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Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Fashion Week: The Best, Worst, and Outrageous
If you couldn't follow every moment of the various fashion weeks around the globe, Christina Binkley has a rundown of the best, worst and most outrageous of Spring 2014. Photo: Getty Images.
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'Thor: The Dark World' Breaks Box Office Records In Hong Kong
'Thor: The Dark World' Breaks Box Office Records In Hong Kong
Marvel Studios yet again proved its dominance at the Hong Kong box office, with its latest release Thor: The Dark World setting new records in its first few days out. Thor took only ...
5 Nov 2013 19:30 Africa/Lagos
Marvel's Thor: The Dark World™ Battles Its Way Into North American IMAX® 3D Theatres Starting Nov. 8
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Marvel Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), today announced that Marvel's Thor: The Dark World, starring Chris Hemsworth, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® 3D format and released into IMAX® theatres across North America beginning Nov. 8.
Click here for the full report and trailer. EXCLUSIVE: Thor 2: The Future of Thor Interview on Nigerians Report Online tomorrow. Don't miss it. Chris Hemsworth, Alan Taylor and Kevin Feige talk about the past, present and future of Thor, the possibility of Thor 3, and why he doesn't wear his iconic helmet in our Thor.
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5 Nov 2013 19:30 Africa/Lagos
Marvel's Thor: The Dark World™ Battles Its Way Into North American IMAX® 3D Theatres Starting Nov. 8
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Marvel Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), today announced that Marvel's Thor: The Dark World, starring Chris Hemsworth, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® 3D format and released into IMAX® theatres across North America beginning Nov. 8.
Click here for the full report and trailer. EXCLUSIVE: Thor 2: The Future of Thor Interview on Nigerians Report Online tomorrow. Don't miss it. Chris Hemsworth, Alan Taylor and Kevin Feige talk about the past, present and future of Thor, the possibility of Thor 3, and why he doesn't wear his iconic helmet in our Thor.
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Nigerian Politicians and the Desecration of Prayer Camps-Adoration Ground, Redemption Camp Case Study
Nigerian Politicians and the Desecration of Prayer Camps-Adoration Ground, Redemption Camp Case Study
Written by Obinna Akukwe
Nigerian politicians have carried their blatant disrespect for God and godly behavior to Prayer Camps, Adoration Grounds and Redemption Camps where they constantly desecrate the hallowed environment. Many prayer camps abound in Nigeria including Alone With God Prayer Camp, Abuja, Scripture Union Camp of Faith Okigwe which serves clerics cutting across denominations in the South East and South South. There is Adoration Ground in Emene, Enugu managed by Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka, Adoration Ground in Uke, Anambra State managed by Rev Fr Emmanuel Obinma popularly called ( Ebube Muonso), Upper Room Ministries of late Rev Fr Njoku in Emene, Enugu. Bishop Oyedepo manages Canaan Land, Pastor Kumuyi controls Deeper Life Camp Ground , Pastor Odukoya controls Mountain of Fire Prayer City, Pastor Adeboye controls Redemption Camp all within Lagos- Shagamu expressway. These prayer camps were established to enable Christians seek the face of God in matters of holiness, dedication, repentance, prosperity, healing, deliverance and even national rebirth, and these aforementioned camps have some doses of presence of God in their activities.
Redemption Camp is the biggest prayer camp in Africa. There is no doubt for any spiritually discerning observer that the Redemption Camp carries some doses of the Presence of God especially during Holy Ghost Congress, Holy Ghost Service etc. Many Nigerians throng to the camp to seek a conducive environment to communicate with God away from the distractions of city life and busy schedule. The same environment had also attracted many troubled politicians including former president Obasanjo who ran to the place when Pastor Tunde Bakare prophesied that his Ota born head will be severed by Nigerian coup plotters before May 1999 in a widely reported controversial prophecy. Reports have it that he also visited the camp later on in his presidency.
This Redeemed Camp has been troubled by those who troubles Nigeria including looters of public treasury, riggers of elections, political liars, economic kidnappers and perpetrators of social and political injustice. They also came to seek the face of God to continue with their acts of evil against the Nigerian people. Their activities would have gone unnoticed until Nigeria’s President Jonathan went to the camp and knelt before Pastor Adeboye in show of strange humility in December 2010 meant to achieve electoral advantage. At the end of the day, many Christians voted for Jonathan because he knelt before Baba Adeboye. Two years later, when his popularity dwindled due to draconian economic policies, mountain corruption and removal of fuel subsidy, Nigeria’s President Jonathan ran to the Camp again, mounted the podium and reeled lies and deceits that he has not made up his mind to re-contest for re-election in 2015, when his close friends have already told many Nigerians that nothing will stop their man in 2015. Barely three weeks after lying at the Redeemed Camp, he unleashed mayhem on his Rivers State kinsman, Rotimi Amechi, and his supporters for daring to have interest in the same presidency he is ‘YET’ to decide on.
Holy Ghost Adoration Ground, Uke, in Anambra State is another popular camp which receives hordes of visitors. Many Catholics have found solace in that place managed by Rev Fr Obinma and God had also met them there in one way or the other. That ground has been a source of succor to lots of Anambrarians under the groan of imbecile leadership for many years that they have to resort to God and Fr Emmanuel Obinma for spiritual solutions to man-made malfeasance due to societal maladministration. It was in such state where God is being solicited to deliver the people from kidnappers, robbers, unemployment, diseases etc. that Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, Party Chairman, Victor Umeh, and APGA Gubernatorial Flag bearer, Willy Obiano, among others, invaded the solemn arena, and turned it into a campaign arena where they wanted to woo some of the adherents of the prayer ground in the same manner President Jonathan swooped on Redemption Camp to woo voters.
Unlike the Redemption Camp where the worshipers were excited that President Jonathan knelt before their General Overseer, the Adoration worshipers where not impressed with the presence of Governor Peter Obi in their hallowed ground. They booed, murmured and hissed as he spoke to them. They detested any political presence while they are trying to locate God. Governor Obi and his team later knelt down for prayers the same manner Jonathan knelt before Adeboye yet the worshipers were not impressed. By the time the governor and his team of politicians left, they have desecrated the place so much that death soon followed in their trails.
Thirty Five Roman Catholics, under the Pontificate of poor people loving Pope Francis were trampled by agents of wealthy, looting politicians because they went to seek God in a prayer Camp. This is because politicians have desecrated prayer grounds sometimes with the connivance of the clerics while in some other cases they used and dumped the clerics without their knowledge. In the case of Redeemed Camp, nobody died physically, but many RCCG fans constantly die emotionally, politically, psychologically whenever occult, corrupt, looting, insensitive and wicked politicians are given undue attention in the place. After the 2012 political campaign at the Redemption Camp, one of Adeboye’s pastors, Bankole, a lawyer and human rights activist resigned from the pastorate in protest over the desecration of the Camp Hallowed Podium by corrupt politicians.
The Uke tragedy is a divine sign that ‘whosoever breaks the hedge, the serpent will bite’. Whatsoever caused their death; this is the first time death is being recorded on that ground. These politicians have desecrated the holy ground at Uke, and instead of apologizing, they are playing politics with it. The clergy cannot avoid the blame for whatsoever happens in that Camp. Governor Peter Obi, Presidents Goodluck Jonathan, Boko Haram Warlord Malam Shekau, Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, Senator Bola Tinubu, General Buhari and others have the right to visit prayer camps. While in such camps, they should be in prayer mood like other worshipers, and apart from official protocols of recognition, they might, at most, be only allowed to greet the church and should be more involved in repenting of their acts of mis-governance which they visited on defenseless Nigerians, instead of hypocritical sermonization and political campaigning.
Nigerian politicians have added in their trails of looting, thieving, lying, murder, assassinations, kidnapping and insensitivity, another vice; desecration of camp ground and insulting the spiritual sensibilities of innocent Nigerians-very soon the original owner of these prayer ground would go on rampage and there may be nowhere to hide for those who aid and abet the desecration of spiritual places of succor.
Contact:
Obinna Akukwe
Obinna Akukwe
Profetobinna2@yahoo.com
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Tuesday, November 5, 2013
The World's Top 60 Countries in English
5 Nov 2013 10:30 Africa/Lagos
The World's Top 60 Countries in English According to the EF English Proficiency Index
ZURICH, November 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Scandinavian Countries Continue to Lead Rankings, as Asia Races Ahead of Latin America and the Middle East in English Ability.
To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:
http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62435-ef-education-first-top-english-speaking-countries
"Comparison of countries with their neighbours, trading partners, and rivals provides a fascinating study in divergent national priorities and educational policies worldwide," said Dr.Christopher McCormick, Head of EF's Academic Affairs and Research Network. "We found that by engaging in a national dialogue about English, stakeholders can help align goals, improve incentives, and focus on teaching English for communication. The economic impact of such a coordinated program is clear."
This year's country rankings are based on tests taken by 750,000 adults from 60 countries in 2012. The analysis of evolving English proficiency over a six-year period (2007 to 2012 inclusive) uses test data from nearly five million adults.
Key findings include:
- Some Asian countries, in particular Indonesia and Vietnam, have transformed their English proficiency over the six-year period. China has also improved, although less dramatically. Japan and South Korea, despite enormous private investments, have declined slightly.
- Across the board, English language skills are improving in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). This year, India and Russia have moved ahead of China, and Brazil is closing in fast.
- While the rest of Europe is already proficient in English or steadily working towards that goal, France is on an entirely different trajectory. The seven countries with the strongest English are all small European nations, whose size compels them to adopt an international outlook.
- The Middle East and North Africa are the weakest regions in English. These oil-rich nations have staked their futures on developing knowledge economies before their oil production peaks. An exception to the region's lackluster performance is the United Arab Emirates, which has improved significantly.
- Turkey has improved the most of any nation over the six-year period. This is a positive trend, coming as the country continues to develop according to a number of economic factors.
- Poland and Hungary have made tremendous progress in learning English. These new English skills are an important step towards building the knowledge economies they aspire to have.
- Poor English remains one of the key competitive weaknesses of Latin America. Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Chile have improved, but they still lack the large base of competent English speakers necessary for a globalized workforce. Some countries in the region, including Mexico and Guatemala, have declining English proficiency.
Future editions of the EF EPI will feature data from the EF Test of English -the world's first free standardized English test available online to any English learner.
EF Education First (http://www.ef.com) was established in 1965 with the mission to break down barriers of language, culture, and geography. With 460 schools and offices in over 50 countries, EF specializes in language learning, educational travel, academic degrees, and cultural exchange programs. EF served as the Official Language Training Supplier of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and is currently the Official Language Training Supplier of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
EF English Proficiency Index Third Edition
Rank Country
1 Sweden
2 Norway
3 Netherlands
4 Estonia
5 Denmark
6 Austria
7 Finland
8 Poland
9 Hungary
10 Slovenia
11 Malaysia
12 Singapore
13 Belgium
14 Germany
15 Latvia
16 Switzerland
17 Portugal
18 Slovakia
19 Argentina
20 Czech Republic
21 India
22 Hong Kong SAR
23 Spain
24 South Korea
25 Indonesia
26 Japan
27 Ukraine
28 Vietnam
29 Uruguay
30 Sri Lanka
31 Russia
32 Italy
33 Taiwan
34 China
35 France
36 United Arab Emirates
37 Costa Rica
38 Brazil
39 Peru
40 Mexico
41 Turkey
42 Iran
43 Egypt
44 Chile
45 Morocco
46 Colombia
47 Kuwait
48 Ecuador
49 Venezuela
50 Jordan
51 Qatar
52 Guatemala
53 El Salvador
54 Libya
55 Thailand
56 Panama
57 Kazakhstan
58 Algeria
59 Saudi Arabia
60 Iraq
Video: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/62435-ef-education-first-top-english-speaking-countries
CONTACT: Media Inquiries: adam.bickelman@ef.com or Tel: +852-2111-2370Top Reports
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Baron De Valls Re-Confirms Control of the Nigerian Wine Market
Baron De Valls Re-Confirms Control of the
Nigerian Wine Market
By Ingram Osigwe
The progress of wine among beverages on the Nigerian
consumers’ list of staples can be compared to the gradual march of civilization
from echelon to echelon, through the various historical epochs. There is no
known documented history but the first European beverages to reach the Nigerian
coasts must have been the rums. Easily brewed and preserved, they were a
favourite of the Portuguese sailors and soon became a currency of exchange for
slaves, between the Portuguese and local chiefs. Also they became the first
European beverages to be brewed locally in the riverine communities of
Niger-delta area.
Although wines existed in Europe before beer, their expensive
nature even in Europe made them to be scarce
outside the Western countries. With the invention of pasteurization and canning
as a process of food preservation, beers and stouts, whose raw materials are
far cheaper and more easily procurable, became the next beverages to arrive in
commercial quantities into Nigeria.
With canning prolonging their shelf lives, they arrived first in cans and was
later brewed in Nigerian factories and sold in refillable bottles.
Real wines remained a sole preserve of the rich and mighty,
most of who are elites who bought them on shopping sprees abroad.
In the late 70s and early 80s, Ekulo International ltd, one
of the foremost pioneers of international trade and brand representation in the
Nigeria,
forayed into wine importation, first with brands such as Campari and Mateuse
Rose. The coincidence of this move with the arrival of newly discovered oil
wealth at the same time, created a cataclysmic success out of the venture for
the visionary company. A fast expanding middle class of young graduate workers,
serving in new organizations in an explosively growing economy fuelled by the
newly discovered oil wealth, arrived in the Nigerian demography. With new
salaries and high living standards, they latched onto the newly arrived wines,
thus becoming the first crop of connoisseurs to acquire a taste for wine in the
country.
Spurred by the success of this experience, Ekulo International ltd, was encouraged to
sign a sole distributorship contract with Bodegas Gandia wine fields in Spain. The
result was the arrival of Baron De Valls wines on the Nigerian consumers’
table.
Baron De Valls became an instant success. Made from the best
wine grapes from Valencia, Spain’s foremost wine making region where the
Bodegas Gandia family reigned supreme as wine makers, Baron De Valls’ sterling
qualities immediately crowned it as the king of the wines in Nigeria. So
great was the demand that the Gandia family’s annual production had to be
increased to meet Nigeria’s
demands. From Weddings, traditional and contemporary, to naming ceremonies,
house warming parties, promotion parties, annual general meetings and
birthdays, to weekend parties, no event was complete without Baron De Valls. So
strong was the brand’s influence that for many Nigerians, Baron De Valls became
the only known appellation for wines, as no local school had any reason to
explain the origins and name of beverages made from grapes!
Baron de Valls are a range of excellent
wines, made with a selection of the best grapes, and comes in various flavours
like Cherry, ripe fruit, creamy oak, minerals and a sweet finish. Baron De
Valls have great taste which makes it very outstanding. They also have
sufficient percentage of alcohol which makes them ideal for any party or get
together. Baron de Valls wine recently thrilled her teeming admirers with more
wine varieties by the debut of Baron De Valls Cabernet Sauvignon, Baron De
Valls Cava Brut and Brut Rose.
The great success of Baron De Valls
however of recent, led to the odious cropping up of other wines who try to ride
on a platform sacrificially built by Ekulo International ltd, to reap
consumers’ patronage where they did not sow.
So many other counterfeit drinks now arrive the Nigerian market, with
their names bearing the prefix of “Baron De…..” with all kinds of suffixes. The
aim is to deceive uninformed Nigerians into thinking that they are all like Baron
De Valls. However, in a recent media parley, the marketing Manager of Ekulo
Group of companies, Mr. Emeka Oramadike assured Nigerians that the company had
taken visionary steps to forestall any moves to deceive Nigerians into buying
other wines in the name of Baron De Valls. He said that thus the company found
it necessary to come out and say to the Nigerian Media and Public: “IF IT IS
NOT BARON DE VALLS, IT CANNOT BE LIKE BARON DE VALLS” He urged millions of
their loyal Baron De Valls Consumers not to be deceived by look alikes, but to
stay comfortably and immovably with their beloved Baron De Valls because the
quality and price will not change and henceforth, it will be available even
closer to them than before.
Among Strategies listed by the company for
re-strengthening the brand are massive seasonal bonuses for the Christmas yuletide
as well as reduced prices, greater availability and more credit lines to new and
old distributors, to ensure a wider reach of the wine to loyal consumers.
According to him, these moves are born out of the knowledge of the company that
if the real Baron De valls wine is available, the chances of the loyal
consumers being deceived by counterfeit substitutes will be completely
eliminated.
Also speaking at the parley, The Head,
Sales and marketing for Ekulo group of companies Mr. Pawan Moudgil, while
supporting his colleague, urged Nigerians not to be swayed or stampeded into
abandoning their loyalties for Baron De Valls. He reassured them that Baron De
Valls was produced in Valencia,
the highest and most traditionally revered wine-making region in Spain by the
Vincente Bodegas Gandia wine making family. He said that the company is over one
hundred and twenty five years old and has retained an untainted culture of
making quality wines fit for royalties. He said that today, the company has
presence in over 85 countries world wide, combining tradition with innovation
and quality to create wines of value at affordable prices, thus becoming
undisputedly one of the most professional wine making outfits in Spain today.
He says: “to sell millions of bottles year after year in such difficult and
demanding markets as the UK,
the wines must be free of any weaknesses and to achieve this, consistency in
the best managerial practices is needed and this is what Bodegas Gandia does.”
Mr. Pawan said that at Bodegas Gandia, there is one single policy: all wines
must be “Not Just Good but Great”
Epidemiological studies have consistently
demonstrated that moderate consumption of red wine such as Baron De Valls, wine
is statistically associated with a decrease in cardiovascular illness such as
heart failure. Moderate wine drinkers have a lower risk of heart problems than
non-drinkers. Studies have also shown that there are greater benefits for red
wine than white wine. Red wines like baron De valls contain a lot of
polyphenols which are particularly protective against cardiovascular diseases. They
also contain a substance known as resveratrol, produced in the skins of grape.
Resveratrol is proven to have cardio-protective and chemo-protective effects
and have wide influence on genetic factors related to aging, thus reducing the
negative effects of aging. White wine has little resveratrol due to the
manufacturing process which engenders limited contact with the grape skins.
Other beneficial compounds in red wine also include anti-oxidants and
flavonoids.
To benefit fully from the resveratrol in
wine, it is recommended to sip slowly when drinking. Due to inactivation in the
gut and liver, most of the resveratrol consumed while drinking red wine does
not reach blood circulation. However when sipping slowly, absorption via the
mucus membranes in the mouth can result in up to 100 percent increment in blood
levels of resveratrol.
According to Oramadike the loyal consumers
o Baron De Valls will be assured of longer life and freedom from cardiovascular
ailments this season as their favourite and top quality Baron De valls will be
more available than ever and at a more affordable price. He says as far as the
wine market in Nigeria
is concerned, there are two brands: Baron De Valls and others. He reiterated
that major concern of the company is to protect its loyal consumers, not struggling
for market share as the market already belongs to Baron De Valls.
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Contesting Politicians and Nigerian Churches Cannot Fool God
Contesting politicians always patronize big churches before elections and PLEASE, a true minister of God should know that they are only coming to curry favour.
Don't welcome them to your crusades.
If they really want to repent and reconcile with God, they can do so in private consultations with the ministers of God and not public show of piety of eye service and lip service.
NO MAN CAN FOOL GOD.
All these going to Jerusalem to hit heads on the Wailing Wall like a Jew and kneeling down for ministers to pray for you and publishing the photographs is all HYPOCRISY.
Going to hit your heads on the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem has nothing to do with Christianity.
Sponsoring pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Mecca has nothing to do with Christianity.
God is omnipresent.
God is omnipresent.
Going to kneel before GOs at crusades is all public relations for political campaigns.
YOU MAY FOOL THE CHURCH AND THE WHOLE WORLD, BUT YOU CAN NEVER FOOL GOD.
The following is what our Lord and Messiah Jesus Christ said on Prayer and Hypocrites:
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,10 your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.11 Give us today our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.Fasting
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.Treasures in Heaven
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
~ Matthew 6: 5 - 34.
New International Version (NIV)
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Monday, November 4, 2013
Hollywood, Health & Society Partner Nollywood Workshops and India Using Entertainment To Improve Lives
1 Nov 2013 13:00 Africa/Lagos
World's Largest Film Industries Using Entertainment To Improve Lives New Global Centers in Nigeria and India Partner with Hollywood for Social Impact
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- India's Bollywood and Nigeria's Nollywood film industries are leveraging the power of entertainment in an effort to prevent disease and improve the quality of life for the hundreds of millions of viewers of their TV shows and films. A two-year, $2.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S) is supporting a groundbreaking partnership across the world's leading entertainment industries to increase visibility of pressing social and health issues.
HH&S is a program of the Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. As research by the Lear Center and others has shown, entertainment has a profound impact on people's knowledge, attitudes and behavior. That's why, since 2001, the U.S.'s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other funders have enabled HH&S to connect Hollywood's creative community, including the writers of Homeland , Mad Men, House, CSI, The Good Wife, Breaking Bad and scores of other shows, with experts on the full range of public health issues, for free.
Now HH&S is going global, teaming up with new centers in Lagos, Nigeria and Mumbai, India that will conduct sustained and systematic outreach to their entertainment industries in order to increase the accuracy, accessibility and frequency of health and other socially-relevant topics in television, film and new media.
In Lagos, HH&S is partnering with Nollywood Workshops, directed by Bond Emeruwa and Aimee Corrigan, to launch the Gist program. Gist will support independent filmmakers in Nollywood's thriving entertainment scene who are working to inspire and inform a growing audience across Africa. In early 2014, Gist will host at a high-profile industry event in Nigeria, where leading Hollywood writers will join their Nollywood counterparts and top medical experts in a series of workshops and site visits.
In Mumbai, HH&S and the Asian Center for Entertainment Education have created The Third Eye, which will produce original content dealing with pressing public health and development issues, and will also provide free expert resources on a wide variety of medical and scientific topics. Long known for its entertaining musicals and comedies, Bollywood is now seeing the rise of a "parallel cinema" featuring more serious and provocative stories. Vinta Nanda, founder and managing director of The Third Eye, is a writer and producer known for her pioneering work as creator of the popular Indian TV series, Tara. HH&S trips bringing Grey's Anatomy co-executive producer Zoanne Clack and Writers Guild of America, West president Chris Keyser to Mumbai laid the groundwork for the Third Eye collaboration.
"We're thrilled to be able to bring what we've learned about social impact in the U.S. to our partners in Nollywood and Bollywood, which are even bigger industries than Hollywood," said USC Annenberg professor Martin Kaplan, the Lear Center's founding director and principal investigator of HH&S since its inception.
HH&S's Chris Dzialo will manage the global centers program from the Norman Lear Center in Los Angeles.
Hollywood, Health & Society, a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, recognizes the effects that entertainment media have on individual knowledge, attitudes and behavior and provides entertainment industry professionals with accurate information about public health, health care coverage and climate change. HH&S offers free resources to writers and producers, including briefings and consultations with experts, panel discussions at the Writers Guild of America, West, customized site visits, screenings, tip sheets, a newsletter and web links to health information and public service announcements. The program also conducts studies of the impact on storylines on audiences. For more information, visit usc.edu/hhs .
The Norman Lear Center is a multidisciplinary research and public policy center that has been studying and shaping the impact of entertainment and media on society since 2000. From its base in the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, the Lear Center builds bridges between faculty who study aspects of entertainment, media and culture. Beyond campus, it bridges the gap between entertainment industry and academia, and between them and the public. For more information, visit learcenter.org.
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. For information, visit gatesfoundation.org.
SOURCE Norman Lear Center
CONTACT: Chris Dzialo, (323) 782-3310, dzialo@usc.edu Web Site: http://www.hollywoodhealthandsociety.org
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4 Nov 2013 | 02:26 AM (2397 KB)
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3 Nov 2013 | 03:52 AM (169 KB)
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- Dear President Goodluck Jonathan, I Am Not Going To Flatter You link
2 Nov 2013 | 07:47 AM (3972 KB)
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- U.S. News - Best Lawyers® releases 2014 "Best Law Firms" List link
2 Nov 2013 | 02:17 AM (2893 KB)
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- Those Who Know God Fear Nothing Else Except God and They Don't Live Like Fools link
1 Nov 2013 | 03:22 AM (2900 KB)
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- Top 10 Most Educated Countries in the World link
31 Oct 2013 | 10:53 AM (399 KB)
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- One Africa, One Money? link
31 Oct 2013 | 06:45 AM (1928 KB)
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- Bill Clinton and Olusegun Obasanjo to Judge Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge link
29 Oct 2013 | 12:07 PM (3678 KB)
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- Avoid Paying Expensive College Application Fees link
28 Oct 2013 | 06:47 AM (1955 KB)
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- Sharon Stone Wins 2013 Nobel Peace Summit Award link
25 Oct 2013 | 10:33 AM (1040 KB)
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- American Blackout Premieres Sunday, October 27 on the National Geographic Channel link
25 Oct 2013 | 06:40 AM (5229 KB)
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- The Gruesome Murder of Sister Afra Martinelli link
25 Oct 2013 | 03:15 AM (1769 KB)
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- Most Outrageous Excuses Workers Have Given When Calling in Sick link
25 Oct 2013 | 02:37 AM (2979 KB)
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- U2opia Mobile Launches Facebook without Internet with MTN Nigeria link
23 Oct 2013 | 12:23 PM (1777 KB)
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- Rotary Hinges 2014 Polio-free Target on Consistent Vaccination link
23 Oct 2013 | 08:11 AM (3604 KB)
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- 'Good Wife' co-star Archie Panjabi partners with Rotary, Northwestern to put polio eradication on center stage Oct. 24 link
22 Oct 2013 | 08:27 AM (3430 KB)
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- Nigeria Box Office Index link
21 Oct 2013 | 12:15 PM (2076 KB)
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- Top 18 Jobs.for College Graduates link
21 Oct 2013 | 08:09 AM (377 KB)
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- 16 Years of Uninterrupted Power Supply on Bonny Island in Nigeria link
19 Oct 2013 | 03:36 AM (1394 KB)
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- Top 5 Wealthiest People in Africa link
18 Oct 2013 | 11:26 AM (2000 KB)
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- There Are Many African Filmmakers, But There Are No African Cinemas link
18 Oct 2013 | 10:28 AM (4939 KB)
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- The First "Girl Rising" Success Story in Nigeria and How A Free MTN School Bag Made A Great Difference link
18 Oct 2013 | 07:18 AM (2443 KB)
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- Catholic Church of Resurrection's 2013 Pre-Harvest Dinner at the Sheraton Hotels link
17 Oct 2013 | 02:52 AM (899 KB)
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