Tag: philanthropic

  • Who REALLY is Omid Scobie?

    Who REALLY is Omid Scobie?

    An examination of the true character traits of the Duchess of Sussex’s PR peddling biased ‘bestie’ Omid Scobie by Nikolay Kalinin

    Apart from being a royal editor for Harper’s Bazaar, Omid Scobie claims to be “an authoritative voice on the lives and philanthropic endeavors of the royal family’s younger members.” Strangely though, very little is actually known about this mysterious meddler and given his supposed “fame,” isn’t it strange that there isn’t even a Wikipedia page about him?

     

    On his Twitter feed, Scobie does pompously announce that he’s written a “Sunday Times bestseller” called Finding Freedom about Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their subsequent marriage and defection from the royal family to contradictorily being “private” in the commercial sector. He doesn’t, however, add that said tosh filled tome went to half-price, bargain basement in most bookstores.

     

    Omid Scobie Jodie Marsh Heat
    In August 2020, the ‘Daily Mail’ shared that plastic-not-fantastic Omid previously worked at gossip magazine ‘Heat’ and partied with the ‘glamour model’ Jodie Marsh. They mentioned how somebody had “airbrushed” Meghan Markle’s “entry on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia… to include more flattering details days before her romance with Prince Harry became public” and illustrated the ‘Finding Freedom’ author’s “drastic transformation” in two very different photographs.
    Omid Scobie Women in Leadership Publication
    Illustrating himself to be anything but a real journalist, “influencer” Scobie told the ‘Women in Leadership Publication’: “A casual follower be forgiven for thinking that royal news is just fizzy commentary on the pomp and soap opera of The Firm” in their spring 2021 edition. He self-importantly added: “Reaching millions on Twitter has also enabled my own views and advocacy to travel further” and concluded: “I want to do everything I can to ensure that individuals from every background can get a seat at the table.” Here is someone far from a journalist; here, in fact, is someone who should just be called out as the Duchess of Sussex’s PR peddler.

    According to HITC, Scobie was born in Oxfordshire to an Iranian mother and a Scottish father. His papa, Bill Scobie, runs a marketing group called Lingo; it has only one Twitter follower and he purports also to be a musician.

     

    Scobie’s journalistic career began when he worked as a reporter for the gossip go-to Heat. He quit the magazine after he claimed that an executive called him a “P**i” in an email. Whether he was compensated or got an apology for this unproven allegation remains unknown.

     

    Meanwhile, WaliKali suggests that Scobie’s net worth is $800k. It is not only mysterious as to how they managed to calculate that, but it’s also impossible because this means that his net worth is more than that of say LBC host Nick Ferrari even though the latter has a bigger audience than Scobie and is certainly a far better-known figure.

     

    Scobie’s circle of associates is just as curious; for example, Markus Anderson – a man who mysteriously went from a waiter at Soho House to become one of their top consultants – supposedly introduced Scobie to Markle and was the one who led him on the path of becoming an unofficial spin doctor for the Sussexes. Not much is known about Anderson in general; he was born in Canada and according to Town & Country, “his upbringing has influenced his taste in beverages.”

     

    Scobie has a verified Twitter account with over 70,000 followers, which sounds legitimate, except for the fact that in reality 26% – almost 19,000 – of those followers are fake. If you’re the kind of person who uses fake followers, that means you are the kind of person who has no legitimacy in the media industry.

     

    Things are no better for Scobie’s associate Carolyn Durand, who co-wrote Finding Freedom. She has over 12,000 followers on Twitter, of whom almost 44% – in other words 5,293 followers – are fake. It’s surprising how she is also verified on Twitter.

     

    The “Sunday Times bestseller” Finding Freedom has 4/5 stars on Amazon.co.uk, which gives the impression that it was well-liked by readers. It is true that the book did top the charts in the UK, selling 31,000 copies in almost a week. However, what many forget is that a group of people called “Sussex Squad” – which sounds like a battalion of people who could execute anyone who dare criticise the Duchess of Sussex – had been leaving fake 5-star reviews on Amazon on purpose, until Amazon stopped that by limiting reviews to “verified purchases.”

     

    The analysis of the book from esteemed media outlets were no better; whereas on Amazon the book is listed as being described by the Daily Telegraph as “utterly gripping,” the actual review references it as “a one massive moanathon – a one-sided, highly biased, self-pitying account of the relationship (between Harry and Meghan).”

     

    What’s even worse is that both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex actually disowned the biography before it was even published; as the Daily Express reports, the Duchess of Sussex’s lawyer had claimed that the book is “either extremely anodyne and/or I understand are the product of creative licence and/or are inaccurate.” Bizarrely, later, her representative argued that she contributed to the book, but did not provide the authors with the contents of the letter sent to her estranged father.

     

    Scobie’s unreliability can also be evidenced by the fact that he accused the Duke of Cambridge’s aides of planting reports that the latter was “worried about Harry’s mental health,” while not providing evidence that this was the case. Honestly, if you want some-one to believe your side of the story regarding the affair, you have to provide solid evidence, and that goes for both sides.

     

    It seems that ITV too have become suspicious of ‘Spin Doctor Scobie’ as his comments about “planted reports” were cut at the last minute from their documentary Harry & William: What Went Wrong? It aired last night and told opinions on the story about Princes Harry and William’s supposed “rift.”

     

    Scobie is also advertised on the HarperCollins website as the host of ABC’s “popular” podcast The Heir Pod, yet the podcast is anything but popular. If you go to Chartable, a service which provides statistics on podcasts, the podcast does have a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5, but only on the basis of 735 reviews. Meanwhile, popular podcasts within the news category – of which The Heir Pod is listed in – such as the BBC’s Global News podcast and The Ben Shapiro Show have thousands of reviews, which demonstrates that there is practically no engagement with Scobie’s podcast.

     

    Another piece evidence of the podcast being anything but “popular” is the fact that it doesn’t chart in any of the big markets such as the US, UK, Canada or Australia. At the time of writing, The Heir Pod charts in Argentina (160th place), Kyrgyzstan (248th place), Antigua and Barbuda (125th place) and Bhutan (138th place). It thus seems to me like ABC is pointlessly wasting millions on a podcast which its target audience doesn’t even want to listen to.

     

    I find it hilarious how instead of trying to present himself as a mature individual, Scobie has decided to try and “cancel” people online such as ‘Yankee Wally’ because she called him a “bloody foreigner” – even though she did not actually mean what she said in an especially derogatory way.

     

    Similarly, Scobie and other members of the sanctimoniously sinsister “Sussex Squad” have silenced and attacked Kate Robertson, a youth organisation leader who criticised the Duchess of Sussex on Twitter for not resolving her grievances with the royal family in private. Eventually, they forced her to delete the tweet and apologise.

     

    Later, Scobie went on Good Morning Britain and justified what happened by saying: “Everyone’s allowed the right to have an opinion on this,” but then also stated: “It stands out when someone speaks so against the couple.” To me, this sounds like pure reinforcement of double standards. Honestly, if you have to rely on ‘cancel culture’ and suppression of freedom of speech in order to defeat your opponent, you don’t deserve to be called a journalist and you certainly should be seen as a threat to society rather than a respected public figure.

     

    What all of this demonstrates is that Omid Scobie is not a genuinely honest reporter and most certainly not the “authoritative voice on the lives and philanthropic endeavors of the royal family’s younger members” that he claims to be. The truth, instead, is that Omid Scobie is a washed-up, childish clot who tries yet fails to portray himself as someone with legitimacy and it’s about time that he got exposed for being nothing but ‘MeGain’s’ number one PR peddler.

     

    Omid Scobie TheHeirPod Chartable Podcast Chart Rankings
    Whilst Omid Scobie’s podcast, #TheHeirPod, was “downgraded from ‘a real chore’ to ‘unlistenable’” according to ‘Royal Analysis,’ the true revelation is that it isn’t even popular in the places where it surely should be most relevant, Britain and America.
    Omid Scobie Twitter Fake Followers
    An analysis of Omid Scobie’s Twitter feed clearly shows that a large proportion of his followers are a bit like himself: FAKE.
    When he’s not bragging about wearing Balenciaga, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior or sharing photos of his dog, Yoshi, on his Instagram account, the ‘Finding Freedom’ author constantly bangs on about how he believes the royal family to have racist elements. His speculation is rarely supported by anything other than unnamed sources that give his suggestions little to no credibility.
    Meghan Markle Markus Anderson Omid Scobie Prince Harry
    Markus Anderson with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and her mother, Doria Ragland.
    Canadian waiter turned Soho House director Markus Anderson was allegedly the person to have introduced Prince Harry and the then Meghan Markle. This “champagne partial” individual has been repeatedly linked also to Omid Scobie online on sites such as Quora whilst the site ‘Royal Analysis’ has reported: “Well, apparently, Omid and Markus used to be very close. I don’t think it’s out of the question for Markus to have facilitated Meghan and Omid getting together to strategize about what positive press coverage Omid could give to Meghan.”
  • Bailey Bombs to 64/1

    Bailey Bombs to 64/1

    As ingeniously ironic Old Harrovian wannabe Mayor of London Max Fosh photobombs his fellow Old Harrovian grumpy groaner rival Laurence Fox, their clapped-out Conservative rival Shaun Bailey sinks to likely 3rd place at odds of 64/1

    Late last month, Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey’s chances of becoming the next Mayor of London looked to be improving. Whilst odds on him winning were just 45/1 in January, they’d moved to 31/1 and later to 25/1  – in spite of an endorsement from the irksome, well-known associate of dildo floggers, Karren Brady.

     

    Things seemed to finally be swinging in this bombastic berk’s favour, but now, today, Oddschecker shows he’s retreated into third behind Labour’s laughable Sadiq Khan (1/16) and independent oddity Brian Rose (18/1). Today, Bailey stands at an astonishing 64/1 whilst the Liberal Democrats’ Luisa Porritt has sunk to 999/1.

     

    Elsewhere, earlier this week with a supposed £5 million behind him courtesy of a Vote Leave donor named Jeremy Hosking, angry ex-actor Laurence Fox (250/1) launched his campaign whilst being driven around on a red London bus emblazoned with “Free London. Vote for Laurence Fox. Your London. Your freedom. Reclaim it.”

     

    Amusingly, making a complete mockery of him, a seemingly likeable young chap named Max Fosh (100/1) has come forward and raised the £10,000 deposit required to run. The 26-year-old, who studied at Harrow School with Fox, wrapped his car with text that read “Don’t Believe Everything You See On A Bus” and photobombed Fox’s bus.

     

    Shared subsequently on his YouTube channel and watched already by just under 100,000 viewers, Fosh turned up at Fox’s launch event with his car and then introduced himself to the Reclaim leader.

     

    Speaking to The Tab subsequently of his “Max Fosh to Mash Fox” campaign on Friday, Fosh explained:

     

    “The reason I want to beat Laurence is because he seems like a very upset man. He’s a bit of a grumpy guy…. Politics is just a cesspit of name-calling and anger, and it’s just going to make Laurence grumpier. So, I want to beat Laurence in this election to get him out of politics and get him back to doing what he does best.”

     

    “It’s basically a philanthropic mission at this point. Wouldn’t it be nice to see more of such kindness and sincerity in politics today?”

     

    Today, given the quality of candidates on offer in this election is so dire and thus Khan’s likelihood of returning as Mayor is sadly so high, we urge those eligible to do the only sensible thing left available in the absence of our long since departed favoured choice Rory Stewart. Please don’t spoil your vote, but instead back Max Fosh as you first choice and Count Binface as your second.

     

    Doing so on the 6th May 2021 will send a signal to Laurence Fox that in spite of the millions of pounds in wonga behind him, he shouldn’t be in charge of a bus ticket let alone a capital city, but it’ll also do something else: It’ll tell the Tory Party that they made the worst of choices in Shaun Bailey and it might persuade them not to put a twerp of such epic proportions on a ballot paper ever again.

     

    Join the 19,900 followers of Max Fosh on Twitter at @Max_Fosh and Count Binface’s 20,200 at @CountBinface.

     

    Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Shaun Bailey Bombs to 64/1 in London mayoral election – Vote Max Fosh and Count Binface instead – As Old Harrovian wannabe Mayor of London Max Fosh photobombs his fellow Old Harrovian rival Laurence Fox, their clapped-out Conservative rival Shaun Bailey sinks to likely 3rd place at odds of 64/1.
    Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Max Fosh might not have the financial resources of Lawrence Fox’s £5 million campaign pot, but he’s creative and likeable. We urge readers to support this breath of fresh air.
    Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Shaun Bailey Bombs to 64/1 in London mayoral election – Vote Max Fosh and Count Binface instead – As Old Harrovian wannabe Mayor of London Max Fosh photobombs his fellow Old Harrovian rival Laurence Fox, their clapped-out Conservative rival Shaun Bailey sinks to likely 3rd place at odds of 64/1.
    Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Count Binface – formerly Lord Buckethead – has always amused readers of ‘The Steeple Times.’ He’s certainly worth voting for ahead of Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey and Brian Rose.
    Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Shaun Bailey Bombs to 64/1 in London mayoral election – Vote Max Fosh and Count Binface instead – As Old Harrovian wannabe Mayor of London Max Fosh photobombs his fellow Old Harrovian rival Laurence Fox, their clapped-out Conservative rival Shaun Bailey sinks to likely 3rd place at odds of 64/1.
    Bailey Bombs to 64/1 – Shaun Bailey was mocked by ‘THis Is North Kensington’ for “wringing the wrong numbers” whilst his campaign was summed up by ‘From The Hornets Nest’ with the following: “The Conservative Party made a massive miscalculation in backing this man. His appalling record as one of the laziest members of the London Assembly should have been a warning that Bailey was an insubstantial dud.”

  • Lady de Rothschild (also known as Lynn Forester de Rothschild, née Lynn Forester)

    Lady de Rothschild (also known as Lynn Forester de Rothschild, née Lynn Forester)

    lady de rothschildThis thrice married, New Jersey born, Columbia Law School graduate was introduced to Sir Evelyn de Rothschild by Henry Kissinger in 1998. (more…)

  • Bobby and Ivey Leidy (AKA Mr and Mrs Robert Leidy, Jr.)

    Bobby and Ivey Leidy (AKA Mr and Mrs Robert Leidy, Jr.)

    Bobby and Ivey LeidyThis wealth manager is the eldest grandson of Lilly Pulitzer and his wife runs an organic, gluten free and vegan West Palm Beach bakery named Sweet Ivey’s. This modest philanthropic couple held their wedding on North End Beach, Palm Beach and of her wedding dress, Ivey Leidy told Town & Country: “I don’t even know who made it”.

     

  • Thai Dang Cao (1953 – 2014)

    Thai Dang Cao (1953 – 2014)

    Thai Dang CaoThe eccentric owner of Old Brompton Road’s Nam Long Le Shaker was famed for creating the legendary Flaming Ferrari cocktail. A favourite of the likes of Lord Archer’s son, James, this lethal concoction consists of 100% proof rum, Chartreuse, Grand Marnier and Blue Curaçao. Of them Dang Cao commented: “If you drink three of them you kiss the ground like the Pope”. He occupied a throne-like seat in his establishment yet truly did good through philanthropically funding a school and clinic in Vietnam and of this nightlife legend’s passing, one customer concluded: “He was not a man of many words, but a creator some of my worst life hangovers”. Whilst Nam Long Le Shaker – established in 1987 – has been described as being “a place like no other”; Thai Dang Cao was most certainly “a man like no other”. The longest ever lock-in in the sky has commenced with his arrival.

  • Joy Venturini Bianchi

    Joy Venturini Bianchi

    Joy Venturini Bianchi 550This San Francisco based style icon is famous for her signature oversized black glasses and “natty attire”. A divorced philanthropist, Joy Venturini Bianchi has been involved in the Helpers Community Inc. charity for decades and considers the Balboa Café one of her favourite dining spots. In 2016, she was criticised for the excessive pay cheques she took from Helpers and in 2017, the charity was forced to repay “tens of thousands of dollars”.

     

  • Mccreedy's quintessence

    Mccreedy's quintessence

    Thomas James chats with artist Conor Mccreedy

     

    The quintessence of any artist is what distinguishes them from others. So, when I met with Conor Mccreedy to ask him about his, he begins by reading me his artistic statement:

     

    “I lose myself in a divine invention, where judgment is laid aside and my experiences in the world are left to breathe without the constraint of self-awareness or convention. The raw power and mysterious void of the ocean is my inspiration, the equalizer of mankind. We live in a volatile world where race, gender, time, and religion distract us from the real. My experiences of the human dilemma are archived in my mind; they arise in moments of unabashed and unbounded creativity. Tides of creation are painted and put into motion by pure adrenaline. This creative combustion has driven me to go beyond portraiture, and to explore new worlds of neo-expressionism and abstraction where volatile uncertainties are not only demolished but also become unheard of. The blue pigment that I use conveys a sense of ambiguity.  It is a unique substance out of which almost elemental water emerges”.

     

    "Blue Secret Angel" by Conor Mccreedy
    “Blue Secret Angel” by Conor Mccreedy

    Artist Conor Mccreedy in his signature colour "Mccreedy Blue"
    Artist Conor Mccreedy in his signature colour “Mccreedy Blue”

     

    Mccreedy divides his time between South Africa, the Unites States and Europe he loves discovering new things whilst traveling. His fascination with scents and colours is reflected in the candles and soap bars he collects and equally, he has become especially known for the colour he created, “Mccreedy Blue”. This blue is incorporated into his artistic works and most of his handmade European suits also.

     

    Conor Mccreedy with a lion
    Conor Mccreedy with a lion

    Conor Mccreedy has a passion for animals that not only can be seen in his art but also can be seen in his life. He has his very own African lion, Mohlatsi, which is kept in South Africa at The Ranch Conservancy. Lions as well other cats are dear to Mccreedy’s heart, which is why he donates a percentage of most of his art sales to the Protecting African Lions (P.A.L.) foundation. Mccreedy is also an ambassador for the Ubuntu Educational Fund, which was founded, by Jacob Lief, a close friend of his.

     

    Mccreedy’s creative vision has created a surge of interest in the art collecting community. One painting, Secret Movements, was sold to an undisclosed collector in Manhattan for approximately $196,000. This individual was offered $260,000 dollars for this rare piece in early 2013 but declined to accept.

     

    In conversation, I asked Mccreedy further questions about his paintings and his philanthropic work and below I record some of his responses:

     

    Thomas James: Is there something in particular about Secret Movements or your paintings in general that draws this undisclosed collector to your work?

    Conor Mccreedy: “He has always loved my work. However, my trademark Mccreedy Blue paintings are what he collects mostly. This is the highest price for a single painting of mine to be sold as of yet. I am honoured that people would spend this amount of money on one of my creations. The collector turned down the initial offer as he felt it was not enough but equally, he does not intend on selling this piece anytime soon”.

     

    TJ: Why does Secret Movements have an almost magnetic effect on people?

    CM: “The lines and angles are unending in the painting. It can be looked at for hours as it starts to almost move within the canvas like a wild ocean. The piece is extremely powerful and strong. This is a unique sized piece being around 8 foot long by 3 foot high”.

     

    TJ: What influencers and personalities have you sold your art to?

    CM: “I do not really keep track of the ‘famous’ people who own my works. Time Warner has a piece or two and Steve Tyler liked an early work of mine so much he started to kiss it. We are working closely with Goldman Sachs and their art department this year and the following year to possibly create a mural for their Manhattan headquarters. I all goes well, the mural will be a painting almost as large as a tennis court”.

     

    TJ: Assuming your favorite animal is the lion what ways are your trying to help and preserve lions in Africa.

    CM: “Yes, my favorite animal is the lion. I am very upset to see what has happened to the rhino population also and do not want our lion population in Africa to continue to fall drastically. This is why I have decided to take a stand to make sure our lions don’t become extinct over the next 10 years”.

     

    “We launch the ‘Mccreedy Blue P.A.L.’ bracelets in 2 weeks time. These bracelets won’t just support P.A.L., but will also fund my four affiliated foundations. It is a global movement that will be built up with tribes of believers and connectors and the bracelet will symbolise the connection between people and lions. Every time we sell a painting, I make sure that a percentage is put into the Protecting African Lions (P.A.L.) foundation. It needs all the seed funding and support it can get in its early stages so that it can flourish with the right team. We are fortunate enough to have amazing ambassadors from all over the world. This I am very grateful for and have worked extremely hard on pulling this together. It is something very close to my heart. I am African. I love Africa and will always be African”.

     

    There is much interest in Mccreedy’s works amongst collectors living in international cities such as London and New York, but for him, the South African contemporary collecting art market is becoming increasingly important. This year, there will be two solo exhibitions of his works in Nigeria and South Africa and he will also be displaying two paintings at the Sydney Art Fair with his South African representative, the Everard Read Gallery.

     

    For more information about Conor Mccreedy, go to: http://conormccreedy.com

     

    Follow him on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/CONORMCREEDY

     

    For more details on Protecting African Lions (P.A.L.), go to: http://protectingafricanlions.org

  • Alan Miller: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Alan Miller: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks fund manager Alan Miller: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

    The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

    It’s a four letter word. It’s Gina, not the four letter word you were thinking about.

     

    “Don’t get even, get medieval is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

    Believe in what you do and have fun whilst you are doing it.

      (more…)

  • Justin Bieber

    Justin Bieber

    Justin BieberThis Canadian pop musician rose from poverty to become an international sensation with huge amounts of power over his “Beliebers”. Now wealthy beyond comprehension, this Fisker driving youngster is turning into an arrogant, aggressive brat who fails to turn up to concerts on time and gets aggressive with photographers. “Racks of servers are devoted to Bieber” by Twitter as he acquires one new follower a second and the website Klout suggests he has a higher online influence than Barrack Obama and The Dalai Lama. If he doesn’t sort himself out, this “teen heartthrob” could quite predictably go the same way as Lindsay Lohan.

  • An evening of champions

    An evening of champions

    Andreas Kirchberger captures guests and performers at the Champions in the Community fundraising dinner

     

    On Thursday 10th November 2012, Gina and Alan Miller and The Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith MP hosted a dinner at London’s Hurlingham Club to raise funds for the charities supported by Miller Philanthropy and The Centre for Social Justice.

     

    Guests at the event numbered Aliona Adrianova, Carlos Bey Fisher, Jackie Branston, Bridget Convey, Karen Cummings Palmer, Diane Henry Lepart, Katie Gerrard, Hannah Gerrard, Iain Gibbs, Mariana Haseldine, Christian Huhnt, Francesca Mathieu, Ferdinand Miller, Georgina Moffat, Charles Mitford Cust, Claire Rubinstein, June Sarpong, Angelo Valentino, Timo Weber and Haydn Williams.

    Performances by Antony Costa, Beverley Craven, the Magpie Dance group and Derek Paravacini were interspersed with speeches from Gina Miller and The Rt. Hon. Iain Duncan Smith MP and items sold in the auction numbered a couture dress by Ralph & Russo, a long weekend on a country estate in Devon and a Rolls-Royce experience.

     

    Of the success of the night, Gina Miller commented:

     

    “The Champions in the Community dinner acknowledged the underappreciated individuals involved in charity in the UK. The evening was a great success in terms of raising funds and awareness for these unsung heroes and we thank all who attended and supported our efforts for those working at the coalface of the negative trends in our society.”

     

    For more details about The Centre for Social Justice, go to: http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk

     

    For more information about Miller Philanthropy, go to: http://www.millerphilanthropy.com

     

    All images © Andreas Kirchberger/Photography-Factory 2012