Global Leaders Unite to Give All Children a Healthy Start to Life

 
Bill Gates visited a Community-Based Health Planning & Services Center in Ghana to see how strong immunization systems protect against polio and can deliver new vaccines and primary health care. Credit: ©Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/Frederic Courbet. First Global Vaccine Summit Highlights Remarkable Progress Towards Vaccinating Every Child Global Leaders Unite to Give All Children a Healthy Start to Life.

Abu Dhabi, April 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — More than 300 global leaders, health and development experts, vaccinators, celebrities, philanthropists, and business leaders will gather tomorrow in Abu Dhabi in the first Global Vaccine Summit to endorse the critical role that vaccines and immunization play in giving children a healthy start to life. Despite tremendous progress, one child still dies every 20 seconds from preventable diseases like pneumonia, rotavirus, measles, and meningitis.


 
Children receive polio vaccination drops as they arrive into Afghanistan from Pakistan at the Torkham Border Crossing, where an estimated 2,000 children received the vaccine daily. Credit: ©Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/Kate Holt.

   
Vaccinators are heroes who helped India become polio free in 2012. Credit: ©Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/Prashant Panjiar.

The Summit, focused on the power of vaccines, is being held during World Immunization Week (April 24-30) to continue the momentum of the Decade of Vaccines — a vision and commitment to reach all people with the vaccines they need. Ending polio is a critical milestone in this vision.

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will deliver a keynote to celebrate progress and honor the individuals, communities, partners and nations that have made success possible. The speech will be webcast live at www.globalvaccinesummit.org.

 “Vaccines work to save lives and protect children for a lifetime,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “By investing in stronger immunization systems, we can protect our gains against polio and reach mothers and children with other health services.”

 The world is coming together around the Global Vaccine Action Plan, endorsed by nearly 200 countries last May, to develop better and more affordable vaccines and deliver them through stronger routine immunization systems. If we succeed, we can save more than 20 million lives and prevent nearly one billion illnesses by 2020. This will save nearly $12 billion in treatment costs and achieve more than $800 billion in economic gains as vaccinated children live longer, healthier, more productive lives.

“The Global Vaccine Summit is an historic gathering of global leaders and innovators whose collaboration can have a significant and positive impact on ensuring a healthy global society. Under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, we remain committed to supporting the delivery of lifesaving vaccines to children around the world,” said His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

“Immunization is one of the most cost-effective ways to prevent disease and safeguard young lives,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “The global success so far in fighting polio shows how far we can advance. Our great progress came thanks to an international alliance of partners. Today, we have a window of opportunity to end polio forever.”

 The Global Vaccine Summit is being held in partnership with His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 Summit attendees, including ministers of health, front-line health care workers, international non-governmental organizations and donors, will discuss how the global community can assure that children everywhere have access to vaccines, how the roadmap to polio eradication works, and the opportunities afforded by new vaccine and delivery innovations. The full agenda for the Summit is available here.

The organizing partners of the Global Vaccine Summit are: UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the GAVI Alliance, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. ###  

The United Arab Emirates’ work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:
In January 2011, His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, pledged a total of $100 million – $50 million from each partner – for the purchase and delivery of vital vaccines that will save Afghan and Pakistani children and prevent disease for a lifetime. The partnership is resulting in the immunization of approximately five million children in Afghanistan against six deadly diseases, and will help the World Health Organization and UNICEF workers reach approximately 35 million children in Afghanistan and Pakistan with oral polio vaccines.  

About the UN and Vaccines
 Immunization reaches 80 percent of the world’s children, saving 2.5 million lives annually. Despite these successes, 23 million children are still being missed each year, mostly from the poorest, most vulnerable communities. To reach the unimmunized, the United Nations and its partners support vaccine procurement and distribution mechanisms, strengthen local health systems, help to secure sustainable funding for immunization, and advocate to reduce inequalities in access to essential vaccines and other life-saving interventions.  

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is ledby CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett. Media Contact: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Phone: +1.206.709.3400 Email: media@gatesfoundation.org

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A Bicycle Rider and His Goat in Nigeria

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2013 Africa Movie Academy Awards Winners

The 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) with the theme "AFRICA ONE" held last Saturday April 20, 2013, at the Gloryland Cultural Center in Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State. The event was co-hosted by Nollywood diva Dakore Egbuson, comedian Ayo Makun, Adjetey Anang and Ama K Abebrese British/Ghanaian television presenter and actress who won AMAA Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2011. The red carpet event included spectacular live performances by famous Nigerian singers P-Square, Banky W, Bayelsa State Cultural Troop, Groove Magic (Malawi), Waje (Nigeria), Timi Dakolo (Nigeria) and Kwelatebza (South Africa) and comedians included AY Makun and Funny Bone. Timi Dakolo's awesome song "Great Nation" got more applause than the national anthem of Nigeria as the audience gave him a well
 deserved standing ovation.

 
Kenneth Gyang's "Confusion Na Wa" won the Best Film and Best Nigerian Film awards.

The famous Mexican born American actor and director Mario Cain Van Peebles, son of film-maker Melvin Van Peebles known for his 1991 hit movie New Jack City was one of the invited special guests from Hollywood.

Click here for the full report and video.

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Girl Rising Showing in 169 Cinema Screens from Tomorrow !

It's momentous. It's exciting. It's tomorrow: Girl Rising is hitting 169 Regal Cinema screens across the country.

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Liam Neeson says, “Girl Rising” reminds us that educating the girls of today is an investment in everyone’s tomorrow.” Now’s your chance to see this beautiful film! From April 19-25th, "Girl Rising" will be at select Regal movie theaters nationwide. Buy your tickets now and spread the word about the value of girls' education – for all of us!

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Nollywood Loses Top Entertainment Lawyer Efere Ozako?

Efere Ozako, the popular entertainment lawyer and one of the leading stakeholders in Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry has been reported dead after he returned from South Africa Wednesday night and complained of dizziness. Reports said he was rushed to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Idi Araba/Surulere, Lagos where he was confirmed dead on arrival.

Efere was the copyrights expert and originator of the popular "Wetin Lawyers Dey Do Sef?" workshop series of Dtalkshop, a dynamic lawyers NGO created in 2001 to bridge the gap between the legal profession and the general public.

Nigerians Report Online is still waiting for the official confirmation of the reports.
 
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Understanding Addiction: Why Do Some People Become Addicted?

Understanding Addiction: Why Do Some People Become Addicted? BeSmartBeWell.com explores the science of addiction

   
An Ivy League graduate and successful attorney, Karen is also a recovering alcoholic who used to drop her wine bottles in the dumpster on her way to work.

Chicago, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Addiction can destroy careers and ruin lives. It can be devastating to watch a loved one descend into addiction, and family members often can’t understand why an addict continues to use drugs or alcohol despite the ruinous consequences.

 

Sofia, Karen and John are addicts, not bad people. They’ve learned how to overcome addiction and manage their disease.

 In a series of new videos at besmartbewell.com/addiction, leading experts explain how addiction affects the brain and offer insight into why it is so hard for addicts to stop using drugs and alcohol. “Addiction is a disease. It’s a brain condition that involves compulsive use of a substance,” says Wilson Compton, M.D., division director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). In the video Addiction: What Is It?, he states: “We know it’s a brain disease because the brains are different in people who have addiction than in those who don’t.”  

How a User Becomes an Addict
 More than 20 million Americans have a drug or alcohol problem, according to NIDA. Most addicts start out as casual drug users or drinkers, but, over time, repeated drug use and drinking can change how the brain works. Substance abuse actually “rewires” the brain so that addicts begin to crave the drug above all else, even though they know it’s bad for them. “Two parts of the brain are involved: The limbic system that drives the behavior and the frontal lobes that should stop the behavior, but isn’t working right,” explains Marvin Seppala, M.D., chief medical officer of Hazelden, in a video at Be Smart. Be Well. Karen, a recovering alcoholic featured at besmartbewell.com/addiction, was an Ivy League graduate and successful attorney. She started out drinking wine after work to deal with job stress. As time went on, she started needing—and drinking—more and more, until she was drinking three bottles of wine a night. “I was ashamed,” she says in the Treat It Like a Disease video. “Because I didn’t want my husband to find bottles around the house, I would put them in my briefcase and walk down the street and dump them in the garbage cans on my way to work.”  

How to Help a Drug User or Alcoholic
 Key to helping addicts like Karen, say the experts featured at besmartbewell.com/addiction, is to remember that the addict’s brain is not functioning properly—it has been damaged by addiction— so he or she is not able to make rational decisions about the need for addiction treatment. “The most important advice I can think of for a family that’s going through addiction would be to remember that this is a disease,” Dr. Seppala says. Loved ones should also remember that addiction is a chronic brain disease, which means it is a long-lasting condition that can be managed, but not cured. Like other chronic diseases, it requires treatment and ongoing care, and recovering addicts need loved ones’ support even after treatment is completed. “It’s a disease not unlike diabetes,” says John, who was addicted to painkillers and is featured in Treat It Like a Disease. He overcame his addiction with treatment, and he maintains it with ongoing support from his family. “During his recovery process he would hit certain milestones and he got a little medallion,” John’s daughter Jenna says. “He gave it to me and it reminds me to give him encouragement and that I’m always there for him. He’s not alone.”  

Learn More
Besmartbewell.com/addiction provides practical information about the roots of addiction and how to help an alcoholic or drug addict. The website includes: Interviews with leading health experts Real-life stories of three recovered addicts A quiz to test how much you understand about addiction Reputable resources and links for more information At the site, visitors can also sign up for the bimonthly Spotlight Newsletter and biweekly News Alerts for in-depth articles and breaking news on addiction and other important health topics.


About Be Smart. Be Well
 BeSmartBeWell.com is sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Divisions of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.  

Media Contact:

 Greg Thompson Senior Director,
Public and Media Relations 312-653-7581
Greg_Thompson@hcsc.net  

ALL OTHER INQUIRIES: editor@besmartbewell.com
312.653.BSBW (2729)

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Al Jazeera Presents The New African Photography

Premiering 22 April 2013 on Al Jazeera English on Artscape, The New African Photography looks at this fast-changing continent through the eyes of its most acute observers: its photographers.



 
 A still from The Monarchs project by George Osodi.

 Few regions remain as photographically misrepresented as Africa, but this six-part series profiles the continent’s latest generation of photographers, who are taking back control of their image with a more nuanced portrayal.
   
Dilemma of the New Age by Emeka Okereke.

As Kenyan fashion photographer Barbara Minishi says, “Don’t look at Africa and think one thing. How come this view of Africa is always the soldier or the starving child? Yes, we have Maasais, but I don’t have Maasais in my backyard, Okay? This is not my everyday reality.”  

1. The six episodes are: 1. Invisible Borders (22 April 2013)
Nigerian Emeka Okereke is the founder of Invisible Borders, an annual photographic project that takes African artists on a road trip across the continent. Invisible Borders follows Emeka and fellow Nigerian photographer Lilian Novo on the most recent journey, from Nigeria through Cameroon and Gabon. Emeka says, “Everywhere we go in Africa, we see our generation talking about doing things for themselves. This is the time to actually go in and experiment.” Watch and embed the promo for Invisible Borders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8iIAzwtJOQ.

 2. The Red Dress (29 April 2013)
Barbara Minishi is a leading fashion photographer in Kenya. For her latest project, Barbara swapped skinny models for normal people, photographing a wide range of women all wearing the same red dress, as a symbol of unity and national identity in the aftermath of the 2007 post-election violence in which more than 1 000 Kenyans were killed.

 3. George Osodi (6 May 2013)
 Nigerian George Osodi is a former Fuji African Photographer of The Year Award winner who’s also been shortlisted at the SonyWorld Photography Awards. He’s renowned for his hauntingly beautiful pictures of the oil devastation in the Niger delta. “I think it’s my responsibility as the man with the camera to find a way to represent this [situation], so that it becomes appealing to whoever sees it. At first sight you’re like, ‘What a beauty,’ but then behind it is a huge Armageddon.” He hopes his latest project, in which he photographs Nigeria’s traditional monarchs, can offer a more positive way forward.  

4. Neo Ntsoma (13 May 2013)
South African Neo Ntsoma is the first woman recipient of the CNN African Journalist Award for photography. She revisits DJ Cleo and the stars of South Africa’s new democratic dawn, to take new portraits and discover the effects of 20 years of freedom. Neo moved away from news because she didn’t want to reinforce African stereotypes. “My dream was to be an advertising photographer and take pictures of beautiful things. Black people feeling good about themselves, dressed well. But it was a picture that the apartheid regime didn’t want to show to the world. They wanted to paint black people as barbarians.”  

5. Congolese Dreams (20 May 2013)
Executive produced by Viva Riva director Djo Munga, Congolese Dreams follows photographer Baudouin Mouanda as he explores the idea of marriage in Congo. The Congolese photographer burst onto the global photographic scene with his colorful photographs of Brazzaville members of SAPE (The Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People). As Baudouin says, “Africa will surprise everyone. There are lots of images of war, so I want to show another image of Africa.”  

6. Mario Macilau (27 May 2013)
Emmy-winning documentary director Francois Verster follows former street child Mario Macilau, as he uses photography to investigate the growing gap between rich and poor in Mozambique. “There is no longer a middle class in our country,” says Mario.

Watch and embed the series promo at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqAbB4A1v9c

For more information, keep an eye on http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/artscape/.
All the filmmakers and photographers, including Lilian Novo (Invisible Borders), are available for interviews. To watch a rough cut of Invisible Borders, please visit https://vimeo.com/63410381.
The password is BORDERS.  

Media Contact:
Kevin Kriedemann
+27(0)83 556 2346

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END7: How to Shock a Celebrity

Please donate at http://bit.ly/donate2END


We asked celebrities including Emily Blunt, Eddie Redmayne and Priyanka Chopra to watch a powerful new video. See how they reacted to people suffering from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)...

Can you make it through to the end? Visit http://www.end7.org to join the fight. Most people have never heard of these seven diseases, but as you'll see on the video, NTDs can be horrific and are a major reason why poor communities stay trapped in poverty. It costs just 50 cents to treat and protect one person for an entire year. Visit http://www.end7.org/ to take action today.


We would love for you to join us on the journey to 2020 -- together we can see the end! Like END7 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndSeven Follow END7 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/END_7 Here's the background: Nearly 1 in 6 people around the world, including 500 million children, suffer from seven NTDs: Elephantiasis, Roundworm, Hookworm, Whipworm, Trachoma, River Blindness and Snail Fever. What's different about this story, though, is the ending.


The great news is that all it takes to treat these seven diseases is a packet of pills, costing 50 cents. With the backing of some major players, including the World Health Organization and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we can actually eliminate these diseases by 2020. END7 aims to raise the public awareness and funding required to cover the cost of distributing medicine and setting up treatment programs for NTDs.


A big problem is that NTDs affect neglected communities -- the world's poorest people. So END7 is about providing them with a voice to help address a big problem. Emily Blunt ("Salmon Fishing in the Yemen," "Devil Wears Prada"); Eddie Redmayne ("Les Miserables," "My Week with Marilyn"); Tom Felton ("Harry Potter" series); Yvonne Chaka Chaka (South African pop star); Tom Hollander ("Pirates of the Caribbean," "Pride and Prejudice"); and Priyanka Chopra (leading Bollywood actress and international recording artist) are featured in the video and are END7 supporters.


This won't be easy. To end these diseases by 2020 we need to raise money from governments and the public to transport the pills to those in need and set up treatment programs that communities can run themselves. While the diseases have been around for centuries, the global effort to eliminate them is brand new.
 
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BOSTON BOMBING: WHO DID IT?

 
  WHO DID IT? Is the question.

Americans and millions of people all over the world were caught napping yesterday after two deafening explosions shook the Boston Marathon near the finish line, killing three people and leaving scores of other injured. The incident occurred at 3:00 p.m. according eyewitness accounts in Boston.

Has the al-Qaeda struck the United States again nearly twelve years since the catastrophic September 11, 2001 suicide attacks on the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City and the Pentagon (the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense) in Washington, D.C.


"We still don't know who did this or why," said President Barack Obama. Then he added, "Make no mistake: We will get to the bottom of this."

"We just don't know whether it's foreign or domestic," said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Who ever did this caught both the FBI, CIA and other security intelligence agencies napping and this is terrible, because the tragedy would have been worse if the bombs were deadlier.

 When you know your enemies are still alive and kicking, don't be caught napping.
 Don't let your guards down!

How can American security fail at this critical time of emergency with threats from North Korea and Islamic terrorists at large?
 God save America!

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Do You Want To Sell Sugared Water or Do You Want To Change the World?

 
John Sculley.  

His Opportunity to Change the World

 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"Some years ago when Apple Computer fell on hard times, Apple's co-founder and chairman, Steven Jobs, went from California to New York City. "His purpose was to convince PepsiCo's John Sculley to move west and run his struggling company. As the two men overlooked the Manhattan skyline from Sculley's penthouse office, the Pepsi executive started to decline Jobs's offer. 'Financially,' Sculley said, 'you'd have to give me a million-dollar salary, a million-dollar bonus, and a million-dollar severance.' Flabbergasted, Jobs gulped and agreed—if Sculley would move to California. But Sculley would commit only to being a consultant from New York.

 "At that, Jobs issued a challenge to Sculley, 'Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want to change the world?' In his autobiography, Oddesy, Sculley admits Jobs's challenge 'knocked the wind out of me.' He said he'd become so caught up in his future at Pepsi, his pension, and whether his family could adapt to life in California that an opportunity to 'change the world' nearly passed him by. Instead, he put his life in perspective and went to Apple."



 Let me ask you a question, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling "sugared water"—or doing what you are doing today for the rest of your life? Or do you want to help change at least your world?" There's nothing wrong with selling sugared water … or doing a million other things; but there's nothing earth-changing about many of these undertakings either. The question is, "Is what you are doing making a difference in someone's life—or that of many lives—and that for eternity? Do you want to join hands with Jesus Christ and help make an impact on your world? If your answer is yes, he may call you to be a prayer intercessor, to give sacrificially, to change your profession, or he may call you to leave your comfort zone to go out into the world of Christian service.

Whatever you choose to invest your life in, be sure that what you are doing is investing in people's lives for all eternity, and in so doing, storing treasure in heaven.

 Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you for the tremendous opportunity to serve you while here on earth. Please help me to see what is the best way for me to do this so my life is invested in eternal values—and so I am storing treasure in heaven. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV).
2. Leadership, Spring, 1991, Vol. XXII, No. 2, p. 44.


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