Daily Archives: July 5, 2020

When Rachel Maddow published her recent book, Blowout, claiming that Russia in confluence with the oil lobby had conspired to bring Donald Trump to power in revenge for the US punitive measures in response to the annexation of Crimea, I had taken an issue with her central premise based on two arguments: timeline and the rise of white nationalists. By the time the annexation of Crimea and the following opprobrium could have policy implications. several developments like the rise of populist leaders like Modi and the strengthening of white nationalist groups were already in motion. I do not think Maddow has done justice to that aspect. But one of her self-confessed admirers, Stephen Bannon, Trumps former chief strategist, might be of some help.

Bannon believes in dharma and is a fan of the Bhagavad Gita. It is funny how these white nationalists and fringe ideologues take what suits them from the sacred book. For instance, his faith in his own dharma (righteous duty) owes itself to an interaction between Krishna (an avatar of Vishnu) and Prince Arjuna. The prince is refusing to fight a war and Vishnu through Krishna reveals his true and imposing form. This is also the source of Oppenheimers famous line, Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. We will return to Vishnu and the alt-rights fascination with this deity and his destructive powers. Let us keep our eyes on Bannon for now.

Mumbai-based libertarian writer and podcaster Amit Verma has written a blogpost recollecting his meeting with Bannon and an unnamed woman (most probably Rebekah Mercer) in 2015, in New York, where he was asked if he would be interested in launching Breitbart India. Breitbart, originally a conservative online paper, has become a breeding ground for the alt-right. When Verma refused the offer Bannon told him, Well, we think that Modi is Indias Reagan. This is when Bannon had not joined the Trump campaign and barely personally knew the man. It is interesting how everyone who stands in Bannons way is destroyed. Bannon wants Andrew Breitbarts job, he drops dead. Bannon wants Paul Manaforts job, he is disgraced and forced to resign. He is wary of Roger Ailes stealing his thunder, he drops dead.

Bannon claims he is not a racist or a neo-Nazi but his views resonate with Hitlers propaganda. Hitler would blame the political elite of Germany which betrayed its countrymen in consonance with global moneyed Jewry. Bannon believes that Americas permanent political elite has betrayed its people in consonance with what he calls the party of Davos (international business elite). Like Hitler, he is an accelerationist who wants to bring everything down to build it anew and is renting an 800-year-old monastery in Italy to train gladiators to fight the coming wars at an annual cost of 100,000 per annum from his own pocket. That is where Vishnu the destroyer of the world fits into his narrative.

Speaking of Vishnu and Hitler, I told you two weeks ago that Savitri Devi, a Hindu convert of European origin and of Nazi persuasion, believed that Hitler was an avatar of Vishnu. Savitri Devis works have worked as the Rosetta Stone of neo-Nazism and Hindutva connection. Her book, The Lightning and the Sun, led me back to Turner Diaries publisher National Vanguard Books and to its recent publisher Counter-Currents. Her book, A Warning to the Hindus, led me to Hindutva philosophys founder VD Savarkar whose brother SD Savarkar wrote the foreword of the book. The Nazis believed in the fundamental inequality of humanity but did not have a religious philosophy. Savitri Devi provided them one by deifying Hitler and through effective exploitation of the cast-ist theology of monism. The only problem with this invention is that todays Nazis neither consider Indians as their equals or Aryans. It is a disaster waiting to happen as we will show you.

Interestingly, the man responsible for bringing Savitri Devis work to Counter-Currents is one John Morgan, who before coming to this publishing house, had co-founded another neo-Nazi house Arktos media in Budapest with Swedish white nationalist Daniel Friberg in 2009. In 2010, Arktos moved to India where it remained till (surprise surprise) 2014. During this period Friberg had a frequent truck with the RSS and BJP leaders and explored ways to work with them. Soon, Arktos would start publishing Hindutva books with equal fervour hitherto reserved for white nationalist literature. When in 2016 Morgan and Friberg split and Morgan joined Counter-Currents, Friberg combined forces with white nationalist and one-time Trump supporter Richard Spencer to establish AltRight.com.

The alt-rights online presence needs some closer scrutiny. It is commonly believed it emerged from gaming-related imageboards and websites like 4chan and Reddit. These websites, by the way, are infested with both neo-Nazis and Hindutva extremists. These origins are also important because Bannon in the documentary American Dharma made on his life let slip an illuminating anecdote. He talks about a nobody called Dave who one day dropped dead in his office and nobody, not even his family knew him well. However, in the gaming community, he was known as Ajax. And in a multiplayer game, thousands gathered to pay tribute to Ajax at his funeral. What it tells us is that the real meetings and planning of alt-right activities might be taking place in virtual and possibly gaming space.

And no wonder, the number of alt-right and neo-Nazi inspired groups keeps increasing. A recent group to emerge is called Boogaloo Bois which seems to be preparing for the second civil war. It calls itself libertarian not white nationalist, but the tactics employed are textbook Turner Diaries. What if like Bannons this is an attempt to obscure the truth and they all are separated pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that are assembled together whenever a race war and violent overthrow of the system is imminent. Bannon talks against the system, Alex Jones talks against the system and Boogaloo movement does so too. In Turner Diaries, the system is the name of a corrupt Jewish ruling elite that wants to turn whites into a minority. Bannon talks of the coming violent disruption as if it is imminent. Neo-Nazism 101.

One last piece of the puzzle: money. When Access Hollywood tape was leaked, everyone thought Trumps campaign was over and donors were ditching, who came to his rescue? An Indian billionaire Shalabh Kumar. Is it too much to suggest that instead of Americas deep state the very same people who came to Trumps rescue might be responsible for the tapes leak so that they can isolate and have Trump for themselves? This money must have gone to some alt-right groups as well.

If a race war is being planned in America and Europe it cannot be anything for the immigrant population including the Indian expatriates. Here is a quote from Turner Diaries: They have us vastly outmanned and outgunned, but not one of their leaders is motivated by anything other than self-interest. They are ready to betray the System the instant they can see an advantage in doing so. For now, we mustnt let them know that they are all inevitably headed for the gallows. Let them think they can make a deal with us and save their necks when the System falls.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2020.

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The saffron swastika - The Express Tribune

It doesnt make sense to say Obaseki bribed PDP for ticketChief Dan OrbihBy Emmanuel AzikenChief Dan Orbih, was recently appointed the national vice-chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP after an eventful two-term tour of duty as chairman of the party in Edo State.

Orbih in that time led the party against one of the most animated governors of the Fourth Republic, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

The fights between the two former friends were about the most dynamic engagements that enlivened the Edo political landscape in the last decade. Oshiomhole won some, Orbih won some.

Though in opposition, Orbih articulated policies and points that inevitably put the Oshiomhole and subsequently the Obaseki administrations on edge at all times.

Significant in the victories of Orbih were the two consecutive National Assembly and presidential election victories while he held sway.

Following his tour of duty, an appreciative PDP appointed him the National Vice-Chairman, South-South of the party.

Orbih formally took charge of the party in Port-Harcourt earlier this week and following that, spoke to Saturday Vanguard on his experience in Edo, the challenges ahead of the governorship election among others.

How do you react to your elevation as the National Vice-Chairman of the PDP in the South-South Zone?

My elevation came as a pleasant surprise. In politics, sometimes you work very hard, and it may go unnoticed. But here we are, the

National Working Committee (NWC) after extensive consultation with critical stake holders in the South-South announced me as the National Vice Chairman South-South. I am highly honoured.

How would you first describe your experience as chairman of the PDP in Edo State?

I thank God for divine guidance in my years as Chairman PDP, Edo State. I enjoyed massive support from our late leader Chief Tony Anenih and also from our genuine party leaders and members who believed in the Party. I took over the Party at its lowest ebb. At a time Adams Oshiomole used his propaganda weapon to vilify eight years of Lucky Igbenedions PDP government.

What baffled political watchers was that Chief Lucky Igbenedion supported him to power and became the first victim of his vicious attacks. That was the first thing that brought out the character issue with Oshiomhole. Unfortunately, those who served with Chief Lucky Igbenedion in his government were prominent members of Adams Oshiomoles Kitchen cabinet and they enjoyed the drama of their former principal constantly disgraced and abused.

Some later got a fair dose of their own Adams Oshiomoles poisonous attack. So the stigma was there that Lucky Igbenedions government fell short of peoples expectations and those who ought to speak kept quiet for some strange reasons.

It was from this point we started the process of rebuilding the maliciously battered image of the party by Oshiomole.

Thank God we have won back voters confidence. The people have seen the deceit of Oshiomoles propaganda and the abysmal failure of turning himself to a political godfather. Today, through hard work and perseverance, we thank God we now have a party that is now the beautiful bride of Edo Politics.

Well researched criticism and the realisation of the people of APC not doing what they preached helped in turning around the fortunes of our party.

We fought against the sale of Edo House, exposed Oshiomoles humiliation of the helpless widow who he condemned to go and die. We also exposed the monumental fraud of Oshiomoles APC government, Central Hospital fraud etc.

My legacy is that I handed over the party on a very strong footing. Added to that was that we won the last two presidential elections in Edo State despite having sitting governments aligned to the APC. We also won two of the three Senate seats back to back and also majority of the seats in the House of Representatives.

We, by our efforts, were able to scatter and demystify the broom and what it represents. In fact, in Edo we scattered the broom.

The interesting thing about the coming State Guber election is that our partys candidate in the last Guber election is now the APCs candidate while the governor who is now a full member of our party is now our candidate.

The campaign for the re-election of the governor has been done already by Adams Oshiomole who did fatal and colossal damage to the image of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the APC candidate when he was in PDP.

On our part, we have a candidate who can point to things he has done despite the distractions from the Abuja Godfather .

I commend the maturity of the PDP aspirants who gave up their aspirations to have the governor emerge as the partys candidate.

I look forward to robust issues driven campaign in the coming weeks. I urge our leaders and members to go out to ensure our victory at the election. I am glad to have all the South-South states under the PDP umbrella.

I want to call other APC serving governors who are dissatisfied with what is going on in the country to follow the bold and courageous footsteps of Governor Godwin Obaseki and join the PDP. The time for patriotic Nigerians to come under the PDP to rescue Nigeria is now.

The nauseating security challenges coupled with the harsh economic crisis we are facing in the country make it imperative. The decay in infrastructure, roads, schools, hospitals, are worrisome.

No doubt we are living in hard times. Many people are out of work. The purchasing power of the Naira is at an all time low. It is becoming more and more obvious that the current APC Government has no solution to Nigerias legion of problems. Just like COVID-19, the government has no solutions to the problems of the country.

All that has been overtaken by events. What appeared to be tension was amicably resolved. You could see the united spirit displayed by the aspirants including the governor at our primaries and I think that took care of the tension you are referring to.

The answer is no, to the best of my knowledge. I think there is a concerted effort on the part of the APC leadership and the opponents of the governor to make people believe that money was involved in getting him to come over to our party.

And the question I will ask is this, we are in opposition, can we give money to the governor to come and join us? The answer is no!

If it is alleged that the governor is the one giving money to people to accept him as the candidate of the party, I will also say no, it doesnt make sense.

Dont forget that the whole crisis in APC is the allegation that the man was not giving out money and that is why they started this problem with the man.

And I can tell you that what made APC to lose Obaseki is the very reason PDP accepted him his financial discipline.

Against the widely held view by leaders of APC that he was not bringing money for them to share after they worked for him.

So, the same people who said that he would not allow state money to be shared are the people now saying that he shared money and that is why PDP accepted him.

So, you can see that there is a lot of insincerity in this attempt to want to taint him in very bad light.

A man that they said would not bring state money for him to share and that that was why they quarreled with him, is the same man that they are now accusing of sharing state money for PDP to accept him. Does that make any sense? The answer is no.

In fact, what has endeared him to many of the leaders and members of the PDP is his celebrated financial discipline and we believe that if he is given the right support, with his financial discipline, the citizens of the state will benefit more than a few individuals who feel that all they do in politics is corner the man and make him share state resources.

Well, the issue of Kassim Afegbua is the matter of him expressing his democratic right of free expression. He has expressed his views, others have seen it differently and they have also expressed theirs.

The beauty of it all is that in PDP we dont muzzle people who want to express their views because they are entitled to their views and that is what people enjoy in PDP.

I think at the end of the day, the party took decisions and at the time those decisions were taken, we had limitations in terms of time and a lot of things that probably would have accommodated the issues that Kassim raised. But in a democracy, every person will have his say but the majority will have their way.

I think the acceptability of most of the leaders and members of the party is what has given rise to what we have today as the ticket of PDP in Edo State.

There is no reason to have that fear, the governor has even expressed the fact that his greatest regret was not coming to PDP very early.

He has experienced life in APC and experienced life in PDP and there is no better party for the people of this country than the PDP. He feels proudly that the future of this nation lies in the leaders of PDP to rescue the nation from the present situation we find ourselves.

So, for a man who is already looking beyond Edo State, who is already looking at the prospect of PDP making life better again for Nigerians, the issue of going back to APC is totally out of the question.

He is going to collaborate with other governors of the PDP and leaders to ensure that come 2023 that this nation will embrace the umbrella of comfort that will bring back the good things of life to Nigerians.

Whether I remember?

Yes, the score you gave to him!

We dont start talking about past scores when we have an exam ahead of us! You are talking about past scores; we have an exam coming up on the 19th of September, 2020. In that exam, Godwin Obaseki will be scored by the good people of Edo State, not one individual scoring him.

That was a long time ago! I have now seen him do wonderful things in the past few months and I have taken great pains to actually evaluate his performance side by side with the challenges he was faced with by an overbearing godfather who wanted to take over the reins of government either directly or otherwise.

With these challenges, you will score the man very high; there were a lot of distractions, attempts to impeach him with members who were yet to report at their duty post at the State House of Assembly.

All these and a combination of factors; and in spite of all these distractions, the man kept faith with the people of Edo State. I understand that not too long ago that Edo State will be the first state to generate power to augment the power problems facing the state.

It is unprecedented. These and many more positive things he has been able to achieve will make it inevitable for Edo people to give him the chance to continue the good programmes he has initiated.

Vanguard News Nigeria.

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Fight against sale of Edo House and why PDP accepted Obaseki Orbih - Vanguard

Are we going to have another spike of COVID after this 4th of July weekend? Last week Capitol Public Radio reported that public health officials believe that the reopening of businesses in many California counties gave residents the idea it was safe to host parties, which has driven much of the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases.

More alarming than the uptick in cases, is the spike in hospitalization numbers.

Dr. Lee Riley, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley told Capitol Public Radio, hospitalization numbers are more telling than case numbers in terms of how the virus is behaving.

The fact that theres also an increase in the number of hospitalizations suggests that its not just because of the testing, he said. That means that there are more transmissions occurring.

Some of have also suggested that the protests for the last month following the death of George Floyd have contributed to this problem.

Five researchers contributed to a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research, on BLM Protests, Social DIstancing and COVID-19. The public is considered a working paper and is circulated for discussion and comment purposes. It has not been peer-reviewed or subject to review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications.

The five researchers are at variety of departments across the country in the area of Economics and also the Center for Health Economics at San Diego State.

They note: Sparked by the killing of George Floyd in police custody, the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests have brought a new wave of attention to the issue of inequality within criminal justice. However, many public health officials have warned that mass protests could lead to a reduction in social distancing behavior, spurring a resurgence of COVID-19.

The study uses newly collected data on protests in 315 of the largest U.S. cities to estimate the impacts of mass protests on social distancing and COVID-19 case growth.

They found no evidence that the urban protests reignated COVID cases during the three weeks of protests.

They concluded, that predictions of broad negative public health consequences of Black Lives Matter protests were far too narrowly conceived.

In fact, on the contrary, they found that while the protests themselves did not match well with social distancing guidelines, the protesting population is not the only one that may have a behavioral response.

They in fact hypothesize that there may well be a counter-balance that some people protest, but others in response to the protests actually stay at home to avoid exposure to the protests.

The data actually shows that this occur and they find increases in staying-at-home behaviors across both cities with and without curfews and that overall the onset of mass protests has led to an increase in social distancing, on the net, which is consistent with a counteracting response among non-protesting residents who may be avoiding venturing out as the protests are underway, possibly due to perceived safety concerns.

They add, The behavioral response may also reflect a diminution of economic and business activity. And they dont clearly consider the impact of the curfew either.

However, that does not address a key concern that local protesters travel back home and may help spread the coronavirus to others.

If that is the case, it is possible that we may see an increase in COVID-19 case growth, as a result of community spread from this subset of population (protest participants) for whom there was by definition an increase in out-of-home mobility and reduced social distancing.

But they dont find this. Instead, Trends between the treated and non-treated counties are virtually identical prior to the protests. This is reassuring and suggests that the timing of the protests is not correlated with trends in COVID-19 case growth or unobservable determinants of case growth. We find no significant divergence in the trends after the protests.

They also consider that the lack of any strong effects for COVID-19 case growth may be due to the lack of sufficient time to detect a resurgence or increase in the infection rates.

However, they note that their samples include at least 21 days of data following the early protests that took place in 154 citie and at least 18 days of data following protests in 242 cities, and at least 16 days of data for 257 cities that experienced protests.

Given a median incubation period of of 5.1 days and 75 percent of infected individuals experiencing within 6.7 days and 97.5 percent within 11.5 days, they believe that the surge would have shown up.

They concluded that while it is possible that the protests caused an increase in the spread of COVID-19 among those who attended the protests, we demonstrate that the protests had little effect on the spread of COVID-19 for the entire population of the counties with protests during the more than three weeks following protest onset.

While this study does not look at individual level effects, it does pretty convincingly conclude that the protests were not the drivers for the surge of cases of COVID we have seen in the last several weeks.

David M. Greenwald reporting

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Sunday Commentary: A Study Finds That Protests Have Not Driven the Spike in COVID Cases - The Peoples Vanguard of Davis

The global economy is trying to battle its way out of the coronavirus movement restrictions, but the process is far from easy.

While some analysts still talk up prospects of a V-shaped recovery, others are wary as fresh Covid-19 outbreaks are reported in countries that thought they were clear.

This leaves investors in a quandary. Some will be looking to take advantage of recent share price falls to invest in assets at much lower prices than before the crisis. Others will be wondering whether to play it safe right now.

If you are looking to invest $10,000 (Dh36,725) over the next quarter, here are three investment trends to consider right now. The first will grow if consumers leave the house and start spending again, the second will rise if a lost continent plays catch up with the US stock market, and the third could help build a brighter, greener future.

Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial, says the stay-at-home trade was all the rage during the global lockdown, as investors bought shares in companies that benefited from a captive audience working or seeking entertainment at home.

Video teleconferencing giant Zoom, streaming company Netflix and e-commerce giant Amazon were hugely popular, he says.

Telemedicine and virtual healthcare company Teladoc Health, cloud computing software specialist Okta and digital payment company PayPal were also stay-at-home trade winners.

Mr Valecha says investors may now want to target the get out of the house" trend, as movement restrictions are lifted around the world.

Malls, theme parks and restaurants are starting to reopen. People will hit the gyms, go to movie theatres, and start travelling again. Even if we get a second wave, governments will be less inclined to reimpose a lockdown, says Mr Valecha.

This is a relatively high-risk trade, but rewarding for those who are willing to accept the potential downside, if nervous consumers prove reluctant to spend.

Mr Valecha suggests airline stocks including Texas-based carrier South West Airlines and British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines Group. UAE-based theme park operator DXB Entertainments, which owns Dubai Parks and Resorts, could be another beneficiary, especially when overseas visitors return, he adds.

Brave investors could even take a chance on cruise operators such as Carnival, whose ships include virus-stricken Diamond Princess. "It was one of the biggest losers in the March crash but has enough money to sail through 2020. Pent up demand for leisure travel should benefit the cruise stock.

Mr Valecha also tips ride-sharing company Lyft: This is Ubers only competitor in the US, and can rally as the ride hailing market recovers.

Europe is now emerging from the movement restrictions and this could provide an opportunity for this underperforming region to play catch-up with the superior performance seen on US stock markets lately.

Moukarram Atassi, head of investment management at the National Bank of Fujairah, says European equity markets have been trading at a discount of up to 20 per cent to US equities for years, but that may soon reverse.

He says the EUs massive 750 billion (Dh3.1 trillion) recovery plan is a major step towards greater fiscal union and should power growth. Similarly, Germany's U-turn from austerity, as the government embraces a programme of fiscal spending at home, will provide more than 30 per cent of gross domestic product available to offset the pandemic slowdown. Both measures coincide with more accommodative monetary policy from the European Central Bank, Mr Atassi says.

This massive fiscal and monetary stimulus should help European equities shine, in turn enticing "global institutional investors to increase their allocation to quality European growth companies with an international footprint", he says.

Mr Atassi recommends looking for companies with sustainable earnings growth and stable business models: The luxury goods, healthcare and technology sectors all have strong growth prospects.

Fund manager Invescos chief global market strategist Kristina Hooper expects Germany and northern Europe to recover fastest, due to their focus on manufacturing and business services. In the South and France, the share of GDP is heavier in tourism," she says.

Europe boasts plenty of top companies with global reach. These include pharmaceutical firms such as Germanys Bayer, Switzerland's Roche and Novartis and Denmarks Novo Nordisk. Other big names include Swiss food and drink multinational Nestle, and French luxury goods firm LVMH.

Alternatively, you could diversify and spread your risk by investing in a low-cost exchange traded fund that tracks European indices.

Options include Vanguard FTSE Europe ETF (VGK), iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF (EZU), and SPDR Euro STOXX 50 ETF (FEZ). Or you could target the continents powerhouse through iShares MSCI Germany ETF (EWG).

The Covid-19 pandemic is focusing minds on other threats facing mankind, of which climate change is perhaps the most serious.

Growing numbers are now investing in a socially responsible way, according to environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, to use the latest term for green investing.

Mitch Reznick, head of research and sustainable fixed income at global investment manager Federated Hermes, says green finance has grown in strength during the pandemic, with record flows into ESG funds.

During the long bull run, critics dismissed ESG investing as a mere nice-to-have as opposed to a necessity, he says. If that were true, we would have expected this wave to break in the first quarter of 2020. Yet green activity has continued to grow.

Mr Reznick sees evidence of this in unexpected places, with Barclays Bank and French oil and gas company Total committing to becoming net zero companies by 2050. Last week, London-listed oil major BP took steps to clean up its image and pay down debt in the process, by selling its petrochemicals business to Ineos for $5bn. New chief executive Bernard Looney has also set a target of becoming a net zero company by 2050 or sooner.

The pandemic has ushered in a heightened sense of social awareness as companies and policymakers seek to build resilience in healthcare, food and water security, as well as across supply chains, Mr Reznick says.

This is feeding through to investment performance. ESG indexes are now outperforming the broader market, he adds.

Managers launched about 100 sustainable ESG funds in the first quarter of this year, up from just over 80 last year, Mr Reznick says, quoting Morning Star research. He says this is nothing short of astonishing, given current pandemic disruption.

Separate research from Deloitte shows that in 2017, some 48 per cent of investors applied ESG principles to at least a quarter of their portfolios. By last year, that had risen to 75 per cent.

A wide range of ETFs now invests in ESG themes, but check for any that match your own ethical principles, as all use slightly different criteria.

Vanguard FTSE Social Index Fund Admiral (VFTAX) gives you a diversified portfolio of companies in non-controversial industries, with low of fees of just 0.14 per cent a year. The iShares MSCI Global Impact ETF (SDG) targets companies that aim to further the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.

Meanwhile, the iShares ESG MSCI EAFE ETF (ESGD) invests in developed world stocks, while iShares ESG MSCI EM ETF (ESGE) targets emerging markets. There are plenty more and their numbers will grow.

Updated: July 5, 2020 01:30 PM

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Three ways to invest $10,000 in the next three months - The National

You would be amiss to not make yourself familiar with the name of marketing and production genius Oliver el-Khatib.

Oliver is a Lebanese-Canadian producer, DJ, manager, and businessman. Along with fellow Lebanese-Canadian Noah 40 Shebib, he is largely behind the massive success of superstar Drake, as well as the owner of the talented ear that discovered famous talents like The Weeknd and PARTYNEXTDOOR.

On top of being Drakes creative director and brand manager, he is the co-founder and managing partner of the Octobers Very Own (OVO) label, which is massively successful with 11 flagship stores/boutiques around the world and a revenue of over $50 million.

He is the host of OVOSound radio, and the leading director for OVOs other initiatives, including its festival, educational summits, and partnership with the Toronto Raptors.

The OVO label he helped found and create has an undeniably major cultural and social influence in Canada and beyond, a testament to el-Khatibs talent and genius, on top of his work in creating one of the most successful artists of all time.

Oliver is elusive and prefers to stay behind the scenes, but here is what we were able to find this major Lebanese talent up to in the past couple years.

The Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA) are a yearly event that celebrates outstanding achievement in Canadian fashion.

This year, they honored Oliver with the revered Vanguard Award, recognizing his innovation and pioneering in Canadian and global fashion.

They describe his company as a global lifestyle brand that will inspire the next generation all while staying true to the family values and dedication that made it what it is today.

In late December 2019, Oliver released a 50-minute mixtape titled EL-KUUMBA TAPE VOL. 1.

It included new music from Drake- the track War and samplings from Lil Uzi Vert, Roddy Rich, and more.

The tape has over 400k streams on Soundcloud alone and has been remixed by popular DJs, including DJ Candlestick.

While Oliver tends to stay out of the shadows, he sat down for a rare interview with GQ in 2016.

He revealed that one of the major tools he used to achieve his dreams was to go against the mainstream- or, in his words, zig when everyone else zags.

He applied this mentality in order to gain OVO partnerships with Apple Music when other artists were going for TIDAL, and the Jordan Brand when other celebrities were leaning towards Adidas.

He credits blind faith in himself and his team as another major factor that contributed to their many achievements.

Drake and the OVO team have essentially helped to rebrand the city of Toronto.

Naming it the 6, the team has created a young, fresh image for their hometown, and have established educational summits, and the OVOFest. They even partnered with the city to create the Toronto Music Advisory Committee.

Kids around the world sing along to tracks praising the city of Toronto and wear jerseys celebrating the citys team The Raptors.

In 2016, Mayor John Tory presented Drake with the Key to the City of Toronto. While Olivers name may not have been on that key, his influence in helping Drake represent, invest in, and progress their shared hometown is reputable.

The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) recently partnered with the OVO label.

Their wide-ranging collaboration will include giving the banks customers special access to the OVO Summit as well as the brands wide range of content and experiences.

Oliver commented on the collaboration to Forbes that the OVO label represents the hard work of Drake, 40, and himself, and that ..its brilliant [to recognize] that there are just as many young people aspiring to be entrepreneurs as there are wanting to be artists.

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Meet The Lebanese-Canadian Honoree Of Vanguard Award 2020 - The961