that obviously mislabeled photo from the parody account andpresented it as real.

Confederate General Benjamin Franklin must be rolling over in his grave.

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22) Was this a place for disposing of ugly children?

That's not very nice, is it? No, that cruel photo of an "ugly child" making the rounds isn't real. It's a poorly rendered photoshop. Well, at least the sign is. The original photo can be found at the Getty Images and clearly shows that the sign actually reads: "Please Keep Off The Grass."

Admittedly, it's still not clear why that young girl is stuck in a trash bin. But we can hope that it's just a momentarily posed joke by a weirdo photographer in 1928. The past was pretty weird on its own. One wonders why so many people keep trying to make it even weirder.

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23) Is this a photo from the International Space Station?

No, this isn't a solar eclipse as seen from the International Space Station.

Space photo researcher @FakeAstropix keeps debunking this one, but it keeps popping up in every corner of the internet. Which is why it's earned our top spot today. It's actually a rendering from DeviantArt user A4size-ska. Beautiful, but totally fake.

Fake image via @planetepics

NMRC, US firm seal N200bn mortgage investment deal

The Nigerian Mortgage Refinancing Company (NMRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a US-based investment firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, for the investment of $1bn (about N200 billion) in the Nigerian mortgage sector. Cantor Fitzgerald is a global private investment firm with strong expertise in asset-backed mortgage securities. The firm has also made arrangements to build 10,000 houses in Kaduna, Lagos, Enugu and Abuja within the next one year.

FINANCE Minister, Okonjo-Iweala

Speaking at the signing ceremony in Abuja, last week, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said the entry of such an important player into Nigeria’s mortgage sector will boost the prospect of achieving the core vision of the NMRC which is to get young Nigerians convenient access to the means of owning their own homes.

The minister described the MoU as a very significant moment for the country, noting that the mortgage sector has a huge untapped potential. She noted that the mortgage sector in other climes remained the engine of the economy because of the huge job opportunities and its multiplier effects.

“Cantor Fitzgerald’s presence in Nigeria shows that our mortgage strategy is attracting the right kind of attention from the right kind of people around the world and this will deepen and diversify and ultimately reduce the cost of mortgage and housing in Nigeria,” she said.

Managing Director of Cantor Fitzgerald’s INVESTMENT Bank, Mr. Jack Hefferman, said his firm was fascinated by Nigeria’s steady progress in the mortgage  market, hence the need to bring liquidity to Nigeria to deepen the mortgage market. According to him, the double digit interest on mortgages currently applicable in Nigeria would gradually give way to single digit as liquidity increases in the system and more houses are made available. “NMRC is exactly the right business model to bring liquidity to Nigeria’s housing sector.

I have been in the mortgage sector for about 30 years in the U.S. When I first started interest rate was 12 per cent and over 30 years, it has dropped to four percent. Nigeria can experience same,” he declared. Hefferman further disclosed that the land for the housing units in the four pilot states has been acquired, adding that that works on designated sites would commence in April this year, starting with Lagos State.

naira

In his comment, Chief Executive Officer of NMRC, Prof. Charles Inyangette, said the signing of the MoU marked another significant step by the federal government to change the face of the housing sector in the country. He said that NMRC has fully commenced operations, having received its licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Meanwhile, giving an update on applications for mortgages under the NMRC, which opened last year, Okonjo-Iweala noted that that out of 66,000 applications received, 25,000 had been pre-qualified, 9,000 had been given offer letter, while monies have been disbursed to 33 Nigerians to acquire their homes.

She further disclosed that a number of other initiatives were being worked out with the National Pension Commission (PenCom) to enable workers borrow from their Retirement Savings Account to own houses. She added that efforts were also in the offing to collaborate with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other agencies to expand the housing market.

Ivory Coast jails ex-first lady 20 years for election violence

A court in Ivory Coast on Tuesday found former first lady Simone Gbagbo guilty of charges related to her role in a 2011 post-election crisis in which around 3,000 people were killed, sentencing her to 20 years in prison, her lawyer said.

Gbagbo, who is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity, was tried along with 82 other allies of ex-President Laurent Gbagbo.

“The jury members retained all the charges against her, including disturbing the peace, forming and organising armed gangs and undermining state security,” said Rodrigue Dadje.

Her civil rights will also be suspended for a period of 10 years.

The former president’s son, Michel Gbagbo, was also convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, he said.

Ivory Coast’s brief 2011 civil war was sparked by Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to acknowledge his defeat to Alassane Ouattara, now president, in elections in late 2010.

He is awaiting trial at the ICC accused of crimes against humanity for his alleged role in orchestrating the violence.

Ivory Coast refused to transfer Simone Gbagbo to The Hague court, claiming she could be judged fairly in a domestic court

Electricity meters now sell for N60,000

The cost of acquiring pre-paid electricity meters by consumers in the country has risen due to the fall in the value of the naira following the currency’s recent devaluation by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

A single-phase meter, according to findings by our correspondent, can now be obtained for N39,375, while the three-phase meter now goes for N60,909.

Before now, the single-phase and three-phase meters were selling for N25,000 and N50,000.

However, with the latest development, the cost of the single-phase meter has risen by 56 per cent, while that of the three-phase meter has jumped by 20 per cent.

This means that household electricity consumers, who are majorly the users of single-phase meters, will pay more for the devices in relative terms compared to the users of the three-phase meters.

Our correspondent gathered that the price increase was because most of the meters in the Nigerian electricity market were imported and that the rising EXCHANGE RATE of the naira to the United States dollar was posing a huge problem to importers of the product.

For companies assembling the different components of the meters locally, the challenge is the same because FOREIGN EXCHANGE is needed to import the components.

Confirming the current cost of the meters, the spokesperson for the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Mr. Godwin Idemudia, said, “The single-phase smart meter is N39,375, while three-phase meter is N60,901,” adding that the company was no longer installing ordinary prepaid meters.

The spokesperson for the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Mr. Pekun Adeyanju, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that the company had not commenced its metering programme yet; but was looking at starting it on or before May.

He said the company was taking its time to ensure that the meters it would introduce to customers met global standard and could stand the test of time.

He, however, urged customers to be patient with the firm.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Powercap Limited, Mr. Biodun Ogunleye, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that because Nigeria was largely a foreign currency regulated economy, the devaluation of the naira would affect imported commodities, electricity meters inclusive.

With the realities on the ground, he said there was no way the pricing of the meters would not be altered.

Ogunleye said, “A lot of inputs have to be imported, and ultimately, those inputs will be passed onto the consumers at the cost plus margins. As a result, the costs of bringing in meters will go up; and there is nothing anybody can do about it.

“It is a priority that must be implemented because the people who are operating in the market will be interested in maximising their revenue. They will not want to encourage any form of income leakages.”

He said by this, whatever pricing the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission had fixed would be revisited because it had a little choice as far as granting a review was concerned.

The Powercap boss added, “We have one or two local plants that can produce meters. The high FOREIGN EXCHANGE may prompt the government to intervene, and thus make the business more profitable.

“But bear in mind that when it comes to meters like many other electronics, the specification and a couple of other factors between the distribution companies and the meter manufacturers must be adhered in order to drive patronage.”

He said EKEDC was looking at installing prepaid meters that could be monitored from its offices, adding that the move was targeted at ensuring that communication was enhanced between it and the meters, notwithstanding where they were installed.

A text message sent by our correspondent to the Chairman, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, to confirm the position of the agency on the matter was not responded to as of the time of going to press, just as a call to his mobile telephone line indicated that it was switched off.

However, the Chief Executive Officer, EKEDC, Mr. Oladele Amoda, during the company’s first quarter meeting with the media on Monday, said it was looking at INVESTING $20m in providing meters to residential users as well as other smaller consumers of electricity.

For its key customer group, he said about $15m would be committed to meter provision, promising that over 300,000 meters would be installed by the end of the metering programme.

FG slashes Works Ministry’s budget from N100bn to N11bn

The Minister of Works, Mike Onolememen, said the ministry’s N100bn proposed budget for 2015 was slashed by the Ministry of FINANCE to N11bn, representing an 89 per cent slash.

Onolememen, who was in the Senate to defend his ministry’s estimates for the fiscal year, added that no sum was approved for   the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency’s capital projects   and the Office of the Surveyor -General of the Federation.

He said the FINANCE ministry predicated its action on the economic realities on the ground.

The minister expressed concern that only 33 out of the 210 ongoing road projects had been provided for in view of the “lean allocation” to the ministry.

He also said the provision was not sufficient to encourage contractors to sustain appreciable progress on their work sites.

Onolememen added, “No provisions have been made for other departments of the ministry such as Road and Bridge Design Department, Mechanical and Electrical Department and the Service Department.”

The minister also disclosed that since 2011, the ministry had always been owed outstanding budgeted funds.

He said, “Only N45, 682, 844, 395.00bn was released for the works ministry out of 2014 capital appropriation of N98, 814, 368, 704bn . This leaves a balance of N53, 131, 524, 309.00 not released as of December 2014.

“It is important to emphasise that the performance of the ministry would have been considerably enhanced if the outstanding budgeted funds of N53.131bn had been released to the ministry.

“More importantly, if the cumulative outstanding budgeted funds of N203, 392, 075, 947.25 for the period spanning 2011 to 2014 had been released, the total indebtedness would have been brought down from N230bn to N27bn”

He however said that due to the lean capital budget, a model of Public Private Partnership was being explored to ensure that more capital projects were carried out this year.

Most members of the Senate Committee on Works described the budget of the ministry as laughable .

The Chairman of the committee, Ayogu Eze, said the budget was very terrible for a sector that needs at least N500bn annually for road construction and maintenance.

“To now be given just N11bn, means the ministry would need a magician to perform wonders.

“The picture being painted by this budget profile is very grim. We are in a period of crisis which we must all manage very critically.”

Covenant University Expels a Male Student for Being “Feminine”

It was gathered that a male student of Covenant University has been expelled for being “feminine”

.According to the information, the male student was initially suspended for wearing a waist trimmer (a material worn by women to improve their appearance) to lectures.

However, the suspension later turned to expulsion after the room of the said 200L male student of the Department of Mass Communication was searched and items ranging from lipstick to other female make-up items were discovered.

But for the intervention and the pleading from the boy’s parents, the school authorities would have handed him over to the police.

Yummy! Ogbono Soup or Draw Soup

Nigerian Ogbono Soup :How to Cook Ogbono Soup (draw soup)

Ogbono Soup or Draw Soup, is a popular Nigerian soup recipe made with Ogbono Seeds(wild African bush mango seeds). This is one of the first soup given to kids when trying to introduce them to Nigerian soups.

Ogbono soup has a mucilaginous (slimy) texture, similar to okra soup. I like to cook mine with vegetables,and sometimes combine it with melon(egusi) seeds to get what is called Ogbono with Egusi soup. But it is also common to see Ogbono soup cooked without vegetables. So whatever choice you make, here's an easy recipe for you to try...Enjoy.
**video recipe here~~~https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFBOZl8Cr6k
Ogbono Soup ingredients 

 

•  2 handful of Ogbono Seeds OR 3 handful ground Ogbono powder
• Assorted Meat and Fish: (could be a mixture of any of these :Beef, cowfoot, Shaki(tripe),Ponmo(cow skin) DryFish  & Stock Fish)
• 2-3 Cooking spoonful Palm Oil
• Vegetable :Spinach OR Pumpkin leaves(ugu) OR Bitter leaf(onugbu)..or a mixture of bitter leaf and Ugwu 
•Crayfish(as you like it)
•1 Onion bulb
•2 stock cubes (seasoning cubes)
•Chilli Pepper or scotch bonnet(atarodo) (to taste)
• salt (to taste)

Cooking Directions for  Ogbono Soup
**If you bought Whole ogbono seeds, Grind them thoroughly using a dry mill or a good  blender or coffee grinder.
** Wash, season and cook the assorted meat, dry fish & stock fish with onions, stock cube and salt to taste.Cook until tender.
**Slice the vegetables,Grind the pepper and set aside

Now to cook the  Ogbono Soup...
 * Heat up the red palm oil in a clean dry pot until hot. You can add minced onions if you like(adding onions is optional). 

*Now, put off the heat and add the ground Ogbono into the hot oil. 
Dissolve the ogbono by pressing with the back of your spoon and stirring constantly .

*Now, put back on low heat, add a little water or meat stock, and leave to boil for a minute. You will  notice that it has become thicker and has a slimy  texture(it has started to ''draw'') .

*Add more of the meat stock or water and leave to boil for 10 minutes; Stir the soup constantly so that it does not burn at the bottom. 
Then add the cooked dry fish, stock fish, assorted meat , stock cube, pepper, the ground crayfish and salt to taste. 

  Mix well , cover and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes, you should check on it and stir the soup constantly to prevent burning.

*At this stage , you will notice the change in the aroma of the soup. Stir and add the shredded spinach or ugu (fluted pumpkin leaves) 

Simmer for 1-2 minute and put of the heat.Now your Ogbono soup is ready.

Ogbono soup is usually served hot with any Nigerian bolus meal, such as Eba, Fufu, Pounded Yam, Tuwo Masara, Wheat meal or Semolina...Enjoy!