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Thursday, 30 September 2010

50 Most Powerful Women in Business (Fortune)

US: Young Chess Champ, Justus Williams, makes Master at 12!


12-year-old Justus Williams has become the youngest African-American Player to ever reach the master rating, breaking Kassa Korley's earlier record by three years.
Justus will also be representing the United States in the World Youth Championship in (Halkidiki, Greece, October 19-31).

US: Former Basketball Player Deon Taylor Ready to be the Next Tyler Perry

Jamie Foxx (L), Deon Taylor (R)

Opening this week in major markets across the United States is the horror film 'Chain Letter,' which was produced and directed by Deon Taylor, who recently joined forces with Jamie Foxx to launch a production company dubbed No Brainer Films.
Taylor is a former athlete who played professionally basketball overseas before starting a new career in the film business.
'Chain Letter' tells the tale of six friends who receive mysterious chain letters via text messages and e-mails from a maniac who warns them if they break the chain they will lose their lives. The seemingly harmless e-mails turn deadly when, one-by-one, the friends who do not forward the chain letter are hunted down and gruesomely killed by horror's newest villain, the Chain Man.
The horror film stars Nikki Reed, Keith David, Michael J. Pagan, Brad Dourif and Betsy Russell.
Black Voices caught up with Taylor as he spoke about venturing off into a new world outside of sports.
Link here.

Trailer for Chain Letter:

De Beers Sells South African Mine to Black Investors


Sept. 28 (Bloomberg) -- De Beers, the world’s largest diamond producer, sold a South African mine that has been closed for almost 40 years to black investors.
The Superkolong consortium acquired all De Beers assets at the Jagersfontein mine, including its dumps, the gem producer said in an e-mailed statement today. De Beers kept the sale price undisclosed because the transaction was private, company spokesman Tom Tweedy said by mobile phone.
Jagersfontein operated for 101 years until 1971 and has more than 13 million metric tons of tailings, or processed ore that can be reworked, De Beers said. A 995.2-carat diamond known as the Excelsior was found at the mine in 1893. The property is located in Free State province, south of Johannesburg.
Read more here.

US: Meet Jamison Reeves


Ever get the feeling that — apart from Old Spice Guy — there’s only one black man in advertising? Turns out there is: actor Jamison Reeves, the bearded, bushy haired dude with trendy glasses. He’s been in 40 — forty! — TV commercials, where he is generally cast as the non-threatening minority guy. To find out more about this interesting man, click the articles below:

Wednesday, 29 September 2010

US: A Look Inside Chris Bosh's New Miami Beach Mansion

Chris Bosh is officially a resident of Miami-Dade County. The Miami Heat star has bought a brand new seven-bedroom mansion along Miami Beach's North Bay Road, according to The Herald. The modern looking pad designed by Touzet Studio, currently decked out in all-white, features a gourmet kitchen, gym, elevator, courtyard gardens, heated infinity pool and a covered summer kitchen and barbecue area. Bosh bought the place for a cool $12.5 million, and, yes, we've got your look inside.
Source.


US: Meet Young Mogul - Diggy Simmons (Video Interview)

Michael Jordan 'NBA 2K11' Opus Trailer: Become The Greatest


In 2K Sports' new installment of their NBA 2K franchise, you can play as Michael Jordan in his greatest moments, greatest teams, and greatest journeys from past, present, and future.
Aside from some of his amazing moments, you can put him on different teams, and take them to the Finals with the help of MJ. How will you make him the greatest? Check out this crazy clip!
NBA 2k11 is in stores everywhere 10/5/2010 (USA).

Aliko Dangote, Nigeria's first billionaire cements his fortune

Source.
If you can't see video, refresh page or click on 'source'.

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

US: BV Interview with Horror Film Legend Tony Todd


While he's been in numerous films and has appeared on several TV series, Tony Todd will mostly be associated with the horror films he's done, such as 1980's remake of 'Night of the Living Dead,' the cult favorite 'Candyman,' and the 'Final Destination' series, where he was involved in the first three films. The Washington, D.C. native was also the voice of The Fallen in Michael Bay's 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.' Todd will next reprise his role as Rev. Zombie in 'Hatchet 2,' the sequel to the 2006 horror film.
Black Voices caught up with Todd as he spoke about his love for the horror genre, coming back to this slasher film, and the holdup on bringing 'Candyman' back to the screen. Link here.

US: Inspirational - Boxing Coach Gives Teens a Fighting Chance

Affluent Blacks Are More Charitable and Family Oriented


Affluent Black Americans are more apt to feel responsible for supporting elderly parents or other family members financially, according to a study by Northern Trust.
Fifty-two percent of affluent African Americans are more likely to make charitable donations to educational organizations than non-blacks (39%), according to the study. Blacks also outpace supporting religious groups (48%), compared with 44% of non-blacks, and human services organizations (47%) than non-blacks (38%). They are also more likely to make charitable donations directly, rather than setting up charitable trusts, making their financial planning and advisory needs a little different from other groups, according to officials at the financial services company. Read more here.

Maker Faire Africa 2010


The Maker Faire Africa conference provides a platform for artists, engineers and other creative people to present technological innovation and other unique endeavors. This year's show was held in Nairobi, Kenya.

US: Meet Jay Pharoah - The New Prince of Saturday Night Live


It's been more than a few years since TV staple Saturday Night Live ('SNL') featured more than one black male comedian. That changed during this weekend's premiere of the Lorne Michaels produced sketch comedy series' 36th season.
The fresh-faced and relatively unknown Jared "Jay Pharoah" Farrow made his 'SNL' debut Saturday night –appearing as box-office superstar Will Smith on the show's satirical news segment 'Weekend Update' and later showing up portraying Chris Tucker during an spoof of a sequel to 'The Expendables' action flick.
The 22-year-old – whose birthday is in a couple of weeks – reportedly grew up in the Greenbrier section of Chesapeake, Virginia, and honed his comedic skills in local comedy clubs and as a drama student at Indian River High School. Read more here.

Monday, 27 September 2010

Wal-Mart in talks to buy South Africa's Massmart



Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is in talks to buy South African wholesaler Massmart in a deal worth more than $4bn. Wal-Mart has tabled an offer of 148 rand a share, which values Massmart at about 30bn rand ($4.1bn; £2.7bn)
Declining sales in the US have led to Wal-Mart pushing into emerging markets to maintain growth. Strong sales in China, Brazil and Mexico helped it to record a second-quarter profit of $3.6bn in 2010. A firm foothold in Africa would see Wal-Mart add to its expansion plans.
"South Africa presents a compelling growth opportunity for Wal-Mart and offers a platform for growth and expansion in other African countries," said Andy Bond, executive vice-president of Wal-Mart for the region.
Read more here.

UK: Magdalene Bayim-Adomako - one of Europe’s 100 most influential businesswomen

Law Firm White & Case’s recently appointed London head of bank finance Magdalene Bayim-Adomako has been named as one of Europe’s 100 most influential businesswomen by business daily Financial News.
Bayim-Adomako is one of just two lawyers to be included on the Financial News list. Wealth planning partner Sophie Dworetzsky at specialist U.K. private client firm Withers is the other.
Earning a spot on the list caps an impressive six-month run for Bayim-Adomako, who only recently inherited sole control of the practice group after former co-head and Deutsche Bank relationship manager Chris Kandel quit with three other partners to join Latham & Watkins in February.
Bayim-Adomako handles White & Case’s relationship with UBS, having joined the firm from a senior in-house position at the Swiss financial services company in 2000. Other clients she advises include Deutsche Bank, UniCredit, WestLB, Royal Bank of Scotland, ING and JP Morgan.
Read more here.

Amosu commemorates Nigeria at 50 with a special limited-edition “Amosu Rolex Submariner”


As 1st October 2010 etches nearer, each day seems to reveal a new “Nigeria at 50″ product. Last week, Hennessy launched a special edition bottle for Nigeria’s anniversary and now British-Nigerian entrepreneur Alexander Amosu has announced details of his luxury product designed to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of independence in Nigeria.

The ‘Amosu Rolex Submariner’ is a special limited-edition item customized personally by Alexander, which will be made available from 1st October 2010 – the day Nigeria celebrates 50 years of independence.
The Oyster Perpetual Submariner is the quintessential timepiece preferred by societies' elite and with only 50 ‘Amosu Rolex Submariners’ in production, this highly limited watch is set to be the must have item for discerning professionals with a taste for elegance and sophistication. Read more here.

America's Billionaires In The Making (Forbes)


This elite group of tech moguls, hedge-funders, athletes and entertainers have a strong chance of breaking into the Forbes 400 this decade. Full list here. Some of the selected few, below.


Michael Jordan, Basketball Legend.
Estimated net worth: $500 million.
The former Chicago Bulls wonder earned $90 million in salary during his playing career. Most of his fortune now derives from endorsement deals with his biggest sponsor, Nike; he raised his stake in the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats to 80% this year.


Tiger Woods.
Estimated net worth: $500 million.
Roughly $130 million in career prize money and $900 million in revenue from endorsements, appearance fees and golf course design business since 1996. His agents, the tax man and recently divorced wife Elin Nordegren have all gotten pieces of those earnings. But he will make it to 10 figures if he starts winning again and sponsors return.


Jay-Z, Music & Fashion Mogul.
Estimated net worth: $450 million.
Jay-Z has elevated hip-hop to rock arenas, packing ballparks with Eminem this summer. If he keeps selling out monster shows money will rain down on all his ventures: the Roc Nation label, a back catalog (ownership reverts to him in 2014), Rocawear clothing royalties, a stake in the New Jersey Nets. He'll score nicely if a suitor buys Carol's Daughter, a hot beauty care line backed by Jay-Z and other celebs. He and wife Beyoncé Knowles may already be music's first billion-dollar couple.


Tyler Perry, Movie Mogul.
Estimated net worth: $350 million.
Perry writes, directs and stars in his work (which has a huge audience with black Americans), owns his two TBS sitcoms (House of Payne and Meet the Browns) and negotiates a cut of his movies' earnings. He opened his own studio in 2008 and recently purchased a 58-acre estate in the Atlanta area for $7.6 million.

Full list here.

Richard Branson: Finding the Right Balance in Business


The founder of the Virgin Group shares his views on finding time as an entrepreneur for a full family life. Link here.

US: Translation Advertising, Where Shop Meets Hip-Hop


Steve Stoute, the marketing force behind boutique advertising shop Translation, has made a living by pretty much ignoring the barriers Madison Avenue has traditionally drawn around demographics and ethnicity.
Ten years ago, Stoute left the music business — just before it tanked — and jumped into advertising and marketing. He saw an opportunity to navigate the gap that existed between corporate America and the lucrative youth market, an estimated $1.2 trillion sector that companies are eager to tap into but frequently miss the mark reaching. "Brands don't often speak to young people in a way that is representative of them," says Stoute. "What I do is contemporize a brand." But, he says, "I don't take the brand away from what it stands for. I don't change who they are in order to appeal to the next generation."
As a result, Stoute has emerged as the hip-but-safe guy for large companies like Hewlett-Packard, Target and Samsung looking to grab a piece of the youth demographic. Leveraging his background in entertainment, Stoute has accumulated an impressive lineup of deals. Read more here.

Sunday, 26 September 2010

LL Cool J Talks Def Jam Days and New Projects w/ Tim Westwood

MTV's Sway Talks to Music Superstar Drake about Touring and Live Performances

VIDEO: Interview with Poker Millionaire Phil Ivey in London


Phil Ivey, the man considered by many (pretty much all) as the best poker player in the world is in London to play poker. His main focus will be The World Series of Poker Europe tournament. Check out this new interview he did while in London.

Saturday, 25 September 2010

US: Miller Coors Entrepreneurs Series

VIDEO: Facebook Founder & CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, on Oprah


NOTE: If video does not play, it may no longer be available

Billionaire and Entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg made an appearance on Oprah recently, to announce an amazing gift. He is donating $100 million to improve education for children in Newark. 

Nayland House Opinion: Despite the cynicism in the media about the timing of this gift, The Nayland House team heaps praise on Zuckerberg for putting his money where his mouth is. Money makes the world go round and it can get things moving. And the education of our children in America (and around the world) needs everyone's attention.

The Forbes 400 - Richest Americans

Forbes recently released it's annual list of America's wealthiest people. There are some very familiar faces on the list, as well as the forever-wealthy Bill Gates sitting at the number one spot (17 years and counting). There's also an interesting new feature, which highlights up-and-coming billionaires. That explains why Jay-Z is on the cover when, by all estimates, he has only 1/10 of Warren Buffett's wealth. Jay-Z, amongst others, is profiled as a future billionaire. He still has a way to go, but we'll be watching and let you know when he gets there. To see the list and to explore those featured on the list, click here.

US: Steve Stoute Inspires Black MBA Conventioneers to Success


LOS ANGELES – Jay-Z calls marketing magnate Steve Stoute "brilliant." Interscope chairman and new “American Idol” personality Jimmy Iovine calls Stoute the “king of advertising.” And the king didn’t disappoint as he delivered a powerful message of achieving transcendent success that resonated with the thousands of National Black MBA Association conventioneers.
Sitting across from Greg Cunningham, Target’s group manager for brand marketing, at the keynote luncheon held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Stoute shared his formula that will help the overachieving throng attach wings to their advanced degrees and enable them to change the world as he has.
“I never thought once in my career that I would answer the phone and the answer would be there. I looked under every single rock possible. I thought the possibilities could come from anywhere. And some of the most remarkable circumstances in my career have come from an unexpected relationship, an unexpected circumstance. I had no idea it was coming. Very few things come into your life that are telegraphed,” says Stoute. Read more here.

What It Takes to Become a Serial Entrepreneur


For many business owners and entrepreneurs, starting a company is a once-in-lifetime experience. But for some, one just isn’t enough. This message was underscored by the members of a panel on serial entrepreneurship presented by The New York Times Small Business Summit on Thursday, September 23, in New York City.
If the term serial entrepreneur suggests something a bit sinister, it’s not without good reason—one does have to be a little crazy to start two, three, or as many as seven companies. Part of the appeal, however, seems to be the ongoing lessons the entrepreneurs learn. The more companies they start, the more mistakes they make, and the wiser they become. The failure of one business can help to inform the successful decision made in another one.
“I started several companies,” says Alex Mashinsky, whose current venture Transit Wireless recently won a bid to install cell phone service in New York City’s subways, “and I’m learning from my mistakes just as much now with my current company as I did with my first company.” Small failures were crucial components to his success, because they taught him how to adapt, change, reevaluate, and execute.
Read more here.

Colleen Payne-Nabors is one of the serial-entrepreneurs featured above. Watch the video below to see her profile on Black Enterprise Business Report:

Billionaire Branson urges investment in Zimbabwe


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire Richard Branson urged people on Monday to invest in Zimbabwe, saying the world was wrong to wait instead of helping the politically volatile, impoverished southern African nation revive itself.
Virgin Unite, the philanthropic arm of Branson's Virgin Group, has helped create Enterprise Zimbabwe, a nonprofit group connecting philanthropists and commercial investors with business and social development opportunities.
Zimbabwe has struggled to attract foreign aid and investment because of President Robert Mugabe's policies, which include a plan for local blacks to acquire 51 percent shares in foreign-owned firms, including mines and banks.
Talks to improve Zimbabwe's ties with the European Union have stalled over slow political reforms in Harare while U.S. President Barack Obama said last month he was "heartbroken" by Zimbabwe's decline.
Read more here.

Meet Ericka Dotson


Meet Ericka Dotson, the Co-Founder and Director of Marketing and Business Development of Indique Hair, a black owned company that distributes Indian Human Hair. Coming from Austin, TX (US) as a hair stylist, Ericka never expected to become a distributor of human hair… all she wanted to do was provide quality hair for her clients. Learn more here.

Friday, 24 September 2010

The Secrets of my Success - Top UK Designer Ozwald Boateng


Ozwald Boateng, 43, was born to Ghanaian immigrants and brought up in north London. He was introduced to clothes designing by his then girlfriend while studying computing at Southwark College. At 23 he left his job in IT and began making his own colourful, classically tailored suits.
The first tailor ever to stage his own fashion show in Paris, Boateng's modern take on a stuff y industry revolutionised men's tailoring and his celebrity clients include David Bowie, Will Smith, Samuel L Jackson and Mick Jagger.
In 2007, Boateng opened his flagship store on London's Savile Row, while his ready-to-wear collections are now sold around the world. He recently closed this year's London Fashion Week.
Below is a summary of his secrets for success, the full details are here.

Boateng's Secrets for Success:
- 0.1 per cent is everything.
- Take risks.
- Look for ideas everywhere.
- Carry a notebook.
- Rip up the rule book.
- First through the door takes the bullets.
- Surviving setbacks is all about belief.
- Look after yourself.
- Have a unique selling point.

More detail here.

New - Stacie Scott Turner Interview (BV Buzz)

She's the sole African-American cast member on a series set in a place often called Chocolate City. Regardless, Stacie Turner is no table-tossing, neck-rolling, Ebonics-speaking, stereotypical character one would come to expect from a 'Real Housewives' cast member; but instead she offers sophisticated sass while showcasing her business acumen on the debut season of the 'Real Housewives of DC.'
A real estate executive with a heart for philanthropy, Turner received an undergraduate degree in Finance from Howard University and her Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business.
The happily married mother of two not only talked about life as a one of the nation's capital's 'Real Housewives;' but she shared with BV Buzz her thoughts on the infamous White House crashers. Link to interview here.

US: How I Made My Millions - Super Soaker Inventor


Lonnie Johnson is the millionaire inventor of the popular Super Soaker water gun. To learn more about Lonnie, click here.

US: Bulls and Bears summer camp, where kids can try being a stock analyst

The Bulls and Bears Camp started by financial adviser Douglas Coe, is designed to introduce young people to the basics of finance in a fun way.
“We have camps in our community and throughout America that train our children’s bodies, and we need that,” Mr. Coe says. “But we also need camps to train our children’s minds.”
Though it doesn’t offer hiking in the woods, sleeping under the stars, or canoeing on a river, the Bulls and Bears Camp has been popular since its inception in 1992. The free one-week session is promoted primarily in the inner city, but any youth between fourth and 12th grade can attend. Read more here.

11 Celebrity Philanthropists

Atlantapost.com, lists some of your favourite celebrity givers. Ludacris and Tyra Banks are just two of the names featured. For the full list, click here.

Thursday, 23 September 2010

VIDEO: Halle Berry's New Fragrance Ad

US: Facebook founder to give $100 million to N.J. school district


(CNN) -- One of America's richest and youngest is giving back. Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of social-networking powerhouse Facebook, is planning on donating $100 million toward improving public schools in the troubled district of Newark, New Jersey.
The gift would be the largest known charitable donation by Zuckerberg, who Forbes magazine says is the 35th richest person in the United States with an estimated net worth of nearly $7 billion. At 26, he and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz are the youngest billionaires on the list.
The news comes just over a week before "The Social Network," a brutal (and, admittedly, fictionalized) biopic chronicling the early days of Facebook, is set to be released. By all accounts, the film doesn't cast Zuckerberg in a positive light, leading some critics to accuse him of making the donation as an image-booster.
According to an official familiar with the agreement, Zuckerberg's donation will be the first installment from a foundation financed by Zuckerberg and focused on bettering education.
Read more here.

Steve Forbes Interviews Warren Buffett and Jay-Z

Recently Jay-Z sat down with Super-Investor Warren Buffett and Steve Forbes (Editor-In-Chief of Forbes Magazine) at Buffett’s Omaha, Nebraska office. The meeting was for the first ever 400 Forbes Summit in the upcoming issue of Forbes “400 World’s Richest People List”.

Dr Dre To Launch Own Cognac


Hip hop super producer Dr. Dre. will be launching a new brand of cognac as part of a joint venture with Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records and it will be called 'Aftermath Cognac'. The drink will be hitting stores later this month and will be part of Abecassis Cognac which will also be helping to introduce a new 80-proof sparkling vodka which will be flavoured and unflavoured. This will be Dr. Dre's first alcoholic drink.

VIDEO Preview - Running Russell Simmons


The upcoming US docu-series "Running Russell Simmons" offers an exclusive peek at the life of Russell Simmons -- entrepreneur, entertainment and fashion icon, philanthropist and yogi --and the powerful team who help to keep the machine running. Simmons' assistants not only know the ins and outs of his business deals, but also have a hand in managing his family life and party planning -- a commitment that is 24/7.
Read more here.

Video link.

UK: 'We want black women!'



Major corporate firms and organisations in the UK are aiming to tempt professional black women into their ranks as a result of recent research which highlights their ability to succeed despite cultural and professional barriers.
The UK's Financial Services Authority, the National Health Service and several leading investment banks are amongst organisations who have been inspired by a report produced by London-based consultancy Diversity Practice.
The groundbreaking report called Different Women, Different Places spoke to 300 high-flying black and minority ethnic women in the UK about their experiences of the working place and the factors that empowered them to keep going in the face of ‘a glass ceiling reinforced by concrete’.
It identified a set of characteristics unique to successful black women called Factor 8. Read more here.

Oprah Winfrey makes $6m donation



Oprah Winfrey has announced she will donate $6 million to help troubled US schools. The talk show host has devoted two days of her programme, The Oprah Winfrey Show, to the problem of education in America. She revealed on Monday’s broadcast that the money will be going to six educational organisations in the US to help make public schooling better. The donation is the largest amount of money ever given by the star’s Angel Network charity organisation. Read more here.

Celebrating the Start-up Entrepreneur



Plenty of entrepreneurs would give anything for start-up advice from the likes of Steve Jobs, Larry Page and Fred Wilson. That’s why Ray Chan and his brother Chris launched StartupQuote.com, a website that gives people in the startup world access to the wisdom of their idols. Learn more here.

NIGERIA: How I moved from trading to manufacturing – Beloxxi Industries CEO

CEO of Beloxxy Industries Ltd, Mr Ezeude (with mic) conducting President Jonathan and Govs Daniel and Fashola round his buscuits factory in Agbara, in Ogun State - Photos: Kola Osiyemi
Obi Ezeude is president/chief executive officer, Beloxxi Industries Limited located in Agbara Estate, Ogun State. Beloxxi, a biscuit and sweet manufacturing company, was commissioned last week by President Goodluck Jonathan. Obi Ezeude, who studied Banking and Finance, started business in 1994 as a trader and walked into manufacturing in 2003, less than nine years after trading. He spoke to SIAKA MOMOH, BusinessDay’s Industry Editor about his business. Read more here.

Wednesday, 22 September 2010

Video: Nate Berkus Graduates From 'Oprah'

Michael Jackson estate licenses virtual 'Planet Michael'



The man who made the moonwalk famous will soon be getting a planet of his own. The Michael Jackson estate has entered a licensing deal with a Los Angeles company that will create an online virtual world based on the King of Pop called "Planet Michael."
The planet will live inside the Entropia Universe, a so-called "massively multi-player online" game that has about 100,000 active users and is run by the Swedish company Mind Ark.
The estate will work with game publisher SEE Virtual Worlds to develop the game for release in late 2011. In it, fans will be able to collect and trade virtual Jackson merchandise, and earn credits by performing challenges related to his music and dance moves. Read more here.

VIDEO: D&G and Naomi Campbell celebrate her 25-year career



Naomi Campbell talks fashion and tells us about the photographers she picked for her T-shirt celebrating 25-years in fashion.

US: Top Music Exec, L.A. Reid, Fired? Not True!

Justin Bieber (L) with LA Reid
Reports earlier this week speculated that Island Def Jam (IDJ) CEO, Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid, had been fired from his post by the heads of the Universal Music Group. However, XXL magazine has received word from an official representative of the label that the rumours “are completely untrue and without merit”.

Nayland House Opinion: The music business has been in a lot of turmoil over the last few years. It's been difficult water for any CEO to navigate, but with stars such as Justin Bieber and Young Jeezy at IDJ the future might not be so bleak.  It looks like LA Reid is safe for now, but he has a bigger task on his hands - saving his job.

New Film, The First Grader



Writer: ANN PEACOCK (The Chronicles of Narnia)
Director: JUSTIN CHADWICK (The Other Boleyn Girl, Bleak House).
Producer: DAVID M. THOMPSON, SAM FEUER, RICHARD HARDING
Cast: NAOMIE HARRIS (Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End and Dead Man's Chest), OLIVER LITONDO

Drama / 2010 / 98' / English-Kikuyu

In a small, remote mountain top primary school in the Kenyan bush, hundreds of children are jostling for a chance for the free education newly promised by the Kenyan government. One new applicant causes astonishment when he knocks on the door of the school. He is Maruge (Litondo), an old Mau Mau veteran in his eighties who is desperate to learn to read at this late stage of his life. He fought for the liberation of his country and now feels he must have the chance of an education so long denied--even if it means sitting in a classroom alongside six year-olds.

The First Grader is a heart warming and inspiring tale of one man's fight for what he believes is his right in order to overcome the burdens of his past. It is a triumphant testimony to the transforming force of education. As Maruge himself said, "the power is in the pen".

Another Real Life First Grader, Alferd Williams:

Ubisoft’s First Trailer For Michael Jackson: The Experience


Earlier this year, Ubisoft debuted Michael Jackson: The Experience, a dance game, at their E3 press conference in Los Angeles, with the help of a dance troupe, to generous applause and cheering from the crowd. While it wasn’t obvious how the game would be played at the time, this first trailer gives you an idea of what the Wii version of the game will involve. In addition, the game is also being released on the Nintendo DS and PSP. These three versions are slated for a November 23rd release. Read more here.

Tuesday, 21 September 2010

US: Video Teaser - LaLa Vasquez Talks New Show

Jay-Z Dines with Warren Buffett and Steve Forbes


It's been reported in various media outlets that Jay-Z enjoyed a meal with none another than the Value-Investing God - Warren Buffett. The third wheel (at the table), was Steve Forbes, of Forbes Magazine.
Jay-Z continues to impress all with his ability to mix and rub shoulders with true wealth builders. If you want to learn how to become a Billionaire - mix with and learn from Billionaires!
Exact details of the conversation at the dinner table have not been confirmed, but will surely be revealed in an upcoming Forbes issue. Until then we can only speculate on the wealth building information swapped at the table.
Source.

US: Billionaire Robert L. Johnson says, Teach Kids Financial Literacy to Close Wealth Gap



BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies, calls upon the U.S. Department of Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, to encourage federally funded schools to incorporate mandatory financial literacy and savings courses into existing curriculum. In remarks to participants attending the Banking Issues Forum hosted by California Representative Maxine Waters at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 2010 Annual Legislative Conference, Johnson offered a thought-provoking dialogue and encouraged a discussion to address solutions to close the wealth gap.
Read more here.

How Bono Is Undermining African Entrepreneurs (HuffPost)

Ali Hewson (Bono's wife)
By Magatte Wade (HuffPost)
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Edun, the company started by Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, is now producing most of its products in China. Edun's mission is to "encourage trade with Africa" and "celebrate the possibilities and the people of the continent." Edun "celebrates" Africans by moving the supply chain to China?
Edun's high profile failure to produce goods in Africa is devastating to the brand of Africa. Our continent already has the worst brand of any region on earth. In a world in which almost no one believes that Africans are capable enough to create successful companies, Edun's failure will quietly confirm those bigotries.
As an African entrepreneur, when I meet with potential investors, the vast majority of them are afraid of investing in an African business because they envision war, disease, and lazy Africans who can't produce quality goods. But most of the stereotypes that people have of Africa - war, coups, heat, tropical diseases, etc. - are not true of my home country of Senegal.
Read more here.

Secrets to Deejaying the Perfect Party



Idris Elba and DJ Jazzy Jeff have both mastered the art of controlling party crowds on the one's and two's. DJ Jazzy Jeff remains one of hip-hop's most accomplished deejays and has performed at a superior level for the last 25 years.
While deejaying at Remy Martin's launch party at Compound in Atlanta on Sept. 18, DJ Jazzy Jeff set the mood by playing the perfect mixture of hip-hop, pop, soul and R&B. He took party goers on a journey that began with old school hip-hop songs by Run DMC and Slick Rick and blended new school tracks by T.I., Drake and Trey Songz.
While Elba stayed away from the turntables during the Remy Martin launch party, he's also known as a highly revered deejay. During a sidebar, he joined DJ Jazzy Jeff in a conversation on both deejaying the perfect party and the future of the art form. Link here.

VIDEO: Wealth and the Black Family


Monday, 20 September 2010

15 Tips For Raising A Young Mogul (Forbes)


Forbes Magazines gives 15 tips for raising the next Diddy or Russell Simmons, link here.
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