Showing posts with label video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label video. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Video: Full Speech of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Address at the 78th UN General Assembly



Video: Full Speech of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Address at the 78th UN General Assembly on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

 - UNGA 78, Sept. 18th - 26th, 2023.

United Nations General Assembly, New York, USA.

#PBATinUNGA #UNGA


Statement summary

BOLA AHMED TINUBU, President of Nigeria, said that, while failures in good governance have hindered Africa, “broken promises, unfair treatment and outright exploitation from abroad have also exacted a heavy toll on our ability to progress”.  Due to both longstanding internal and external factors, the economic structures of Nigeria and Africa have been skewed to impede development, industrial expansion, job creation and the equitable distribution of wealth.  If Nigeria is to fulfil its duty to its people and the rest of Africa, it must create jobs, a belief in a better future and lead by example.  “And we are doing so,” he stressed, detailing his Government’s removal of a costly, corrupt fuel subsidy and a noxious exchange-rate system.  “Other growth and job-oriented reforms are in the wings,” he added.

Welcoming partnerships with those “who do not mind seeing Nigeria and Africa assume larger roles in the global community”, he said that the question is not whether his country is open for business. Rather, he emphasized, it is “how much the world is truly open to doing business with Nigeria and Africa in an equal, mutually beneficial manner”.  Direct investment in critical industries, the opening of ports to a wider range and larger quantity of African exports and meaningful debt relief are important aspects of this cooperation.  He also underlined the need to affirm democratic governance as “the best guarantor of the sovereign will and well-being of the people”.  Military coups are wrong — as is any tilted civilian political arrangement that perpetuates injustice — but he observed that the wave crossing Africa is not a demonstration in favour of coups. Rather, “it is a demand for solutions to perennial problems”, he said.

He went on to say that the West Africa region “is locked in protracted battle against violent extremists”, and — in the turmoil — “a dark channel of inhumane commerce has formed”.  Along that route, everything is for sale, and men, women and children are seen as chattel.  At the same time, mercenaries and extremists invade from the north with lethal weapons and vile ideologies.  While African nations will improve their economies and disband extremists on their turf, he called on the international community to strengthen its commitment to “arrest the flow of arms and violent people into West Africa”.  Another important aspect of global solidarity is to secure Africa’s mineral-rich areas from pilfering and conflict, he stressed, noting that many such areas have become “catacombs of misery and exploitation” and that “the mayhem visited on resource-rich areas does not respect national boundaries”. 


He said that, at Nigeria’s door, foreign entities — abetted by local criminals aspiring to be petty warlords — have drafted thousands of people into servitude to illegally mine gold and other resources.  Billions of dollars meant to improve the nation now fuel violent enterprises, and Member States must deter their firms and nationals from this pillaging.  He also detailed the severe impacts of climate change on his country, stating that African nations will fight climate change — “but must do so on fair and just terms”.  Outlining several national measures, he said that continental efforts will register victories if established economies are “more forthcoming with public- and private-sector investment for Africa’s preferred initiatives”.  Stressing that Africa does not wish to “replace old shackles with new ones”, he said that the continent is not a problem to be avoided, nor is it to be pitied.  “Africa is nothing less than the key to the world’s future,” he said.

https://gadebate.un.org/en/78/nigeria

CONCLUSION

As I close, let me emphasize that Nigeria’s objectives accord with the guiding principles of this world body: peace, security, human rights and development.

In fundamental ways, nature has been kind to Africa, giving abundant land, resources and creative and industrious people. Yet, man has too often been unkind to his fellow man and this sad tendency has brought sustained hardship to Africa’s doorstep.

To keep faith with the tenets of this world body and the theme of this year’s Assembly, the poverty of nations must end. The pillage of one nation’s resources by the overreach of firms and people of stronger nations must end. The will of the people must be respected. This beauty, generous and forgiving planet must be protected.

As for Africa, we seek to be neither appendage nor patron. We do not wish to replace old shackles with new ones.

Instead, we hope to walk the rich African soil and live under the magnificent African sky free of the wrongs of the past and clear of their associated encumbrances. We desire a prosperous, vibrant democratic living space for our people.

To the rest of the world, I say walk with us as true friends and partners. Africa is not a problem to be avoided nor is it to be pitied. Africa is nothing less than the key to the world’s future.

https://www.channelstv.com/2023/09/20/full-text-president-tinubus-first-address-at-un-general-assembly/



Monday, September 18, 2023

Nollywood Streaming on the Algorand Blockchain

Today, Monday, September 18, 2023, I successfully put a video clip from my "Lagos in Motion" documentary film on the blockchain of Algorand sponsored by the Algorand Foundation.

The video shows fast rising Nollywood stars, Nunnsi Ojong (all shades of beauty) and Celina Ideh, international beauty pageant Queen and model. They are part of this historical moment on the Algorand blockchain.

https://nftmyimage.com/v1pKBV4e6LXELucuCxhxHQ

CREATED

Sep 18, 2023, 12:28 PM UTC

The NFT will live forever on the decentralized InterPlanetary File System.

Millions of people on the blockchain will will be anxious and curious to watch it. 

The global blockchain technology market size was estimated at USD 10.02 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 87.7% from 2023 to 2030.

Algorand has more than 10 Million Accounts as Adoption Accelerates

New use cases from across DeFi and traditional finance are leveraging the core principles and value of Algorand's decentralized technology as they look to participate in the future of finance.Algorand Reaches 10 Million Accounts as Adoption Accelerates

New use cases from across DeFi and traditional finance are leveraging the core principles and value of Algorand's decentralized technology as they look to participate in the future of finance.Algorand was founded in 2017 by Silvio Micali, a professor at MIT.

The Algorand test network was launched to the public in April 2019, and the main network was launched in June 2019.

Algorand is intended to solve the "blockchain trilemma": the claim that any blockchain system can have at most two of three desirable properties: decentralization, scalability, and security. A system with all three could run on nodes which each have only moderate consumer-grade resources (i.e., does not need a datacenter or large cluster of virtual machines), has transaction processing which scales with the total network resources (rather than the resources available per-node), and could not be subverted by attackers who individually possess a large fraction of the network's total resources.

When it comes to looking up profitable coins, Algorand (ALGO) is a unique crypto asset that should top every list. The well-known crypto asset is self-sustaining and decentralized.

The blockchain-based network is well known for providing support to a number of applications in a safe, secure, scalable, and efficient manner. The platform is also designed to support computations that need reliable performance guarantees. This creates a form of trust betweenWhen it comes to looking up profitable coins, Algorand (ALGO) is a unique crypto asset that should top every list. 

The well-known crypto asset is self-sustaining and decentralized. The blockchain-based network is well known for providing support to a number of applications in a safe, secure, scalable, and efficient manner. The platform is also designed to support computations that need reliable performance guarantees.

See more on

 www.algorand.com


- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
The CEO,
International Digital Post Network Limited,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

VOGUE September 2023 : Naomi, Cindy, Linda and Christy: The Return of the Supers - Behind the Scenes Video

 


Naomi, Cindy, Linda & Christy: The Return of the Supers - Behind the Scenes of the September Issue (VOGUE.com)

All people in this work:

Posy Dixon - Director
Edward Enninful - Fashion Editor/Stylist
Eugene Souleiman - Hair Stylist
Adam Fleischhauer - Makeup Artist
Stephane Marais - Makeup Artist
Taylor Horne - Set Designer
Candice Idehen - Manicurist
Megumi Yamamoto - Manicurist
Christy Turlington - Model
Cindy Crawford - Model
Linda Evangelista - Model
Naomi Campbell - Model
Anna Wintour - Self
Edward Enninful - Self
Rafael Pavarotti - Self
Alexandra Gurvitch - Other



Friday, May 19, 2023

Video and Photos from the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Day




Video and Photos from the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Day 

I was invited to the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) Cultural Day at the Balmoral Convention Centre of the Federal Palace Hotel and Casino on Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.










All the glitz and razzmatazz of the fanfare of colourful fashion and style of Nigerian haute couture were displayed on the red carpet of the well organized event.
I saw popular Nollywood actor Wole Ojo and other celebrities dressed in their traditional Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and other tribal attires.

The AMVCA’s is the biggest Television and Film industry event of the year.
As part of its lineup, the AMVCA awards would benefit having a cultural day.


Monday, December 12, 2022

Fair and Beautiful

Chika Ike

Compliments of the Yuletide.

See our promotion of Fair and White beauty range for all skin types on Nigerians Report Online

Let us produce a similar promo video of your Nigerian Ambassadors using Fair & White beauty range.
Nollywood beauty, Chika Ike in the TV advert can reach millions of her followers and lovers of Nollywood movies in Nigeria and the rest of the world. 

I am the only Nigerian beauty, fashion and lifestyle writer in Nigeria commended by COVERGIRL and endorsed by iFabbo™, the international organization for beauty, fashion and lifestyle content creators and influencers. I am followed by the Queen of Nollywood, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, famous Hollywood celebrity, Rhonda Shear and other top female celebrities.

My NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series published the 34 beauty queens of Nollywood who have over 100 million followers. 


Best regards,

Publisher/Editor, 

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series

New Nigeria on Pinterest

www.pinterest.com/nigeriansreport

https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelchimaeyerengozi

Tel: +2347066379246

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

The Coca-Cola Company Unveils New Global Brand Platform for Coca-Cola Trademark


PRESS RELEASE

The Coca-Cola Company Unveils New Global Brand Platform for Coca-Cola Trademark

The platform refreshes the brand’s trademark promise – to unite and uplift people every day – with renewed relevance for the world we live in today.

ATLANTA, United States of America, September 29, 2021/ -- Brand Introduces Real Magic, its first new global platform since 2016 and reveals the “Hug,” a new perspective on the iconic Coca-Cola (www.Coca-ColaCompany.com) logo; brand launches “One Coke Away From Each Other,” the first global campaign under the Real Magic Platform

Coca-Cola today unveiled a new global brand philosophy and platform called Real Magic, which invites everyone to celebrate the real magic of humanity. 

The platform refreshes the brand’s trademark promise – to unite and uplift people every day – with renewed relevance for the world we live in today. The platform is built from lessons of the last 18 months: that we can find magic all around us when we come together in unexpected moments that elevate the everyday into the extraordinary. It also acknowledges the many contradictions experienced as new generations find harmony and human connection in a virtual and divided world. 

“Coca-Cola is a brand defined by dichotomies: humble but iconic, authentic yet secret, real yet magical,” said Manolo Arroyo, Chief Marketing Officer for The Coca-Cola Company.  “The Real Magic philosophy is rooted in the belief that dichotomies can make the world a more interesting place – a world of extraordinary people, unexpected opportunities and wonderful moments. At the same time, it captures the essence of Coca-Cola itself: a real taste that is indescribable, unique, a touch of real magic.” 

Coca-Cola is collaborating with artists, photographers and illustrators to bring the concept of Real Magic to life through the embrace of the Hug logo. Through their own distinct and unfiltered lenses, they will bring moments of everyday magic to life in ways that are inclusive and collective, yet also individual and expressive.  Design partners include Wieden+Kennedy London, KnownUnknown and Kenyon Weston. 

“Real Magic is not simply a tagline or a one-off campaign: It is a long-term brand philosophy and belief that will drive and guide marketing and communications across the Coca-Cola Trademark,” Arroyo said. 

Real Magic launches with a new campaign called “One Coke Away From Each Other.” Blending real and virtual worlds, “One Coke Away From Each Other” is a metaphor that speaks to the belief that what unites us is greater than what sets us apart and celebrates our common humanity. The film, which launched digitally on September 27th, asks what if Coca-Cola, as a symbol of togetherness, could bridge universes meant to be apart to create Real Magic. The film also features three well-known gamers – DJ Alan Walker, Team Liquid’s Aerial Powers and Average Jonas. 

Coca-Cola partnered with advertising agency BETC London to create the “One Coke Away From Each Other” campaign, as well as leading film director Daniel Wolfe and gaming and CGI specialist production partner Mathematic. 

The campaign also features social and digital executions, as well as out of home. In select markets, Coca-Cola is running a code hunt beginning Oct. 11 where people can win prizes, including gameplay sessions with celebrity gamers. There are 25 codes hidden within the film. Through collaboration with the Brand Partnership Studio at Twitch, the interactive livestreaming service, gaming creators on Twitch will unlock another 10 codes with their viewers, during livestreams on their Twitch channels. As a part of the campaign, Coca-Cola will award prizes to consumers who find and enter the hidden codes on a Coca-Cola micro-site, in participating countries.  Winners have the chance to receive their share of one of the largest ever prize pools of Bits, a virtual good used to show support for Twitch streamers, as a part of the sweepstakes administered by Coca-Cola.  

“Through the Real Magic platform, we ultimately want to engage people very differently through an ecosystem of unique and ownable experiences,” Arroyo said. “’One Coke Away From Each Other’ has been built for, and with, a community that demands something different than what they may have come to expect from Coca-Cola. In developing this campaign, we’ve partnered with the best creators, with gamers, with Twitch and with others to find our place in a reality unlike any we’ve known before. That’s tremendously exciting.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Coca-Cola.


About The Coca-Cola Company:

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.Coca-ColaCompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

SOURCE

Coca-Cola


Friday, April 2, 2021

DON'T MISS AY LIVE THIS EASTER SUNDAY!!!


DON'T MISS AY LIVE THIS EASTER SUNDAY!!!



Subscribe to Stream AY Live (Virtual Edition) on @wakaati across all android and IOS devices.

Use my referral code: 'AY Live' to get the following

-Exclusive online access to stream AY Live

-3 Months unlimited access to watch premium nollywood movies

-50 New premium nollywood movies per month

TO GET STARTED: 

Visit www.Wakaati.com/aylive

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNKZOjVnZWb/?igshid=jaj2f4jyd04q


Saturday, January 9, 2021

So, What is NOLLYWOOD?

Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, famous Nigerian actress trained in the UK and  featured in "A Warm December" directed by Sidney Poitier.

The first groundbreaking Nigerian home video was Jimi Odumosu's "Evil Encounter", a 1980 horror movie for the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) that was pirated on video cassettes at the Alaba International Market on the outskirts of Lagos. 
The first Nigerian movie, shot directly on video was  "Soso Meji" of 1988 by Ade Ajiboye, followed by Alade Aromire's "Ekun" (1989), 
"Turmin Danya" (The Draw")/in 1990,  was the first commercially successful Kannywood home video; Jide Kosoko's "Asiri Nla" 1992 and "Asewo To Re Mecca" of 1992 by Adebayo Salami, popularly known as "Oga Bello".

Dr. Christian Chika Onu

Any documentary film on the history of Nollywood without them is not the conmplete true history of Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

The first Nollywood blockbuster home vodeo movie in the Igbo language was "Living in Bondage" 1 of 1992 by Chris Obi Raou and the sequel, "Living in Bondage" 2 of 1993 by Chika Christian Onu of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). 

How Nollywood Redefined Conversations on African Cinema and Culture 
From Analog To Digital
Is Nollywood a child of necessity or a phenomenon of ingenuity?
The guerrilla filmmakers in Nigeria who started the phenomenon of the first indie film industry in Africa were driven by necessity, ingenuity and opportunity.

How I Fell in Love with the Cinema

My great father of blessed memory, Sunday "Sunny" Eke loved going to cinemas almost daily, because he loved movies; especially #Hollywood western cowboys movies of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, war films and #Bollywood movies such as "Sholay" and "Seeta aur Geeta" and I loved the Bollywood legends; Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini,, Dharmendra Singh Deol , Sanjeev Kumar and lest I forget the most celebrated nautch dancer in Hindi romantic films, Helen Anne Richardson Khan.  My father never sat down to watch any movie on TV. He would just glance at the popular Bonanza western cowboys series and Combat series on World War 2.

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/09/how-i-fell-in-love-with-cinema.html

The Most Appreciated Film Writer in Nigeria
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-most-appreciated-film-writer-in.html
Do you know that the Alpha Man, EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima is the most appreciated film writer on #Nollywood and the film industry by filmmakers and other major stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry since 2012. He has written on the Academy Awards and Cannes Film Festival since 2008 to date and accurately predicted the winner of the Oscars for the Best Picture and Best Director in 2017 won by Guillermo del Toro for "The Shape of Water". He has also written definitive articles on Nollywood and history of the Nigerian cinema published on Indiewire and by SHADOW&ACT Author Post List 

https://shadowandact.com/author/MichaelChima.

Nigeria: #Nollywood#Kannywood and the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/11/nigeria-nollywood-kannywood-and-academy.html

Fincho: The Making of the First Nigerian Film in Colour By Sam Zebba

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/fincho-making-of-first-nigerian-film-in.html

Photo of Chinua Achebe and Hansjürgen Pohland on the Location of "Bullfrog in the Sun" in Ibadan
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/12/photo-of-chinua-achebe-and-hansjurgen.html

GIOVANNI ROSMAN: The First Canadian Actor in Nollywood

http://totnaija.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-first-canadian-actor-in-nollywood.html?m=1

Why Nollywood Filmmakers Have Failed To Qualify for the Oscars and Cannes
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2019/04/why-nollywood-filmmakers-have-failed-to.html

When Will Nollywood Movies Make the Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival?
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/when-will-nollywood-movies-make.html

TOP 20 Nigerian Filmmakers From 2012-2020

https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/05/top-20-nigerian-filmmakers-from-2012.html

Bankrolling Nollywood: The Challenges and Benefits of Film Finance
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2019/03/bankrolling-nollywood-challenges-and.html

über Nollywood
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/uber-nollywood.html

Anachronisms in #Nollywood Igbo Epic Movies and Ṇ́dị́ Ìgbò History
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/anachronisms-in-nollywood-igbo-epic.html

The Importance of a Database, Library and Museum for the Nigerian Film Industry
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-importance-of-database-library-and.html

Does Our National Assembly Know Anything About the Nigerian Entertainment Industry?
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/12/does-our-national-assembly-know.html

NOLLYWOOD is the National Treasure of Nigeria
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/12/nollywood-is-national-treasure-of.html

#Nollywood Rising: Welcome To Asaba!
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/11/nollywood-rising-welcome-to-asaba.html

Netflix Needs Cinemas and Cinemas Need Netflix
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/09/netflix-needs-cinemas-and-cinemas-need.html

The Encyclopaedia of Nollywood and the Nigerian Film Industry
https://nigeriansreportng.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-encyclopaedia-of-nollywood-and.html

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series


Thursday, June 23, 2011

Social notworking in different countries




Social notworking
Where do workers get the most days off?
Different countries have very different standards. Which is the most (and least) slothful?

Click here for more.



Saturday, January 22, 2011

Oleku the Video-Ice Prince Feat. Brymo



The is the official Oleku Video of Ice Prince Featuring Brymo.



I have watched Ice Prince in a live performance of his hit single Oleku and seeing this video is really going to increase his mileage and patronage.



Thursday, April 22, 2010

30 Web Trends to Watch in 2010

30 Web Trends to Watch in 2010

Blogging
Blogs get even more authoritative and accepted, becoming the “old media” of the Web
Quick and clean miniblogging (Tumblr, Posterous etc.) establish a lively sphere between Twitter-like microblogging and blogging. @richardbaxter of SEOGadget agrees about Posterous continuous growth
Video content finally gets the importance we expected for years now with growing band width etc.



Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Nigeria killings caught on video

Nigeria killings caught on video
Nigerian police and military units carried out extra-judicial killings last year in the aftermath of clashes with members of a Muslim group in the north of ...

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Video: Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon Signs Petition To Call for Better Services for Women Experiencing Domestic Violence

22:30 2 Dec 2009



Video: Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon Signs Petition To Call for Better Services for Women Experiencing Domestic Violence


Reese Witherspoon, Global Ambassador for Avon, headlined a press conference at the House of Commons today to promote a powerful new campaign against domestic violence. The campaign has been launched jointly by Avon Cosmetics and Refuge...


Reese Witherspoon supports Avon and Refuge's groundbreaking new campaign at the Houses of Parliament



Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon speaks out against domestic violence at The Houses of Parliament in London, UK.

London, December 02, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Reese Witherspoon, Global Ambassador for Avon, headlined a press conference at the House of Commons today to promote a powerful new campaign against domestic violence. The campaign has been launched jointly by Avon Cosmetics and Refuge, the national domestic violence charity. The event saw Reese Witherspoon become the 1353rd person to sign a petition to call for more Government support for women experiencing domestic violence in the UK.

The event marks the mid-point in "16 Days of Activism" which began on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Avon and Refuge's FOUR WAYS TO SPEAK OUT campaign urges people to speak out against domestic violence in four simple ways:

Buy and wear an Avon empowerment necklace
Sign a petition calling for the UK Government to provide more support services for abused women and children
Download a poster to display in your local community so that women know where to get help
Invite your friends and family to join the campaign
A team of powerful female panellists joined Reese Witherspoon at the event. She sat alongside Anna Segatti, President of Avon UK and Sandra Horley, Chief Executive of Refuge. Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, a human rights barrister and Patron of Refuge opened the speeches for the morning and domestic violence survivor, Wendy Turner Webster, joined the panel to tell her own story. Lynda Waltho MP acted as the host.

Says Reese Witherspoon, Avon's Global Ambassador:
"Women involved in domestic violence situations often find it difficult to reach out to others for help. We can all play a role in bringing this issue to light and breaking the silence that surrounds it. That's why I'm so proud to be here to launch Avon and Refuge's FOUR WAYS TO SPEAK OUT campaign. Together we can make a difference. Together we have the power to raise awareness, provide support, and increase the funding for this vital cause."

Also announced at today's conference are the results of new research commissioned by Avon and Refuge into perceptions of domestic violence in the UK, which reveals more than nine in 10 people (92%) claim they don't know anyone experiencing domestic violence. That's despite official statistics showing that one in four women in England and Wales experience domestic violence at some point in their lifetime. The research also shows over half of the people questioned (54%) wouldn't know where to turn if they did suspect someone they knew was experiencing domestic violence.

Says Anna Segatti, President of Avon UK:
"As the company for women, empowering women by supporting vital causes like this is part of our DNA. It's an ugly reality that domestic violence affects one in four women in the UK and the majority of people who think they know someone experiencing domestic violence wouldn't know where to turn because the services simply aren't there. Today's event gives something tangible to all those women and men who are either not aware of this silent pandemic or would not know where to turn if they thought someone was suffering."

Says Sandra Horley, OBE, Chief Executive of Refuge:
"It's a shocking fact that one in three local authorities provide no domestic violence services for women whatsoever. Where are abused women supposed to go to get help? What can they do? To whom can they turn? Refuge and Avon have launched this campaign to urge the Government to put an end to this postcode lottery, and to raise awareness of the huge issue of domestic violence. Everyone everywhere must speak out. By failing to speak out against domestic violence, we make ourselves part of the problem.

"Refuge is incredibly grateful to Avon for its unstinting support over the last two years. In this current economic climate, where many corporates are tightening the purse strings, it is a huge reassurance to have such a dedicated partner. With Avon's help we have been able to reach many more women and children living in the terrifying grip of domestic violence."

Avon has supported Refuge for the last two years, donating 80% of the UK proceeds of its empowerment necklace and bracelet to support services for abused women and children. The remaining 20% is donated to UNIFEM in the UK. Worldwide sales have raised $8.1 million, which has gone towards funding programmes in 53 countries. Avon UK has pledged to more than double its support for domestic violence charities in 2010.

Contacts:
Avon Products, Inc.
Natalie Deacon
+44 (0)7725 150853
Natalie.Deacon@avon.com
Elizabeth P. Bergman
212.282.8197
elizabeth.bergman@avon.com


Saturday, October 3, 2009

Video: Sheraton Hotel Guests Stay Free as Industry's Most Recognized Brand Celebrates the Culmination of $6 Billion Global Revitalization



30 Sep 2009 14:00 Africa/Lagos

Video: Sheraton Hotel Guests Stay Free as Industry's Most Recognized Brand Celebrates the Culmination of $6 Billion Global Revitalization



Check-in On Us - Thousands of Rooms on the House at 86 hotels New and Newly Renovated Properties Visit sheraton.com/freenight to Register for Your Chance to Stay for Free on October 23rd

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Sheraton Hotels & Resorts wants consumers to see what a difference $6 billion can make so the hotel giant is giving away thousands of free rooms for one night only at 86 hotels throughout North America to celebrate the completion of the brand's multi-billion global revitalization effort. Consumers can visit sheraton.com/freenight on October 6-9 to register for a chance to book a free room on October 23rd at new and newly renovated flagship hotels including the Sheraton Waikiki, Sheraton Boston, Sheraton Kauai, Sheraton Dallas and Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.



To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/sheraton/40288/


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090930/NY84228 )


70,000 New Guestrooms, 300 New Lobbies and 100,000 New Beds Part of Multi-Billion Makeover


As part of a three-year global overhaul, Sheraton has invested more than $4 billion in new hotels, renovations and signature brand initiatives in North America and another $2 billion in new hotels overseas. Highlights include:


-- 70,000 new or newly renovated guestrooms -- 50,000 in North America
alone
-- More than 300 new lobbies featuring the brand's innovative
Link@Sheraton(SM) experienced with Microsoft®
-- More than 100,000 brand new Sheraton Sweet Sleeper all-white, high
thread count beds in 211 hotels and 83,000 guestrooms worldwide

-- 98 renovated properties, nearly half of Sheraton's North American
portfolio, including high profile gateway properties like the Sheraton
Denver, Sheraton Boston, Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers and Sheraton
Montreal and Sheraton Waikiki.

Global Powerhouse Boasts Highest Brand Awareness in the Industry


As Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc's (NYSE:HOT) largest and most global brand, Sheraton boasts more than 400 hotels in 70 countries with a global brand awareness among business travelers at 92%, the highest global awareness of any hotel brand in the world. Making up more than 44% of Starwood's total rooms, Sheraton is a key focus for Starwood, especially as the company aggressively prepares to own the upswing as the economy recovers. As yesterday's staycations, canceled meetings and postponed business trips become tomorrow's pent up demand, travelers will return to the road and find the newest portfolio in the Sheraton brand's history. In fact, 60% of Starwood properties - including all nine brands - will be brand new or freshly renovated by the end of 2009.


"We have spent the last few years renovating and rebuilding one of the hotel industry's most iconic brands and as the economy begins to recover Sheraton is in an enviable position, poised to come out of the gate fast and leverage our new flagship hotels, renovated properties and signature brand offerings," said Frits van Paasschen, Starwood CEO. "When travelers return to the road en masse, Sheraton will be ready."


Revitalization Plan already Bearing Fruit as Guest Satisfaction Scores Reach Historic Highs


Sheraton Hotel's efforts to revitalize the brand kicked off in 2007, and as the impact of these efforts take hold in hotels worldwide, the brand is beginning to reap rewards and measurable success, including:


-- Sheraton Guest Satisfaction scores are the highest in its history,
with overall satisfaction at 8.12 out of 10, year-to-date, surpassing
the brand's own goal. Likelihood to return to the brand has increased
from 7.89 to 8.78 and Meeting Planner Satisfaction scores are also at
an all time high.
-- Sheraton has opened 57 new hotels worldwide since 2007 with 10 more
slated to open by the end of the year -- more than any other Starwood
brand
-- In addition, Sheraton has removed more than 38 hotels worldwide
including 24 in North America that could not meet the brand's new
standards. 4 more will exit the brand by the end of the year.

-- Over the next three months, Sheraton will mark the completion of a
$500 million investment in renovations to existing properties,
including multi-million dollar efforts at the Sheraton Denver,
Sheraton Dallas and Sheraton Montreal, as well as the
highly-anticipated November opening of Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention
Center Hotel & Casino, a $210 million, 503-room property that will be
the first new full-service hotel and casino built in San Juan in more
than 10 years.


Seeing is Believing -- Thousands of Travel Pros to Attend Sheraton Open House Events


In addition to giving away thousands of room nights to showcase its recently renovated and new properties, the brand will host a three-day open house for meeting planners, corporate travel buyers, social event planners and other travel influencers, September 29-October 1. The event will spotlight a selection of Sheraton Hotels "best in class" hotels, including: Le Centre Sheraton in Montreal, Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, Sheraton Dallas Hotel, Sheraton Denver Hotel, Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, Sheraton Seattle Hotel & Towers and Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.


Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, like all brands within Starwood's robust portfolio, is proud to offer the Starwood Preferred Guest® program, which made headlines when it launched in 1999 with a breakthrough policy of no blackout dates on Free Night Awards. SPG® offers members the ability to redeem awards at more resorts, more luxury properties, more European hotels and more golf properties than any other hotel program.


About Sheraton Hotels & Resorts


Sheraton helps guests make connections at more than 400 hotels in 75 countries around the world. It is owned by and is the largest and most global brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 960 properties in 97 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Meridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.


Video: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/sheraton/40288
Source: Sheraton Hotels & Resorts

CONTACT: Nadeen Ayala of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, +1-914-640-8259; or
Julie Horn of Dan Klores Communications, +1-212-981-5221


Web Site: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/


Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/443150.html


Tuesday, March 17, 2009

VIDEO: Revolutionary GOCE Spacecraft Benefits From QinetiQ Precision




Revolutionary GOCE spacecraft benefits from QinetiQ precision
Ion thrusters provide cruise control for ESA gravity mission to be launched today

London, UK, Monday 16 March 2009 /PRNewswire/ — QinetiQ's (LSE: QQL) electric engines are playing a crucial role on a revolutionary spacecraft to be launched today (Monday) from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Northern Russia.

The electric engines, known as T5 ion thrusters, are providing high-precision drag compensation for the dart-shaped GOCE spacecraft being launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) to map the Earth's gravitational field.

GOCE is the first spacecraft to be launched as part of ESA's living planet programme which is investigating the impact that human activity is having on the Earth. By measuring the Earth's gravity, GOCE will contribute significantly to our understanding of the Earth's structure, ocean circulation and climate change.

The strength of the Earth's gravitational field diminishes with altitude, so GOCE's orbit skirts the outer reaches of the atmosphere at just 200-300 kms (125-185 miles) above the Earth. As a result the spacecraft experiences small but significant disturbances in its motion from atmospheric drag. QinetiQ's electric engines act as cruise control for the spacecraft, continuously compensating for this atmospheric drag and quite literally preventing the spacecraft from falling out of the sky.

"In order to achieve its very challenging mission objectives, the GOCE spacecraft is based on cutting-edge technology, making it a jewel of innovations," commented Volker Liebig, Director of Earth Observation Programmes at ESA. "It has been designed to fly at an extremely low orbital altitude, just 250km (155 miles) above Earth. For this reason it has an eye-catching aerodynamic shape and will actively compensate for the air drag by using the finely controlled thrust of QinetiQ's ion engine."

QinetiQ's T5 ion thrusters are around ten times more efficient than rocket thrusters that have traditionally been used to propel spacecraft, requiring only 40kgs of propellant for the whole 30-month GOCE mission. The thrusters use the inert gas xenon as their propellant ensuring they are also more environmentally friendly than conventional thrusters that use volatile chemical propellant.

"This important space mission would not be possible without the precision provided by the QinetiQ's electric engines," commented Mary Carver, Managing Director of QinetiQ's Integrated Systems business. "Our space engineers have overcome a challenge that has been likened to compensating for the impact of an insect landing on the windscreen of a car travelling at 100mph."

Mary Carver added: "In the next few years electric propulsion could make previously impossible missions into deep space a reality and extend the operational life of commercial communications satellites, reducing costs."

QinetiQ is currently working with partners to qualify its T6 thruster, an even more advanced electric propulsion system that has been designed for use on the ESA BepiColombo mission to Mercury.

About the GOCE mission
The GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) mission is dedicated to measuring the Earth's gravity field and modelling the planet's geoid, essentially a gravitational contour map, with extremely high accuracy and spatial resolution. It is the first Earth Explorer Core mission to be developed as part of ESA's Living Planet Programme and is scheduled for launch from Plesetsk, Russia in March 2009.

A precise model of the Earth's geoid is crucial for deriving accurate measurements of ocean circulation, sea-level change and terrestrial ice dynamics – all of which are affected by climate change. The geoid is also used as a reference surface from which to map all topographical features on the planet.

An improved knowledge of gravity anomalies will contribute to a better understanding of the Earth's interior, such as the physics and dynamics associated with volcanism and earthquakes and also further our knowledge of land uplift due to post-glacial rebound.

The prime contractor for the mission is Thales Alenia Space Italy, with Astrium Friedrichshafen responsible for the spacecraft.

About the Ion Propulsion Assembly
The electric propulsion system is responsible for controlling and maintaining the spacecraft's orbit and as such is a vital GOCE subsystem. Uniquely it also ensures the drag free attitude control in the flight direction essential to allow the scientific objectives of the mission to be achieved.

At the heart of the system is QinetiQ's T5 ion thruster, mounted on an adjustable alignment bracket to direct the thrust vector through the spacecraft centre of mass. The thruster is extremely efficient requiring dramatically less propellant than conventional rocket thrusters, allowing the 30-month mission to be achieved using only 40 kg of propellant. For redundancy, two ion thrusters are mounted externally on the rear panel of the satellite.

The propellant is the inert xenon gas which is continuously fed into the 10 cm diameter cylindrical discharge chamber. The xenon is then ionised by electrons emitted by an internal cathode which both ignites and subsequently sustains the plasma inside the thruster chamber. A weak variable magnetic field is also applied which enhances the ionisation efficiency and also allows the number of ions created, and therefore the thrust produced, to be rapidly varied to precisely match the drag level.

In addition to providing the T5 thrusters, QinetiQ has produced control software and algorithms for the GOCE propulsion system. QinetiQ has also supported the testing of the Ion Propulsion Assembly.



Press Contact:
David Bishop
Head of External Communications
QinetiQ
01252 394573
07920 108675