Ford Foundation Launches $50 Million Fund for Next Generation of Documentary Filmmakers

The goal of this new initiative is to advance social justice worldwide through the talent of emerging and established filmmakers.


19 Jan 2011 16:00 Africa/Lagos


Ford Foundation Launches $50 Million Fund for Next Generation of Documentary Filmmakers

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2011

Building on Legacy of Leadership, JustFilms Will Focus on Stories with Social Purpose

-- A Major New Source of Funds for Documentaries Around the World --

Partnerships with Sundance Institute and other Leading Organizations Will Expand Reach

NEW YORK, Jan. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- One day before the start of the Sundance Film Festival, a program of the Sundance Institute, and its gathering of independent filmmakers from around the world, the Ford Foundation today announced a five-year, $50 million initiative to help find and support a new generation of filmmakers whose works address urgent social issues.

The new initiative, called JustFilms, will invest $10 million a year over the next five years to support and expand the community of filmmakers and mediamakers around the world focused on creating documentaries with passion and purpose, but who often lack funding to realize their visions or reach audiences.

"With the growth of the Web and social networks, the potential global audience for filmed content with a social conscience has exploded," said Luis Ubinas, president of the Ford Foundation. "We want JustFilms to support visionary filmmakers from around the world to create works on urgent social issues, and help them reach and engage audiences."

JustFilms will build on the foundation's longtime support for documentaries, including such landmark productions as "Eyes on the Prize," "State of Fear" and "Why Democracy," among scores of others. It will also leverage the foundation's global network of 10 regional offices to identify and lift new talent from around the world and to strengthen emerging communities of documentary filmmakers.

"Storytelling is a unique and powerful way of helping us understand our past, explore our present and build our future," said Darren Walker, vice president of Ford's Education, Creativity and Free Expression program. "We see these stories as vital ingredients to social change, translating how people engage with the world and the issues that define our time."

The foundation said JustFilms would focus on film, video and digital works that show courageous people confronting difficult issues and actively pursuing a more just, secure and sustainable world. The initiative will pursue three distinct funding paths:

* Partnerships with major organizations such as the Sundance Institute, the Independent Television Service, and others;
* An ongoing open application process that will help JustFilms stay attuned to fresh ideas and stories wherever they may emerge; and
* Partnership with other Ford Foundation grant-making programs where the introduction of documentary film could help draw attention to an issue or advance a movement.


Directing the JustFilms initiative will be Orlando Bagwell, an internationally respected, award-winning filmmaker who has supported documentary film and other narrative art forms over the past six years as a program officer and director in the foundation's Freedom of Expression team.

"This major new commitment to documentaries reflects our recognition that individual stories— meaningful and well-told—can be a powerful instrument of change," Bagwell said. "The test of JustFilms will be its ability to lift the voices of independent filmmakers and mediamakers from outside the mainstream, to build audiences for social justice stories, and to enlarge the conversation on critical but often less visible issues. It's work that at its essence is really about capturing imaginations."

Key Background

Mr. Ubinas, Mr. Walker and Mr. Bagwell—along with several members of the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees —will be in Park City, Utah, this week to launch a major five-year partnership with the Sundance Institute as a key part of the JustFilms initiative. "We couldn't be more delighted to have the Sundance Institute as a premier partner as we launch JustFilms," Mr. Walker said. "Robert Redford, Keri Putnam, and Cara Mertes have shown incredible leadership in supporting documentary filmmakers, and we are proud to be joining with them in this partnership."

JustFilms will contribute $1 million a year over five years to support the Documentary Film Program at the Sundance Institute. The resulting Sundance Institute/Ford Foundation Documentary Film Fund will support international and U.S. productions that focus on human and civil rights, free expression, economic opportunity, and other critical topics. It will also support filmmaker labs that enhance storytelling through cutting-edge editing, producing, and film scoring workshops. And it will support panels and dialogues at the Sundance Film Festival to enhance understanding and recognition of documentary film as a key component of social change.

Throughout the year, JustFilms will announce its work with the other key partners.

JustFilms will spend roughly one-third of its annual budget on each of its three core funding paths (strategic partnerships, open applications, engagement with Ford Foundation grantees). The initiative has also set aside funds for marketing partners who will help filmmakers promote their work and engage directly with audiences.

Some examples of works JustFilms is already supporting:

* "Women, War & Peace," a four-part PBS special, examines the enormously disproportionate suffering of women in today's wars, but also how they are emerging as leaders in brokering peace and forging new international laws governing conflict.
* "Higher Ground" explores the efforts of Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed to petition world leaders to save his island from rising sea levels as a result of climate change.
* "Detroit Hustles Harder" (working title) chronicles the lives of courageous individuals who have made the conscious choice to stay in Detroit to help turn the city around. Their lives and dedication represent not only what can transform the city, but what can renew America.


Learn more about JustFilms at www.fordfoundation.org/justfilms

Explore the expansive collection of documentaries the foundation has supported over the years.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization. For more than half a century it has worked with courageous people on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. With headquarters in New York, the foundation has offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

www.fordfoundation.org

SOURCE Ford Foundation

CONTACT: In Park City: Alfred Ironside, Ford Foundation Communications Director, a.ironside@fordfoundation.org, or In New York: Suzana Grego, Ford Foundation Media Chief, s.grego@fordfoundation.org, +1-212-573-5128

Web Site: http://www.fordfoundation.org



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Nokia Supports Social Innovation Camp Nigeria

Nokia Supports Social Innovation Camp Nigeria

In line with its established reputation for Innovation, Nokia is partnering with a social enterprise venture, Co-Creation Hub to provide a platform for young Nigerians to come up with business ideas that also address some of Nigeria’s social issues. Co-Creation Hub had sought entries from Nigerians on how they can use mobile technology to set up businesses that address issues like the quality of Education, Health, combating corruption, and deepening democracy. The entries were pruned to 6 out of which three winners have emerge after a 48-hour camping at the Pan-Africa University, Lagos. Nokia along with other organizations like TBWA/Concepts will allow the winners use their platforms to transform the ideas into thriving businesses.

Segun Fodeke, a software developer won the first prize with her idea on how mobile devices can be used to track the performance of elected government officials against the promises they make when seeking elections. The second position was won by Olusegun V. Sangowawa for her idea on using mobile technology to improve people’s access to health information. Tosin Agboola’s entry emerged third position. The idea seeks to use mobile phones are platforms to alert Nigerians about wanted criminals rather the current use of newspapers, whose reach is quite limited due to poor literacy level and poverty.

Nokia is particularly availing any of the winners who develops a mobile application, an opportunity to upload such on Ovi Store. Ovi store is Nokia’s proprietary platform from which millions of Nokia faithfuls can download applications, games, maps and music. Globally, there are at least 3 million downloads on Ovi store everyday. Nokia’s Head of Marketing for West Africa, Reuben Onwubiko said the Ovi Store platform provides the winners a life-time opportunity to make money from the revenue from downloads all over the world. He said the onus is therefore on those who have entered for the competition to ensure that they come up with solutions that would be acceptable even beyond the shores of Nigeria.

Founded in 2008 in the UK, Social Innovation camp runs as process/event to create innovative applications of the web and mobile technology to solve social problems. Social innovation camps have been run London, Edinburgh, Slovakia, Australia, South Korea, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Czech Republic. The Nigerian initiative is the first of its kind on the African continent.

For Enquiries, Contact:

Osagie Ogunbor
Head of Communications
Nokia West Africa
+234-706-418-6685

About Nokia
At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.2 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device – from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia's NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.

Sometimes, You Have to do Things The Hard Way

Sometimes, You Have to do Things The Hard Way

Lexus demonstrates the lengths it goes to engineer automobiles that inspire absolute confidence

TORRANCE, Calif. (Jan. 18, 2011) /PRNewswire/ — There’s the easy way, and there’s the Lexus way. A lone crane slowly lifts the front end of a Lexus LS, then a second vehicle is attached using cables and stretch bars, then another and another and finally, a fifth Lexus vehicle is suspended in midair from the crane, using no support other than the strength of the LS. The gravity-defying vehicles aren’t a figment of your imagination or a camera trick. They are part of a new advertising campaign from the automaker, which debuted on Jan. 16.

“It isn’t enough to just say that we pursue perfection, we want to demonstrate the great lengths we go to in our pursuit,” states Dave Nordstrom, vice president of marketing for Lexus. “The new broadcast spot allows us to focus on the foundation of our vehicles, the chassis, and show its almost unbelievable strength. In fact, we feared that it would be so unbelievable, we invited a physicist and structural engineer to witness the shoot, to prove that it did, in fact, occur without the use of special effects or computer generated-imagery.”
Building the Chain

Instead of using special effects to tell the story, the new broadcast TV spot, titled “Chain,” is a real-life demonstration of the strength of the chassis on Lexus vehicles, with the LS taking the lead. Shot on the runway of an airport, a lone crane is used to lift vehicle after vehicle until five Lexus vehicles—an LS, RX, GS, ES and IS—are suspended in midair nose to end. Finally, an LFA comes into the shot and parks directly below the chain of vehicles, and a voiceover states, “The hard way is how Lexus inspires absolute confidence. The hard way is the pursuit of perfection.” That is the kind of confidence that enables the automaker to park the $375,000 LFA below a chain of vehicles weighing a total 21,000 pounds.

Lexus brought in a physicist and a structural engineer to participate in the shoot and witness that the vehicles were attached to each other without any supporting hardware.

The crew needed to make sure the theory that a Lexus could hold five times its weight could be made a reality. A pull test was conducted with two semi wreckers, one acting as dead man, the other as a pull to ensure the vehicle could hold at least 21,000 pounds, or five times its weight. The LS passed with flying colors, holding 29,000 pounds – 8,000 pounds more than expected!

For the final portion of the amazing, or seemingly impossible feat, stretch bars, cables and hooks were utilized to attach the vehicles one at a time to the crane and then to each other. Not only did the experiment work one time, the crew suspended the same vehicles over and over for a period of three days without needing to replace them.
Telling the Stories

In addition to the broadcast TV spot, Lexus has developed an integrated marketing campaign to continue sharing its engineering story. The campaign debuts online with a series of 14 unique videos demonstrating how and why Lexus engineers take the hard way—whether the automaker is taking a blowtorch to the leather interior to see how much heat it can withstand or testing the vehicles in hurricane-force winds and rain. Behind-the-scenes footage for “Chain” was also produced to show consumers how the vehicles were suspended in midair. All stories can be viewed at www.lexus.com/thehardway.

The multifaceted brand campaign includes a robust online, print, mobile and outdoor execution and can also be viewed at YouTube.com/lexusvehicles. The TV spot will air on network, cable prime and cable sports. It will also air during the NFL playoffs, college basketball and on full-episode players.
About Lexus

Lexus is the leading luxury automaker in the United States. With its reputation for high-quality products and exemplary customer service from its 229 dealers, Lexus has been the top-selling luxury automaker for eleven years in a row. In addition, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader, offering five hybrids that provide the best in innovative technology and first-class luxury. When Lexus was established in 1989, it offered two models of vehicles. Now, more than 20 years later, Lexus offers variations of 10 vehicles, from the sporty CT 200h hybrid to the V10 supercar, the LFA.


Media Contacts:
Daphne Adair
(310) 615-2109
daphne.adair@teamone-usa.com
Alyssa Jones
(310) 615-2179
alyssa.jones@teamone-usa.com

Our President has Ph.D, But low IQ

It is pathetic that a President who never fails to remind us of his academic achievement of having a Ph.D in Zoology fails to realize that the measly 3% of the budget allocated to education is a barbaric rebellion against the 26% proposed by the United Nations for developing countries.

Only N35 billion is for capital projects in the education sector and over N350 billion for the National Assembly!



Click here to join the discussion on this topic on Nairaland.

11 Hot Jobs for 2011

Jan 18, 2011 03:55 ET



Eleven Hot Jobs for 2011

LONDON, January 18, 2011/PRNewswire/ --
- New Robert Half Salary Guides Identify Finance, Accounting and Financial Services Roles Poised for Growth

The New Year brings new hopes of continued economic recovery and job creation and new research may provide clues as to the positions in demand within the finance, accounting and financial services industries. According to the 2011 Robert Half Salary Guides, many roles show promise for the coming year with salaries returning to pre-recessionary levels.

"With companies focused on growth initiatives, accounting and finance continues to remain at the forefront as a means to manage expenditures, improve efficiencies and favourably position organisations for the upswing," said Phil Sheridan, managing director for Robert Half UK. "Despite high unemployment figures, companies report difficulties sourcing highly skilled professionals, particularly in regulatory compliance, audit and general accounting. Job candidates who bring multiple skill sets, a track record of success and a strong sense of accountability will see compensation gains in the year ahead."

Following is an overview of 11 top finance and accounting jobs for 2011:
Commerce & Industry:


1) Financial Accountant - The downturn provided the finance function a seat at the decision-making table, with companies turning to sound financial processes to weather the unstable economic environment. As we emerge, businesses continue to seek candidates who can perform fundamental duties, such as maintaining the general ledger, compiling financial reports and managing cash flow. A qualified financial accountant with 6-9 years of experience in a small or medium sized enterprise (SME) in London can expect to see a salary range between GBP50,000 and GBP55,000.

2) Financial Analyst - As companies are increasingly seeking professionals with strong commerciality and business savvy, financial analysts who can assess borrowing structures to ensure competitive funding costs will be in demand. Individuals with expertise in evaluating financial plans, forecasts and budgets while also displaying exceptional communication skills will be in greatest demand. A financial analyst with 3-5 years of experience at a large company in the Midlands can expect to earn between GBP35,000 and GBP45,000.

3) Credit Controller - Companies need professionals who can contribute to the bottom line by reducing inefficiencies and enhancing profitability. As a result, credit specialists who can assist in the evaluation of credit risk, manage delinquent payments and help improve cash flow are seeing increased opportunity. Base compensation for credit controllers with 3-5 years of experience working at an SME in South Wales will average between GBP14,000 and GBP18,000.

4) Assistant Accountant - With hiring freezes lifting and organisations adding headcount to over-stretched accounting teams, companies are recognising employees by promoting from within. The result is additional opportunity for entry-level roles for individuals displaying exceptional data entry skills and an attention to detail. Assistant accountants are required to match invoices to purchase orders and assist with accounts payable and receivable. Those looking to enter the field with an SME on the South Coast can expect remuneration between GBP17,000 and GBP19,000.

5) Financial Controller - Commerciality and a greater understanding of how the finance function fits within the strategic decision-making process has prompted the need for financial controllers who can plan and direct operational accounting functions, improve efficiencies, evaluate controls and develop business performance metrics while also moving the business forward. A financial controller with 6-9 years of experience at a large company in Northern England will see a base salary between GBP47,000 and GBP55,000.

6) Purchase Ledger Clerk - Challenges in managing cash flow has prompted companies to increasingly rely on credit to ensure business processes remain on track. Purchase ledger clerks have seen increased demand as organisations carefully monitor business records and ensure that they do not default on payments. London-based purchase ledger clerks with 6-9 years of experience at an SME can expect basic compensation in the GBP26,000-GBP27,000 range.

Financial Services & Banking (London City)

7) Regulatory Accountant - A more stringent regulatory environment and greater need for operational transparency has prompted the adoption of consolidated and harmonised compliance controls. While demand for regulatory accountants has increased, supply remains scarce - 16% of UK CFOs report challenges securing compliance skills, well above the global average. Regulatory accountants with 4-7 years of experience should expect to earn between GBP70,000 and GBP90,000 in 2011.

8) Internal Auditors - Audit continues to be in strong demand in the post-recessionary environment, however a shortage of skilled talent exists - one in four UK CFOs report challenges finding audit professionals who can prepare reports, evaluate business processes, improve procedures and perform project management of audit teams. Internal auditors with 1-3 years of post qualification industry experience can expect remuneration in the range of GBP55,000 - GBP65,000.

9) Financial Planning Analyst - With a focus on maximising profitability and identifying emerging trends, financial planning analysts are required to analyse product lines and organisational costs, prepare profit and loss models and perform budget variance and forecasting analysis. Nearly four in 10 (37%) financial services CFOs are challenged in finding qualified accounting and finance staff and a competitive job market means that managers can expect to see base salary in the range of GBP80,000 to GBP90,000.

10) Assistant Management Accountant - The financial services sector is also looking for assistant management accountants with industry experience to help analyse budgets and forecasts as well as provide detailed information and reporting to allow management to make informed business decisions. The role is often held by part-qualified ACCA and CIMA candidates, and with 3-5 years experience, professionals should expect to earn between GBP30,000 and GBP40,000.

11) Client Services - Throughout the banking crisis, the need to provide exceptional client service was never more apparent. As organisations now turn their attention to growth initiatives and revenue generation, client onboarding is increasingly important and demand exists for professionals with exceptional communication and relationship-building skills. Professionals with 4-6 years of experience will be compensated with a base salary between GBP40,000 and GBP55,000.

About the Robert Half 2011 Salary Guides
The Robert Half salary surveys include the 2011 Robert Half Salary Guide for accounting and finance and the 2011 Robert Half Financial Services Group Salary Guide for the banking and capital markets sector. Together, the guides contain salary data for more than 300 positions segmented by company size, geography and level of experience. Since 1950, companies have consulted the yearly guides from Robert Half to determine starting compensation levels for their employees. To download the guides, visit http://www.roberthalf.co.uk/salary-guide.

About Robert Half
Robert Half pioneered specialised staffing services and today is the world's leader in the field. Founded in 1948, the company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: RHI) and operates five separate divisions in the UK, each serving distinct markets. They include: Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam, for administrative support, Robert Half Financial Services Group, for finance and banking professionals and Robert Half Technology, for IT professionals.

There are more than 350 Robert Half locations in North America, South America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. For more information about Robert Half please visit: http://www.roberthalf.co.uk
http://www.roberthalf.co.uk
http://www.twitter.com/roberthalfuk
Source: Robert Half

Phil Sheridan, Managing Director of Robert Half UK, is available for further comment. In order to arrange an interview, please contact Kristie Perrotte on +44(0)20-7331-2222 or email kristie.perrotte@rhi.net

Mrs. Waziri, Why Many Nigerian Civil Servants Work for Themselves Rather Than For the Nation?

Mrs. Waziri, Why Many Nigerian Civil Servants Work for Themselves Rather Than For the Nation?

In a few days the EFCC is reportedly set to aggressively put into practice Section 7 (b) of the EFCC Establishment Act which allows for “investigations to be conducted into the properties of any person if it appears to the Commission that a person’s life style and extent of the properties are not justified by his source of income”.

Madam, at the time of this writing a significant number of Nigerians live in poverty, and this you know as there are many hard working rank and file men and women in the police force where the salary scale remain markedly disgraceful for the constables especially. Madam, if truth be told a high number of Nigerians still live below one dollar on a daily basis.

As to those that work for public agencies, the salary structure is generally not as competitive as the pay system in the private sector, yet we see an alarming number of Nigerian officials both current and past in the public sector or agencies living the lives of millionaires and billionaires, as evidenced by your own recent words.

Madam, from the point of criminological and social analysis, you will agree that poverty and other various forms of socio-economic challenges abound in the rural areas of Nigeria, and ironically the faces of stolen wealth by dishonest Civil or public servants reveal themselves through different images and ways.

Amidst residencies in the rural communities, one sees mansions, and many of them are owned by current or out of service government workers. While it is quite known that there is a vacuum of adequate transportation in rural areas, with bikes being in frequency, it is not unusual to see highly expensive cars in some of these villages. At night, many rural residents lit up their candles and lamps while the government crooks, use stolen public money and waste it on huge and noisy generators.
The provision of adequate roads remains void in many rural areas but for the unusually rich public servant, he or she build roads and name the streets after their personal names.

In the last five to ten years, some dishonest civil servants have become sudden and unofficial bachelors as they lodge stolen monies in foreign banks buy impressive homes with their wives or husbands as well as their children living in them. Many of them periodically travel to the U. S. A; U. K, Canada, and the Caribbean on the pretext for a course or vacation, in order to renew their mates reproductive organ, and also for the purpose of given a new birth outside Nigeria’s decaying public health systems.

Among the public servants who live in high-level population areas and cities within Nigeria, they waste stolen monies on newly built houses, and buy public transportations, and rent them out for more money while they live in residences supported by government allowances.

Madam, you should dig deep fully into this matter by working closely with the Nigerian immigration office, and all foreign embassies, in Nigeria as they will be very helpful in regards to revealing the true identities of those dishonest public servants who send their pregnant wives abroad just to deliver their babies, so as to make them dual or “oyibo” children.
These public servants as part of their dishonest backgrounds usually have multiple official addresses, identities or pictures, in Nigerian banks where they are shielded by corrupt bank officials.

Madam, for those dishonest civil servants that the EFCC is able to successfully prosecute and brought to justice, as part of their punishment persuade the magistrates or judges to send some of them to provide professional or technical services to areas like the back of the Sheraton Hotel, Lagos where not less than 500 homeless people reportedly reside with some living on forty kobo daily.

Madam , many thank you, and we urge you to continue to make this issue of corruption fight a social and spiritual responsibility of yours, and history will remember how best you tried to clean up Nigeria for the average citizen.

~ By John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D , DABPS, FACFE, is a Forensic/Clinical Psychologist and an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Science, North Campus, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida.joshodi@broward.edu

2011 Presidency: What If The Contest Begins With A Wrestling Match Between Jonathan And Ribadu In Public, Then The Debates?

Nuhu Ribadu

2011 Presidency: What If The Contest Begins With A Wrestling Match
Between Jonathan And Ribadu In Public, Then The Debates?


In recent times the life blood of politics and elections in Nigeria has become openly physical, partly because of the unusual power struggle between politicians.These types of fights amongst political aspirants or leaders in the country will be surpassed by a new one as we are about to see now and this recommended fight will be between Jonathan
and Ribadu.


Goodluck Jonathan


Jonathan and Ribadu will be drawn to a wrestle under a written consent, and the fight must be fully expected by Nigerians both at home and in the Diaspora.

We all know the grim nature of Nigerian problems at this time, as well as the struggles that continue to confront the people.

In particular, we now know a system of free and fair election is a major problem in Nigeria, as Attahiru Jega and INEC recently experienced with the text case of Delta’s recent gubernatorial election, however, that should not stop us from trying to make it better.

We will all admit that in a complex society like Nigeria with its numerous social, political, institutional and infrastructural problems, there is need for a leader who is both physically and intellectually strong. Brothers and Sisters, what better way to show one’s physical strength than through a show of manliness and a feat of strength which could only come through a flesh and blood type of fight such as an all-out wrestling between J and R.

The wrestling match should be a onetime fight in a major public ground, and while the nation expects both a winner and a loser out of the fight, the goal of the mêlée should not be about the destruction or disqualification of an opponent as they must both be ready for the series of intellectual debates that will follow.

Again, they should fight first and let’s see who will recover fully as that will be one indication of a show of persistence, and vigor which will be required as they vie for the control of the presidency. It takes energy to fully face the tide of debates, especially when the debates must shift across the federal capital, different states, and rural areas. No excuses, as the people across the country deserve such
openness.

In some of these places, there will be rough roads, heat from generators, poor air conditioning, damaged areas and other bad positions which are not unusual to average Nigerians. Both J and R must be psychologically ready to fight through these commonplace hassles and hazards as they set out to debate for the presidency.

Through this all-new way of rolling out national debate in front of the people, everyone can quickly ascertain which one of these front-runners has the energy to bear the desperation and pressure carried by many in the country on a daily basis.

During the debates, we will witness the intellectual rigor of J and R, and determine who is the intellectual lightweight or intellectual heavyweight? Unlike anything else, there will be no room for a draw in the fight as the citizens will be looking for a clear winner or loser in the daylight brawl as well as debates. We know they will argue about economic, education, healthcare, security and other institutional reforms, but first we must determine who among them has the fighting spirit and competitive power to handle an irregular nation like Nigeria.

The nation is in need for a non-violent and institutional revolution, and one of them must unleash the physical and intellectual energies that will be needed to clean the country, and guide the hopes and needs of the people.The problems of challenging the results of the fight, and any of the pre-April debates will be unnecessary as everything will be in the public sphere followed by instant judgment. The results will be more credible and transparent unlike the actual April election which as will all know could be mired in fraud.

Nigerians live in an extraordinary time, and it is now up to Attahiru Jega to set the date for the all-out wrestle and the subsequent debates. But to ensure the democratic process, let the likes of Jonathan, Ribadu, Buhari, Shekarau, Utomi and others join in the April Presidential election with the hope that INEC will work towards
ensuring a minimal atmosphere of impartiality as no election is perfect.

Again, before anything else, let the apparent two popular politicians, Jonathan and Ribadu take the lead through push-downs and takedowns within a contest that is certainly more of a perfect match, then Jega can take it from that point. Best of wishes to the people.


~ By John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D , DABPS, FACFE, is a Forensic/ClinicalPsychologist and an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Science, North Campus, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida. joshodi@broward.edu

Have you tried the Nokia Ovi Life Tools in Nigeria?

I started using the Ovi Life Tools since last Saturday, to see how useful they are and found them engaging for having the latest updates of facts on Health, Education, Agriculture and Entertainment for my news and information blogs.

The Ovi Life Tools were launched in Nigeria last November, 2010, after the successful introductions in India, Indonesia and China.

Ovi Life Tools is a first step toward extending the advantages of today’s digital economy to the whole world at cheaper rates so that everyone can afford the service.

The service has been of immense benefit to over 7 million users so far. Farmers in rural areas in Asia use the tool for agriculture to get vital information on the weather and crops.




Presently the Nokia Ovi Life Tools in Nigeria will be offered on the Nokia 2690 and on the Nokia C1-01 through Zain/Airtel and Glo Mobile, at the affordable prices of N250 for the agriculture service and N200 per month for all other subscriptions and will soon be on MTN.

The service will be available countrywide in Nigeria in three languages – English, Hausa and Pidgin English.

Once activated the service on their phones, it will be free of charge for one service for the next one month. Note that there are 4 services: Agriculture, Healthcare, Entertainment, and Education. The 1 month free service is for only one of these services of their choice. If they choose to activate the 4 services, they will be charged for 3 while the 4 th will be free.

The healthcare service include information and advice on mother & childcare, health, fitness and diseases. Users can tailor the service to their needs by entering their sex, age and other relevant details. The agriculture service allows subscribers to specify the crops or commodities they’re interested in, their location and the preferred language for messages. English learning can be provided in Easy, Medium and Difficult levels, according to the user’s proficiency. The entertainment services includes local and international football information (personalised around the subscriber’s favourite team), music, entertainment news and jokes.

Go try the Ovi Life Tools and Enjoy 24/7.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OVI LIFE TOOLS IN NIGERIA


Q: What is Nokia’s Ovi Life tools?

A: Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools is a suite of personally relevant information services providing regular localized information related to Agriculture, Healthcare, Education and Entertainment. The service is designed to work without the need for any GPRS plans or settings, as the updates are delivered via SMS to the OLT inbox in a graphically rich easy to read format in the user’s local language.

Q: Are all of these services/areas be available in Nigeria?

A: Yes, the Ovi Life Tools offering in Nigeria will consist of the Agriculture, Healthcare, Education and Entertainment services.

Q: What do these services actually offer?

A: The services offer the following to users:




Healthcare Services: (total of 7 subscription services)
• Mother & Child
o Subscription service #1: Pregnancy advice – This service keeps the user informed on what to expect from pregnancy and parenthood along with the nutritional and developmental needs of oneself during the entire course of pregnancy. Information delivered to the user is specific to the week of pregnancy and geography determined by the expected date of delivery and the location (6 geographical zones in Nigeria) provided by the user.
o Subscription service #2: Child care advice – The service provides information on the nutritional, hygiene, immunization, and developmental needs of the child linked to the important milestones related to child growth up to 5 years of age. Health tips are relevant to the age of the child determined by the Date of Birth input by the parent.
• Health and Fitness
o Subscription service #3: Women’s Health – The user will receive gender, region and age specific health tips on nutrition, hygiene, fitness and well being to help the user stay fit. Daily content delivered in local language specific to the age of the user.
o Subscription service #4: Men’s Health - The user will receive gender, region and age specific health tips on nutrition, hygiene, fitness and well being to help the user stay fit. Daily content delivered in local language specific to the age of the user.
• Disease Information
• Daily health tips to user based on the important disease conditions prevalent in the geography. Information will help user in prevention, prolonging onset and living better with the condition. Health tips related to medical, co-morbidities, lifestyle, fitness and safety based on the condition chosen by the user. In keeping with the healthcare industry practices, the tips are preventive in nature and not diagnostic or prescriptive advice is offered.

Agriculture Services:

• The Agri service covers the 25 major crops/commodities at launch. More will be progressively added. Market Prices for 111 marketplaces in Nigeria, with 3 market places for each state in Nigeria including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
• There is one agriculture subscription service which packages the news & tips, weather and market prices. The user makes the selection of the 3 crops/commodities that she wishes to be informed regularly about. This hyper local service is personalized to those 3 crops for user’s region.
1. News & Tips: The user will receive daily crop tips based on the choice of crop/commodity and agriculture news that is relevant to the location of the user. The crop tips are hyper localized advice based on crop life cycle & agro climatic aspects prevalent in the user’s location. Tips also will contain best practices & techniques around increasing the yield of the crop/commodity.
• Market Prices: The user will receive market prices twice a week for a choice of 3 crops/commodities from 3 nearby & relevant markets for the crop/commodity.
• Weather: The user will receive weather forecast for the day specific to the location. The weather information will include general outlook around Temperature, Rainfall, Humidity & Wind.

Education Services:

• Learn English – This service allows users to learn Conversational English with the help of their local language via daily messages. The service comes with a choice of three levels - Easy, Medium & Difficult allowing the users choice of learning levels. The service also allows choice of languages – English, English with Hausa and English with Pidgin. The learning outcomes of the Easy level are 70% common conversational words and 30% common phrases using simple sentences; the learning outcomes of Medium level are 30% intermediate vocabulary, 40% common phrases and 30% on constructs like verbs, tenses etc.. using simple sentences, while the Difficult level focuses on 50% on advanced vocabulary and 50% on constructs like verbs, tenses etc.. using intermediate sentences. Each of the three levels – Easy, Medium, Difficult are separate subscription services to enable the users to choose the service based on their current knowledge.
• General Knowledge - This service allows users to keep themselves updated with general knowledge, important information and vital facts about their state, country and the world via daily messages. This service focuses 60% on region or state level, 30% on national level and 10% international information.
• Exam Results – This service allows users to get their exam results for WAEC by providing their registration number.

Entertainment Services:
• Football: This service allows users to keep themselves updated on the latest happenings around their favorite football club. The daily updates will be around news, match dates, transfers, gossip etc. around the club and the players. On match days, the users will receive 8 updates during the match time spaced from start to end of the match covering key items like goals, score updates, penalties and final result. The users have a choice of 12 football clubs, national and international.
• Music: This service allows the user access to a variety of music services like MonoTones, TrueTones, PolyTones categorized into Naija Top 10, World Top 10, HipHop, Oldies, Gospel etc.
• News: This service allows the user to keep up-to-date with the latest International, National and Sports news.
• Horoscope: This service allows user to access daily predictions based on Sun Signs of choice.
• Jokes: This service allows user access to a daily dose of humor in the form of jokes.
• Entertainment Gist: This service allows user to keep up-to-date on the gossip around the entertainment industry and popular personalities.

Q. Why do you say Ovi Life Tools is personalized and hyper local?

A: The learning and information services in Ovi Life Tools are specific to user profile and choices making them personalized and hyper local. Various services allow relevant personalization by users, for example:
• The agriculture services allow the user to specify the crop/commodity of choice, location and language of messages.
• In healthcare services the user is allowed to input details like Gender, Date of Birth and relevant details (expected date of delivery or last menstrual period) to personalize the service content to exactly match the profile of the user. The user also has the choice of language of content for all services and location for pregnancy, men’s & women’s health.
• In education services, for Learn English the user can choose the level of difficulty of learning English by subscribing to Easy, Medium and Difficult levels based on their current proficiency in the language. Furthermore, the user can choose to learn English with via English or English + Hausa or English + Pidgin.
• In entertainment services, for Football the user has a choice of 12 popular football clubs to choose from and similar choice are available in other entertainment services too like Sun Signs in Horoscope, wide range of options in Music, etc...

Q: Which Operators will support Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools in Nigeria?

A: We will support all operators to ensure the benefits of the service are available to all mobile users in Nigeria. To start with, Zain/Airtel and Glo Mobile are live. We are in discussions with other operators and will endeavor to work with them to get the benefits of Life Tools to a larger base of mobile users in Nigeria.

Q. In which languages is this service be available?

A: The service content will be available English, Hausa and Pidgin English. .

Q. Is Ovi Life Tools be available to the whole of Nigeria?

A: Yes, Nokia’s Ovi Life Tools is available nationwide in Nigeria.

Q: Is this available on all Nokia devices in Nigeria ?

A: The Nokia Ovi Life Tools service in Nigeria is available on select Nokia devices. It will initially be pre-installed on the Nokia 2690 and the Nokia C1-01. The service will be available on additional Series 40 & Series 30 devices in 2011.

Q: When did you start working on this project in Nigeria?

A: We have been working on this project since the second half of 2009.

Q: Why do you think this service will be popular in Nigeria?

A: OLT addresses the basic needs of people. Aside from this, the service aims to improve people’s livelihood. It will also provide information which will help people make informed decisions that will improve their lives.

Q: What type of support have you had from the Government in Nigeria?

A: Courtesy visits were made to the management team of Nigeria’s telecom industry regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), as well to the Minister of Information (which is the supervisory ministry of NCC), Prof. Dora Akunyili, in September 2010, during which they were briefed on the OLT service. They are very excited about the service and we will work together to take the partnership further.

Q: What are Nokia’s expectations for take up of the service in Nigeria and by when?

A: Based on our experience in other markets, we are confident that Nigeria consumers will find this service attractive and affordable. We will start off slowly with only a few devices linked to the service and add more next year. We will take continuous feedback from the market and constantly improve the service.

Q: Aren't these low-end phones on which OLT is being offered no longer meeting demand - even in rural areas - for multimedia touch devices at affordable prices?

A: It is important that we deliver the total solutions at an affordable price, so we are starting with some of the well known and affordable devices. We will add a larger range of devices in the future giving consumers even more choices.


FACTS ON SMS

Despite the flexibility of email and the ever-so-fashionable Twitter, SMS (text) messages remain the most popular messaging choice of mobile phone users around the world. Here are five textual facts:

The first text message was sent on December 3, 1992 using the UK’s Vodafone network. It read ‘Merry Christmas’.

Six per cent of texts are never read by their recipients.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology found that texting was addictive as smoking, with around a fifth of people suffering increased heart rate and anxiety levels when deprived of their phones.

Around 2.5 trillion text messages were sent worldwide in 2008 – a 20 percent increase from 2007.

The phrase used in Guinness World Record speed texting attempts is “The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human.” Time to beat? 41.4 seconds.

Eko International Film Festival gets underway

Eko Int’l. filmfest gets underway

~ By Iyabo AINA

President of the Eko International Film Festival, Mr. Hope Opara has announced a new date for the hosting of this year’s edition of the epoch-making festival.

The festival, which will open the floodgate of events for this new season, is coming up between July between 9th and 14th of July, 2011, in Lagos.

Mr. Opara, who is also the Managing Director/CEO of Flonnal Limited and Supple Communications Limited said, this year’s festival will witness a huge participation from film makers from across the world, including Albania , France ,Spain ,Canada ,Algeria ,Germany ,U.K.,Kenya and Nigeria.



Mr. Hope Obioma Opara


He also noted that unlike other film festivals organised in the country, the Eko Film festival promises to be different in terms of organisation, participation and content.

According to him, Eko filmfest. is yearly organised to appreciate as well promote the nation’s motion picture industry and also the tourism in Lagos State.

As the President of the film festival, Mr. Opara reiterated his commitment towards promoting the sustainable development and advancement of the motion picture industry in Nigeria and the rest of the world.

“I want Nigerian film makers to improve the quality of their movies to world class standards.


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Presidential Primary is the celebration of Jonathan and the humiliation of Atiku

A happy President Goodluck Jonathan

The presidential primary of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was the celebration of the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan and the humiliation of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Jonathan won the presidential primary on Thursday January 13, 2010, in the Federal Capital of Abuja by a landslide as he thoroughly defeated his two opponents Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president of the most populous country in Africa and Mrs. Sarah Jibril. Mr. Jonathan had 2,736 votes compared to Abubakar's 805. Mrs. Jibril had only a single vote.


Alhaji Atiku Abubakar

Mr. Jonathan as the presidential candidate of the PDP will now confront more formidable opponents from the opposing parties in the April presidential elections.
"He has not prepared himself to govern. He found himself accidentally as a president, and power being what it is, insists on continuing to govern," Abubakar said last Wednesday, but the majority of the delegates seemed to have ignored his criticisms and overwhelmingly rejected him.