What’s next for Beyonce? ‘The Mrs. Carter Show’ tour poster leaked (LOOK)

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Looks like Live Nation just spilled the beans on Beyonce.
The ticketing giant’s UK site put up a promotional poster for the 31-year-old pop star’s not-yet-announced world tour dubbed ‘The Mrs. Carter Show.’
In the promotional image published Friday, Knowles looks every bit the queen of pop with a billowing Victorian updo topped with a crown and golden royal-looking garb.

Who Runs the World? Live Nation’s UK site put up a promotional poster for Beyonce’s not-yet-announced world tour dubbed ‘The Mrs. Carter Show”I may have an announcement after the performance,’ she said regarding touring plans at Thursday’s Superbowl press conference. ‘Fans should just stay tuned to see.’ The tour’s name is a direct reference to the 16-time Grammy winner’s husband Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, and it fuels speculation that the couple might perform together.
There were already rumours the 43-year-old rap star would join Beyonce onstage when she performs during this Sunday’s SuperBowl XLVII half-time show.

‘I may have an announcement after the performance’: During Thursday’s Superbowl press conference, the 31-year-old pop star said fans should stay tuned for tour plans

The Mrs. Carter Show: The tour’s name is a direct reference to the 16-time Grammy winner’s husband Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, and it fuels speculation that the couple might perform togetherIn the past, the music power couple have collaborated on several tracks, including 03 Bonnie & Clyde, Crazy In Love, and Déjà Vu. An estimated 111.3 million people tuned into last year’s Superbowl, which featured a Cleopatra-style Madonna Voguing her way through a medley of hits.
The last time the mother-of-one hit the road was her I Am… Tour, which grossed $119.5million in 2009.

Queen Bey! There were already rumours the 43-year-old rap star would join Beyonce onstage when she performs during this Sunday’s SuperBowl XLVII half-time show

Rehearsals are underway! Beyonce’s Destiny’s Child bandmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, are also rumoured to be joining her onstage SundayBeyonce’s Destiny’s Child bandmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, are also rumoured to be joining her onstage. The girl-group trio just released their first single in eight years, Nuclear, on their compilation Love Songs.
Speaking of album releases, the Bootylicious hitmaker is said to have already recorded 50 songs while working on her follow-up album to 4.

Ready to rumble: 111.3 million people tuned into last year’s Superbowl, which featured a Cleopatra-style Madonna Voguing her way through a medly of hits

The Dream, who produced Beyonce’s Single Ladies, told MTV News that he’s ‘involved in every part of the process’ of her upcoming fifth studio album.
Hit-Boy, Kanye West, and Ryan Tedder have all been attached and rumour has it Justin Timberlake will also be involved in the album, due out April.
‘She took the summer to start recording, and now she’s in a place where she’s ready to start gearing up to reveal her plan,’ the producer revealed last year.

Nice watch! Her beau Jay-Z was spotted in New Orleans Friday enjoying a stogie at a cigar lounge with two other gentlemen

Her upcoming feature-length documentary, Life is But a Dream, will premiere on HBO on February 16.

Beyonce also provided her award-winning voice for the animated feature, Epic, not unlike the 1998 film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
The adventure-comedy, which comes out next May, also stars Amanda Seyfried, Josh Hutcherson, Colin Farrell, and Christoph Waltz

Beyonce’s beau Jay-Z was spotted in New Orleans Friday enjoying a stogie at a cigar lounge with two other gentlemen.

Puffing up: The hip-hop mogul is a noted cigar lover, even appearing on the cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine’s June 2009 issue
The hip-hop mogul is a noted cigar lover, even appearing on the cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine’s June 2009 issue.
Also in the Big Easy Friday was supermodel Candice Swanepoel, who posted an Instagram of herself hanging with one of New Orleans’ finest boys in blue.
The Victoria’s Secret stunner was dressed in a belly-baring top, skinny jeans, and a black fedora in the snap which was captioned: ‘Let the games begin….. #neworleans #NOLA #superbowl #shhhh’
YNaija.com

Hey There! Tonto Dike’s ‘Hi’ Video Has Been Shot

If you thought Tonto Dike was going to give in to your boos and criticism, you may have to wait forever. Tonto Dike never backs out of a fight. She loves the attention that comes with scandals, and she uses the attention to her advantage.
After dropping her new singles and she was greeted with all sorts of comments; “WTF?”, “na by force to sing?” “This is pathetic”…come on! I don’t have to spell it all out here, you know what your reaction was to her singles, but Tonto as you now know gives no da** what you think. In fact, her fans increase with more criticism.
I imagined Tonto Dike announcing the release of her video this way; “For you haters, it’s your funeral. But for my great fans, the good news is I have released the video of my lovely single, ‘Hi’”. Typical of Tonto Dike, uh?

Tonto Dike has finished shooting the video of her single ‘Hi’ and she is proud of her achievement.
According to her producers, the ‘Hi’ video tries to show the difference in her dual characters Tonto Dike and Poko. You’d see Tonto Dance like you’ve never seen her do in the video. The video directed by Gbemi Phillips was shot in high definition and reportedly gulped Tonto’s millions of Naira.
InformationNigeria

Egypt experience is possible in Nigeria – Dino Melaye

by Ismaila Lere

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What is your take on the subsidy probe scandal involving Hon. Farouk Lawan and the perceived role of the Presidency in the saga?

You cannot isolate the Presidency from the saga, because it is impossible for the security agencies to embark on such operation involving a member of the National Assembly without some approval from the Presidency or rather it’s even possible that it’s initiated from that end. For some of us who have related with Farouk Lawan, it didn’t come to us as a surprise that he is involved in this scandal. When I was fighting corruption in the National Assembly, Farouk Lawan addressed a press conference and said so many things against me and attacked my opinion at that time, but today I will say I am vindicated and we have seen the light. Despite the fact that Farouk Lawan has soiled his hands with this scandal, I am of the opinion that the report of the committee must not be jettisoned because Farouk Lawan is not the Federal Republic of Nigeria neither is he the resolution of the House of Representatives. Farouk Lawan is only an individual, so we want the Presidency and the Federal Government and, indeed, the anti-graft agencies to isolate Farouk Lawan from the issue of the oil subsidy. They are two different issues, if his offence is criminal, he should be criminally prosecuted in accordance with Nigeria laws. The resolution of the House of Representatives is not a child’s play. There is a resolution and a report which has been forwarded to the anti-graft agencies. The report must see the light of the day.

The House of Representatives is now well known for bribery scandals. Why is this so?

If both Senate and the House of Representatives are carrying out their legislative responsibilities as they are suppose to, there will be no probe. Most members of the National Assembly have commercialised their conscience and don’t exercise their oversight functions with sincerity of purpose and commitment, and because there’s what I call ‘a corruption collaboration’ between the executive arm of government and the National Assembly, so it will be difficult for members to carry out effective policing of the MDAs because of these shortcomings, that is why you have probes in the first instance.

What mistakes did Farouk Lawan make and where do you think he veered off the line?

The moment Farouk Lawan visited the personal residence of Femi Otedola, he veered off the line of principle and ethic. Otedola’s house is not an extension of the National Assembly. And as at April, the committee was still sitting, so if you are investigating somebody, what takes you to his house? And I will also recall that on the day the report was tendered, Farouk Lawan stood up and said further investigation and information had revealed that Otedola’s Zenon is not suppose to be on the indicted list and by so doing, he moved a motion for the removal of its name from the list. Zenon’s name was removed from the list as an outcome of resolution of the House. If Farouk Lawan collected the money with the intention of setting Otedola up, why is it that Zenon Oil is not in the list? He removed Zenon from the list and yet said he collected the money as an exhibit. He collected the money in April, why didn’t he submit it to the Inspector General of Police. The SSS came out to say that Otedola reported to them and they provided him the money. But in the case of the police they are yet to admit that Farouk Lawan reported the matter to them. If he had reported to them, they will not be looking for him. And the money would be in police custody, because Farouk Lawan is not a security agent or a law enforcement agent. He cannot keep exhibit in his house.

Do you think the oil magnates are fighting back?

The PDP is manifesting itself. Otedola is one of the major financiers of the party. Farouk Lawan is a member of the PDP. Both Otedola and Farouk are all guilty of corruption.  Otedola, with the picture they are trying to paint is a mole, and he was pulling the string is not true. The whole thing is a macabre dance, a drama orchestrated by the PDP, targeting at weakening the leadership of the House of Representatives. And we are waiting to see where their dance will end. We can tell the end of the dance from the beginning. I can tell you that Nigerians are no fools. The PDP wants to sweep that report under the carpet but we want to say we will make this country ungovernable within the confines of the law if they so attempt to mess with the report. The report must be implemented. We also understand that it’s an incomplete report, because many of the major oil companies were exempted from the list. We are now saying that the House of Representatives should take the bull by the horn by constituting another committee to look into the names of companies that were removed from the indicted list.

Why do you think the executive arm of government will be interested in scuttling the report?

The Presidency will be interested in scuttling the report because they have a stake. They are trying to protect the Petroleum Minister Diezani Allison-Madueke and the likes of Otedola because most of the people indicted were the financiers of PDP. They were the ones donating billions to the PDP fund raising dinner to support the party. This is where they make their money back. So the Federal Government will not like to expose those characters and will do everything possible to kill this report. But the report is not extinguishable, Farouk Lawan only played into their hands. The Federal Government is not fighting corruption, it is fertilising corruption. When President Goodluck Jonathan was Vice President, then late Umaru Yar’adua of blessed memory was the president. The Minister of Health and the Minister of State for Health were indicted of corruption. Despite the fact that they were still undergoing investigation, they were suspended by President Yar’adua. Today, Diezani Allison-Madueke is the chairman of the NNPC Board, she has oversight responsibility over the PPPRA and she is the Petroleum Minister. Today, the NNPC and PPPRA had been indicted and yet she is still sitting as the Petroleum Minister. We expected by now   President Jonathan, if he’s really fighting corruption, to suspended Diezani. because she is going to impede on the investigation and become an obstacle to investigation. This government is yet to probe those who stole N13.2 billion in the power sector. Some of them today are governors while some are moving around in luxury. This government is yet to prosecute them and recover the money and yet they are inflicting pain on the masses of this country. Now they are asking the masses of this country to subsidise the lifestyle of the elite. The president told Nigerians that he is reducing the overhead cost in the Ain overhead, what’s the Niger Delta amnesty programme doing with over N100 billion. An allocation that is richer than that of health and power, two critical sectors in the country. Basically, they are not only asking Nigerians to subsidise the international jet-setting lifestyle of the elite but to service the profligacy of the ruling class. The government said it is increasing tariff to woo investors, but the institutional and infrastructural impediments are more of a constraint to an investor than the issue of tariff. Today, you don’t have gas to power the plants, 48 licences have been issued to private companies to build plants, up till now we have not commissioned one power plant and yet there’s no gas to service them. This government has lied, lied and lied to Nigerians. It’s a deceptive, satanic government, and we have never had it so bad, even the Abacha government is far better than what we are experiencing. And more importantly the president on May 29, 2011 swore to an oath to defend the constitution of this country. It’s his basic responsibility to provide food and security to Nigerians, but today there is no food and there is no security. The security of this country is in the hands of Boko Haram. Over N1 trillion was budgeted for security and it has not ended the Boko Haram crisis; JTF has not ended the Boko Haram crisis. Today, insecurity is on the increase, N1 trillion wasted. We can’t continue like this because in an unjust society silence is a crime.

What is your anti-corruption group going to do now?

We are waiting to see what the government will do, specifically the subsidy report. We want to see what they will do with the pension scandal. We want to see what the president will do on this scandal in the House of Representatives. We want to see what the PDP will do. However, I want to assure you that we are going to lead Nigerians especially the youth to vehemently resist the negativities of this government. Enough is enough. If this government by any means tries to mess up with the people we are going to prove to them that truly power belongs to the people, we are going to give this government the Egyptian treatment.  The Occupy Nigeria protest in January forced the president to reduce the pump price from N140 to N97 before the Labour compromised and caved in. But this time around, there will be no NLC to lead and that’s the worst of it all when there’s no leader and everybody is a follower, then, that’s when the government will know that what happened in Egypt and Tunisia can also happen in Nigeria.

WeeklyTrust

National Black History Month Proclamation

President Obama: "This dream of equality and fairness has never come easily — but it has always been sustained by the belief that in America, change is possible."

In America, we share a dream that lies at the heart of our founding: that no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, no matter how modest your beginnings or the circumstances of your birth, you can make it if you try. Yet, for many and for much of our Nation's history, that dream has gone unfilled. For African-Americans, it was a dream denied until 150 years ago, when a great emancipator called for the end of slavery. It was a dream deferred less than 50 years ago, when a preacher spoke of justice and brotherhood from Lincoln's memorial. This dream of equality and fairness has never come easily -- but it has always been sustained by the belief that in America, change is possible.

Today, because of that hope, coupled with the hard and painstaking labor of Americans sung and unsung, we live in a moment when the dream of equal opportunity is within reach for people of every color and creed. National African American History Month is a time to tell those stories of freedom won and honor the individuals who wrote them. We look back to the men and women who helped raise the pillars of democracy, even when the halls they built were not theirs to occupy. We trace generations of African-Americans, free and slave, who risked everything to realize their God-given rights. We listen to the echoes of speeches and struggle that made our Nation stronger, and we hear again the thousands who sat in, stood up, and called out for equal treatment under the law. And we see yesterday's visionaries in tomorrow's leaders, reminding us that while we have yet to reach the mountaintop, we cannot stop climbing.

Today, Dr. King, President Lincoln, and other shapers of our American story proudly watch over our National Mall. But as we memorialize their extraordinary acts in statues and stone, let us not lose sight of the enduring truth that they were citizens first. They spoke and marched and toiled and bled shoulder-to-shoulder with ordinary people who burned with the same hope for a brighter day. That legacy is shared; that spirit is American. And just as it guided us forward 150 years ago and 50 years ago, it guides us forward today. So let us honor those who came before by striving toward their example, and let us follow in their footsteps toward the better future that is ours to claim.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim February 2013 as National African American History Month. I call upon public officials, educators, librarians, and all the people of the United States to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

BARACK OBAMA
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Rich And Powerful Nigerians Have Hijacked The Criminal Justice System – Falana

Front line lawyer and human rights advocate, Femi Falana (SAN), has added his voice to cries of disappointment in the judiciary by Nigerians following the lenient sentence passed on Mr John Yakubu Yusufu, the Police Pensions boss who diverted N23 billion.
Information Nigeria recalls that Mr. Yusufu was convicted for two years with the option of a paltry sum of N750,000 fine. Falana in his reaction to the judgement, blamed the court stressing that it implies that the court displayed solidarity in this case.
He also maintained that a few Nigerians have hijacked the criminal justice system in the country. “The powerful rich in Nigeria have hijacked criminal justice in Nigeria with connivance of the bar and the bench. So, it is important for Nigerians not to isolate a few of these cases, but they have to be examined holistically.”
Falana added that the development did not come to him as a surprise because it followed the pattern of previous sentences on most of the big frauds recorded in the country.

According to him, “This development follows the particular pattern of  treating the rich with kid gloves while other people are being railroaded to jail. In previous cases, it has always been  light sentences for the rich, like the case of former Governor Lucky Igbinedion who was asked to pay a fine of N3million; Cecelia Ibru was asked to forfeit to the government hundreds of millions of naira.”
On the new charge against Yusufu, Falana said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission will do better this time in seeing that justice is done adding that the punishment for the new offence which is failure to declare assets, attracts five years imprisonment.
InformationNigeria

“Religion is redundant and irrelevant”: Atheist debates Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams

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Prominent atheist professor Richard Dawkins described religion as “redundant and irrelevant” as he took on the former Archbishop of Canterbury in a debate.
Speaking at the Cambridge Union debating society, Prof Dawkins argued that religion hindered scientific endeavour by “peddling false explanations”.
Dr Rowan Williams offered a counter-argument, saying that religion undoubtedly had a place in the 21st century and that the issue was not whether it should exist, but what our attitude towards it should be.
He added that modern attitudes towards human rights had their foundations in religious traditions.
The pair were part of a debate last night on the proposition that “religion has no place in the 21st Century”, in front of an audience of about 800, who packed the famous 200-year-old university debating club’s chambers.
It was religion that turned out to be the winner – at the end of the debate, the house voted to reject the proposition, stating that it did believe religion had a place in the 21st century.
Early in his address, Prof Dawkins made a provocative comparison between Christian and Islamic traditions, describing himself as a “cultural Anglican”.
“I’m grateful, by the way, to be a cultural Anglican when you think of the competition,” he added.
“If I were a cultural Muslim, I would have something to say about that faith’s appalling attitude to women and various other moral points.”
Stressing that his central concern was simply whether religion was true, he summed up his argument by describing religion as a “cop-out”.
“It is a betrayal of the intellect, a betrayal of all that’s best about what makes us human,” he said.
“It’s a phony substitute for an explanation, which seems to answer the question until you examine it and realise that it does no such thing.”
He added that in the scientific world, religion was a “pernicious charlatan”.
“It peddles false explanations where real explanations could have been offered, false explanations that get in the way of the enterprise of discovering real explanations,” he said.
In his address, Lord Williams said: “Religion has always been a matter of community building, a matter of building relations of compassion, fellow-feeling and, dare I say it, inclusion.
“The notion that religious commitment can be purely a private matter is one that runs against the grain of religious history.”
Lord Williams added that respect for human life and equality was inherent in all organised religion.
“The very concept of human rights has profound religious roots,” he added.
“The convention of human rights would not be what it is were it not for the history of philosophical religious debate.”
Philosopher professor Tariq Ramadan, Andrew Copson, chief executive of the British Humanist Association and Douglas Murray, founder of the Centre for Social Cohesion, also took part.
YNaija.com

Americans Eat 1,083,333 Football Fields Worth Of Wings On Super Bowl Sunday And Other Fun Facts

The Huffington Post  |  By Jillian Berman

Perhaps you foolishly think Super Bowl Sunday is a day for celebrating football. Or maybe you are naive enough to truly believe this is all about love of the game. If so, step away, because real Americans know this is about one thing and one thing only: eating disgusting amounts of food. For your country.
How much disgusting food? Well, Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest food consumption day of the year, behind only Thanksgiving, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data cited by the Miami Herald.
For the visual learners out there, we've put together the following graphic display to fully capture how much food and drink fans will consume come Sunday. You're welcome.
1. Avocados
Don't hold the guac! Americans will eat 80 million avocados on Sunday.

That's enough to fill a football field 12 feet deep, according to Men's Health.




2. Beer
Super Bowl watchers will down 325 million gallons of beer, according to SaveonBrew.com.

That's enough beer to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool (which holds 630,000 gallons of water) 1,938 times.




3. Chicken Wings
Despite rumors of a chicken wing shortage, fans still plan to get their fix. The National Chicken Council estimates that Americans will eat 1.23 billion chicken wings on Sunday.

That's enough to fill a football field 1,083,333 times, assuming chicken wings are 3 inches long on average.




4. Chips
With so many different varieties of dip available it's no wonder Americans will likely eat 11 million pounds of chips on Sunday, according to Shape.

A standard NFL football is between 14 and 15 ounces, according to Livestrong, so that's about 12,137,931 footballs worth of chips.




5. Soda
Fans will spend $2.37 million on soda this Super Bowl Sunday, according to Shape.

That's enough to buy about 846 tickets to the big game, which are currently going for an average of $2,800 a pop in the secondary ticket market, according to CNBC.




6. Pizza
Nothing says "we're watching the Super Bowl" like a steaming, cheesy pizza, which is probably why Dominos expects to deliver 11 million slices on Sunday.

A slice from a large Dominos pizza is about 7 inches long. Line those 11 million slices end-to-end and it'd be the length of 21,388 football fields.




7. Popcorn
Super Bowl watchers will eat 3.8 million pounds or 60,800,000 ounces of popcorn, according to Shape.

That's the weight of 4,193,103 footballs.