15 Documentary Features Continue in 2009 Oscar® Race

MEDIA CONTACT
Teni Melidonian
tmelidonian@oscars.org

November 18, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


15 Documentary Features Continue in 2009 Oscar® Race


Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards®. Eighty-nine pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

“The Beaches of Agnes,” Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
“Burma VJ,” Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
“The Cove,” Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
“Every Little Step,” James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment)
“Facing Ali,” Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.)
“Food, Inc.,” Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films)
“Garbage Dreams,” Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.)
“Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders,” Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC)
“The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications)
“Mugabe and the White African,” Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey, directors (Arturi Films Limited)
“Sergio,” Greg Barker, director (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge Productions)
“Soundtrack for a Revolution,” Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, directors (Freedom Song Productions)
“Under Our Skin,” Andy Abrahams Wilson, director (Open Eye Pictures)
“Valentino The Last Emperor,” Matt Tyrnauer, director (Acolyte Films)
“Which Way Home,” Rebecca Cammisa, director (Mr. Mudd)
The Documentary Branch Screening Committee viewed all the eligible documentaries for the preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles on the shortlist.

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars

COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
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(310) 247-3090 TEL (310) 271-3395 FAX PUBLICITY@OSCARS.ORG WWW.OSCARS.ORG/PRESS

Golf-a-holics Unite. Stay and Play for Free!

Ojai Valley Inn & Spa offers the Ultimate Golf Experience. (PRNewsFoto/Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, Krause, Johansen) OJAI, CA UNITED STATES

19 Nov 2009 11:06 Africa/Lagos

Golf-a-holics Unite. Stay and Play for Free!

OJAI, Calif., Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is offering the ultimate golf experience: stay and play for free. It's this simple: From November 29th through December 22nd, stay in a Shangri-La Room or Suite and you have completely unrestricted access to our golf course.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091119/NYFNST01 )

There are no strings attached, except of course, golf course availability!


Mark Greenslit, Director of Golf explains: "Golf courses are meant to be used. Ojai Valley Inn and Spa has been host to seven PGA Senior Tour events, and numerous private and charitable tournaments. Now, it's your turn! With this program, you can book golf on day one, stay overnight, and golf the second day as well. My goodness, if two are golfing, the cost of the room is more than covered by the savings in green fees alone. There are no extras for golf carts either."


Sculpted from the natural terrain in 1923 by renowned architect George C. Thomas Jr., this 18-hole course plays 6,292 yards with a par 70, rating of 71.0 and a slope of 132.


As an added bonus, those who book a suite will receive a complimentary 50-minute spa treatment at the world-famous Spa Ojai, ranked #1 in the world by Trip Advisor.


The Unlimited Golf Program goes on sale this week. Reservations can be made by contacting Ojai Valley Inn & Spa at 1.800.422.6524, or visit by booking online at www.ojairesort.com.


About Ojai Valley Inn & Spa


Since 1923, vacationing guests have sought the tranquil pleasures of the historic Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, an AAA Five Diamond property located on 220 tree-shaded acres offering an incredible golf course ranked as one of the finest in North America. Located 35 minutes south of Santa Barbara, Ojai Valley Inn & Spa is approximately 90 minutes north of LAX. Affirmed by its many prestigious awards, this legendary Inn is one of North America's unique hidden treasures. For reservations, call 1-800-422-6524 or visit www.ojairesort.com.


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091119/NYFNST01
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN1
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

CONTACT: Veronica Cole, Direct: +1-805-640-2080,
Veronica_cole@ojairesort.com


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

Contact Centre Services to Take Off in Nigeria by 2015, Finds Frost & Sullivan

19 Nov 2009 09:00 Africa/Lagos

Contact Centre Services to Take Off in Nigeria by 2015, Finds Frost & Sullivan

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite industry challenges, the rising consumer demand from developing industry sectors will drive exponential growth in the Nigerian contact centre market. The outsourced contact centre segment, email and SMS services and the health and medical organisation (HMO) and the public sectors are expected to become key areas of market growth from 2009 to 2015.


(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO)


New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.contactcenter.frost.com/), Nigerian Contact Centre Market, finds that the market earned revenues of $8.29 million in 2008 and estimates this to grow more than tenfold by 2015 to reach $114.45 million. The application segments covered in this analysis are vendors and system integrators.


If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides a brief synopsis of the research and a table of contents, then send an e-mail to Patrick Cairns, Corporate Communications, at patrick.cairns@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country. Upon receipt of the above information, a brochure will be sent to you by e-mail.


"Nigeria is an emerging economy and the most populous country in Africa," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Jiaqi Sun. "The booming telecommunications and banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sectors are driving the demand for contact centre services, while competitive labour cost structures are attracting offshore operations."


Frost & Sullivan anticipates that the government will introduce incentives and regulatory frameworks by 2013. This will also coincide with improvements in infrastructure that will boost the market.


The main challenges faced by market participants include a poor telecommunications infrastructure and limited commercial power supply. Moreover, there is no specific industry association to regulate the market.


"The limited availability of commercial power supply increases operational costs," explains Sun. "Insufficient bandwidth also inhibits the growth of contact centre services. The key factors to succeed in this market include enhancing the quality of customer services, seeking alternative means of power supply, and initiating employee training programmes."


Nigerian Contact Centre Market is part of the Contact Centres Growth Partnership Services programme, which also includes research in the following markets: South African Contact Centre Technology Market, South African Broadband Market Update, Angolan Broadband Market, and Nigerian IT Infrastructure Outsourcing Market. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.


Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best in class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 35 offices on six continents. To join our Growth Partnership, please visit http://www.frost.com/.


Nigerian Contact Centre Market
M475


Contact:
Patrick Cairns
Corporate Communications - Africa
P: +27 18 464 2402
E: patrick.cairns@frost.com

http://www.frost.com/


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Frost & Sullivan

CONTACT: Patrick Cairns, Corporate Communications - Africa of Frost &
Sullivan, +27 18 464 2402, patrick.cairns@frost.com


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

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5 Facts About MTN Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria, November 18/Nigerians Report/ --

1. MTN Nigeria is part of the MTN Group of South Africa, which operates in 21 countries including Nigeria.



18 Nov 2009 07:01 Africa/Lagos


2. MTN Nigeria, the largest mobile operator in Nigeria with nearly 50 per cent market share.

3. MTN Nigeria has over 27 million subscribers as of June 30 2009.

4. MTN Nigeria is the most preferred GSM service in Nigeria.

5.MTN Nigeria has the best Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives and services in Nigeria.

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New Report Finds Four Forces Will Shape the Future of Mobile Banking

18 Nov 2009 08:00 Africa/Lagos

New Report Finds Four Forces Will Shape the Future of Mobile Banking

Governments, industry can make choices to increase financial inclusion in the next decade

LONDON, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The growing use of branchless banking, including mobile phone banking, is inevitable in most countries. But it's far less certain whether large numbers of the unbanked poor will use these alternative channels for financial services beyond payments, such as savings and credit. So says "Scenarios for Branchless Banking in 2020," a new report from CGAP, a microfinance group based at the World Bank, and the U.K.'s Department for International Development (DFID).


UK Minister for Trade and Development Gareth Thomas today said:


"The fact that many of the 2.7 billion people who currently don't use a bank will have access to branchless banking methods such as mobile phones and the internet by 2020 is a huge step towards financial inclusion for people in developing countries.


"The poor are kept in poverty when they are financially excluded. This means they lack safe places to save money, the opportunity to invest in their future and cannot reduce the risk of their savings being lost in natural disasters.


"As this report shows, governments and the private sector both have a huge role to play in ensuring investment is made to deliver technology-based financial services to billions of poor people."


The report sets out four scenarios on the future of branchless banking. In all four scenarios, the adoption and use of branchless banking services is forecast to be higher in 2020 than it is today. But in two of the scenarios, bursts of rapid acceleration are followed by periods of falloff or flatter growth.


"Mobile banking pioneers give us hope that millions of poor people, especially those living in rural areas, finally might be served by the banking system. That said, new business models and partnerships that provide the right incentives to banks and banking agents are vital if we are to move beyond simple payments and transfers to being able to offer other basic banking services, especially savings, that poor people need and want," said Elizabeth Littlefield, CEO of CGAP.


The report is the product of a six month scenario-building project that engaged nearly 200 leaders from the fields of technology and finance from more than 30 countries.


Snapshot of Branchless Banking Today
-- Financial inclusion is growing in most countries. This is often as a
result of the expansion of conventional banking channels, such as
branches and automated teller machines (ATMs);
-- Bricks-and-mortar growth is inherently limited by its cost. Branchless
banking presents a cheaper option but has only modest reach to date in
most countries;
-- Where branchless banking is occurring, several of the following
factors are usually at work: (i) industry belief in future
profitability; (ii) enabling regulatory change; (iii) a dramatic fall
in connectivity costs; (iv) the creation of cash-handling agents using
existing networks; and,

-- Current hype about the potential of branchless banking is running
ahead of reality. Massive sustained success in reaching the poor
requires more accurate insights on poor people's financial needs and
adoption behaviour. This is only now starting to become available.

Four Forces Shaping Branchless Banking for 2020
-- Demographic changes -- including a greater number of younger consumers
coming into the market and greater mobility at least within countries
-- will be favourable for the adoption of branchless banking;
-- Activist governments will play a greater role as regulators of the
financial sector, providers of social safety nets, and providers or
encouragers of the rollout of low-cost bank accounts and financial
infrastructure. This expanded role may be helpful for financial
inclusion;
-- While security concerns about cash crime will continue to drive the
adoption of electronic transaction channels, the rise of electronic
crime will affect consumer confidence and test the risk management of
financial providers; and,

-- Internet browsing via mobile phones will reduce costs of financial
transactions and enable new players to offer financial services.


CGAP and GSMA researchers have found that across Africa, Latin America and Asia, the number of people who do not have a bank account but do have a mobile phone is set to grow from 1 billion today to 1.7 billion by 2012. These "unbanked mobiled" individuals represent a compelling market opportunity for service providers.


Notes to Editors


The report will be released today at DFID in London. There will a live webcast on the CGAP Technology Blog from Washington D.C. on Dec. 1. Learn more at http://technology.cgap.org/.


The CGAP Technology Program is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.


CGAP is an independent policy and research centre dedicated to advancing financial access for the world's poor. It is supported by over 30 development agencies and private foundations who share a common mission to alleviate poverty. Housed at the World Bank, CGAP provides market intelligence, promotes standards, develops innovative solutions and offers advisory services to governments, microfinance providers, donors, and investors. More at http://www.cgap.org/.


The Department for International Development is the UK Government's department that manages Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extreme poverty. You can find out more at www.dfid.gov.uk/.


DFID recently launched a Facilitating Access to Financial Services through Technology (FAST) project to support the introduction of "branchless banking" to mass-markets in developing countries, such as Kenya, Tanzania, Pakistan, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh and Ghana. Pilot projects will be evaluated by teams of finance and technology experts and where appropriate help and promote increases in scale or spread to different countries.


Source: CGAP

CONTACT: Jim Rosenberg, +1-202-473-1084, jrosenberg@worldbank.org, for
CGAP; or DFID Press Office, +44 (0) 207 023 0600


Web Site: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/

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Sony Pictures Releasing International Sets New Studio Record for International Box Office With $1.634 Billion for the Year - and Counting

17 Nov 2009 00:02 Africa/Lagos

Sony Pictures Releasing International Sets New Studio Record for International Box Office With $1.634 Billion for the Year - and Counting

-Sony Pictures On Track For Best Box Office Year Worldwide In Studio History- Hit Films '2012,' 'Angels & Demons,' 'Terminator Salvation,' and 'Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT' Set the Pace

CULVER CITY, Calif., Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, Sony Pictures Releasing International passed $1.634 billion at the box office, making 2009 the highest grossing year of all time internationally for the studio and breaking the division's previous all-time high which it set in 2006, it was announced today by Jeff Blake, chairman, Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing and Distribution.


The year has been driven by the success of a number of breakthrough hits in the international marketplace. The studio's most recent blockbuster is 2012, from director Roland Emmerich, which opened this past weekend to more than $165 million internationally ($230.4 million worldwide) and has yet to open in such markets as Japan, where it is expected to perform solidly.


Also contributing to the overseas record is Columbia Pictures' Angels & Demons, which opened in May and has taken in over $352 million in foreign markets. Sony Pictures Releasing International distributed Terminator Salvation in many overseas countries, taking in $220.6 million in SPRI's territories. District 9 proved popular around the world, too, taking in $88 million overseas, including $67.7 million from SPRI territories. Columbia's The Ugly Truth, a modestly budgeted comedy, took in more than $112 million from international audiences (and still going). Finally, Michael Jackson fans around the world have driven Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT to $155.2 million internationally so far and more than $222 million worldwide.


Commenting on the announcement, Blake said, "Our performance this year re-emphasizes the importance of the international marketplace and the enormous value of a release slate with global appeal. We couldn't be more proud of the films we have been privileged to work on this year and our extraordinary success reflects the achievements of our dedicated filmmakers as well as the creativity and innovation of our hardworking marketing and distribution teams all over the world."


In North America, Sony Pictures has released eight #1 movies in 2009 and has currently grossed $1.259 billion in ticket sales. With 2012 expected to continue to perform strongly all over the world, and with several films yet to be released, films from Sony Pictures Entertainment has already generated $2.893 billion worldwide, making 2009 the second-highest-grossing year ever for the studio, passing the $2.878 billion worldwide take from 2002.


SPE is also on track to make 2009 its best year ever worldwide and pass $3.334 billion, the record the studio set in 2006. In addition, SPRI could potentially pass the $2 billion mark at the international box office, an achievement that has been reached by any studio only four times in history.


About Sony Pictures Entertainment


Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in more than 130 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at www.sonypictures.com.


For More Information:

Steve Elzer
Senior Vice President, Media Relations
Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
(310) 244-7142
steve_elzer@spe.sony.com


Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment

CONTACT: Steve Elzer, Senior Vice President, Media Relations of Columbia
TriStar Motion Picture Group, +1-310-244-7142, steve_elzer@spe.sony.com


Web Site: SONY PICTURES

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Oberthur Technologies Helps Zain Break New Ground in the Field of Mobile Commerce

17 Nov 2009 08:00 Africa/Lagos

Oberthur Technologies Helps Zain Break New Ground in the Field of Mobile Commerce

PARIS, November 17/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oberthur Technologies, the world's second largest supplier of smart card solutions, successfully completed the deployment of its M-Commerce security solution for Zain's 15 sub Saharan African operations. Zain's Mobile Commerce solution, Zap, is a state-of-the-art SIM security application and security gateway which enables Zain customers to use their mobile phone to securely pay bills and to pay for goods and services.


The service currently allows Zain customers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through their mobile phones to receive and send money to friends and family as well as to receive money from any bank account around the world and send money to other bank accounts. They can also top up their own, or someone else's, airtime account and manage their bank accounts. Over 100 million people in East Africa can now benefit from Zap. The service which will be rolled out soon in all Zain's operation across the Middle East and Africa, has a potential customer base of 600 million people, many of whom have never had access to formal financial services.


"For any market in the world, the combination of services we are providing through Zap mobile commerce would be exciting," declared Dr Saad Al Barrak CEO of Zain, "but when set in an African context, the implications are especially profound given the critical economic needs of many Africans living the countries in which Zain operates. In this sense, what we deliver contributes to more than just a healthy bottom line; it genuinely helps improve lives."


"We selected Oberthur Technologies as our security solutions partner because of the company's' proven leadership in the field of mobile smart card and security solutions, their global support for our offer, and the desire of the team to take the initial first steps to innovate technologically advanced and customized solutions to meet Zain's ground-breaking service offering," stated George Held, Marketing Director, Products and Innovation Zain Group.


Thierry Siminger, Managing Director RMEA for the Card Systems Division of Oberthur Technologies commented, "This partnership has enabled the two innovative leaders, Oberthur and Zain, to raise the bar for future m-commerce solutions. Our successful partnership goes back many years and continues to grow from strength to strength."


About Zain


Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 69.5 million active customers as at 30 June 2009. In terms of country footprint, Zain is the 3rd largest mobile operator in the world with a commercial presence in 24 countries.


Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine (currently known as Paltel Group), Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages 'mtc-touch' on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain owns 31% of Wana Telecom through a joint venture.


Zain offers innovative services in its markets such as 'One Network', the world's first borderless mobile telecommunications network enabling customers when abroad to receive calls and sms without charge and to make voice and data calls at local rates throughout 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This service allows a customer to top up airtime in one's home country or from more than 1,000,000 outlets within Zain's One Network footprint.


The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). Zain is listed in the Financial Times' Global 500 Index which ranks the world's largest companies based on market capitalization ( http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008). Zain aims to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by end of the year 2011. For more, please visit http://www.zain.com or email info@zain.com


About Oberthur Technologies


With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies' strong positioning in its main target markets:



- Card Systems: The world's second largest provider of security
and identification based on smart card technology and associated
services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence
markets.
- Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and
personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity
card, driving license or health care card - traditional and electronic
- and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets.
- Security printing: World's third largest private security printer
specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks
and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries.
- Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of
intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.




Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.


Oberthur Technologies S.A. is a limited liability company (societe anonyme) registered in France with its registered office at 50 quai Michelet 92 532 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.'s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Paris.


Website: http://www.oberthur.com

Source: Oberthur Technologies

Matthew Stroud, Press Contact - Oberthur Technologies, Telephone: +33-1-47-85-58-06, Email: m.stroud@oberthur.com


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40,000 Miles in 248 Days - Our Earth by Motorcycle

PRNewswire, London, November 13. MIEMING, Austria - Edelweiss Bike Travel: Circumnavigation of the world by motorbike, the fifth stage right across Asia and then home to Mieming/Tyrol. The last stage will take the participants right across the whole of Asia and back to the starting point in Mieming, Tyrol. Stamina and off-road experience are mandatory for this tour. (PRNewsFoto/Edelweiss Bike Travel) MIEMING AUSTRIA


13 Nov 2009 17:14 Africa/Lagos

40,000 Miles in 248 Days - Our Earth by Motorcycle

From November 14, 2010 to July 20, 2011, Edelweiss Bike Travel, Number One in the World for Guided Motorcycle Tours, will be Realizing a Never Before Attempted Expedition Over all 5 Continents

MIEMING, Austria, November 13/PRNewswire/ -- "We have been organizing professional motorcycle tours for 30 years now. To celebrate our anniversary, we are organizing an unforgettable expedition around our earth for motorcycle enthusiasts." says the founder of Edelweiss, Werner Wachter, about the unique and spectacular project, which will start and finish at the Edelweiss headquarters in Mieming/Austria.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091113/366761 )





DISCOVER OUR EARTH


The first stage starts on November 14, 2010, and leads via Paris to Dakar in Senegal. Man/woman and machine will then fly to Buenos Aires. Wachter: "We have allowed 9 weeks for the section from Argentina to Bogota in Columbia. The subsequent third stage from crossing the Panama Canal to Los Angeles in California will be relatively short at 5 weeks."


After the flight over the Pacific, we will start traversing the Australian continent. "This means 7,000 miles in 4 weeks! Fitness and stamina will help," stresses Wachter. On the fifth and last stage from Beijing right across the whole of Asia and half of Europe, participants will be nearing their final destination, the Alps (8 weeks). On July 20, 2011 it will be time to celebrate the return of the expedition team in Mieming!


Kevin and Julia Sanders from GlobeBusters, the Guinness Book recordholders for the fastest circumnavigation of the world, will be supporting Edelweiss. Wachter: "Let's discover the entire globe!"


All current press texts also on http://www.pressetexter.at


Additional images under: http://www.tourismuspresse.at/redirect.php?qv20je45





A picture accompanying this release is also available on AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org (PRN Ref 1)



Contact:

Edelweiss Bike Travel
Karin Gritsch
Sportplatzweg 14
A-6414 Mieming/Austria
Tel.: +43-(0)5264-5690-10
Karin.gritsch@edelweissbike.com
http://www.edelweissbike.com




Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091113/366761

Source: Edelweiss Bike Travel

Contact: Edelweiss Bike Travel,Karin Gritsch, Sportplatzweg 14, A-6414 Mieming/Austria, Tel.: +43-(0)5264-5690-10, Karin.gritsch@edelweissbike.com

Mr. President, Do Not Let Obama's Dream Die in Your Hands

Mr. President, Do Not Let Obama's Dream Die in Your Hands

Dear President Barack Obama,

On the eve of your visit to China, we urge you to take a firm stand on human rights issues to reaffirm to the world the core values of the United States of America and its dedication to those values.

Dear Mr. President, you challenged Americans to enact a change, and Americans have responded and sent you to the White House to be the catalyst of change. You took the message of change to Europe, and Europeans have responded and reengaged with the leader of the free world.

We now challenge you: Will you bring change to the US policy toward China, a policy of economic engagement that has tainted our nation's image for the past twenty years, or will you maintain the status quo?

The United States' engagement with China originally donned a pretext of helping to improve China's human rights. Over time, however, its true motive and consequence has emerged: with the passing of one so-called opportunity after another to improve human rights in China, including the granting of PNTR to China, the admission of China into the WTO, and the Beijing Olympics, more and more Chinese people have fallen victim to the Chinese regime's human rights abuses. As such, this policy has turned into our nation's worst example of hypocrisy, and the complete lack of acknowledgement of and accountability for its failure also makes it our worst example of irresponsible politics.

At the same time the US has been losing its moral standing. The former Soviet bloc was far more powerful then than China is now, and it took thirty-eight years for the Berlin Wall to fall. The US was never weak or vulnerable during the Cold War, and was a source of inspiration and hope for people in Eastern Europe. Now the US is not only increasingly timid about mentioning human rights to China, it is on its knees supplicating China to buy its debt. Internationally, the US has helped to fund the Chinese regime to become a new anti-human rights ringleader and has to face it on multiple continents. Domestically, we are suffering the consequences of our own deeds: We ignored China's suppression of workers' unions, and we lose our jobs to China's slave laborers who work under unsafe conditions; we ignore China's persecution of Christians and Falun Gong practitioners who merely want their right to conscience, and we receive unconscionable toxic products from China.

Most alarmingly, we are losing sight of our real national interest - our American values. Had Abraham Lincoln not been so dedicated to the founding principles of America, had he instead carried on a policy of economic engagement with the South, rationalizing that the profit would somehow trickle down in the form of greater freedom for the slaves, that would be equivalent to today's China policy, and there would be no President Obama. Today, our founding principles and values have eroded to the point where we have accepted a China policy based on greed rather than principle for the past twenty years.

Mr. President, in those twenty years how many of China's Obamas have been locked up and lynched in jail? How many of China's Obamas have been exiled to the US and cannot go back home to pursue their dreams? Over the globe, how many Obamas have suffered under various regimes that remain in power only because of the support of the Chinese regime?

Mr. President, we take it to heart when you claim Lincoln as your role model, so we ask you to carry on Abraham Lincoln's legacy to give people in China and around the world the opportunity to see their Obama's dream to come true.

Please do not let Obama's dream die in your hands.

~ From The Conscience Foundation
Contact: 619-280-3112
chinavisit@consciencefoundation.org

Please Sign the Petition to the President:

http://www.consciencefoundation.org/index.php?option=com_rsmonials

Confronting the Global Financial Crisis: Bank Efficiency in Africa

13 Nov 2009 12:31 Africa/Lagos

Confronting the Global Financial Crisis: Bank Efficiency in Africa


TUNIS, November 13, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The current global financial crisis that originated in the collapse in the market for sub-prime mortgages in the United States in 2007 initially did not hit Africa directly. The crisis also had little impact on the Sub-Saharan African (SSA) financial systems because the financial sector in Africa remains shallow, uncompetitive and weakly integrated into the global markets.


Despite the fact that money, currencies, and capital markets had the significant pressures by the crisis, they have continued to function normally, and financial institutions in most countries have been stable without emergency support from monetary authorities.


Nevertheless, due to pressures intensified by the crisis, Sub-Saharan African countries are being hit hard as the global crisis has continued to deepen. The spiraling effects of a depressed world economy and the increased risk aversion of investors pose growing risks for Sub-Saharan African financial systems. As a matter of fact, frontier and emerging market countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya were hit first, suffering falling equity markets, capital flow reversals, and pressures on exchange rates.


Most African economies have a high degree of foreign bank penetration. The large share of foreign-owned banks across Africa has brought stability over the past years but also exposes the region to additional contagion risk. Also, the boosting of domestic banks' efficiency is mainly attributable to raising the number of foreign banks. Central bankers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) recognize that efficiency in the banking sector is a key contributor to macroeconomic stability. It is also a precondition for economic growth and important for the effectiveness of monetary policy. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of African countries began to restructure their financial sectors in order to boost banking efficiency. However, at present, it is difficult to entirely analyze the impact of the current crisis on the African banking sector because of the limited availability of 2008 bank-level data.


In terms of the assessment of bank performance and profitability as well as the African banking system, commercial banks in SSA so far remain largely sound and do not pose the risks that may be exposed to contagion effects of the current financial crisis.


However, there may be contagion risks from distressed foreign parent banks to local subsidiaries within Sub-Saharan Africa because parent banks could withdraw capital from African subsidiaries; call in loans to their African subsidiaries; no longer invest local profits in local subsidiaries; or do a combination of these. Also, there exists a risk that governments engage in troubled banks that are non-systemic or that supervisory authorities loosen prudential regulations in response to the crisis.


Thus, the financial sector, particularly banks need to be monitored vigilantly in order to minimize vulnerabilities and mitigate risks.



For interview requests, see following contacts / Pour vos demandes d'interview, contacter l'équipe de la BAD à Addis:


Magatte Wade (global coordination): +251 (0) 91 29 45 910.


Lotfi Madani (broadcast): +251 (0) 91 29 45 882.


Aristide Ahouassou (administrative affairs and interviews): +251 (0) 912945873.


Yvan Cliche (web): +251 (0) 91 29 69 330


Sondes ben Chagra (web): +251 (0) 91 29 45 883.


Felix Njoku (press releases): +251 (0) 91 29 45 872.


Andrew Allimadi (UN Economic Commission for Africa communication team): +251 (0) 91 14 02 719.














Contact in Tunis:


Malika AFIF


External Relations and Communication Unit (ERCU)


African Development Bank


BP 323, 1002 – Tunis Belvedère


Tel: +216 71 10 39 03


E-mail: m.afif@afdb.org

Source: African Development Bank (AfDB)

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