Saturday, October 13, 2012

Green Card for $500, 000 To $1, 000, 000


I don't know how many people outside the US who know about the EB-5 Program?

According to Darren Dahl Inc. magazine:

President Obama recently extended the government's EB-5 program, which grants foreigners green cards in return for an investment of between $500,000 and $1 million here which then creates at least 10 domestic jobs from that investment within two years.

How the EB-5 Program Works

Overview

The primary purpose of the program is to attract foreign investment to the U.S., which will create new jobs. From an economic viewpoint, the key requirement is that each investment must create a minimum of 10 new jobs.

In some cases, the foreign party must invest a minimum of $1 million, while in other cases, the minimum is $500,000. The smaller number applies if the investment is located in (a) an area of high unemployment, currently defined as more than 150% of the national average unemployment rate for 2010, or (b) a rural area, currently defined as an area that is not in an MSA and is not within a municipality with population of over 20,000.

Most of the EB-5 applications we have analyzed are based on the underlying assumption of a $500,000 investment per individual.

How are the 10 jobs per investor calculated?
In some cases, only direct jobs can be counted – the jobs that are actually created by the new businesses that are started. In other cases, indirect and induced jobs can also be counted. For that to occur, the plan must include the formation of an EB-5 regional center, which requires additional paperwork, documentation, and economic analysis.
However, because the job multipliers are usually at least 2, the incentives to form a regional center apply in almost all cases. We focus exclusively on those cases where regional centers are created.

The comments here apply to the economic analysis. You will also need an immigration lawyer to prepare the requisite documents, and a local lawyer to prepare the private placement memorandum.


Which model to use -- IMPLAN or RIMS II?


There are several different input/output models accepted by the USCIS, but the two major ones are IMPLAN and RIMS II. The principal difference is that IMPLAN is an employment-driven model, while RIMS II is an output-drive model.

To the non-economist, this may seem like a distinction without a difference. And in fact, the total number of jobs that are created as calculated by these two models is usually fairly similar. The big difference occurs at the verification stage.

After the proposal has been submitted, it takes the USCIS several months to issue a decision. Once the approval has been obtained, individual immigrant investors must then file an I-526 petition, requesting a temporary green card.
This process also usually takes several months. Once that is approved, another two years elapse. At that point, the immigrant investor files an I-829 petition requesting removal of the conditions on the temporary green card -- in other words, permission for the green card to become permanent. It is at that stage that the investor must show that 10 permanent new jobs have been created by the investment that was made at the beginning of the process.

This requirement has led many investors -- and some EB-5 developers -- to assume that in fact they must produce documentary evidence for all direct permanent full-time jobs in the form of W-2s, I-9s, and quarterly payroll tax records. That is indeed one way to meet this requirement. BUT IT IS NOT THE ONLY WAY.

Immigrant investors -- and hence their lawyers and EB-5
developers -- may also meet this requirement by showing that the total amount of construction expenditures, and the total amount of gross (top-line) revenues that have been achieved are equal to or greater than the amount of expenditures or revenues that were stated in the original proposal. In other words, verification can be made on expenditures and revenues as well as direct employees. If this latter method is used, then the economist uses the RIMS II input/output model for the economic impact analysis calculations.

Thus each EB-5 developer, at the time of the original application, must determine which method is likely to be superior for verification at the I-829 level. An overwhelming majority of our clients have recently chosen the RIMS II model for the following reasons:

1. Verification of full-time workers may be difficult. Each employee must work 35 hours a week every week. In USCIS arithmetic, two half-time employees do not equal 1 full-time employee. They equal 0 full-time employees. This is particularly critical for construction jobs, and for seasonal and part-time jobs that are likely to occur in such industries as hotels, resorts, or retail sales.

2. All newly hired employees must be U.S. citizens. We assume that no one would deliberately skirt this requirement. On the other hand, illegal immigrants may obtain false papers. If the USCIS, with its deeper knowledge and data base of illegal immigrants, determines that false papers have been used, the developer has no recourse, and the I-829 petition will be denied.

3. Although the USCIS has repeatedly stated that it accepts a variety of recognized input/output model, the USCIS economist recently reiterated her position that she prefers the RIMS II model because of its greater transparency.

Thus unless clients specifically state that they prefer the IMPLAN model and its direct employment approach, we will use the RIMS II model in our economic impact calculations.

A Generic Example -- Retail Shopping Center

To understand how the economic analysis works, consider the following generic
example. A foreign investor plans to build a retail shopping center of 100,000
square feet. The construction costs will vary substantially depending on the
location and type of buildings, but for purposes of this example, assume that the
actual “hard” construction costs are $100 per square foot. Total costs, including
soft costs, profits, and land purchases, are $200 per square foot. We make this
distinction because, as will be explained below, the hard costs have some input
into the total job count, whereas the other costs do not.

The total hard construction cost is $10 million. This figure is multiplied by the
RIMS II final demand multiplier for construction, which varies widely by region and can range anywhere from 5 to 20, although it is usually in the 10-15 range.
Suppose it is 15. That means 150 total jobs would be created from construction
activity, PROVIDING that all construction jobs can be counted.

In many cases they cannot. The USCIS has ruled that for projects taking less than 2 years to complete, only the indirect and induced jobs can be counted. They are usually 1/3 to 1/2 of the total jobs. If the projects really do take more than 2 years, all jobs can be counted. However, in that case, the USCIS will require a timeline showing the expected expenditures each quarter. Do not be tempted to pretend that, for example, an 18-month project takes 2 years simply by stretching out the last 1% over a 6-month period. In general, a bell-shaped curve for expenditures would be appropriate.

The actual sales per square foot will be based on the mix of stores and the location, but assume that the average is $500 per square foot. That would be a
total of $50 million in sales. Here again, the RIMS II multiplier varies widely by
region, but an average figure would be about 8. On this basis, 400 permanent new jobs would be created from the operations of the retail space. If all construction jobs are permanent, a total of 550 jobs would be created in this particular example.

Since the EB-5 regulations require a minimum of 10 jobs per investor, that means there will be a maximum of 55 investors in this project. If each one puts up $500,000, the developer could raise up to $27.5 million, which would more than cover the $20 million total costs. However, it is always advisable to leave a cushion of 10% to 20% in case the sales goals are not met by the time the I-829 petition is filed.

Actual cases will vary from this example. They depend, among other things, on the following parameters. All of these vary by the region chosen.

1. Cost of construction, per square foot
2. RIMS II final demand multiplier for construction
3. Mix of buildings constructed (big box stores, specialty shops, restaurants)
4. Mix of retail stores (including restaurants)
5. Sales per square foot for each type of establishment
6. RIMS II final demand multiplier for retail sales

All these data must be calculated separately for each individual project. The
numbers are based on the RIMS II model, Census data, national and regional survey data, construction costs manuals, and individual research for specific projects. The numbers must be collected separately for each project and are not just “pulled off the shelf”.

What are indirect and induced jobs?

Indirect jobs are created when the business buys goods and services from local firms. For example, a construction firm might buy some of its materials locally, or
purchase locally produced doors and windows or roof tiles. A retail store would
buy some of its goods from wholesalers. It would probably hire outside firms for
building maintenance, waste management, and security. Also, it would probably
hire accountants, attorneys, and other professional business services.

Induced jobs are created when the employees of the new business spend part of their paychecks on locally produced goods and services. That would ordinarily include purchases at supermarkets and gas stations, banking and real estate services, and health care.

How big should the regional center be?

It can range from a single project in a single location to a wide variety of projects covering an entire state. Currently, regional EB-5 centers exist for the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Texas, as well as smaller states such as Vermont and South Dakota. The amount of investment per regional
center currently ranges from under $5 million to over $100 million.

A distinction must be drawn, however, between the area covered by the regional
center and the area used for calculating the employment multipliers. That area
generally covers about four or five counties based on the pattern of where people live and work. Suppose, for example, a new project would be built in Ft.
Lauderdale, FL. The employment multiplier would then include those counties
where people live who work in Ft. Lauderdale; data on commuting patterns are
available from the Census. In general, the counties are included that account for 90% to 95% of the total workforce of that county; in this example, the regional multipliers would be based on Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

If too few counties are included, then the induced effects – jobs created as new
employees spend part of their paychecks locally – would be understated. If too
wide a region is included, the job multipliers would be overstated, and for that
reason would probably be rejected by USCIS. Hence it is important to calculate
the employment multipliers separately for each individual project, even if there
are many such projects spread over a much larger area for the total regional center.

Determining Areas of High Unemployment

In some cases, entire counties will qualify because the unemployment rate is more than 150% of the national average. However, it is more often the case that the chosen area has a somewhat lower unemployment rate, but certain Census Tracts in the city or county have a sufficiently high unemployment rate to qualify as a Targeted Economic Area (TEA). In some cases, the governor of the state will provide such a list. In other cases, we calculate the TEAs based on unemployment and poverty statistics taken from Census data.

There has been quite a bit of confusion about what areas qualify for a TEA.
In a few cases, such as the state of Nevada for 2010, and a few urban counties
in California and Florida, the unemployment rate exceeds the threshold level for
2010, which is 14.4%, so any location in Nevada, or in these high-unemployment counties, may be used. In general, however, that is not the case. The usual default position is to calculate the unemployment rate by individual census tract.

While the BLS publishes monthly data on the unemployment rate for individual counties, and all cities with a population of over 20,000, the only unemployment rate data by Census Tract is for 2000. Hence these figures must be updated to 2010, using the Census Share method as explained in the Local Area Unemployment Statistics handbook. We will do these calculations for you.
For any given address, we will determine whether the Census Tract where the planned facility will be located is a TEA. If it is, no further analysis is needed.

However, it is more likely that the planned facility is NOT in a TEA. In that
case, we will attempt to construct a TEA by combining that census tract with
contiguous census tracts that have higher unemployment rates, such that the average unemployment rate in the combined area exceeds 14.4%. We will also undertake that calculation as part of our economic impact analysis report.

Some states will then certify these results by writing a letter stating that the appropriately authorized agency of the state has verified that the area in question is a TEA. Some states, such as Florida and New York, are very helpful about writing such letters. California used to be helpful, but we were recently informed that due to budget cutbacks, they might not be able to provide that service any more. Many other states have been unwilling or unable to provide such certification.

One final word about TEAs as they apply to rural locations. Your definition of "rural" may not be the same as the Census Bureau. Any county that is part of
a metropolitan statistical area may not be considered rural, even if in fact the
location you have chosen is devoid of population and overrun with scrub brush.
You have to be outside an MSA to get the rural definition. Furthermore, even in
rural counties, any city with a population of 20,000 or more will not qualify as a
TEA based on the rural definition.


What kind of businesses qualify?

Virtually any legitimate business qualifies for which at least 10 permanent new
full-time jobs are created per investor. It can be in manufacturing, retail trade,
services, non-profit, research and development, or agriculture. Some of the
businesses that have recently been approved include hotels, retail shopping
centers and restaurants, office buildings, warehouses, manufacturing plants, research facilities, community centers, hospitals and nursing homes, farms, movie production, inland port facilities, lumber mills, forestry projects, and aquaculture.

However, a few caveats apply:

1. The EB-5 regulations actually state that the contributions of each investor
must create 10 new OR SAVED jobs. Hence in certain cases, rehabbing an old
structure might also qualify if the existing jobs would have disappeared. In
general, however, this is more difficult to show, and most EB-5 projects work
best either with new construction, or with rehabbing old buildings that are currently vacant.

2. In general, residential buildings don’t work, unless they are combined with
others. The problem is that residences create very few direct jobs, and only
indirect and induced construction jobs can be counted. In general, residential
construction projects supply less than half of the jobs needed to meet the EB-5
target. You have to be able to borrow more than 50% of the funding in order to
make residential projects work.

3. The 10 new jobs must represent a net increase. For example, suppose someone builds a new shopping center next to an old one, and people start shopping at the new place, so the old one closes down and people lose their jobs. In that case, the total net effect would be a lot smaller than the number of new jobs at the new shopping center. The report must also to show there will not be a net loss of jobs elsewhere in the region when this new project opens.


The Concept of a Regional Multiplier

Not all multipliers are created equal. Some models generate larger multipliers
for any given project. Yet all of the basic input/output data come from the same
source, namely the Commerce Department. How could the results be different?

There are two major answers to this question: geography and timing.

The entire concept of a regional center is built around the idea that jobs will be
created in a fairly narrowly defined region near the area where the new business
is started. Generally that is a few contiguous counties. It is definitely not the
entire state. And it is certainly not other parts of the country that have no
geographical connection to the regional center.

In general, the economic multipliers for a state are greater than a four-county
region, and the multipliers for the U.S. are much greater than for an individual
state. In the past, some EB-5 studies have relied on those larger multipliers to
get the job count higher -- and some of them were accepted. In the past year,
however, USCIS has made it clear that methodology will not be accepted, and have rejected these approaches.

In terms of timing, other modeling processes use the methodology of a dynamic multiplier. In short, the idea here is that when a new business is started, more people will move into the area; that in turn will result in more new homes and shopping centers being built, which will create even more jobs, and so on. A variant of this approach is the "tourist" model, in which a new hotel, casino, amusement park, ski slope, etc. will not only create new direct and indirect jobs as defined by the input/output model but will attract many tourists who will then spend additional dollars on food, gifts, and tourist services, hence boosting the job creation figure substantially.

In fact such developments might occur. However, anyone planning to start an EB-5 regional center should be aware that the USCIS has different rules for counting jobs than are usually applied to economic impact analyses. For example, direct construction jobs are usually not counted (see below). Also, jobs must be full-time; full-time equivalents are not permitted. Only jobs held by citizens can be counted. And, with respect to multiplier analysis, only the indirect and induced jobs generated by the direct activity of the new business can be counted. In short, no super-multipliers need apply.

What About Distressed Properties?

Many EB-5 prospects are asking about purchasing distressed properties at 1/3 or 1/4 of the previously assessed value, finding tenants for these properties, and then reselling them later at a substantial profit. In the meantime, because the cost of purchase is so low, substantial income and also be earned on the rents received before they are sold.

Is this an appropriate model for the EB-5 program? As usual, the answer is "it all
depends" but here are some guidelines to help you make a decision.

1. If it is an existing building, there won't be any jobs generated by new
construction. However (see the next topic) that may not be a negative, because the USCIS often takes a jaundiced view of counting temporary construction jobs.

2. You will only get credit for new jobs, so for practical purposes the building
should be nearly or completely vacant. You need the job credits by filling up the
buildings with new tenants. If there are existing jobs there, you can only count
them if you can prove they are part of a troubled business, which is often difficult
to show.

3. Many new jobs can be created from retail, office, and industrial buildings; far
less from residential. For practical purposes, there will be a few jobs from
operating the residences, but the numbers only work out if you can buy the properties with substantial leverage (e.g., only 20% from EB-5 money, the rest
borrowed from banks).

4. You want to be in a TEA; however, if the building is vacant, it may well be in
a high-unemployment area, so this is not generally a very high hurdle.

5. In summary, then, you want to buy a vacant retail, office, or industrial building at 1/3 to 1/4 of its previously assessed value, find new tenants, collect the rents, and then sell out for a substantial profit in the next five years.

6. And now for the tough part: virtually every client asks us, how can I write a
business plan and have you generate an economic report if I don't have the
properties yet? I need EB-5 money to pay for them, so it seems like a chicken
and egg problem. So here's the answer. Choose several likely properties and
get USCIS approval on that basis. You will then be approved for those specific
industries. If the properties fall through, you can then file an amendment for the
specific property that is different from the one you orginially planned to purchase. Thie method is OK with USCIS as long as you inform them of the change.

How are Construction Jobs Counted?

We are probably asked that question more than any other. In general, it is always permissible to count the indirect and induced jobs from construction activity. These are calculated using the Expenditure Model. If, for example, construction expenditures for hard costs are $15 million, and output per construction worker in the county where the building is being constructed is $150,000, then 100 direct jobs would be created. These can't be counted, but the indirect and induced jobs, based on the IMPLAN multiplier, can be counted.

The USCIS has ruled that if the construction project takes at least 2 years,
direct jobs can also be counted. However, in order to use this method, you must
show that the jobs are permanent. It is the position, rather than the person, that
is important here. For example, if you were building a residential construction
development with 100 homes, and an electrician worked (say) 2 weeks on each house but was employed continuously for 2 years, the job could be counted. Also, if two different electricians worked over this time span, the job could still be counted as long as the employment was continuous. By comparison, if you are building a shopping center and the site excavation team works for 4 months, the electricians for 6 months, the plumbers for 5 months, and so on, all those jobs would be considered temporary and could not be counted.

Also, if you decide to use direct jobs, you must be able to produce W-2 and I-9
forms for each employee. Some contractors are reluctant to supply that information.

The bottom line here is that unless you need the direct construction jobs to raise enough money, it is better not to count them. The major exception to this rule is for residential projects, where the workers go from one house (or condo, or apartment) to another over a period of several years. In those cases, we have been successful in counting direct jobs.

A few other caveats: only hard construction costs can be counted. Yes, architects and engineers do represent new job positions, but they are included in the IMPLAN model in indirect jobs. Double-counting is not permitted.

Finally, please note that in general, you cannot use construction expenditures that took place before the EB-5 application has been filed. This is another gray area, but to be on the safe side, you should follow this guideline.

Why should you use Evans, Carroll & Associates, Inc for
economic analysis?

Go to: Why Evans Carroll.











The Sex Abuse Story of a Nigerian Girl Raped in France


My Life Has a Price: A Memoir of Survival and Freedom
The Sex Abuse Story of a Nigerian Girl Raped in France

The 192-page book, originally written in French, has just been translated into English.

My heart is pounding against my chest. I am having a hard time breathing and a hard time thinking. I cross the terrace. One step, one small step. Then another tiny step. Now I am on the lawn. The grass is cold and wet under my bare feet. A gust of wind pastes my green sweatshirt against my body. My long grey skirt sticks to my legs like the skin of a rhinoceros. My heart tells me to run, to run as fast as my legs can carry me, with all my might. But I can't....


One morning in the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria, a lucky 13-year-old girl named Tina, who came from a modest family, is preparing to go to France to become part of Linda and Godwin Okpara's family. Linda is a homemaker and Godwin is a soccer player at the top French club Paris Saint-Germain, as well as for the Super Eagles, Nigeria's national squad. The couple have four children and Tina dreams of going with them to school and joining in their games, living the European dream. But, soon after her arrival, the reality becomes different. Written in collaboration with acclaimed French journalist, Cyril Guinet, Tina Okpara recounts how imprisonment, torture, and abuse - in a suburban house in the middle of gentrified Europe in the 21st century - could not break her. Tina's gripping story of survival and escape to rebuild her life is a moving testament to a remarkable woman, a true survivor.

Godwin is currently serving a 10-year jail term in France, while his wife, Linda, will be in jail for 15 years.



ALSO CLICK THE BOOK COVER BELOW TO READ MORE ABOUT IGBOS IN NIGERIA IN CHINUA ACHEBE'S NEW NOVEL THERE WAS A COUNTRY: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF BIAFRA.













Friday, October 12, 2012

OPEC Oil Output Drops To 31.15 Million Barrels Per Day


12 Oct 2012 13:50 Africa/Lagos

Platts: September OPEC Oil Output Drops to 31.15 Million Barrels per Day
390,000 barrel-per-day month-on-month decline from August

LONDON, Oct. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Crude oil output from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) fell by 390,000 barrels per day (b/d) to 31.15 million b/d in September, with Saudi Arabia and Nigeria accounting for the bulk of the month-on-month drop, a Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials and analysts showed October 11. This follows August production of 31.54 million b/d and leaves OPEC overproducing its 30 million b/d ceiling by 1.15 million b/d.

Saudi Arabia pumped an average 9.85 million b/d in September, 150,000 b/d lower than August's 10 million b/d, a level it had maintained since May.

"The continued ability for Saudi Arabia to continue producing 10-million b/d has been called into question by some skeptics; the decline to less than 10 million b/d, small as it is, will be viewed as significant," said John Kingston, Platts global director of news. "Skeptics will also point to a big drop out of Nigeria. Still, OPEC output is above various estimates of what OPEC needs to maintain to keep inventories balanced."

Nigerian output was down by 230,000 b/d at 2.05 million b/d in September from 2.28 million b/d in August, the survey estimated.

After a sharp drop in August, Iranian output showed a dip of just 30,000 b/d to 2.72 million b/d in September, the survey showed.

In Angola, maintenance helped push volumes down to 1.7 million b/d from 1.75 million b/d in August. Other smaller decreases came from Algeria, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The only countries to increase output were Iraq, whose exports climbed further in September, and Libya. Iraqi output was estimated at 3.18 million, up 80,000 b/d from August, and Libyan output at 1.48 million b/d, up 30,000 b/d from August.

In recent months rising Iraqi production has set a series of post-1990 records, but the September figure of 3.18 million b/d surpasses even anything seen in 1990 and is the biggest recorded since Platts started thorough monthly surveys of OPEC production in March 1988.

Ecuador, Kuwait and Venezuela maintained production at August levels.

The OPEC production ceiling, agreed in December 2011 and extended in June 2012, does not include individual country quotas.

Ministers are next scheduled to meet on December 12 in Vienna.

For production numbers by country, click here. If prompted for a cost-free, one-time-only log-in registration, the log in is your email address and a password of your choosing.

Platts OPEC and oil experts are available for media interviews; please consult Platts Media Center to schedule an interview. For other oil, energy and related information, visit www.platts.com.

About Platts: Founded in 1909, Platts is a leading global provider of energy, petrochemicals and metals information and a premier source of benchmark prices for the physical and futures markets. Platts' news, pricing, analytics, commentary and conferences help customers make better-informed trading and business decisions and help the markets operate with greater transparency and efficiency. Customers in more than 150 countries benefit from Platts' coverage of the carbon emissions, coal, electricity, oil, natural gas, metals, nuclear power, petrochemical, and shipping markets. A division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), Platts is headquartered in New York with approximately 900 employees in more than 15 offices worldwide. Additional information is available at www.platts.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

CONTACT:
Kathleen Tanzy
212-904-2860
Kathleen_tanzy@platts.com

SOURCE Platts

CONTACT: Elizabeth Catalano, elizabeth_catalano@platts.com, +44-207-176-6024

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








The Most Pirated Chinese Writer Mo Yan Wins 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature

Mo Yan.

Xinhua‎ reports the cheering news of Chinese writer Mo Yan and famous author of Big Breasts and Wide Hips winning the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, announced by Peter Englund, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm on Thursday.


Mo Yan's real name is Guan Moye and his famous pen name "Mo Yan" (Chinese: 莫言) means "don't speak" in Chinese. Donald Morrison of TIME news magazine called Yan "one of the most famous and widely pirated of all Chinese writers".

A writer should express criticism and indignation at the dark side of society and the ugliness of human nature, but we should not use one uniform expression. Some may want to shout on the street, but we should tolerate those who hide in their rooms and use literature to voice their opinions.
~ Mo Yan, Frankfurt Book Fair, 2009. 


About Big Breasts and Wide Hips.

In his latest novel, Mo Yan—arguably China’s most important contemporary literary voice—recreates the historical sweep and earthy exuberance of his much acclaimed novel Red Sorghum. In a country where patriarchal favoritism and the primacy of sons survived multiple revolutions and an ideological earthquake, this epic novel is first and foremost about women, with the female body serving as the book’s central metaphor. The protagonist, Mother, is born in 1900 and married at seventeen into the Shangguan family. She has nine children, only one of whom is a boy—the narrator of the book. A spoiled and ineffectual child, he stands in stark contrast to his eight strong and forceful female siblings.

Mother, a survivor, is the quintessential strong woman who risks her life to save several of her children and grandchildren. The writing is picturesque, bawdy, shocking, and imaginative. The structure draws on the essentials of classical Chinese formalism and injects them with extraordinarily raw and surprising prose. Each of the seven chapters represents a different time period, from the end of the Qing dynasty up through the Japanese invasion in the 1930s, the civil war, the Cultural Revolution, and the post-Mao years. Now in a beautifully bound collectors edition, this stunning novel is Mo Yan’s searing vision of twentieth-century China.

Click here for the full report.







1611454271 Life and Death are Wearing Me Out: A Novel
Mo Yan


B006G88GTW Life and Death are Wearing Me Out: A Novel
Howard Goldblatt


1559705760 The Republic of Wine : A Novel
Howard Goldblatt


1559706716 Shifu, You'll Do Anything for a Laugh
Howard Goldblatt


0857420763 Pow!
Mo Yan








Thursday, October 11, 2012

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Commends Nigeria on Bakassi Peninsula

President Goodluck Jonathan shaking hands with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

11 Oct 2012 06:52 Africa/Lagos

SECRETARY-GENERAL, MARKING 10 YEARS SINCE BAKASSI PENINSULA DECISION, COMMENDS CAMEROON, NIGERIA ON COMMITMENT TO INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE RULING

NEW YORK, October 11, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the ruling of the International Court of Justice on the border between Cameroon and Nigeria, the Secretary-General commends the commitment of the Governments of both countries to honour the obligations of the ruling. He also congratulates the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission for the commendable efforts it has made in implementing the International Court of Justice ruling. The success of the Commission is an embodiment of an innovative approach to conflict resolution. By peacefully resolving their border dispute, Cameroon and Nigeria have provided a positive example for countries around the world facing similar challenges.

Bakassi Peninsula.

The Secretary-General stresses the importance of addressing the socio-economic, humanitarian and security needs of the populations affected by the demarcation process, including in the Bakassi area. He also highlights the importance of implementing confidence-building measures and fostering cross-border cooperation.

Finally, he encourages both countries to reach an early agreement on the remaining 200 kilometres of land boundary in order to conclude the demarcation process. The Secretary-General reiterates the commitment of the United Nations to continue its support to Cameroon and Nigeria in implementing the International Court of Justice ruling through the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission and the Follow-up Committee on the Greentree Agreement related to the Bakassi peninsula, both chaired by the United Nations.


Source: United Nations - Office of the Spokesperson of the Secretary-General

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09:40 No Dia Mundial da Visão, a MSD e os seus Parceiros assinalam os 25 anos de uma colaboração de sucesso Para ajudar a erradicar a Oncocercose (Cegueira dos rios)
09:07 Pour la Journée mondiale de la vue, MSD et ses partenaires célèbrent 25 années de collaboration fructueuse dans la lutte pour l'éradication de la cécité des rivières
09:02 On World Sight Day, MSD and Partners Mark 25 Years of Successful Collaboration To Help Eliminate River Blindness
07:00 First class of scholars sponsored by Rotary will begin studies in water and sanitation at the UNESCO-IHE program in Delft, The Netherlands
06:52 SECRETARY-GENERAL, MARKING 10 YEARS SINCE BAKASSI PENINSULA DECISION, COMMENDS CAMEROON, NIGERIA ON COMMITMENT TO INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE RULING
00:33 Green Energy Renewable Solutions Enters Joint Venture Agreement With eCycling USA
10 Oct 2012
21:29 Credit Suisse: Global household wealth falls 5.2% to USD 223 trillion, with Eurozone crisis as backdrop 
17:08 IBM Presents Plan To Speed Timely Agricultural Information To Tanzanian Farmers  
16:00 Ford Foundation Commits $25 Million to Help End Child Marriage in a Generation

News Extra









Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Malala Yousafzai Survives


The BBC reports that surgeons have removed a bullet from the head of Malala Yousafzai the gifted 14-year-old Pakistani girl a day after she was shot by Taliban gunmen in north-western Pakistan's Swat Valley.
The operation on Malala Yousafzai, a campaigner for girls' rights, went well, her father told the BBC.

The attack sparked outrage among many Pakistanis, who gathered in several cities for anti-Taliban protests and held prayers for the girl's recovery.

The militants said they targeted her because she "promoted secularism".










Top 10 Film Schools in the World


1. American Film Institute

NOTABLE ALUMNI Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), David Lynch (Blue Velvet), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
"I love AFI and would be nowhere without it." -- David Lynch

2. University of Southern California

NOTABLE ALUMNI George Lucas (Star Wars), Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), Jon Landau (Avatar)
"USC is run in many ways like a studio. The challenges that were given to us had to do with the realities of the industry and financing, and I think those were important lessons to learn." -- Lee Unkrich, director, Toy Story 3

3. Beijing Film Academy

NOTABLE ALUMNI Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers), Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine), Tian Zhuangzhuang (The Blue Kite)

4. New York University Tisch School of the Arts

NOTABLE ALUMNI Todd Phillips (The Hangover), Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men), Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich)
"Getting accepted to Tisch meant one thing to me: hope. It validated all of my dreams and made the concept of becoming a filmmaker a tangible possibility. Teachers like Tom Drysdale and Haig Manoogian inspired me, infusing me with a lifelong passion for cinema history. I carry their artistic philosophy with me on every film: Never compromise, never stop asking questions and never stop being a student of film." -- Chris Columbus, writer-director, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

5. University of California Los Angeles

NOTABLE ALUMNI Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), Tim Robbins (Dead Man Walking), Alexander Payne (Sideways)
"The key is having a point of view -- which is very much the UCLA approach. You could say UCLA filmmakers try to bring an indie attitude even to studio pictures. We always try to find some kind of subjectivity." -- Justin Lin, director, Fast Five

6. California Institute of the Arts

NOTABLE ALUMNI Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland), Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo), John Lasseter (chief creative officer, Pixar)
"I have so many great memories of CalArts. Sitting in the dark, hunched over the old Oxberry camera, shooting my film. The giant papier-mache butt from someone's art installation in the main gallery. Playing Lazer Tag in the empty halls in the middle of the night. But what I remember most are all the great friends that I made, many of whom I work alongside today." -- Don Hall, co-director, Winnie the Pooh

7. The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague

NOTABLE ALUMNI Milos Forman (Amadeus), Emir Kusturica (Black Cat, White Cat), Agnieszka Holland (The Killing)
"I believe deeply that in any film school, you can learn as much, or even more, from the fellow students as from the teachers. But in FAMU in the late 1960s and early '70s, when I was studying, some of the teachers were great. My main instructor Karel Kachyna was indeed one of the most skilled directors of his generation. Jan Matejovsky in the television directing department taught us how to be diplomatic with actors, crew and producers. I still use his very useful advice." -- Agnieszka Holland

8. Columbia University School of the Arts

NOTABLE ALUMNI Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right), Nicole Holofcener (Walking and Talking)
"My years in the film program taught me the craft of screenwriting as well as the business of making movies. In so many ways, Columbia was the perfect combination of arts: conservatory and trade school, a place where I could read Aristotle and Eisenstein on narrative theory and analyze budgets and box office like a science. The lessons learned at Columbia -- how to analyze and synthesize perspectives, how to treat your work as an ever-evolving document -- serve me every day." -- Simon Kinberg, screenwriter, X-Men: The Last Stand

9. Wesleyan University

NOTABLE ALUMNI Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl), Michael Bay (Transformers), Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand)

10. The National Film and Television School

NOTABLE ALUMNI David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2), Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit), Beeban Kidron (Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason)
"I would not be making films in Hollywood without it. The NFTS was absolutely vital." -- Michael Caton-Jones, director, Scandal


See the complete details on the Hollywood Reporter.









The Nollywood Phenomenon


Celebrating the Creative Industries in Nigeria

Abuja, Nigeria. October 3, 2012 –

The Nigerian film industry has become one of the principal forces of popular art on the continent. Colloquially known as “Nollywood, it has over the years grown to be a world phenomenon, ranking third in the global movie industry in terms of revenue and value after Hollywood (USA) and Bollywood (India).

The production of the now classic “Living in Bondage” by Mr Kenneth Nnebue was as response to the lack of quality productions in the local television stations due to budget cuts and mismanagement.  That movie sold hundreds of thousands of copies and established Nollywood’s standard theme: Marital Discord, Greed, A Conflict between Christianity and Juju. Indeed, from these accidental origins, a cultural phenomenon emerged.

The Nollywood film industry has evolved a lot since these humble beginnings and as these days, normal films are usually made on budgets ranging from 1.5 million naira to 2.5 million naira spanning 7 to 10 days. The film industry accounts for 5 per cent of GDP and 11 per cent of non-oil exports and is the country's second largest employer after agriculture. The most popular locations to shoot movies are Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt. In 2009, about 75% of Nigerian films were produced in local languages, such as Yoruba (55%), Hausa (16%), Bini (3%) and Igbo (1%).

As imperfect as it may seem, Nigeria's film industry has established itself as a major cultural and economic force in Nigeria and the rest of Africa, and its impact goes beyond what could be measured by numbers. At present, Nollywood is second only to Bollywood in terms of the number of film productions.

Against this background, NOI Polls, an opinion polling and research organization, conducted a nationwide poll to establish the level of interest of the average Nigerian towards Nollywood, their reasons for this cultural phenomenon and suggestion about how the quality can be improved.
 
Methodology
The opinion poll was conducted from August 7th to 9th. It involved telephone interviews of a random nationwide sample.  1,176 randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 years and above, representing the six geopolitical zones in the country, were interviewed. With a sample of this size, we can say with 95% confidence that the results obtained are statistically precise - within a range of plus or minus 3% of what they would have been if the entire population had been surveyed. The questionnaire was designed in English and the survey was conducted in English, Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, and Pidgin, to ensure coverage of relevant geographical and demographic groups. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used for data entry and analysis. Descriptive statistics, mainly frequencies and percentage distribution, charts (pie, component and bar) and cross tabulations were used in data analysis.

Demographic Distribution of Respondents

Only 34% of females completed the survey, compared with 66% of males who did.
Majority of respondents (54%) interviewed were resident in the South-West geopolitical zone, followed by 15% in the South-East, 14% resident in the North-Central and 12% in the South-South. The North-West had 3%, while the North-East had 2% only.


In addition, majority of respondents were aged 18 - 21 (69%) and 22- 29 (37%). 9% of the respondents were aged 46-60, while 7% were aged 18-21. Also a large percentage of respondents were income earners as compared to students who were 20%.


Findings
Avid Nollywood Movie fans
An overwhelming majority (98%) of the respondents interviewed responded affirmatively on watching Nollywood movies whilst only 2% said they do not watch Nollywood movies.


Movies preferred to watch
Most respondents (40%) prefer watching movies with a comedy theme as compared to 39% who prefer to watch movies with a drama theme, 14% of the respondents prefer romance movies whilst 2% prefer horror and a period piece.


Attraction to the Nollywood movies
Respondents were asked for the main factor that attracts then to watch certain Nollywood movies. The vast majority (56%) said they are attracted to watch films because of the actor or actress involved. A further 34% said they are attracted by the storyline and 6% by the director.


Nollywood movie ratings
The majority of respondents (48%) said they currently rate Nigerian movies as good while 31% rate them average. This is followed by 17% that rated them very good, only 2% rated Nollywood films as poor.


Areas Nollywood Movies could improve on
When asked for the area where Nollywood movies could improve on, the majority (48%) by far said it is the storyline. This is followed by 19% who said the production/picture quality and 17% who said the acting could be improved on. 8% of the respondents said costume while 5% said soundtrack respectively.


Conclusion
Results from the snap poll indicate that Nollywood films are very popular among Nigerians since 98% of the respondents surveyed acknowledged that they watch them. Results also show that comedy (40%) and drama (39%) are the most preferred genres of film in Nigeria followed by romance (14%). The major factor that attracts people to watch certain films is the Actor/Actress involved. This clearly shows that casting the right actor/actress in a Nollywood is a key success factor. Even though the majority (48%) rate Nigerian films as good, the majority also agree that the main area films have to improve on is their storyline. In addition, our poll found that the most favourite Nollywood actors in Nigeria are Nkem Owoh, Emeka Ike and Jim Iyke (all tied at 20%); while the most favourite Nollywood actresses are Genevieve Nnaji (20%), Mercy Johnson (19%) and Omotola Jolade Ekehinde (17%).
Also, only 25% of the respondents interviewed watch movies at the cinemas; the key reason why 75% do not go to cinemas is because they can buy the DVD and just watch it at home. This is in line with findings from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics that shows that the majority of Nollywood films go directly to DVD and Nigeria only has 0.4 cinema screens to 100,000 people.
However, most respondents (44%) would go to a cinema to watch a Nollywood movie as compared to 37% who would go to watch a Hollywood movie. This is an interesting statistic and should be noted by cinema owners across the Nation.

Download full survey results @ www.noi-polls.com