Tuesday, February 16, 2010

FORDHAM UNIVERSITY SET STAGE FOR BIGGEST AFRICAN RENAISSANCE IN USA

NEW YORK..................All is set for the biggest African Cultural Festival in the Empire State in March 2010.Living by it's Jesuit principles.Fordham University the only Jesuit University in New York and also finding itself in an area which has the largest concentration of African immigrants in the whole of the United States(Bronx)is bringing  Africa to the rest of the world in the united States of America,with an annual African week celebration---African Cultural Festival.

The maiden edition is scheduled for March 20 to the 26, 2010 at the RoseHill Campus Bronx New York.Themed Culture and Democracy---"Using Culture as a tool to enhance   the growth of Democracy in Africa."The festival aims  to showcase Africa's contribution to world democracy and exposing Africa's diverse culture to the world.The brain behind this enterprise is the African Cultural Exchange(ACE) a vibrant student organization of Fordham University.
"We are very much delighted that this event will assemble the best African brains to look at how best our culture as Africans could be used to accelerate democracy in our continent and expose what we have as a people to the outside folks"Mike Moghi,president of African Cultural Exchange.
He stated that so far 90% of the African Embassies and consulates in the United States have given their endorsement of the festival and it's indeed going to be a big success for Africa.

Mr Moghi was very grateful to the university authorities  especially the department of African and African-American studies for collaborating with African Cultural Exchange to host the event.
He added that some people feel Africa as a continent has nothing good to offer apart from wars and stories of genocide and other un-presentable issues."Let me tell you,we are good  people  people and we have very good things to contribute to world development and our continent",All these issues will be address through a public lecture during the event.The festival will bring to the people first hand information  from Africa ,by Africans for the whole world.
 African cultural Exchange is seeking to demystify Africa.

Touching on the festival,the chairman of the Department of African and African -American studies,Professor Mark Naison explained  why his department thought it wise to collaborate with A.C.E to host the biggest African Renaissance in the US.
"The department established in 1969 have always made the teaching of African History and the promotion of African culture a major priority and with the founding of a student club (African Cultural Exchange) dedicated to those goals,we have an opportunity to transform what we teach in our classes into a major effort to show the entire university community and the rest of the world what Africans have contributed to world civilization over the centuries."
He made it clear that currently  African immigrants are contributing immensely towards the economic and cultural vitality of New York City.
"We feel we have a very special opportunity and a special responsibility to showcase African culture on our campus and the whole of New York State .This maiden edition ,we have invited a cultural troupe from Ghana,the Twereampong cultural troupe will be doing a live performance and Fordham University is looking forward to welcoming thousands of people from all walks of life and around the world to witness the maiden event of this annual festival.
The official media launch for the event is on February 22  2010 at the Flom Auditorium ,RoseHill campus,Fordham University New York at 2:30 pm.

SOURCE:EKOW SHALDERS

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Bill Clinton hospitalized in New York

Bill Clinton hospitalized in New York
By Scott Butterworth, Philip Rucker and William Branigin and Filed By Ekow Mensah-Shalders
NEW YORK…………… Former president Bill Clinton has been admitted to a hospital in New York City after suffering from chest pain and received two stents in one of his coronary arteries, his office said Thursday afternoon.
In a statement, Douglas Band, a longtime aide to the 63-year-old former president, said Clinton "was admitted to the Columbia Campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital after feeling discomfort in his chest.
"Following a visit to his cardiologist, he underwent a procedure to place two stents in one of his coronary arteries. President Clinton is in good spirits, and will continue to focus on the work of his Foundation and Haiti's relief and long-term recovery efforts," Band added.
A stent is a small mesh tube inserted into a narrowed or weakened artery to support it.
Clinton's wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, met Thursday afternoon with President Obama and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner. She "is now headed to New York City," a State Department official said Thursday afternoon. "If we have anything to add beyond that, we will, including any changes to her schedule in the coming days."
She is scheduled to leave Friday for a diplomatic trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In 2004, Clinton underwent emergency heart bypass surgery at Columbia Presbyterian. Doctors then found four major blood vessels that supply oxygen to Clinton's heart were blocked, some by as much as 90 percent.
That surgery was scheduled on short notice after Clinton had experienced prolonged chest pains and shortness of breath. Tests found that his coronary arteries were clogged.
With a family history of heart disease, plus high cholesterol and high blood pressure, Clinton had three major risk factors for a heart attack. In addition, he was known to smoke cigars and indulge in fast food during his presidency.
Before the bypass surgery, Clinton's level of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol had been measured at 114. During his last physical in the White House, his bad cholesterol was at 177. Doctors now recommend that number be less than 70.
After the surgery, Clinton blamed his heart problems in part on a genetic predisposition to heart disease on his mother's side of the family. But he also acknowledged that he "may have done some damage in those years when I was too careless about what I ate."
In March 2005, Clinton underwent a follow-up operation, to remove scar tissue and fluid from his chest cavity that resulted from the bypass surgery.
ABC News quoted an unnamed official as saying that Bill Clinton's current ailment seemed more like "discomfort...something wasn't right," rather than a health "crisis."
A friend of the former president told ABC that Clinton had been suffering from a cold and had been worn out from his recent trip to Haiti. He is the United Nations' special envoy for Haiti and, in recent weeks, has been helping lead the public campaign for donations to help that country recover from its devastating earthquake
Filed by :Ekow Mensah-Shalders