Look To The Stars News: Barack Obama

Honeys We Love: Eric DeArmon

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:30:00 -0000

For this week’s Honeys We Love interview, Look To The Stars caught up with Eric DeArmon. Frontman for The Truthseekers – an 8-piece, New York-based “funk-n-soul machine” – Eric recently contributed a refreshingly original song, “Brighter Day”, to Amy Sewell and Susan Toffler’s documentary “What’s Your Point, Honey”.

What’s Your Point, Honey brings attention to the gender inequalities in political leadership. They seek to change that by introducing seven young women who have what it takes to seek and win the Presidency. The seven were chosen by an initiative called Project 24 which, along with the support of The White House Project and CosmoGirl!, aims to have a female President by the year 2024.

What impressed you most about the young women profiled in the documentary?

What impressed me most were the little girls. I felt like they were so pure and so real and so honest, and I really loved that. As far as the older girls, I think that what impressed me the most was the experience. You know, the opportunity to have this experience just as individuals, not as women going for the Presidency, but just that they would have that much energy, drive and desire for these things. I think that we spend a lot of time dividing each other up, whether it’s between political parties, or agenda, or sports teams, or whatever. My point about being divided is that our society tends to focus more on the differences than the similarities. These women – they are leaders, and to my knowledge most people are not. Most people are waiting for someone to tell them what to do. They were leaders moving in the direction that not everyone is comfortable in choosing. I think that is inspiring.

What do you think we can do to encourage younger girls to choose more leadership roles?

I think focusing on equality is the thing. One of my co-workers said the other day that there are more women than there are men in the world, and that it was odd that women are still considered a minority. My general philosophy in life is to do what makes you most happy, but take your own path and invent a new way of being. I feel like a lot of times we all fall prey – and maybe women more – to this trap of women getting into a man’s world. The focus shouldn’t be so much about trying to match up to men as it should be just creating your own path. I would encourage women to do what they do best, and embrace that.

That is good advice for everybody, not just women.

Exactly.

Who do you feel is a great role model for young women?

Helen Keller comes into my mind, just as far as a revolutionary and somebody who certainly made her own way. I am thinking of spiritual women, too. There is this woman, Shakiti Gwain, who does creative visualization, which I think is cool. It’s funny, because I definitely have a lot of women in my life, and I always seem to be involved creatively with them. I think men – mostly because of how they are represented in society and stuff – are the protectors or the conquerors. What is great about women is how open they are and how giving they are – how much they have to offer. I just find in working with men that their ego gets involved a lot. Whereas women [are] more often open and willing to get their hands dirty, and are extremely helpful and giving.

As far as politics – I wasn’t really pulling for Hillary. I guess I was more in the Obama camp. I am all about doing something in a different way. That is the whole thing with my band, The Truthseekers – it’s like, this is my sound, my voice, our music. Individuality is important. When I think about equality and I think about women, I think of the same thing. I have a seven-year-old son, and often we are in the playground. It is great because you have these little boys and little girls that haven’t been too tainted by the world, and it is always interesting to me that the little boys tend to gravitate towards the things that the little boys gravitate towards, and the little girls gravitate towards the things that little girls gravitate towards. So, there is always the question of nature and nurture, too, and how that plays a part. I think that I would say to women or to everyone, is be unique. Don’t follow the crowd.

Audio preview

Celebrity "Doodle" Auction Sets Sales Record

Wed, 21 May 2008 10:33:35 -0000

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (20 May 2008) – The gavel has pounded, the auction has ended, and NF, Inc., the national non-profit organization that supports families affected by Neurofibromatosis, has set a new sales record for its celebrity “Doodle” auction.

The National Doodle Day celebrity “Doodle” auction, which began on May 8, has quadrupled its earnings from the auction, netting over $28,000. This year’s top ten celebrity Doodles include those donated by Gillian Anderson ($2,749.99), Neil Gaiman -Doodle #1 ($1,325.00), Seth Green ($882.00), Neil Gaiman – Doodle #2 ($660.00), Mark Snow ($611.00), David Duchovny ($610.00), Scarlett Johansson ($565.00), Garry Trudeau ($523.52), Jimmy Pickering ($517.49), and Wanda Sykes ($500.00).

“We are thrilled with this year’s auction results,” said Rosemary Anderson, a board member for NF, Inc. “We were hoping to increase last year’s total, but have been blown away by the bidding this year. Our heartfelt thanks go to all the celebrities, cartoonists, illustrators, artists, authors, musicians, and NF friends and relatives who generously donated Doodles or other items, and the wonderful people who bid on them.”

Last year’s auction, featuring a Doodle from presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama, netted nearly $7,000 for NF, Inc. The high bidder paid $2,075 for a picture that the Illinois senator drew while presiding over the Senate.

All proceeds raised from the auction will benefit NF Inc.’s education, advocacy, and coalition programs as well as research for treatments and a cure.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic disorder that affects one in every 2,500 births, and is more common than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy and Huntington’s Disease combined. This progressive disorder affects all races, all ethnic groups and both sexes equally; there currently is no cure. Approximately half of all cases are the result of a spontaneous genetic mutation in a family with no history of neurofibromatosis.

To see the all of the 168 celebrity Doodles, visit www.doodledayusa.org. For more information about NF, please visit www.nfinc.org.

Time's 100 - Oprah By Michelle Obama

Tue, 20 May 2008 10:11:40 -0000

Michelle Obama, wife of presidential hopeful Barack Obama wrote the tribute to Oprah for this year’s Time 100 list.

“Oprah is a wonderful friend and an incredible force. Her friendship and support have meant so much to Barack and me.

“As Barack often says about his own life, Oprah’s story is one that truly could happen only in America. After the struggles she endured as a young girl, she became a popular talk-show host with a national following. But she didn’t stop there. Using her platform to serve as a global role model, she challenges us to make the world as it is the world as it should be. And she is always the first to show us how it can be done.

“In the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of watching Oprah inspire thousands of Americans to participate in our democracy. She has also reached out to thousands more who might not have known there was a seat for them at the table at all—people who desperately need a voice.

“Over the past 20 years, Oprah, 54, has developed and nurtured a relationship with her viewers and readers built on the recognition that there is more that unites us than divides us—that our shared experiences in work, life and love, in family and community, in our hopes and dreams, know no barriers; that regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status or hometown, we are our brothers’ keepers, our sisters’ keepers.

“For this impact on all of us, I am honored to honor Oprah, the only person to make this list every year since it began.”

Obama, a lawyer, serves on the board of directors of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Springsteen Shows His Heart

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:13:18 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Bruce Springsteen recently showed a young special needs boy at one of his concerts exactly why he is still one of the biggest and best acts in rock.

Charity Buzz, an online auction site, is currently selling tickets to a number of Springsteen’s shows in a giant, ongoing auction to raise funds for Musicians on Call and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, and the 58-year-old superstar took time out from one of his concerts to meet a winning bidder last week. The rocker left the stage during his show at the Toyota Center in Houston, Dallas, on April 14 to talk with the boy, who was confined to a wheelchair. The boy’s mother, who cried tears of happiness over the singer’s generous act, said he shared a conversation with her son and had his photo taken with the young fan.

The concert took place just a few days before the death of Spingsteen’s longtime keyboardist, Danny Federici, who passed away from melanoma on April 17 at the age of 58.

“Danny and I worked together for 40 years – he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician,” said Springsteen. “I loved him very much…we grew up together.”

As well as raising funds for Musicians on Call and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund through his auctions, Springsteen is also set to play some spectacular benefit gigs over the next few weeks. The first of these will take place at the Greensboro Coliseum on April 28, and will raise money for Project Green Leaf, an organization dedicated to sustaining local agriculture by strengthening community between farmers and consumers. The singer heard about the cause through the World Hunger Year organization, which he has supported for a number of years. As well as collecting money for the cause on the night, Springsteen has also donated tickets to the show to a charity auction being held over at www.charityfolks.com.

Springsteen will also perform a benefit concert at the Count Basie Theatre in New Jersey on Wednesday, May 7, to benefit the historic Count Basie Theatre and help offset the cost of the renovation and restoration of the theatre that will begin this summer. A portion of the concert proceeds will also support other programs and operations at the Theatre. Springsteen’s wife and bandmate, Patti Scialfa, serves on the Board of the Basie Foundation and as Honorary Chair of the Capital Campaign.

“We are excited that Bruce Springsteen will be performing a benefit concert and deeply appreciate his willingness to help preserve and restore the Basie,” said Rusty Young, CEO of the Basie Foundation.

Tickets are available to the public through an online “Make Your Best Offer” auction at www.countbasietheatrefoundation.org.

Springsteen has also thrown his substantial musical weight behind the Barack Obama presidential campaign.

“He has the depth, the reflectiveness, and the resilience to be our next President,” said Springsteen. “He speaks to the America I’ve envisioned in my music for the past 35 years, a generous nation with a citizenry willing to tackle nuanced and complex problems, a country that’s interested in its collective destiny and in the potential of its gathered spirit. After the terrible damage done over the past eight years, a great American reclamation project needs to be undertaken. I believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to lead that project and to lead us into the 21st Century with a renewed sense of moral purpose and of ourselves as Americans.”

I guess you could say that Springsteen thinks Obama was “born to run” the country.

Celebrity Doodle Sale For Genetic Disorder

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:48:44 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

One of the most exciting celebrity auctions of the year will take place in May to raise funds for an organization supporting sufferers of a painful and disfiguring condition.

National Doodle Day will kick off on May 8 as part of Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month, and will mark the start of a week-long auction of over 100 celebrity doodles from stars such as Ellen DeGeneres, Scarlett Johansson, and Goldie Hawn. Money from the doodles, which were hand-drawn by each celebrity on a 5” by 8” card, will benefit Neurofibromatosis, Inc., a national organization that supports NF patients, their families, and research into the disorder.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is one of the most common genetic disorders in the Untied States, affecting one in every 2,500 births. It is a disorder of the nervous system that causes tumors to form on the nerves anywhere in the body at any time, and can lead to disfigurement, deafness, blindness, seizures, bone deformities, and cancer. Half of the children born with the condition have no family history of the disorder, so it can strike in any family without warning.

The doodle auction runs from May 8 to 18, and follows a successful auction run by the organization last year that featured one-of-a-kind works of art from Cindy Crawford, Kathy Griffin, Kenny G, Josh Groban, Jay Leno, Rick Springfield, Donald Trump, and The Fonz himself, Henry Winkler. However, the highest bid went to a drawing from Barack Obama, which sold for a massive $2,075.

Funds raised from the Doodle Day auction this year will go to support education, advocacy, coalitions, and research for treatments and a cure. Other stars who have put their drawing skills to good use include Gillian Anderson, Candice Bergen, Jeff Bridges, David Cassidy, Dom DeLuise, Garfield creator Jim Davis, Julia Louis Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Seth Green, and many more. There is also an autographed photo and NCIS call-sheet from Mark Harmon on offer.

To view the doodles for sale, visit the Doodle Day website or www.nfinc.org.

Idol Gives Back On Wednesday

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:11:53 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

It will be raining philanthropic celebrities on Wednesday night when American Idol Gives Back airs on the Fox Network. The “star clouds” are set to burst with a gala of music, fun, appearances, and surprises – all in the name of charity.

Idol host Ryan Seacrest will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which was taped in front of a lively audience at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday night, and producers expect this year’s event to raise over $100 million for charity.

“Tonight isn’t just about raising money,” said Brad Pitt, one of the many guests to attend the gala. “Sometimes, to help people, we’ve got to travel outside of our comfort zone to really understand another situation.”

Pitt’s Make It Right campaign, which he launched to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, is one of many good causes to benefit from the event, which last year netted over $76 million for charity. Other organizations to benefit this year include the Global Fund, Malaria No More, the Children’s Health Fund, Save the Children, and the Children’s Defense Fund.

“It’s not about self-promoting,” said former Idol winner Carrie Underwood, who will perform on the show. “It’s not about singing your latest single. It’s not about trying to be the most downloaded whatever on iTunes. It’s all about getting people to call in and do something.”

Viewers of the show on Wednesday can expect performances by Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Miley Ray Cyrus, Annie Lennox, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, and Sheila E., as well as a surprise duet between Fergie and Heart. The show will also be sprinkled with appearances from Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Reese Witherspoon, and pre-taped messages from David and Victoria Beckham, Kiefer Sutherland, Ellen DeGeneres, Jim Carrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama will also be shown.

Gates Talks Innovation, Philanthropy and Post-Retirement Plans

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:15:29 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Microsoft frontman Bill Gates spoke to students at Stanford earlier this month, praising young people for their innovation, and raising awareness for philanthropic work.

The talk began with a spoof video, during which Gates detailed his post-retirement plans. After retiring from his job at Microsoft later this year, Gates has a goal to break into the music industry. But, in the video, Jay-Z doesn’t have the heart to tell him that his chances are slim. And Bono tells him there is no chance of replacing The Edge as U2’s guitarist.

“Bill, we’ve, uh, we’ve talked about this before. We’re full up in the band, Bill. All positions are filled. I know… I know… I can’t just replace Edge because you got a high score on Guitar Hero.”

Bono continues, Office-style, “Bill’s always had a passion for music… and as long as it’s not my music, I’m fine with that.”

During the spoof, Gates also considers a career in film, and goes to director Steven Spielberg for help. Spielberg does what he can, though George Clooney isn’t so hot on the idea.

The video goes on to show Gates asking Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama if he can be their running mate, and finally calling Al Gore.

“No, it’s not an inconvenient time… Yeah, I get it. That was a good one,” says Gore.

After the video, Gates returned his Stanford talk to the topics at hand. “One of the best investments any company makes is in its research group and in the relationship its research group has with universities,” Gates said. “Students have really been at the heart of a lot of breakthroughs.” Microsoft announced that same day that it is making its software development tools available to high school and college students at no cost.

Gates then discussed his plans to work full-time with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, stating that his focal point is curing diseases, particularly life-threatening diseases in the Third World. He pointed out that there is a ratio of about 50 to 1 in the spending on finding a cure for baldness vs. finding a cure for malaria.

The foundation was famously pledged $37 billion by Warren Buffett in 2006, having already made grants totalling $10.5bn in the previous 12 years. Commenting on Buffett’s donation to the fund, Bill Gates said, “It is a big challenge to make sure this money gets used in the right way, but it is one we are thrilled about.” And soon, Gates will be dedicating his entire working day to doing just that.

Editorial: What Motivates Giving?

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:16:31 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

What motivates giving? This question has been asked of a number of philanthropy websites as part of this month’s Giving Carnival, and Look To The Stars has been invited to join in the discussion.

Hope is what motivates giving. People need to have hope for a better future. Once they feel hope for the future they are more free to explore ways in which they can help. I constantly come across charities and causes while working on Look To The Stars, and the ones that really grab my attention are not those that say, “We are desperate for help!”, but those that say, “We have done so much already, and here is how you can help us solve this problem.”

Picture a child looking at a messy room. He sees an unending and exhausting future. What the child needs is help to see that the task isn’t impossible, and that progress is inevitable. Once he sees that, he has hope, and he can start taking steps to clean things up.

Before supporting an organization, I want to see that it is making a difference. I want the group’s actions to give me hope that they will achieve their goals, and then I want to see how my donation is going to offer hope to others.

An example that really excited me is Oxfam’s Unwrapped campaign. I looked at the site and could clearly see how my donation could make a difference in the lives of others. I could picture how so many lives could be helped with such a simple act, and I felt hope.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama is employing hope to excite voters across the U.S. His great success with fundraising and his sweeping wins of the last ten states seem to show that people do respond to a message of hope.

Celebrities who understand that hope is the key are able to carry their fans along on their philanthropic journeys, sharing the excitement that comes with being able to make a positive difference to the world. A classic example is Bono, who tirelessly manages to remind people that there is suffering in the world, while still offering a silver lining.

Celebrity economist Jeffrey Sachs and his Millennium Promise Alliance created hope and won countless supporters by showing that an enormous problem like poverty can be solved with clear, simple goals. More than 400,000 people across Africa are giving their time to this project. They have enough hope that poverty can be eradicated that they are there now, making a difference to hundreds of thousands of people.

Hope is a good feeling, and good people – like those who donate time or money to worthy causes – thrive on feeling it.

What do you think? Post your comments below.

For more on this topic from other participants of the Giving Carnival, visit ASmallChange.net starting Monday, February 25th.

Celebrities Put Their Votes Where Their Hearts Are

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:44:49 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Celebrity endorsement and music have been essential features of political campaigns for the last 70 years. One of the earliest examples dates back to 1932, when Franklin D. Roosevelt used “Happy Days Are Here Again” as the theme song to his first presidential campaign. It eventually became the unofficial anthem for the Democrats, was used for years afterwards, and set a new standard in the way elections were campaigned.

Jump forward to 1960 and you find crooner Frank Sinatra openly supporting the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy by singing a specially revised version of “High Hopes”. Jump forward further and you will hear the Republicans of 1988 singing the chorus of Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” (although McFerrin later asked them to stop using it).

And who can forget Bill Clinton blowing his saxophone along to Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop” in 1992?

In 2008, it looks as though celebrity endorsement and music are set to be important parts of the Presidential Election once again, with a number of celebrities throwing their support into candidates’ campaigns. But although many stars are openly backing particular campaigns, their message this year has a deeper meaning.

“If we want to stop the war, if we want to get the economy better, I think that young people need to understand they have to take matters into their own hands,” said Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. “It is really like waking up a sleeping giant.”

The 38-year-old Hip Hop star and fashion designer believes that it is more important than ever for young people to go out and vote, and that the voice of youth will be an defining factor in this year’s election.

“A lot of young people have decided that this is their future. This president is going to decide their future,” said Combs, who launched the Citizen Change campaign in 2004 to encourage young voters. “I didn’t really want to get in the political game but I wanted to see young people become empowered. That’s where my attention is at. To have an African-American man and a woman in, it’s going to go down in history as the most historical election. And I think that young people will have a hand in the result.”

Last Tuesday saw 20 states in America hold primary elections to determine the eventual Democratic and Republican nominees for president, with Senator Hillary Clinton up against Senator Barack Obama for the Democrats, and Senator John McCain against former Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republicans.

And it seems that all of the candidates have pulled together an impressive list of celebrity backers. McCain has received endorsements from Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Tom Selleck, while Romney is being backed by the likes of Pat Boone and Donny Osmond. On the Democrats’ side, Clinton has received endorsements from Barbra Streisand, Danny DeVito, Sally Field, Magic Johnson, Steven Spielberg, and Jack Nicholson, while Obama has attracted the support of celebrities such as Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Jessica Biel, Usher, Edward Norton, Hulk Hogan, Robert DeNiro, and Forest Whitaker.

23-year-old actress Scarlett Johansson is another star to show her support for Barack Obama, and last week recorded a message that was played to hundreds of voters in California over the telephone. She stated in the message that a vote for the Illinois senator was the last chance to “turn a page on the polarizing politics of the past”. This was followed by George Clooney adding his name to the supporters list at the annual Oscar Nominees’ Lunch last week.

“I’ve been an Obama guy for a year and a half and I’m very excited by his campaign,” he said. “It just seems that the more time he’s out there, his numbers keep growing. So I’m very, very encouraged.”

Johansson has also showed her support by taking part in the massive new internet campaign to increase the youth vote for Barack Obama. Led by Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am, the campaign features a music video that is taking YouTube by storm. Yes We Can took the singer two days to record and film, and has attracted almost 2 million views since it was released last Friday.

The Hip Hop star was inspired to write the song after watching Obama’s speech following the Democrat’s loss to Clinton in the New Hampshire primary election.

“It was as if he was talking to me,” said will.i.am. “It was as if he was talking to and defending everything that made me who I am. I took that speech, and I wanted everyone else to be inspired by that speech as I was.”

The song features Obama’s speech set to music, and includes appearances by John Legend, Kate Walsh, Nicole Scherzinger, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Herbie Hancock. Although it was not commissioned by Obama, he saw it on Saturday and has embraced it.

“After nearly a year on the campaign trail, I’ve seen a lot of things that have touched me deeply, but I had to share this with you,” Obama’s wife, Michelle, said in an e-mail to supporters. “Sharing this video, which was created by supporters, is one more way to help start a conversation with your friends, family, co-workers, and anyone else who will be voting soon about the issues important to them in this election.”

But will.i.am insists the point of the song is not just to stir up votes for the first-term senator, but to “remind people how powerful they are. The idea of ‘Yes We Can’ doesn’t stop because he doesn’t win.”

There are currently several organizations that are being backed by celebrities to encourage young people to vote, including Declare Yourself and Rock the Vote, both of which are using the internet to raise the awareness of youth prior to this year’s election.

“The Internet and technology empowers people,” said will.i.am. “And the ‘Yes We Can’ song is proof that they don’t need a big record company or a big movie company . . . to go out and captivate people’s attention.”

But whether celebrity endorsement actually affects the votes is still a matter of contention. According to a study carried out by the Pew Research Centre in September, “political endorsements generally have little impact on voter preference”. The research found almost 70% of Americans polled said that if told a celebrity endorsed a presidential candidate, it would not affect their vote. And of the 30% who said an endorsement would influence them, 15% said it would make them more likely to vote for the endorsed candidate while the other half said they would be less likely to do so.

But if history is anything to go by, it won’t stop the celebrities from having their say.

Vanity Fair Charity Issue Edited By Bono

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:35:36 -0000

Written by Saskia Akyil

Bono is putting his philanthropic energy into Vanity Fair’s July 2007 special issue about Africa. The issue has 20 different cover photos of high-profile individuals, all taken by renowned photographer Annie Liebowitz.

The magazine includes information about the issues and charities supported by actors, athletes, models, politicians, musicians, activists, and billionaire philanthropists, all of whom are using their celebrity status and the publicity they receive to bring attention to the complex set of problems faced by the inhabitants of Africa.

Africa is a continent with great need, and has been given a disproportionately low amount of attention and aid from wealthy nations. It is the first Vanity Fair issue to have a guest editor, and Bono’s highly publicized commitment to aiding Africa makes him an obvious choice for editor of this issue. In recent years, celebrities have used their status to bring a great deal of attention to Africa.

The covers of the Africa issue include portraits of: Bono, Barack Obama, Queen Rania, George Bush, Condaleeza Rice, Muhammad Ali, Desmond Tutu, Brad Pitt, Djimon Hounsou, Madonna, Maya Angelou, Chris Rock, Warren Buffett, Melinda & Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Iman, and Don Cheadle.

The issue features numerous in-depth articles about a variety of subjects concerning Africa, including: Kenya; Desmond Tutu and the fight for equality in South Africa and worldwide; Tunisia’s success and the threat of Islamic extremism; the role of China in fueling some of the conflict in Africa; Jeffrey Sachs dream of how to eradicate extreme poverty; the consumer-action strategy of (Product) Red to make miracle AIDS treatment drugs accessible to the millions who need them; the role of the Congo’s blacklisted airline pilots in keeping trade flowing; Bill Clinton’s stories of Nelson Mandela African music; Africans defying the status quo of poverty, disease, and corruption; suggestions for platform topics for the US 2008 presidential election; the genetic data that links all people on Earth to Africa; identifying the current literary talents of Africa; Princess Diana’s post-divorce charity work, in particular her mission to ban land mines; and the Africa connection of the high-profile individuals on Vanity Fair’s July 2007 issue covers.

The Vanity Fair website offers links and information about Africa, charities that benefit the continent, and full-text versions of some of the articles.

Look To The Stars News: Barack Obama

Honeys We Love: Eric DeArmon

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