Global Arts

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Kraft Foods today launched a worldwide initiative to celebrate play and fight world hunger. Through an app on Kraft Foods’ corporate Facebook site (www.facebook.com/kraftfoodscompany), the company is encouraging consumers to upload photos of people at play. And for each photo provided, Kraft Foods will donate five meals (up to 500,000) to the United Nations World Food Programme’s Fill the Cup campaign, which aims to feed more than 20 million children around the world who go to school hungry every day.

“While play and hunger may seem unrelated, there’s a remarkable overlap between food deserts and play deserts,” said Irene Rosenfeld, Chairman and CEO. “Access to wholesome foods and safe places to play are necessary for a child’s healthy development. This is why we’ve been at the forefront of fighting hunger and promoting healthy and active lifestyles for more than a quarter century.

“Through our new corporate Facebook site, we want to create a snapshot of the world at play,” Rosenfeld said. “With a few clicks, people can fight hunger by contributing to our photo mosaic that captures the joy that comes from play.”

This “playful” initiative introduces Kraft Foods’ annual global week of service – Delicious Difference Week. From Oct. 4-9, approximately 14,000 Kraft Foods employees in 50 countries around the world will volunteer time to hunger relief and healthy lifestyles service projects in their communities. Together with Cadbury colleagues for the first time, Kraft Foods is mobilizing more volunteers in more communities for much more impact. Delicious Difference Week 2010 will be the largest employee volunteer event in the company’s history. In the United States, employees in eight states will work with community members building more than a dozen playgrounds, which translates into safe, vibrant places for 100,000 children.

In addition to the commitment to build playgrounds across the country, Kraft Foods Foundation becomes an official National Partner of KaBOOM!. As a National Partner, Kraft Foods Foundation supports KaBOOM! in its efforts to spread the message that play is critical to the development of children and to facilitate the ongoing development of tools and resources to ensure that children in communities have access to a great place to play within walking distance of their homes. Kraft Foods Foundation will serve alongside KaBOOM! as a national proponent of the importance of play and will assist in creating solutions to address the play deficit currently existing in thousands of communities nationwide.

“Kraft Foods is a wonderful corporate partner and has helped significantly bring fun and safe play places to countless kids across the United States,” said Darell Hammond, the CEO and Co-Founder of KaBOOM!. Kraft Foods, through its Kool-Aid and Oscar Mayer brands, has built 33 playgrounds in the United States with KaBOOM! since 2007.

“We’re thrilled at a partnership that will provide us with a greater platform to talk about the importance of play while partnering with the World Food Programme to fight hunger and malnutrition,” Hammond said. “At KaBOOM!, we believe play is a fundamental right, and that kids who are hungry or food insecure cannot play and cannot learn. Just as all children must have access to healthy food, they must also have access to unstructured play for their mental, emotional and physical development. A healthy and active life should be the right of every child, everywhere.”

“Hunger and malnutrition are the biggest threats to global health today,” said Monica Marshall, Head of Global Private Partnerships at the United Nations World Food Programme. “Hunger robs a child even of the energy to laugh and play, and malnutrition early on in life can have irreversible effects on a child’s physical and mental development. Investing in children means investing in the future, and everyone can make a difference in the fight against hunger. We’re excited about this new initiative, because we depend on the generosity of companies like Kraft Foods, but also because we need to engage new audiences and new communities around hunger-related issues.”

Kraft Foods has been a supporter of the World Food Programme for more than 15 years, supporting its school feeding programs in Ethiopia and most recently as a chief collaborator in Project Laser Beam, a public-private partnership to eradicate child malnutrition, starting in Bangladesh and Indonesia.

What would your life be like if you had a fabulous Hollywood lifestyle? Would you be down to earth? Would you be partying 24 hours per day?

Here is my version if I had a fabulous Hollywood lifestyle. I would travel the world more than I ever dreamed of, enjoying the different cultures and adventures the world has to offer. I wouldn't necessarily be a movie star. I would see myself more as a producer or entertainment mogul. I like to be behind the scenes and not the center of attention. Unlike Vince in Entourage, I would probably stay out of trouble and lead a less exciting life than he and his entourage.

My oldest friends would definitely be part of my entourage, of course you would have to have some of your new Hollywood friends as well. The way for me to enjoy the benefits of being famous is to always remember where I came from by giving back to my community that helped me get to my fame.

Watch "Entourage" five nights a week! Check your local listings here: http://www.entourageweeknights.com/


Disclosure: "I have been hired by Warner Bros WBWord division to raise awareness for 'Entourage.'"

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Seattle awaits Sweet Adelines International as nearly 7,000 a cappella vocalists from around the world prepare for the 2010 International Convention and Competition. Attendees will converge during the week of October 19-23, 2010 at the Key Arena where from dawn to dusk each day will be jam packed with the best in barbershop singing.

More than 70 quartets and 43 choruses are perking up their barbershop chords and will heat up the stage for five days of flavorful and rich competitions. The convention commences on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6:00 p.m., with Sweet Adelines International’s Harmony Classic Contest, featuring the top small and mid-sized choruses, all competing for the international gold. The vibrant Young Women in Harmony Festival chorus will also take the stage that evening to entertain the audience with a lively performance.

The close-harmony international quartet semifinal competitions will open on Wednesday, October 20, at 10:45 a.m. The top 10 quartets return for the finals on Friday, October 22, beginning at noon. The 2010 International Champion Quartet, Zing!, will relinquish their crowns to one winning quartet.

The chorus semifinal competitions open on Thursday, October 21 at 10:45 a.m. and only the 10 best choruses will reach the finals on Saturday, October 23, beginning at 3:00 p.m. The 2010 International Champion Chorus, Rich-Tone, will hand over the title to the 2010 champion.

On Friday morning, thousands of singers will assemble at the Key Arena Plaza for a spectacular Mass Sing performance in honor of the city of Seattle. In addition to the singing, a secret is brewing that has the potential to reach international recognition as soon as it is unveiled at the Mass Sing. Members of the community and media are invited to join Sweet Adelines International members, friends, family and fans for this unprecedented event. Mass Sing begins at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, October 22 at the Key Arena Plaza. This is a free event open to the general public.

The final day of competition features the youngest singers of Sweet Adelines International who are eager to let their voices soar in the 2010 Rising Star Quartet Contest scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. This annual barbershop contest offers an avenue for members aged 25 years and younger to present their talents by competing among 20 Rising Star quartets who are harmonizing the world from Arizona, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, Canada and New Zealand. The 2009 Rising Star Quartet Champion VOGUE, will relinquish its title to one winning quartet.

All competition sessions are open to the public. Tickets may be purchased at the Sweet Adelines International ticket office at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center beginning Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 9:00 a.m. Individual tickets range in price from $40-$45 per competition session. For more information on the Sweet Adelines International Convention call 800.992.7464, 918.622.1444 or visit http://www.sweetadelineintl.org/seattle.cfm.

Sweet Adelines International is a musical force in the United States and around the world. The organization is headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., where it was founded in 1945. This nonprofit music education organization is one of the world's largest singing organizations for women encompassing nearly 25,000 members, 1,200 registered quartets and 600 choruses in most of the fifty United States, Australia, Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, The Netherlands and Wales.

Tiny Prints is offering teachers some cards to help with their school preparation. Use coupon code APPLE2010. Offer expires Oct. 31, 2010.

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From dripping wet children plopping down on the couch after an afternoon in the sprinklers, muddy footprints tracked through the living room, and piles of musty towels found in every corner of the house, the summer can start to feel more like a chore than a vacation.

This year, after the back-to-school shopping is finished and the pencils, notebooks, and lunches are packed, it’s time to reclaim the space that once resembled your living room. For overworked mom’s ready for some peace and quiet, Sure Fit Slipcovers and Home Solutions offers some quick tips for taking back your home this fall.

• Mini Home Make-Over: You’ve pried melted Popsicle sticks off the fabric and scrubbed at Kool-Aid spills until you were red in the face, but you still can’t justify buying a whole new couch. One of the quickest ways to make a dramatic update to your home is by revamping your furniture. Sure Fit Slipcovers and Home Solutions carry a wide variety of colors and styles that are sure to update any room for the season. Try the Faux Leather Collection or to keep you feeling cozy through the cooler months.

• Carpet Clean-Up: After a summer full of sticky snacks and craft projects gone awry, your carpets are left pleading for a good cleaning. With just one simple phone call, you can have your carpets shampooed and looking brand new before the kids are even home from school.

• Lighten up with Candles: A cost efficient and simple way to rid your home of the smelly trail that the summer left behind. Choose rich, seasonal scents that will make your home feel warm, inviting, and relaxing.

• Designate Your Space: The kids have a playroom, and yet they still manage to take over your living room, kitchen, hallway, bathroom, etc… It’s about time you designate a space that is your own. Whether it’s arranging a cozy reading corner in the office, or giving your bathroom a spa-worthy makeover, it is important to have somewhere peaceful to call your own.

• Small Changes Can Make a Difference: Adding a small touch such as throw pillows to any piece of furniture is an easy and cost effective way to make any living room transition into fall. Add warm colored pillows at a super low price from Sure Fit Slipcovers and Home Solutions, available at Surefit.com .