January 31, 2022

Proposed US Capitol statue prompts revisiting of former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young’s career

Published by
The Detroit News

DETROIT — Former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young led the city for 20 years, creating a colorful but controversial legacy as the first Black mayor of Michigan’s largest city. State Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, is introducing a resolution to replace the longtime Michigan Democrats’ selection of Lewis Cass in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol with a statue of Young. The move requires the approval of the Republican-led Michigan Legislature and requires the approval of the funding to build the proposed statue. The proposed resolution is prompting a revisiting of Young’s career, including the comments … Continue reading “Proposed US Capitol statue prompts revisiting of former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young’s career”

January 31, 2022

100 LANDMARKS ACROSS THE WORLD LIGHT UP IN UNITY TO RAISE AWARENESS TO END NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES ON WORLD NTD DAY 2022

ABU DHABI, UAE, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — 100 landmarks in 32 countries lit up in unity to mark the third annual World NTD Day on January 30, 2022 including The Bell Tower in Perth, Tokyo Tower, Great Wall of China, New Delhi Railway Station, Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, Expo 2020 Dubai, Kenyatta International Convention Centre, The Rome Colosseum, Jet d’ Eau, Niagara Falls, CN Tower, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, and Christ the Redeemer.

A special focus was placed on notable landmarks in endemic countries including Bangladesh, Brazil, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Sudan. Originally announced in Abu Dhabi in 2019, the 100 ‘light ups’ aim to shine a light on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), as World NTD Day supports the goal of the World Health Organization (WHO) to eliminate at least one NTD from 100 endemic countries by 2030.

Rome Colosseum - Credit_Alessio Rubicondi

Canada Niagara Falls - Credit_Lucas Claxton - GiantShoeCreative

Philippines SM MALL OF ASIA GLOBE_Credit - Erwin Barleta

Great Wall of China, Simatai - Credit_WTown

UAE Emirates Palace - Credit_Jonathan Gibbons

Rwanda Kigali Convention Centre - Credit_Andre Rugema

UNESCO World Heritage Kinderdijk Mills - Credit_Sylvia

Kenya Kenyatta International Convention Centre - Credit_Lameck Ododo

Christ the Redeemer in Brazil - Credit_Roberto Antunes

Leaning Tower of Pisa - Credit_Vanessa Salvati

World NTD Day is a global movement that aims to galvanize the global health community and engage the public in the urgent effort to end NTDs. This year Uniting to Combat NTDs used the Day to launch the 100% Committed movement, which exists to begin securing political and financial commitments in support of the Kigali Declaration on NTDs.

Thoko Pooley, Executive Director of Uniting to Combat NTDs, said: “Today, building on the success of the London Declaration on NTDs, and recognising the changing global landscape, we are using World NTD Day 2022 as a catalyst for action. We are launching the 100% Committed campaign, a global movement to secure increased resources for neglected tropical diseases, and crucially to facilitate political leadership and ownership of NTD programmes from affected countries, through endorsements and signatories behind the new Kigali Declaration on NTDs.”

Through the UAE helmed diplomatic efforts to obtain official recognition of the day with several WHO Member States, World NTD Day was officially recognized by the WHO in May 2021. The Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi continues to play a leading role in building partnerships and supporting World NTD Day through the Reaching the Last Mile Initiative (RLM), a portfolio of global health programs focused on accelerating progress towards disease elimination that are driven by the personal commitment of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

Nassar Al Mubarak, Senior Director at the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, said: “World NTD Day represents an important catalyst to translate awareness into action – it is not only crucial for the public to know more about these diseases, but also for donors, endemic countries and other stakeholders to collaborate to bring an end to NTDs in affected countries. Over the past few decades, incredible progress has been made towards ending NTDs; however, one in five people in the most vulnerable communities around the world are still affected by these preventable and treatable diseases. We are pleased to see the Day providing a platform for raising awareness through the new 100% Committed campaign and efforts such as the light-up activation. We hope that this movement continues to gain traction and spark new partnerships and commitments necessary to beat NTDs for good.”

NTDs are a group of communicable diseases that are preventable and treatable, yet continue to affect more than 1.7 billion people worldwide, including 1 billion children. There are 20 diseases that cause immeasurable suffering – they debilitate, disfigure and can be fatal. NTDs create cycles of poverty and cost developing nations billions of dollars every year.

https://worldntdday.org/

January 31, 2022

Début du court métrage : TIME IS ETERNAL : interprété, co-écrit et produit par Berite Labelle

LOS ANGELES, le 31 janvier 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Interprété, co-écrit et produit par le mannequin et actrice Berite Labelle, basée à Los Angeles, le court métrage Time Is Eternal est la première production de Labelle en collaboration avec le cinéaste Daniel Lir. Lir a co-écrit le scénario et co-réalisé le court-métrage avec son épouse et associée, Bayou Bennett, par l’intermédiaire de Dream Team Directors.

Short Film Debut: TIME IS ETERNAL: starring, co-written and produced by Berite Labelle

https://www.beritelabelle.com
https://www.dreamteamdirectors.com/filmc343928d

Ce film de 15 minutes vous fait pénétrer dans l’esprit d’une femme écrivain de renom vivant dans le Los Angeles d’aujourd’hui, qui rédige son dernier roman, dans lequel elle imagine la rencontre fictive de deux femmes légendaires. Cléopâtre VIII, reine d’Égypte au premier siècle avant J.-C., se retrouve face à face avec l’écrivaine anglaise Mary Wollstonecraft, militante des droits de la femme et mère de Mary Shelley, auteur de Frankenstein . Une ode puissante à la force féminine, le film relate une discussion pleine d’âme entre ces deux pionnières. Connus tous deux comme passionnées et comme se battant pour une cause, la femme de pouvoir et l’écrivaine contemplent leurs approches différentes du leadership, pour aboutir à une passion commune qui s’entrelace éternellement.

Labelle joue habilement quatre rôles dans son premier film : elle incarne l’écrivaine, Cléopâtre, Wollstonecraft et une sirène, qui symbolise le fait de nager dans une autre dimension du temps.

Tournés au Paramour Estate, dans le quartier de Silver Lake à Los Angeles, dans un décor opulent du début du XXe siècle, les visuels surréalistes et oniriques sont axés sur la mode. Le styliste hollywoodien Wilford Lenov (qui a travaillé avec Saweetie, Bebe Rexha et Iggy Azalea) a fait office de costumier et s’est procuré la plupart des pièces vintage. La peintre Francie Tomalonis et la maquilleuse April Garcia ont respectivement créé les looks de Cléopâtre et de Wollstonecraft, tandis que la coiffeuse Derrika Mayweather a confectionné des perruques sur mesure pour Cléopâtre et la sirène.

Depuis octobre 2021, Labelle a fait la couverture de quatre éditions internationales de Vogue, Glamouret Harper’s Bazaar ainsi que du magazine Bold . Elle prépare actuellement un diplôme d’associé aux beaux-arts (AFA) en tant qu’actrice pour le cinéma à la New York Film Academy de Los Angeles.

Les réalisateurs de Dream Team ont collaboré avec des talents tels que Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Mackie, Juliette Lewis, Lea Michele, Coldplay, Paris Hilton et Bella Hadid, ainsi qu’avec des marques comme Adidas, Smashbox Cosmetics, Atlantic Records et Chrome Hearts. Leur court-métrage de 2019, Tombstone Pillow, a été largement acclamé et a remporté 33 prix.

Les liens de visualisation et l’imagerie sont disponibles sur demande pour un article éventuel.
Berite Labelle est disponible pour une interview.
Veuillez contacter la direction, Tracy Paul & Company : [email protected]

Lien de la bande-annonce : https://vimeo.com/647101977/93b38e9197

Crédit photos : CHRISTOPHER SCOTT
https://www.cscottcreative.com
https://instagram.com/cscott_creative?utm_medium=copy_link

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1735716/TIME_IS_ETERNAL_Poster.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1735715/TIME_IS_ETERNAL_Set_Still.jpg
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1735714/TIME_IS_ETERNAL_Berite_Labelle.jpg

January 31, 2022

Short Film Debut: TIME IS ETERNAL: starring, co-written and produced by Berite Labelle

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Starring, co-written and produced by Los Angeles-based model and actress Berite Labelle, the short film Time Is Eternal is the debut production for Labelle in collaboration with filmmaker Daniel Lir. Lir co-wrote the script and co-directed the short with his wife and business partner, Bayou Bennett through Dream Team Directors.

https://www.beritelabelle.com
https://www.dreamteamdirectors.com/filmc343928d

The 15-minute film takes you inside the mind of a renowned female writer in present-day Los Angeles, who is penning her latest novel, which imagines the fictional meeting of two legendary women. Cleopatra VIII, queen of Egypt during the first century B.C., comes face to face with the English writer-women’s rights activist Mary Wollstonecraft, also the mother of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley. A powerful ode to female strength, the film chronicles a soulful discussion between these two trailblazers. Both known as lovers and as warriors for a cause, the fighter and the writer contemplate their differing approaches to leadership, culminating in a shared passion that intertwines eternally.

Labelle deftly champions four roles in her debut film—playing the writer, Cleopatra, Wollstonecraft, and a mermaid, who symbolizes swimming through another dimension in time.

Shot at The Paramour Estate in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, with opulent early twentieth century period décor, the surreal, dreamlike visuals have a fashion focus. Hollywood fashion stylist Wilford Lenov (who has worked with Saweetie, Bebe Rexha and Iggy Azalea) served as costume designer, sourcing mostly vintage pieces. Painter-turned-makeup artist Francie Tomalonis and makeup artist April Garcia respectively created the looks of Cleopatra and Wollstonecraft, while hair stylist Derrika Mayweather crafted custom wigs for Cleopatra and the mermaid.

Since October 2021, Labelle has covered four international editions of Vogue, Glamour and Harper’s Bazaar as well as Bold magazine. She is currently pursuing an Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree in Acting for Film at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles.

Dream Team Directors has collaborated with talent such as Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Mackie, Juliette Lewis, Lea Michele, Coldplay, Paris Hilton and Bella Hadid, plus brands including Adidas, Smashbox Cosmetics, Atlantic Records and Chrome Hearts. Their 2019 short film, Tombstone Pillow, has drawn widespread acclaim and won 33 awards.

Viewing links and imagery are available by request to consider coverage.
Berite Labelle is available for interview.
Please contact management, Tracy Paul & Company: [email protected]

The trailer link: https://vimeo.com/647101977/93b38e9197

Crédit photos: CHRISTOPHER SCOTT
https://www.cscottcreative.com
https://instagram.com/cscott_creative?utm_medium=copy_link

January 31, 2022

NFT Charity Auction Launched to Help Vulnerable Displaced Afghans

World renowned authors, digital and fine arts artists, NFT influencers, and professional footballers participate in Mars Panda NFT Charity Auction in support of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

SINGAPORE, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Mars Panda, an all-in-one aggregation blockchain platform, has launched a charity NFT (Non-fungible tokens) auction in support of UNHCR’s humanitarian efforts for vulnerable displaced Afghans.

Caption will be: © UNHCR/Andrew McConnell (The photo cannot be saved/edited/changed and can only be used in line with this press release)

The Mars Panda NFT charity auction in support of UNHCR (https://unhcr.marspanda.world) will take place from January 31, 2022 to March 4, 2022 and feature over 30 NFTs that world-renowned authors, digital and fine arts artists, NFT influencers, and professional footballers have pledged to the auction. All proceeds from the charity auction, minus administrative and operational costs, will be donated to UNHCR in support of vulnerable displaced families affected by the Afghanistan emergency.

“The relentless influx of wealth and interest in NFTs are perfect ingredients to make them a force of good. NFTs have empowered everyone to convert their art and creativity into meaningful actions targeting social and humanitarian issues,” said Kevin Pang, CEO, Mars Panda World.

Among the VIP contributors are world-renowned authors and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors Khaled Hosseini and Neil Gaiman, illustrator Dan Williams, Thai Venerable and UNHCR Patron Phra Medhivajirodom.

Neil Gaiman has donated a UNHCR produced film of his poem What You Need To Be Warm which includes a never-previously-published message from Neil on the writing of the poem and its development into a film. Winning bidders of this NFT will also receive a copy of The Sandman signed by Neil Gaiman with a personalized message.

Dan Williams has donated 17 original ink and watercolour illustrations from Sea Prayer, a short book by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns). Winning bidders will also receive a copy of Sea Prayer signed by Khaled.

Venerable Phra Medhivajirodom has painted a one-stroke painting specifically for this charity auction. The Venerable has also blessed the artwork for the New Year.

The VIP NFTs will be auctioned for 1 week only, between January 31, 2022 to February 6, 2022. NFTs from other contributors, including Valencia F.C. footballers, Hunn Wai and Dark Zodiac will be auctioned from February 7, 2022 to March 4, 2022.

In recent months, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has dramatically worsened, resulting in significant new displacement of civilians. 24.4 million people – 55% of the population – are in need of humanitarian assistance in 2022, a staggering 30% increase from last year.

Harsh winter weather has also forced road closures in many provinces, as well as disrupted flights to and from Kabul Airport, including those carrying emergency assistance and supplies.

Despite this, UNHCR’s emergency response in Afghanistan continues. The humanitarian agency has been scaling up winter support and cash assistance to the most vulnerable displaced families. In the course of 2021, UNHCR assisted 1.1 million displaced and vulnerable people and helped 3 million people with improved access to infrastructure and services.

UNHCR and partners’ ability to further ramp up emergency preparedness and response interventions is greatly dependent on the timely availability of resources.

NFTs or non-fungible tokens are digital collectibles represented by code on a decentralised digital ledger called a blockchain. Each NFT can be bought and sold like a physical item, but the blockchain keeps an unalterable record of its ownership and transaction history. NFTs experienced a meteoric rise last year, with the most expensive one sold for nearly USD$70 million at the Christie’s auction house.

Mars Panda is a unique platform that has a know-your-customer (KYC) process to identify and verify each client when they open an account. This has allowed it to be chosen as the NFT platform to power Singapore’s inaugural NFT charity auction, Blockchain for Good by Blockchain Association of Singapore, which raised more than SGD$400,000 in September 2021 for the National Trade Union Council U-Care Fund and subsequently also supported local Singapore newspaper, The Straits Times, with its first-ever NFT auction, where over SGD$21,000 was raised for The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

Visit the Mars Panda Charity Auction in support of UNHCR here.

Note to Editors: Mars Panda is currently pending approval from the Singapore Commissioner of Charities to conduct campaign activities in Singapore. In the interim, the campaign will commence outside Singapore, and exclude Singapore residents from participating.

About Mars Panda

Mars Panda is a complete eco-system which consists of:

NFT Marketplace
Games Ecosystem consisting of native Mars Panda game with NFT game and play to earn elements
Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and TradeFi

We aim to fuse mainstream eCommerce and Gaming to the crypto world of NFTs and DeFi, on one seamless, unified platform that will evolve into an all encompassing metaverse.

About UNHCR

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution.

We lead international action to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people.

We deliver life-saving assistance, help safeguard fundamental human rights, and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place called home where they can build a better future. We also work to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality.

We work in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.

Media Contact:
Nicole Chua, [email protected]

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1736238/1.jpg

January 31, 2022

Journalists From 55 African Countries Join Press Conference Hosted By Shincheonji Church

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Media outlets from 55 African countries joined a press conference hosted by Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, on January 28th. The event included remarks from Shincheonji Church Chairman Man Hee Lee and highlights regarding the church’s latest series, titled, “Testimony on the Parables of the Secrets of Heaven and Their True Meanings.” The press conference was planned at the request of African reporters and pastors throughout the continent.

Africa Press Conference of Shincheonji Church

Shincheonji Church’s newest online seminar on the parables of Jesus began January 3rd and continues through March 28th. It follows the successful completion of the church’s previous series, which testified the prophecies and fulfillment recorded in the Book of Revelation for 10 weeks in 2021 from October 18th through December 27th. Cumulative views on YouTube so far have reached 8 million. As a result of this Revelation seminar, Shincheonji Church has signed MOUs with more than 1,200 pastors and seminaries in 57 countries. Of that total, 235 MOUs were signed in 16 countries in Africa.

“I wish everyone across the world will come and study the word from Shincheonji seminar to change people’s lives,” said Stephen Ogwang, secretary general of Born Again Churches in Uganda.

About 300 journalists participated in the January 28th press conference. Chairman Lee, who answered questions about the seminars and MOUs, asked all press associates to promote that there is a testimony on the prophecy and fulfillment of Revelation and that the secrets of the kingdom of heaven are available to everyone.

“Testimony on the Parables of the Secrets of Heaven and Their True Meanings” is broadcast twice a week through the Shincheonji Church YouTube Channel in 24 different languages.

Visit the Shincheonji Americas website for more information: www.scjamericas.org

MEDIA CONTACT: Gina Del Gigante, 16466287365, revelation@scjamericas.com

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1736581/Photo_Main_Image.jpg