Hillary Clinton, Clint Eastwood, and Melinda Gates Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Hillary Clinton


Clint Eastwood


Melinda F. Gates

17 Apr 2012 18:00 Africa/Lagos


Hillary Rodham Clinton, Clint Eastwood, and Melinda F. Gates Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

2012 class features national and international scholars, artists, scientists, writers and other professionals including historian David W. Blight, volcanologist Katharine V. Cashman, mathematician Ngo Bao Chau, cancer researcher Tyler Jacks, musician Sir Paul McCartney, playwright Neil Simon, and mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Arts and Sciences today announced the election of 220 new members, continuing a 230-plus year history of recognizing some of the world's most accomplished scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and civic, corporate, and philanthropic leaders.

One of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies, the Academy is also a leading center for independent policy research. Members contribute to Academy publications and studies of science and technology policy, energy and global security, social policy and American institutions, the humanities and culture, and education.

"Election to the Academy is both an honor for extraordinary accomplishment and a call to serve," said Academy President Leslie C. Berlowitz . "We look forward to drawing on the knowledge and expertise of these distinguished men and women to advance solutions to the pressing policy challenges of the day."

An alphabetical list of the new members is located at:
http://www.amacad.org/news/alphalist2012.pdf. The new class listed by discipline is located at: http://www.amacad.org/news/classlist2012.pdf.

Members of the 2012 class include winners of the National Medal of Science, the Lasker Award, the Pulitzer and the Shaw prizes, the Fields Medal; MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships; the Kennedy Center Honors; Grammy, Emmy, Academy, and Tony awards; the Avery Fisher Prize, and election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Scientists among the newly elected Fellows include: James Fraser Stoddart , a chemist whose work helped establish the field of molecular nanotechnology; Angela M. Belcher , who uses directed evolution to create new materials and devices with applications in electronics, energy, and medicine; geological scientist Katharine V. Cashman , who helped explain why volcanos erupt the way they do; Gregory B. Olson , one of the founders of computational materials design; astronomer Debra A. Fischer , who helped discover more than 200 planetary systems; Robert P. Colwell , chief architect of Intel's Pentium microprocessors; Tyler Jacks , who exploits gene-targeting technology in mice to understand cancer in humans; oncologist Brian Druker , whose research dramatically improved survival rates for leukemia patients; mathematician Ngo Bao Chau, winner of the Fields Medal; synthetic biology pioneer Jef Boeke ;psychologist Robert Seyfarth , whose field research with monkeys shed light on the evolutionary origins of language; and Griffin P. Rodgers , director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, whose research contributed to the first effective therapy for sickle cell anemia.

Social scientists include: economist Robert A. Moffitt , an authority on the incentives and disincentives inherent in the U.S. welfare system; Paul Mendes-Flohr , a leading scholar of modern Jewish thought and history; behavioral scientist Edward F. Diener , who pioneered methods of measuring well-being; legal scholar Shari S. Diamond , whose empirical research has influenced sentencing policy and jury procedures in U.S. courts; public finance economist Amy Finkelstein , whose work has shown how the structure of government programs affects health care choices and outcomes; political scientist James Druckman , who developed influential theories of how citizens form political opinions; and George F. Bass , a pioneer in underwater archaeology.

In the humanities and the arts, new members include: Civil War scholar David. W. Blight; Vicki L. Ruiz , whose research helped establish the field of Chicano/Latino history; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon ; poet Gerald Stern ; sculptor Kiki Smith ; American film icons Clint Eastwood and Mel Brooks ; violinist Midori Goto ; pianist, conductor, and composer Andre Previn ; and mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade.

Elected in public affairs and journalism are: sustainability expert Kamaljit Singh Bawa ; former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Jr. ; veteran diplomat R. Nicholas Burns ; U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ; television journalist Judy Woodruff ; and Boston Globe editor Martin Baron .

Business leaders in the 2012 class include: Amazon founder Jeffrey Bezos ; Merck and Company Chairman, President and CEO Kenneth C. Frazier ; Walt Disney Chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger ; civic and business leader Penny S. Pritzker ; Loews Corporation President and CEO James S. Tisch ; and philanthropist and retired Citigroup Chairman Sanford I. Weill .

The new class also includes the leaders of educational, cultural, and philanthropic organizations including: Jared L. Cohon (Carnegie Mellon University); Melinda F. Gates (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation); Steven S. Koblik (Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens); Reynold Levy (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts); Carolyn A. Martin (Amherst College); and Michael A. McRobbie (Indiana University).

The Academy elected 17 Foreign Honorary Members from Argentina, Canada , Egypt, Finland, France , Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. They include: Helmut Schwarz , President of Germany's Alexander von Humboldt Foundation; Dutch stem cell researcher Johannes C. Clevers ; French social anthropologist Philippe Descola; British playwright and director David Hare ; South African artist William Kentridge ; British recording artist Paul McCartney ; Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho ; British choreographer Christopher Wheeldon ; Argentinian commentator and politician Rodolfo Hector Terragno ; and Ismail Serageldin , director of Egypt's Bibliotheca Alexendrina.

The new class will be inducted at a ceremony on October 6 , at the Academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Since its founding in 1780, the Academy has elected leading "thinkers and doers" from each generation, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin in the eighteenth century, Daniel Webster and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the nineteenth, and Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill in the twentieth. The current membership includes more than 250 Nobel laureates and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners.

SOURCE American Academy of Arts & Sciences

NOTE TO EDITORS: You can download a low-resolution version (for web) and high-resolution version (for print) of the Academy seal at: http://www.amacad.org/images/Academy_Seal_Logotype.pdfCONTACT: Paul Karoff, +1-617-576-5043, pkaroff@amacad.org Web Site: http://www.amacad.org

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RODE Announces Worldwide Band Competition - RODE Rocks!

RODE Announces Worldwide Band Competition - RODE Rocks!


Guest judges include Matt Sorum (GNR), Dave Catching (QOTSA, EODM), The Hives and more.

SYDNEY, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — RØDE Microphones is excited to announce ‘RØDE Rocks’ – an international band competition designed to locate and showcase the best in independent, unsigned talent around the world and reward them with an all-expenses-paid recording session in Hollywood with renowned producer Alain Johannes, as well as studio prize packs consisting of microphones and speakers totalling over US$15,000 in value.

To enter ‘RØDE Rocks,’ artists need to record an original composition and then create an accompanying video that features at least one RØDE microphone. After uploading the video to YouTube the artist simply needs to visit www.roderocks.com and submit their details along with a link to the video.

At the end of June a panel of guest judges including Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses), David Catching (Queens of the Stone Age), Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist (The Hives) and more will reduce the number of entrants to ten finalists, and those videos will be showcased on the RØDE website for a two week period in which all visitors will be invited to vote for their favourite performance.

First prize winners will receive return flights to Los Angeles to record at the famous Record Plant studios in Hollywood, with superstar producer Alain Johannes. Johannes is one of rock’s most in-demand collaborators, following his work with artists such as Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age and more. Additionally the winning artist(s) will receive vocal training from Robert ‘RAab’ Stevenson (Kelly Rowland, Justin Timberlake, Rihanna). The resulting recording will be professionally mixed and mastered, and provided to the winning artist to release as they see fit.

Second and third prize winners will each receive a studio prize pack consisting of a number of studio and live performance microphones and studio monitors from Event.

RØDE Rocks judge and rock n’ roll icon David Catching was blown away at the scale of the prizes. “You better have immense talent to win this chance of working with Alain, John, Francis and RØDE at Record Plant, because you’ll be involved with the best of the best and coolest of the cool! This combination of bad assery is a dream come true!” he exclaimed.

“I wish I wasn’t a judge, cause I’d give my right arm to be recording with these awesome men, on these amazing mics at this legendary studio! Give it your best, because that’s what you’ll get in return!”


CONTACT:
Scott Emerton
+61-2-9648-5855
scott.emerton@rodemic.com

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Reading Is Fundamental Launches “Book People Unite,”

Reading Is Fundamental Launches “Book People Unite,”

A National Campaign Sparking a Movement for Children’s Literacy



WASHINGTON, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Today Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the country, is launching “Book People Unite,” a bold awareness campaign to focus a spotlight on children’s literacy nationwide. The campaign, anchored by a new Public Service Announcement (PSA) with beloved book characters and a star-studded soundtrack, aims to spark a movement to put books in the hands of children who need them most. The PSA is a collaboration among RIF, the Library of Congress and the Ad Council and was created by Mother New York.

In 2011, RIF provided 14 million books to 4 million children to keep as their own. Access to books continues to be one of the single most important factors in a student’s success, but far too many of America’s children do not have this most basic resource for learning.

There are 16 million children living in poverty in the United States, the highest number in two decades. Consider this:

In low-income neighborhoods, there is only 1 book for every 300 children.
By the time children from low-income families start kindergarten, they are a year behind their more affluent peers in literacy skills.
Children who enter kindergarten behind their peers are three to four times more likely to drop out of school long-term.
Only 32 percent of 4th graders read at a proficient level and 34 percent can’t even read at the most basic.
Less than half of all families read to their kindergarteners every day.

“While many children are falling further and further behind, so are their chances for a successful future. It is clear we don’t just have an issue to solve, we have a movement to ignite,” said Carol Rasco, president and CEO of RIF. “One book can spark a lifetime of ambition and we are asking the nation to join us in building a literate America where all kids can explore, dream and achieve. Together, we can realize our vision of a literate America.”

Star Power for the Love of Reading
The PSA makes history by showcasing all at once several of America’s most beloved book—Curious George, Clifford, Madeline, and Babar, to name a few. They travel beyond their storybook pages to the beat of a new, original song, “Book People Unite,” featuring donated talent and produced by Grammy award-winning band The Roots. Celebrity vocalists Jack Black, Chris Martin (Coldplay), John Legend, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Jason Schwartzman, Consequence, Regina Spektor, Nate Ruess (fun.), Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia) and Melanie Fiona lend their voices to the anthem. And Emmy award-winning actor, LeVar Burton, makes a special cameo.

“I have witnessed time and again the transformative power of books. Whether it’s a bound book or an e-book, reading helps children overcome obstacles—opening doors to a wider world of experiences,” said Burton, host and producer of the beloved children’s program Reading Rainbow.

The PSA was directed by Rafael Fernandez with Green Dot Films and features specially-crafted puppets by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and animated characters brought to life by Curious Pictures. Per the Ad Council’s model, the PSA will run and air in advertising time and space that is donated by the media.

“The montage of book characters come alive in these heartwarming PSAs to motivate parents to establish positive reading practices with their children,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council.

“We hope this entertaining campaign—combining beloved children’s book characters and world-renowned musical talent—inspires families to establish a lifelong love of reading,” said Gayle Osterberg, director of communications at the Library of Congress.

Additional components of the campaign include online banner ads, radio spots, print and outdoor ads asking viewers to visit BookPeopleUnite.org to join the movement by declaring themselves a “book person” through an online pledge. Each person who takes the pledge will receive a free download of the “Book People Unite” anthem and action tools to ignite a reading renaissance in their own backyard.


A Bold New Commitment to Building a Literate America
The multi-channel campaign, developed by Mother New York, is part of a comprehensive rebranding strategy to catapult RIF and its mission back into the public spotlight.

As RIF celebrates its 45th anniversary, it is a critical time in the organization’s history. RIF lost its federal funding—$24.8 million, representing 80 percent of its operating budget—in the last budget cycle. Despite this funding loss, RIF is not wavering in its commitment to put books in the hands of kids who need them most. Through a corps of 450,000 volunteers and thousands of generous supporters, as well as a longtime partnership with publishers and book distributors, RIF has a highly effective and efficient model distributing books to children across the nation. Macy’s, the largest retail brand of Macy’s Inc., has raised more than $21 million for RIF since 2004. Their support provided 3.6 million books to more than 1.2 million children last year alone and helped launch RIF’s rebranding initiative along with the Book People Unite campaign.

“RIF has a long history of inspiring children to read and achieve, and we’re thrilled to see their reenergized image and this bold campaign take off to get more people connected to this critical cause,” said Martine Reardon, Chief Marketing Officer at Macy’s. “We’ve declared ourselves ‘Book People’ and encourage our customers and readers of all ages to do the same.”

For more information on Book People Unite and to take the pledge, visit BookPeopleUnite.org.

About Reading Is Fundamental
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) delivers free books and literacy resources to children and families in underserved communities in the United States. By giving children the opportunity to own a book, RIF inspires them to become lifelong readers and achieve their full potential. As the nation’s largest children’s literacy nonprofit, RIF has placed 400 million books in the hands of more than 35 million children since it was established in 1966. Learn more and help RIF provide books to kids who need them most, visit RIF.org.


About the Library of Congress
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. The largest library in the world, the Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site, in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill, and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov. The Library of Congress is the home of the Center for the Book, a major national force for reading and literacy promotion and sponsor of the award-winning Read.gov website and National Book Festival each September in Washington, D.C.


The Advertising Council
The Ad Council is a non-profit organization with a rich history of marshalling volunteer talent from the advertising and media industries to deliver critical messages to the American public. Having produced literally thousands of PSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues of the day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect, tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiring action, and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.

# # #

Media Contact:

Ashley Lengen
Weber Shandwick for Reading Is Fundamental
469.375.0207
alengen@webershandwick.com

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President Obama May Lose To Romney by Historic Standards

According to Zeke Miller, incumbent President Barack Obama may lose to Mitt Romney the leading candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.

Modern presidents who got re-elected were all leading in the polls at this point in their presidencies — as were some who lost anyway. Obama is in a statistical tie with Romney in the first Gallup daily tracking poll of the general election, and that might not be enough

Click here to see more on how Obama may lose to Romney.

COMING SOON TO THE THEATER NEAR YOU THIS SUMMER!


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Cyber Criminals Are Targeting Android Users

Photo Credit: Android Mag.

Trend Micro issues new security roundup report for Q1 2012

CUPERTINO, Calif., April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --This quarter saw a significant shift in the way the security industry approaches targeted attacks and advanced persistent threats, which are now viewed more as a long-term, ongoing campaign versus the typical "smash-and-grab incidents" favored by cybercriminals in the past, according to the Trend Micro (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) Q1 2012 Security Roundup Report.

According to the report, Q1's visible events – Linsanity, Whitney Houston's death, and sociopolitical upheavals around the world – gave cybercriminals new social-engineering campaign material, equipping them to penetrate and infect users and networks in order to access victim's data.

The report also noted that cybercriminals who launch APTs will often keep track of the different attacks within a campaign in order to determine which individual attack compromised a specific victim's network. The Luckycat campaign, in particular, attacked a diverse set of targets using a variety of malware, some of which have been linked to other cyber-espionage campaigns.

Photo Credit: Mobile Attack.

Notable trends in Q1 2012:

• Cybercriminals are capitalizing on the growth of Android users who use their smartphones to gain Internet access. In fact, Trend Micro identified approximately 5000 new malicious Android apps in the first quarter.
• Apple surpassed Oracle, Google and Microsoft in reported vulnerabilities, with a total of 91. Oracle came in second, with 78; Google, 73; Microsoft, 43. Apart from posting the highest number of reported vulnerabilities, Apple also issued a record-breaking number of patches last March.
• New social networking site, Pinterest, gained not just popularity but also notoriety. Site users were drawn into "re-pinning" a Starbucks logo to get supposed gift cards but instead got malware.
• This quarter's top spam-sending countries included: India (20 percent), Indonesia (13 percent), South Korea (12 percent), and Russia (10 percent).
• During this quarter, the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™, a cloud computing infrastructure, protected Trend Micro customers against a total of: 15.3 billion spam, 338.4 thousand malware, and 1.3 billion malicious URLs.

Supporting assets:

• The full round-up report can be found here.
• Download the Trend Micro Whitepaper: Luckycat Redux.
• Download the Trend Micro Whitepaper: Trends in Targeted Attacks.
• Download the Trend Micro Whitepaper: Enterprise Readiness of Consumer Mobile Platforms.
• Visit the award-winning TrendLabs Malware Blog for the latest threat research news.

About Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704;TSE: 4704), a global cloud security leader , creates a world safe for exchanging digital information with its Internet content security and threat management solutions for businesses and consumers. A pioneer in server security with over 20 years' experience, we deliver top-ranked client, server and cloud-based security that fits our customers' and partners' needs, stops new threats faster, and protects data in physical, virtualized and cloud environments. Powered by the industry-leading Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ cloud computing security infrastructure, our products and services stop threats where they emerge – from the Internet. They are supported by 1,000+ threat intelligence experts around the globe.

Additional information about Trend Micro Incorporated and the products and services are available at Trend Micro.com. This Trend Micro news release and other announcements are available at http://newsroom.trendmicro.com/ and as part of an RSS feed at www.trendmicro.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @TrendMicro.

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated

CONTACT: Vivian Shic, +1-925-323-9382, Vivian_Shic@trendmicro.com

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



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Increase the Impact of your Marketing Campaigns with Online Video

PR Newswire’s latest white paper, Building Brand Engagement through Online Video, offers tactics to enrich your company stories through video

NEW YORK, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Consumer usage of online video has soared over the past year and organizations are taking note of this powerful medium to interact with their audiences – as indicated by the fact that ninety percent of Fortune 500 companies used online video in 2011.¹

PR Newswire’s latest white paper, Building Brand Engagement through Online Video, is comprised of market research, interviews and case study examples of how marketers are humanizing their brands and adding personality to their messages through the use of engaging video. The white paper offers online video marketing best practices including tips to align the style of video with the content, how to craft videos that spark interaction and ways to quickly and effectively distribute video through social and other digital channels.

To read the complete white paper, click here.

As an industry thought leader, PR Newswire regularly produces original, relevant content aimed at offering public relations, investor relations and marketing professionals advice and strategies necessary to reach their communications goals. To access additional information and content, visit PR Newswire’s Knowledge Center.

About PR Newswire
PR Newswire (www.prnewswire.com) is the premier global provider of multimedia platforms that enable marketers, corporate communicators, sustainability officers, public affairs and investor relations officers to leverage content to engage with all their key audiences. Having pioneered the commercial news distribution industry 58 years ago, PR Newswire today provides end-to-end solutions to produce, optimize and target content – from rich media to online video to multimedia – and then distribute content and measure results across traditional, digital, mobile and social channels. Combining the world’s largest multi-channel, multi-cultural content distribution and optimization network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire enables the world’s enterprises to engage opportunity everywhere it exists. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, and is a UBM plc company.

Source: PR Newswire Association LLC

---

¹ http://www.webvideomarketing.org/index.php/video-industry-news/5493-new-social-media-tools-rule

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Olympian Steve Backley Urges Businesses to Learn From Sport

17 Apr 2012 12:11 Africa/Lagos



Olympian Steve Backley Urges Businesses to Learn From Sport


Previous winners and finalists meet with judges and NBA CEO Caroline Jackson Levy at London’s Gherkin.

LONDON, April 17, 2012/PRNewswire/ --

* Brits believe competition brings out the best in businesses *

* Winning is important to almost 65% of people *

* The National Business Awards 2012 is open for entries *

As Britain prepares for a summer of sport, Steve Backley former javelin world record holder and Olympian turned business motivator and author, calls on British businesses to encourage competition following two polls showing many embrace competition at work.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53807-national-business-awards

The first report, carried out by the National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] in partnership with Orange, shows that the 65% of workers agree winning is important to them, with over two thirds believing healthy competition brings out the best in people and almost 40% acknowledging they enjoy a competitive environment at work. However, many employees say competitiveness is not encouraged in their workplace enough.

Over 40% say being rewarded for their achievements at work encourages them to 'up their game', yet nearly 60% said they are not praised enough by bosses when they do well at work. Over half of the workers canvassed also said they would like to feel part of a winning business and would be proud if their place of work was recognised by winning an external award.

The second poll of National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] past winners and finalists demonstrates that behind their business success is their willingness to embrace competition and reward. More than 90% say healthy competition is important to their business, while more than two thirds say the main reason they enter awards is to motivate and reward staff.

Almost half say becoming a finalist or winning a National Business Award [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] has led to improved morale within their company and 95% say even just entering awards has led to an upturn in motivation and healthy competition amongst workers - showing competition inspires people to be better.

Steve Backley said: "Competitiveness is part of our DNA and it naturally causes us to perform better than we otherwise would, through benchmarking ourselves or our businesses against rivals. Healthy competition plays a key part in the worlds of business and sport, and a positive sporting mentality naturally maximises performance."

The research is published as UBM's flagship awards programme, the National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] in partnership with Orange calls for organisations to enter the 2012 awards. The most respected accolade for business in the UK, the National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] are based on the core principles of recognising business excellence, innovation and ethics across the full spectrum of private, public and third sector enterprises.

Organisations from all regions across the UK, from SMEs to FTSE 100s, are invited to register for award categories ranging from the Orange Innovation Award (won in 2011 by Harvard Engineering), to the Santander SME of the Year Award (won in 2011 by 'freemium' publisher ShortList Media) through to Entrepreneur of the Year (won by Paul Lindley, Founder and CEO of Ella's Kitchen in 2011).

The Awards have distinguished themselves by the quality of businesses taking part and the robust judging process. Led by Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone as Chair of Judges, nearly 100 multi discipline CEOs and senior directors participate as judges, bringing their expertise and insight to the three-tier judging process.

Baroness Virginia Bottomley, Chair of Judges said: "During these tough economic times, it is all the more important that we celebrate business success and leadership. These are the means by which wealth, employment and welfare are created. I am proud to Chair the National Business Awards Judges again: identifying and celebrating achievement and competition encourages others to strive for excellence."

Caroline Jackson Levy, CEO of UBM Awards said: "The National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] embraces the spirit of competitiveness and participation; and are all about creating a platform to help your business be the best it can be."

Martin Stiven, Vice President of Business at Orange, part of Everything Everywhere said: "At Orange, we embrace competition as it encourages businesses and people to raise their game. The National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] is the perfect example of embracing the British competitive spirit and business excellence, all of which are central to Orange's company values. We are proud to be part of this year's awards and I wish all entrants the best of luck."

Finalists will be announced in August and winners will be announced at the National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] gala dinner and awards ceremony in London at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Tuesday 13th November. To enter or nominate for this year's campaign visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for more information.

The National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] supports Help for Heroes, a charity that offers support and advice for wounded soldiers.


Awards categories 2012

Categories open to enter:


- The Orange Innovation Award
- The BlackBerry Growth Strategy of the Year
- The ICAEW Sustainability Award
- The Santander Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year
- The Huawei Customer Focus Award
- The Croner Employer of the Year
- Transformational Change of the Year
- Start-up Business of the Year
- Small Online Business of the Year
- E-commerce Strategy of the Year
- Business Enabler of the Year
- The Entrepreneur of the Year


Categories run by nomination only:


- The Orange Leader of the Year
- The Daily Telegraph Award for a Decade of Excellence
- The 3i International Growth Business of the Year
- The Non-Executive Director of the Year
- The Coutts & Co FTSE 100 Business of the Year


Note to editors:

The research for National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] in partnership with Orange was carried out online by Opinion Matters between 27 / 03 / 2012 and 10 / 04 / 2012 amongst a panel resulting in 1,010 UK worker respondents. And between 27 / 03 / 2012 and 12 / 04 / 2012 amongst a panel resulting in 41 past National Business Awards finalist or winner respondents. All research conducted adheres to the MRS Codes of Conduct (2010) in the UK and ICC/ESOMAR World Research Guidelines. Opinion Matters is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office and is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act (1998).

About the National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ]

Open to organisations of all sizes from all sectors across the UK, the National Business Awards [http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk ] in partnership with Orange is the UK's most prestigious independent business recognition platform with its particular emphasis on excellence, innovation and ethical business. Now in its eleventh year, the National Business Awards connects the nations' professionals through its annual awards ceremony; year-round thought leadership and round table events; and is UBM plc's flagship awards programme. Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for further information or follow us on Twitter @businessawards.

About Help for Heroes

Help for Heroes (H4H) was founded by Bryn and Emma Parry after a profoundly moving visit to Selly Oak Hospital in the summer of 2007. Bryn and Emma met some extraordinarily brave young men who had been badly wounded and they just wanted to do something to help. The charity was launched in October 2007 and provides direct, practical support for those wounded, injured or who have become sick in the line of duty and their families.


About Orange UK

Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. With almost 131 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.

In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population, and 3G coverage to more than 93%.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited.

On July 1 2010, the company became part of Everything Everywhere, one company that runs two of Britain's most famous brands - Orange UK and T-Mobile UK - with plans to transform the industry by giving customers instant access to everything, everywhere, offering them the best value, best choice and best network coverage in the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is the UK's biggest communications company, with a combined customer base of almost 28 million people and more than 720 retail stores across the country. Everything Everywhere Limited is registered at Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9BW under the registered company number 02382161.

For more information please call the Orange Press Office 0870-3731500, or visit http://www.orange.co.uk/newsroom

For further information or interview opportunities contact:


Rachel Branigan
PR Manager
UBM Awards and Partnerships
Tel: +44(0)207-955-3843
Email: Rachel.branigan@ubm.com



Annelle Botha
Head of PR and Marketing
UBM Awards and Partnerships
Tel: +44(0)207-234-8753
Email: annelle.botha@ubm.com

Video: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53807-national-business-awards

Source: The National Business Awards

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One Man, One Camera, One Dollar and Two Deaths

17 Apr 2012 08:00 Africa/Lagos

One Man, One Camera, One Dollar and Two Deaths

Garianno Lorenzo and Jordan Nichols are producers of the new UFC documentary entitled "FIGHT SPIRIT PRIDE" featuring the real life Karate Kid, Mark Hominick

LOS ANGELES, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, because of its Gladiator combat appeal. It's also practiced as a form of self-defense with civilians, police and military. Surprisingly, there are still people that believe this sport is human cockfighting, yet there are more and more MMA schools opening up teaching self-defense. Mark Hominick, who's from a small town of 2500 people, dispels the idea of professional MMA fighters being illiterate backyard brawlers. He is one example of the quality of athletes that populate this emerging sport, to the credit of UFC President Dana White.

Mark Hominick is the real life Karate Kid. He's a small-town boy next-door good kid; who is very polite, well mannered, with a high education. Mark graduated with a degree in business, top 5 (not top 5%) Cum Laude with honors from the most prestigious business school in Ontario, Canada. This film is a document about his life, and the deaths that surround it.

Garianno Lorenzo, a filmmaker, and industry veteran, six years ago was sitting on his couch in Red Bank, NJ watching an uninteresting boxing match, and the decision he made to change the channel, gave birth to this film. He switched to a channel showing an Ultimate Fighting Championship fight between Mark Hominick and Yves Edwards. Hominick defeated Edwards in an outstanding victory. While giving his post victory interview with Fear Factor's Joe Rogan, Mark pushed back tears talking about his father dying of cancer. Lorenzo saw this and was moved into action. With a camera, and a dollar, Garianno Lorenzo decided to set out on a six-year journey of filming the story of Mark Hominick. Garianno started filming at the time Mark was trying to train for his rematch to regain the title that he had previously defended nine times prior to his father's condition taking a turn for the worse. Lorenzo left his home in NJ, shut down his life and moved into London, ON Canada to film every waking moment of Mark's fight for his family and his career. As a labor of love Lorenzo filmed for three years consistently and three years periodically. He now has more than three Terabytes of footage stored on hard-drives.

Mark's father lost his fight with cancer and Mark lost his rematch to regain his title. Then, Mark was dropped from the UFC and WEC fighting organizations.

While his father was the most important male figure in Mark's life. The second most important male figure in Mark's life is his best friend, manager, mentor and trainer Shawn Tompkins. Just as Mark is coming to terms with the devastating loss of his dad, at his career low point, Mark suffered another blow with the untimely death of Shawn Tompkins late last year. Shawn passed away of a massive heart attack at the young age of 37 years old. In a very short period of time, Mark lost the two most important men in his life at the lowest point in his life, and career. The film captures how Mark fights his way back with the courage of a warrior.

By the time the movie ends, Mark is welcomed back into the UFC; he has a title fight on the horizon with the UFC, marries the girl of his dreams, builds a home, starts a successful business, and has a child. Although, Mark lost his father and his mentor, it's really a story about perseverance, internal strength, passion and heart, and that does take fight, spirit and pride.

The documentary features the most recognizable names in the sport including UFC president Dana White, actor Kevin James, Fear Factor's Joe Rogan, MMA legend Bas Rutten, UFC middle weight champion Georges St-Pierre, Sam Stout, Eddie Bravo and many others.

The film has quite a bit of traction and appreciation for the story in social media. Based on the buzz around the film within MMA and UFC fan sites; fans are eagerly waiting for the film's release. The film is currently wrapping up post-production

Demonstrated by his commitment, for six years Lorenzo funded the movie alone. And now has placed the film on the popular funding site Kickstarter.com. Anyone interested in knowing more about this project should visit: http://kck.st/HNY6Jr.

Directed By Garianno Lorenzo
Produced by Garianno Lorenzo and Jordan Nichols for Tyrant Entertainment
In association with Nichols Entertainment

PR Media Contact: David Wasserman: FightSpiritPride(at)gmail(dot)com, 323-643-9428

Related Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304633
http://www.Facebook.com/FightSpiritPride
Sirius Satellite Radio
http://www.FightSpiritPrideTheMovie.com
http://www.Twitter.com/FightMovie
http://www.YouTube.com/FightSpiritPride

SOURCE Garianno Lorenzo

Web Site: http://www.kickstarter.com/profile/fightspiritpride

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Congratulations to Jim Yong Kim, New World Bank President

Dr. Jim Yong Kim, new President of the World Bank.


Press Release No:2012/395/SEC

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2012 - The Executive Directors met today to select a new President of the World Bank Group. The Board expressed its deep gratitude for Mr. Robert B. Zoellick’s outstanding leadership and his dedication to reducing poverty in its member countries, the core mandate of the World Bank Group.

The Executive Directors followed the new selection process agreed in 2011 which, for the first time in the Bank’s history, yielded multiple nominees. This process included an open nomination where any national of the Bank’s membership could be proposed by any Executive Director or Governor, publication of the names of the candidates, interviews of the candidates by the Executive Directors, and final selection of the President.

The Executive Directors selected Dr. Jim Yong Kim as President for a five-year term beginning on July 1, 2012. The President is Chair of the Boards of Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). The President is also ex officio Chair of the Boards of Directors of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

We, the Executive Directors, wish to express our deep appreciation to all the nominees, Jim Yong Kim, José Antonio Ocampo and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Their candidacies enriched the discussion of the role of the President and of the World Bank Group’s future direction. The final nominees received support from different member countries, which reflected the high caliber of the candidates. We all look forward to working with Dr. Kim when he assumes his responsibilities.

Dr. Jim Yong Kim is currently President of Dartmouth College. A U.S. national, Dr. Kim is a co-founder of Partners in Health (PIH) and a former director of the Department of HIV/AIDS at the World Health Organization (WHO). Before assuming the Dartmouth presidency, Dr. Kim held professorships at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. He also served as chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and director of the François Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Kim was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship (2003), was named one of America’s “25 Best Leaders” by US News & World Report (2005), and was selected as one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” (2006). He was elected in 2004 to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences—one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine—for his professional achievements and commitment to service. He has published widely over the past two decades, authoring or co-authoring articles for leading academic and scientific journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, and Science.

Born in 1959 in Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Kim moved with his family to the United States at the age of five and grew up in Muscatine, Iowa. Dr. Kim graduated magna cum laude from Brown University in 1982. He earned a medical doctorate from Harvard Medical School in 1991 and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Harvard University in 1993. He is married to Dr. Younsook Lim, a pediatrician. The couple has two young sons.


Contacts:

In Washington: David Theis, (202) 458-8626, dtheis@worldbank.org

For Broadcast Requests: Natalia Cieslik, (202) 458-9369, ncieslik@worldbank.org

Visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/worldbank

Be updated via Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/worldbank

For our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/worldbank

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Posted on April 17, 2012 by A Bank Insider

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• AFP: Nigeria World Bank candidate salutes Kim, calls for change
• FT: World Bank picks Kim as next head
• Economist: Kim for president
• The Atlantic: Shocking News About the Next World Bank Boss
• BBC: Africa’s World Bank hopes dashed as Okonjo-Iweala loses
• The Telegraph: A 20th century bank facing 21st century problems
• Irish Times: World Bank accused of lack of transparency after US chief chosen

• The Conversation: Three-Card Trick: Kim is new World Bank President

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Mountain Dew and Friends Declare "This is How We DEW"

New national campaign for Mountain Dew features star-studded cast including Lil Wayne, Jason Aldean, Mac Miller, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Paul Rodriguez, Theotis Beasley and Danny Davis



Mountain Dew’s new campaign stars famous members of the Mountain Dew family and introduces the “This is How We DEW” tagline.

PURCHASE, N.Y., April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Mountain Dew (DEW) today announced the launch of a new creative campaign that enlists famous members of the DEW family to show the world what it means to "DEW you."

The campaign features seven Mountain Dew family members – music stars Lil Wayne, Jason Aldean and Mac Miller, race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., skateboarders Paul Rodriguez and Theotis Beasley and snowboarder Danny Davis – and introduces the tagline "This is How We DEW."

Launching with a 30-second television spot that features the full cast of Mountain Dew family members, the campaign will also include radio and 15-second television ads and short digital videos featuring each of the seven individually.

"Mountain Dew is about being bold and having the confidence to 'DEW you,'" said Brett O'Brien, Vice President of marketing for Mountain Dew. "These guys are all part of the Mountain Dew family because they do their own thing in their own way. We asked them to share their stories because we could think of no better way to say 'This is How We DEW.'"

The new ad marks the first collaboration between Lil Wayne and Mountain Dew since the two announced a partnership during a live Young Money music showcase at the Austin Music Hall earlier this year. The partnership, known as the DEWeezy project, will officially kick-off next month and will include the creation of a skate park in New Orleans and additional advertising featuring Lil Wayne under the "This is How We DEW" banner.


About Mountain Dew
Mountain Dew, a product of PepsiCo Americas Beverages, is the No. 1 flavored carbonated soft drink in the U.S. With its one-of-a-kind citrus taste, Mountain Dew exhilarates and quenches with every sip. In addition to original Mountain Dew® and Diet Mountain Dew®, the permanent DEW product line includes Mountain Dew Code Red®, Mountain Dew LiveWire®, Mountain Dew Throwback®, Mountain Dew Voltage® and Mountain Dew White Out®. For more information, check out www.mountaindew.com, www.facebook.com/mountaindew or follow on twitter @mtn_dew.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo is a global food and beverage leader with net revenues of more than $65 billion and a product portfolio that includes 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola – make hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet, which we believe also means a more successful future for PepsiCo. We call this commitment Performance with Purpose: PepsiCo's promise to provide a wide range of foods and beverages for local tastes; to find innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment by conserving energy and water and reducing packaging volume; to provide a great workplace for our associates; and to respect, support and invest in the local communities where we operate. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo

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