Rayko speaks up against the abuse of women with her hard-hitting Pop/Rap song, Gender Genocide
While abuse of women by men in authority positions is both terrifying and hurtful, today more and more of us are emboldened to tell their stories – with their demands for change more powerful than ever. (#MeToo, indeed!) And now that fight has an anthem – thanks to Rayko, front woman of epic rock band Lolita Dark and Franki K Music, her collaborator and co-writer. Today they announced the release of Gender Genocide, a new single that tackles these issues head-on; the song's cut-to-the-point lyrics and intensity are clearly based not simply on observation, but also on personal experience.
"I'm known as an emotional performer and this topic comes straight from the heart," commented Rayko. "I hope that Gender Genocide will help to boost spirits and empower women to know they don't have to accept mistreatment. And that they can stand up and fight – and win. The world is changing; no one who has been abused needs to remain silent any longer."
Gender Genocide's lyrics explode with energy, anger and passion-for-the-cause: "You mighty moguls/Big men in town/You degraded and hurt us/You bullied and beat us down/Vipers! Parasites! Monsters!/All you do is lie/Soul Suicide/Gender Genocide!"
Gender Genocide is intended as a popular anthem to be used by organizations and individuals committed to empowering women. The song is available for Radio Play, Artist Performance, Film, Television and Commercial Licensing. (DJ Note: "Clean" version - also available.) Published by A-1 Tunz (ASACP).
Rayko makes a strong statement about women's empowerment in Gender Genocide
Rayko is a Tokyo-born, Los Angeles-based composer, bilingual vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist. Noted for her diverse musical styles, she enjoys influences from across the entire musical spectrum. Rayko has not stopped writing since her very first pop piano composition at age five. Today, her library consists of hundreds of songs -- representing styles from ABBA to Zappa.
Franki K Music is a Los Angeles-based songwriter/lyricist creating eclectic musical styles that connect with diverse audiences.
Lolita Dark includes musicians Rain Balen and Joey Felix, and is best known for its unique symphonic rock sound. The group has built a large following both in the US and across Asia, where they are signed to a recording contract with Sparks Japan (distribution via Universal Records). Producer Arif Hodzic rounds out the Gender Genocide team.
"Are We Awakened Yet? How to Save Our Earth" - Cover
There are thousands of books on climate change and taking care of our Earth. "Are We Awakened Yet? How to Save Our Earth" differs by diving deep into explaining how we, the humans of the industrialized world, created this huge problem by ignoring the facts that scientists have been warning us about for the last 40 years, and why we are not putting the health of our Earth on our radar.
"By not acting, we lose lives and go through the horrible pain of destruction in the form of hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires," said author Ilka Handsaw, who has won writing awards in Bulgaria for describing the wonders of Mother Earth and on social justice. "We spend a lot more money to repair and restore life in cities, homes, and islands. But - most importantly - we deprive our children of living normal lives in a stable, livable, and healthy planet. As Gandhi said: 'One should care about the world one will not see!' In other words, we should care about the future of our loved ones, kids, and grandkids. And even if you might be someone that doesn't believe in it, what's wrong with making the Earth cleaner and greener?"
Providing credible, well-researched statistics on our current global climate changes from reputable sources, Earth lover Ilka Handshaw passionately inspires readers to awaken to what matters the most: sustain life on our planet, our only home, by:
Conserving our precious resources, especially by not wasting food
Lowering our carbon footprint
Educating and inspiring others to do the same.
Because our dear Earth is in trouble:
We need to stop procrastinating
We also need to be honest with ourselves and own up to what we need to do for our planet's health as well as for our own lives. We need to take responsibility for everything that happens.
We should act now, before is too late.
Book Reviews:
"An easy-to-read book which provides powerful statistics about what we are doing to destroy the planet Earth and ways we can rebuild it. I applaud the author who has researched extensively and sets the scene for current global climate changes, pesticide usage on our food and how we can enlighten ourselves to truly understand how important it is to take a stand against the polluters and those destroying our Mother Earth - our home. I highly recommend this book for all who are ready to become awakened to the gift we have been given with our beautiful environment, plants, lakes, oceans, and air and to begin turning the tide so we may together create a healthy planet. Bravo to Ilka Handshaw," said Linda Ellis Eastman, CEO of The Professional Woman Network.
"I highly recommend this handbook about the state of our planet. I spend a lot of time enjoying the outdoors and traveling to see our natural wonders. I have heard a lot of controversy over "the real facts about the changes our earth is going through" and "Is there a problem or not." I needed a book that would help me understand what is going on with our environment without being overwhelmed. I got lucky with Ilka Handshaw's book on the earth and what's going on. It was fact based and concise and it actually gave ways I can help save our planet on a day to day basis," said Alison Evanzo, an annuity and insurance specialist at a bank in Grand Rapids.
"The more dialogue we have about our responsibility to our planet and each other, the better! This book was well organized, and an easy read. It is something you can read in an afternoon or two, but that will make you think for much longer than that. Lots of interesting facts," said Rivka Kawano, Author of "What to Post."
"Great book to awakening our heart to take care of our planet we were give," said Christine Gross, MMT (Medical Massage Therapist).
About the Author:
Ilka Handshaw
Ilka Handshaw was born in Bulgaria, studied languages in high school and graduated from a university in Bulgaria. She also loves helping people be healthier and was always learning about the subject since a child.
She always had an amazing affinity for Mother Nature and spent a lot of time hiking, traveling, and enjoying the beaches.
Here, in the USA she wrote articles about health and the benefits of essential oils for well being. She specializes in teaching and coaching others to health.
A few years ago, she got the calling to express her love and concern for the well-being of Mother Earth. This is how her book was born.
"G.I. Hospital" (6 awards in 35 festivals) uses stop-motion animation to tell the story of 6 wounded soldiers who don't mind missing a few limbs because after all, it was "for our country."
Based in Michigan, but shooting their films in Hollywood, Antiwar Comedy Shorts has produced eight films in the last two years. The first two were submitted to festivals. Among the 11 awards won were Best Comedy, Best Social Commentary, Best Short Film, Best Animated Short, and Best Actor Under 18 (for eight-year-old Kobe Humphries).
Writer/director Jonny Lewis did not submit the other six films: "It's nice to receive awards, but it's not really about any particular film. It's about showing there is a willingness to consider the antiwar point of view, and about using comedy to open people up to serious issues."
"Block This Caller" - An Arab and an American randomly meet in the desert and decide not to fight each other—despite phone calls from “important people higher up” suggesting that they do so.
Lewis has always been antiwar, though he admits to "playing army" when he was a kid, "because that's what society shows us on TV and in movies—that to be a man is to be strong, and help your buddies, and kill the bad guys." He got started writing antiwar comedies when he took to heart the words of Mark Twain: "All war must be just the killing of strangers against whom you feel no personal animosity; strangers whom, in other circumstances, you would help if you found them in trouble, and who would help you if you needed it."
"Gonna Be a Soldier"- 6-year-old Joey’s parents explain that he can’t be a doctor when he grows up because they are raising him to be a soldier, and kill people.
Aside from the award-winners—Gonna Be a Soldier and the animated G.I. Hospital—one of Antiwar Comedy Shorts most popular films on YouTube is Block This Caller, which portrays the scenario Twain describes: An Iraqi and an American meet randomly in the desert and decide not to fight, despite pressure to do so from "the higher-ups" (and perhaps despite viewers' expectations that there must always be conflict between two such characters).
Says Lewis: "Our next step is to make the films available to the antiwar/peace community."
The films are offered free, and are not copyrighted. Lewis is working with Veterans for Peace and other groups to use the films in their outreach programs. (A Google search on "Truth in Recruiting" clicking on the "Video" tab brings up the Antiwar Comedy Shorts film with that title as the first result.)
"Truth in Recruiting" - A recruiter is forced by the new “truth in recruiting” policy to admit to a prospective recruit that yes, he “might die, or might get his arms and legs blown off.”
Antiwar Comedy Shorts is the brainchild of writer/director Jonny Lewis, an Associate Member of Veterans for Peace in Michigan.
As breakthroughs in cancer treatments are occurring at an ever increasing rate, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is shining a spotlight on the women in science who are helping to lead these advances.
Through its significant investment in cancer research – more than $1.2 billion since its founding nearly 70 years ago – LLS is committed to funding and recognizing female scientists, physicians, social workers and nurses, and encouraging young women to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and pursue careers in the sciences.
As part of its efforts to encourage more females to join the ranks of cancer researchers and physicians, LLS, the world's leading nonprofit dedicated to fighting blood cancers, commissioned a survey of 1,000 Americans to learn their views of women's role in cancer research.
Survey responses point to a desire to elevate women in the sciences. For example, eight in 10 adults polled believe women are critical to science discoveries, and seven in 10 adults, and eight in 10 women, believe more women should have leadership roles in science. As well, nearly 70 percent of American men and women surveyed, and 80 percent of women polled, believe the time is now for women to break the glass ceiling in science.
Dr. Rayne Rouce
Leading by Example
According to LLS's own glass ceiling breaker, Chief Medical Officer Gwen Nichols, M.D.: "I am keenly aware of the opportunities and obstacles that exist, and look for every opportunity to encourage women in this field. There are so many outstanding women who support LLS in our goal to cure blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. We are honored to shine a spotlight on just a few who represent the amazing work being done."
Nichols' career has spanned high-level positions in academic research and teaching, pharmaceutical development and the nonprofit cancer space. As former director of the Hematologic Malignancies Program at Columbia University, and past head of the Roche Translational Clinical Research Center, she is determined to lead the charge for more women scientists to play a larger role in conducting groundbreaking research in blood cancers supported by LLS, including transformational immunotherapies and precision medicine. Women Making their Mark in Science
LLS's Nichols recognizes that many women who have pursued careers to advance cancer research point to the importance of LLS funding, including a range of research grant programs that foster early careers, and help scientists accelerate their discoveries from the lab to clinical trials. LLS celebrates some of the women scientists who are assuming pivotal roles in advances that are dramatically improving outcomes for patients with blood cancers as well as other cancers and chronic diseases:
Selina Chen-Kiang, Ph.D., a renowned professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine, has received multiple LLS grants over the past 17 years, enabling her seminal work on a therapy that targets enzymes that play vital roles in cell division and are implicated in multiple cancers. While her work is focused on myeloma and lymphoma, her discoveries helped lead the way to the therapy being FDA approved in 2015 for certain types of breast cancer. Chen-Kiang says she tells young women: "Follow your passion and be fearless."
Wendy Stock, M.D.,University of Chicago Medicine, is a clinician scientist who designs and conducts clinical trials for patients with acute leukemias, translating individual patient characteristics, including the unique leukemia biology, into ways to optimize their treatments. Stock says that the biggest challenge for women scientists is the work/life balance. "Trying to create and sustain a rich personal and family life while building one's career is a struggle that I believe we all face."
Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D., of University of California San Diego, is focused on eradication of cancer stem cells, which fuel relapse after treatment. Jamieson's advice to young women pursuing STEM careers: "Surround yourself with people who support you, be strategic with your time and work effectively."
Tamara Ouspenskaia, Ph.D., Broad Institute of MIT, is pursuing approaches to cancer therapy harnessing the body's immune system. She says that her mentor in graduate school was a passionate advocate for women in science, and the head of her post-doctoral lab leads by example, managing the diverse group of researchers while making time for her family. But she also encountered colleagues whose attitudes were disappointing. Her advice: "Grow thick skin and do not let disparaging comments discourage you."
Katherine Borden, Ph.D.,University of Montreal, studies the biological pathways that drive leukemia. She tells young students interested in pursuing science: "You can be the first person in the entire world to discover some new molecular pathway and that discovery might change how patients are treated."
Rayne Rouce, M.D., Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Cancer Center, part of a team advancing immunotherapy approaches for leukemia and lymphoma patients, says, "I truly believe that I love mentoring others because I realize that I would not have achieved what I have if it wasn't for my mentors."
Dr. Wendy Stock
More Highlights of the LLS-commissioned Survey:
Despite the fact that women make up 50% of medical school applicants, data show that women are not attaining the highest levels of leadership positions at the same pace as men (Association of American Medical Colleges). According to the LLS survey, Americans believe that women are critical to science because they bring a unique perspective to scientific inquiry that can lead to breakthrough discoveries, and more women in STEM can inspire a new generation to break the glass ceiling.
Respondents, particularly women, recognize the obstacles; for example, eight in 10 American women polled say more needs to be done to encourage women to pursue STEM careers.
Four in 10 women say that they did not have enough opportunities to pursue science in school.
Nearly eight in 10 adults agree that successful women in science are one of the most influential factors in encouraging young girls to become interested in science.
LLS Fosters Women Addressing Barriers to Cancer Care
New and better therapies can't help patients who can't access them. In addition to funding groundbreaking research, LLS provides free information and support for patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals. Elisa Weiss, Ph.D., LLS senior vice president, patient access and outcomes, leads an all-women team of master's trained health professionals with expertise in the blood cancers who help patients understand their diagnosis, find treatment options, find clinical trials and navigate the financial burdens of healthcare. Weiss, a medical sociologist by training, works with other leading experts, some funded by LLS, to design and conduct health research to understand the impact of the cost of care on cancer patients, including the cost effectiveness of treatment and quality of life issues.
Dr. Catriona Jamieson
From the School Hallways to the Halls of Congress
LLS's efforts to promote women in science begin in the classroom. LLS's Student Series fundraising campaign reaches more than 14.5 million students in approximately 27,000 schools across the country with its set of science-based philanthropy programs. The campaign has developed a new STEM curriculum to inspire the next generation of scientists, both girls and boys. The proprietary curriculum gives K-5 students an in-depth look at LLS-funded science, covers key Common Core skills and allows students to learn how the money they raise makes an impact.
Rounding out its efforts is LLS's small but mighty Office of Public Policy, based in Washington, D.C., led by Bernadette O'Donoghue, vice president of public policy. She and her team focus on accelerating cures and ensuring access to treatment by working with national and state legislators to advocate for laws and policies that remove barriers to therapies and care. LLS's Female Researchers are Moving Mountains!
Irene Ghobrial, M.D., of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has received numerous LLS grants during her career to support her research to find ways to prevent early stage blood disorders from progressing to more serious cancers such as myeloma and leukemia. Ghobrial also gives back by fundraising through LLS's Team In Training and Light The Night campaigns, and has run two half marathons and even climbed Mount Kilimanjaro to support LLS's mission.
"I always do whatever I can for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society," says Ghobrial. "I can't say enough good things about LLS's research, patient care and fundraising campaigns. Whenever there is an LLS event in Boston I always try to volunteer." And her advice to young women: "Never think you cannot do it because you are a woman. Don't hold yourself back. You can achieve anything you want to do. Dream Big!"
National Geographic Magazine April 2018, The Race Issue (nationalgeographic.com)
National Geographic has published a single-topic issue exploring the subject of race in the lead up to the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination this April. The April edition of the magazine, The Race Issue, features a pair of black and white fraternal twin sisters from the United Kingdom, Marcia and Millie Biggs, on the cover (more here). The Biggs twins on the cover are a catalyst for readers to rethink what they know about race. The full issue is available now at natgeo.com/TheRaceIssue.
The Race Issue, which is accompanied by a discussion guide aimed at parents and educators (here), includes the latest research, powerful anecdotes and unparalleled visual storytelling to explore the human journey through the lens of labels that define, separate and unite us. Select features include:
"Skin Deep," an article on the genetics of race and roots of scientific racism, by Pulitzer-Prize winning author Elizabeth Kolbert and photos by Robin Hammond.
"The Stop," a powerful piece featuring anecdotes from black and Hispanic motorists who've been pulled over by the police due to the color of their skin. This piece was reported in partnership with ESPN's The Undefeated, with text by Michael Fletcher and photos by National Geographic photographer Wayne Lawrence.
"Streets in His Name," a photographic essay, with text by award-winning journalist Wendi C. Thomas, on streets around the world bearing MLK Jr.'s name and how they reflect the legacy he left behind.
"A Place of Their Own," which showcases a new brand of activism at historically black colleges and universities as racial tensions escalate across the country. Text by Clint Smith and photos by Nina Robinson and Ruddy Roye.
National Geographic Magazine April 2018, The Race Issue
The Race Issue kicks off the magazine's "Diversity in America" series. Throughout the rest of 2018, the series looks at racial, ethnic and religious groups in the United States, including Muslims, Latinos, Asian Americans and Native Americans, and examines their changing roles in 21st-century life.
National Geographic Magazine April 2018, The Race Issue
In conjunction with the publication of the issue, National Geographic has also launched a social media campaign, #IDefineMe, calling on individuals to share their experience with race and what it means to them. Through photos, videos or text across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the online community is encouraged to respond to the call-to-action: Science defines you by your DNA. Society defines you by the color of your skin. How do you define yourself? #IDefineMe
⏩ Additionally, "America Inside Out with Katie Couric," a documentary television series covering some of the most complicated and consequential questions in American culture today, premieres April 11 on National Geographic.
The Race Issue is available online now at natgeo.com/TheRaceIssue and on print newsstands March 27th.
Roadside Attractions and Miramax will release Whitney, Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald's highly anticipated documentary about the life and career of legendary superstar Whitney Houston this summer in the United States on July 6th, it was announced today by Roadside Attractions presidents and co-founders Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff, along with Miramax's CEO Bill Block.
Executive producers Altitude Film Entertainment are handling international sales and their award-winning distribution arm will release the film, produced by Lightbox and Lisa Erspamer Entertainment, in the UK and Ireland also on July 6th.
Whitney is the intimate, definitive account of the superstar's life and career, authored by renowned Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald. The only film officially supported by the late singer's estate, it includes previously unreleased recordings, rare never-before-seen footage and live performances recorded by Houston at various stages her life, as well as original studio recordings and acapellas of some of the late singer's greatest hits. Because the filmmakers had access to vast archives of the Houston estate, the film also contains personal home movie footage that has never been seen publicly before, offering a rare glimpse of Whitney's life behind-the-scenes as known only to her closest relatives, friends and collaborators.
Director Macdonald says, "I approached Whitney's life like a mystery story; why did someone with so much raw talent and beauty self-destruct so publicly and painfully? I was lucky enough to have the support of Pat Houston and the Whitney Houston estate in this quest. They entrusted me with the 'keys to the vault' while giving me complete freedom to follow the story wherever it went. At heart, Whitney is an intimate family story that reveals a new side to a woman that even her most die-hard fans never knew."
"To tell Whitney's story, you have to know her story," says Patricia Houston, the late singer's manager, sister-in-law and the executor of Houston's estate. "We could not be more excited that Whitney's fans will have this authoritative and definitive documentary chronicling the full arc or her career and the scope of Whitney's entire life. This is an amazing retrospective that celebrates Whitney with never-before-seen footage and Kevin approaches her life with no blinders on. He captures all of Whitney'smagic, and he does not ignore the hard times. This is a film that will truly thrill all who knew and loved her as a musician, actress, model and so much more."
Academy Award-winner Kevin Macdonald(Marley, Touching The Void, One Day in September, The Last King of Scotland), Academy Award-winning producer Simon Chinn (Man on Wire, Searching For Sugarman), and his Lightbox co-founder Emmy Award-winning producer Jonathan Chinn (LA 92, Fantastic Lies) and multi-Emmy Award nominated and Happy Street Entertainment co-founder Lisa Erspamer ("Running From Crazy") tell the unvarnished and authentic story of the late icon's life in a film that examines both the meteoric highs and devastating lows of her remarkable and unforgettable career. Patricia Houston, Nicole David, Zanne Devine, Rosanne Korenberg, Joe Patrick, and Altitude Film Entertainment's Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, and Mike Runagall executive produced.
Often referred to simply as 'The Voice', Whitney Houston was a singular talent, blessed with an extraordinary vocal range and incredible technical skill. As one of music's biggest selling artists ever, she broke more records than any other female singer in the history of pop music. With over 200 million album sales worldwide, and remaining the only artist to chart seven consecutive US No. 1's, Whitney Houston became the voice of a generation and is the most awarded female singer in history. Coming from an esteemed lineage of singers, Whitney was destined to be plucked from her gospel-singing roots to rule the world stage. She inspired a generation of singers from Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga to Beyoncé and her unforgettable performance of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' moved the nation.
But all these achievements became overshadowed by a story of deep internal turmoil, addiction and self-destruction. With unprecedented access to friends, family and collaborators – some of whom have never told their story before, Kevin Macdonald offers the first comprehensive look at Whitney Houston's life, work and creative process. The film reveals a woman who was both blessed and cursed with perhaps the greatest natural ability of any pop star in history.
⏩ Whitney is the third collaboration between Roadside Attractions and Miramax. The two companies have previously partnered on 2015's Mr. Holmes and Southside With You. Along with the U.S., Miramax has also acquired rights for more than a dozen territories for Whitney, including Canada, Latin America, China, CIS, and Benelux.
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