LOS ANGELES – Sept. 28, 2021 – PRLog — Writer/Director Lorenzo DeStefano based his new narrative short film, “Stairway to the Stars“, on a real incident that he witnessed when he first moved to Hollywood from Honolulu, of an older woman and an overweight young man climbing a set of steep outdoor steps in the Hollywood Hills, bickering at each other the whole way up. Produced as a One-Act play in 2019, the film version of “Stairway to the Stars” explores the complex relationship between friends who are enemies and enemies who are friends. Lavergne is an aging actress on the verge of mental and physical collapse. Tony is a young gay man of blind ambition and ample proportions who has vowed to save her life. The complex relationship between this oddest of odd couples is humorous, tragic and deeply touching, revealing itself between the bottom of the stairs and the top. Lorenzo’s film is a tribute to Nathanael West’s “Day of the Locust”, the plays of Samuel Beckett, and to the countless two-reel comedies shot in these very hills over 100 years ago.
Starring Sean Young & Quinton Aaron: Westshire Films is pleased to announce that the celebrated actress, Sean Young (“Stripes”, “Blade Runner”, “Dune”, “No Way Out”, “Wall Street”, “Fatal Instinct”, “A Kiss Before Dying”, “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”) is starring as ‘Lavergne’. Starring as ‘Tony’ is Quinton Aaron, breakout star of “The Blind Side”, “Halfway”, with appearances in “Be Kind Rewind”, “Traded”, “Rock Paper Dead”, and numerous other film & television projects.
“Sean and Quinton are the ideal choices to bring these complex and very human characters to life,” says writer/director DeStefano.
About Lorenzo DeStefano-Filmmaker
Writer/Director Lorenzo DeStefano is a Hawai’i-born playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer and director. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and past member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. He has worked in the U.S. and U.K. Theater, written fiction & non-fiction, original screenplays, and adaptations. He has produced and directed feature documentaries (“Talmage Farlow”, “Los Zafiros-Music From The Edge of Time”, “Hearing is Believing”), narrative films (“Shipment Day”, “The Diarist”), and network television (“Life Goes On”). PROJECT WEBSITE www.stairwaytothestarsfilm.com
2021 NARRATIVE SHORT FILM AWARD – From The Heart Productions: From The Heart Productions, the non-profit cinema activist organization, announces that “STAIRWAY TO THE STARS” has been awarded the inaugural Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant for 2021. The grant is awarded to a live action or animated short fiction film that is unique and that makes a contribution to society. Writer/Director Lorenzo was chosen over 400 applicants worldwide to receive this prestigious award, which comes with a generous cash prize and access to significant in-kind and discounted goods and services from film industry donors.
“We are very excited to have this excellent project as our first recipient of the Roy W. Dean Short Film Grant. ” commented Carole Dean, President of From the Heart Productions. “Lorenzo faced tough competition from many wonderful projects from other very talented filmmakers. We look forward to seeing his project completed.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Celebrity Style Entertainment CSE specializes in representing multiple clients across a variety of industries such as entertainment, business, political and communications.
A new approach can train a machine learning model to predict the properties of a material using only data obtained through simple measurements, saving time and money compared with those currently used. It was designed by researchers at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Asahi KASEI Corporation, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Mitsui Chemicals, and Sumitomo Chemical Co and reported in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods. “Machine learning is a powerful tool for predicting the composition of elements and process needed to fabricate a material with specific properties,” explains Ryo Tamura, a senior researcher at NIMS who specializes in the field of materials informatics.
A tremendous amount of data is usually needed to train machine learning models for this purpose. Two kinds of data are used. Controllable descriptors are data that can be chosen without making a material, such as the chemical elements and processes used to synthesize it. But uncontrollable descriptors, like X-ray diffraction data, can only be obtained by making the material and conducting experiments on it.
“We developed an effective experimental design method to more accurately predict material properties using descriptors that cannot be controlled,” says Tamura.
The approach involves the examination of a dataset of controllable descriptors to choose the best material with the target properties to use for improving the model’s accuracy. In this case, the scientists interrogated a database of 75 types of polypropylenes to select a candidate with specific mechanical properties.
They then selected the material and extracted some of its uncontrollable descriptors, for example, its X-ray diffraction data and mechanical properties.
This data was added to the present dataset to better train a machine learning model employing special algorithms to predict a material’s properties using only uncontrollable descriptors.
“Our experimental design can be used to predict difficult-to-measure experimental data using easy-to-measure data, accelerating our ability to design new materials or to repurpose already known ones, while reducing the costs,” says Tamura. The prediction method can also help improve understanding of how a material’s structure affects specific properties.
The team is currently working on further optimizing their approach in collaboration with chemical manufacturers in Japan.
Further information Ryo Tamura National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) Email: tamura.ryo@nims.go.jp
About Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods (STAM Methods)
STAM Methods is an open access sister journal of Science and Technology of Advanced Materials (STAM), and focuses on emergent methods and tools for improving and/or accelerating materials developments, such as methodology, apparatus, instrumentation, modeling, high-through put data collection, materials/process informatics, databases, and programming. https://www.tandfonline.com/STAM-M
Dr. Yoshikazu Shinohara STAM Methods Publishing Director Email: SHINOHARA.Yoshikazu@nims.go.jp
Press release distributed by Asia Research News for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.
Bitcoin Latinum (LTNM), the next generation, insured, asset-backed cryptocurrency, is announcing it will list on DigiFinex, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, in the third week of October. Monsoon Blockchain, Bitcoin Latinum’s lead developer, plans for the token to list on a number of top global exchanges in the upcoming months. Headquartered in Singapore, DigiFinex boasts over 4 million users across the globe, and can be accessed by users in 150 countries.
LTNM will be available for trading with BTC and USDT pairs and official trading is expected to start around the week of Oct 21, 2021. The DigiFinex listing will be the first of a half dozen exchanges, which plan to list LTNM before the end of 2021.
Bitcoin Latinum was built as an open-architecture cryptocurrency technology, capable of handling large transaction volume, cybersecurity, and digital asset management. Based on the Bitcoin ecosystem, Bitcoin Latinum was developed by Monsoon Blockchain Corporation on behalf of the Bitcoin Latinum Foundation. LTNM is a greener, faster, and more secure version of Bitcoin, and poised to revolutionize digital transactions. Through its listing on DigiFinex, LTNM intends to reach a significantly wider audience of users and investors.
Kiana Shek, the CXO of DigiFinex Exchange, shared her view on LTNM’s upcoming listing, stating, “Sustainability is always our first priority, professionally as well as personally, and Bitcoin Latinum is bringing a way out. We are excited to be the very first exchange to launch LTNM, the greener and faster Bitcoin with Proof-of-Stake consensus.”
With daily trading volume around $1 billion, DigiFinex is one of the top-rated cryptocurrency exchanges that offer spot, leverage, perpetual trading, and fiat to crypto trading. In addition, DigiFinex offers unparalleled 24/7 customer service for its user base. Recently, DigiFinex obtained the exemption of Provision of Digital Payment Token Services in Singapore, allowing for users in the region to use its platform for acquiring cryptocurrencies. For more information about DigiFinex, please visit https://www.digifinex.com/
Bitcoin Latinum was developed with a highly scalable network that will initially support up to 10,000 transactions per second and millions of transactions per day to facilitate retail transactions. With its Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus method, Bitcoin Latinum ensures the network facilitates more transactions per minute at lower transaction fees, averaging only $0.1 USD per transaction in 2021. Utilizing an efficient consensus mechanism, Bitcoin Latinum provides a much better on-chain payment network compared to Bitcoin, with an average transaction confirmation in 3-5 seconds.
LTNM is one of the greenest cryptocurrencies in existence, and recently joined the Crypto Climate Accord. Utilizing its advanced Proof of Stake (PoS) mechanism, LTNM holders will earn rewards for holding their coins as collateral to stake on the Bitcoin Latinum network. This leads to less electricity consumption. LTNM reduces the energy consumption to only 0.00015 kWh per transaction.
Unlike other crypto assets, LTNM is insured, and backed by real-world and digital assets. Its asset backing is held in a fund model so that base asset value increases over time. It accelerates this asset-backed funds growth by depositing 80% of the transaction fee back into the asset fund that backs the currency. Thus, the more Bitcoin Latinum is adopted, the faster its asset funds grow, creating a self-inflating currency. The listing on DigiFinex highlights Bitcoin Latinum Foundation’s commitment to supporting the growth of a sustainable crypto ecosystem.
Dr. Donald Basile, Founder of Bitcoin Latinum and CEO of Monsoon Blockchain Corporation, commented on LTNM’s upcoming DigiFinex listing, “we are very excited about selecting DigiFinex as our first exchange, representing the first step of our plan to list on many of the major exchanges around the world. This is a milestone event in the history of Bitcoin Latinum and the beginning of an exciting journey to revolutionize digital transactions. In the next few months, we will be announcing LTNM’s listing on additional exchanges as part of our mission to reach wider audiences and improve the acceptance of digital assets on a global scale.”
For more information about Bitcoin Latinum, please visit https://bitcoinlatinum.com
The global crypto user base has recently exploded in size, doubling from 100 million to 200 million within a span of four months in 2021, as reported by crypto.com. Worldwide adoption of cryptocurrencies for transactions has also been increasing exponentially. According to Fundera, over 15,000 businesses worldwide accept cryptocurrencies for in-store payments.
Dr. Basile is also the Chairman and CEO of Roman DBDR, a NASDAQ listed SPAC company. Roman DBDR recently agreed to merge with Composecure, a pioneer in premium payment cards and payments technology. The merger will create a combined enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion. CompoSecure will soon be releasing its new cryptocurrency cold-storage solution, Arculus, allowing users to safely and securely store and manage their digital assets on a state-of-the-art metal payment card.
As an entrepreneur, Dr. Basile has spent more than 20 years immersed in the tech sector, working with a wide range of firms in crypto, blockchain, storage, security, telecommunications, healthcare and private equity. Dr. Basile completed both his MS and PhD in electrical engineering at Stanford University. For more information on Monsoon Blockchain Corporation, please visit https://monsoonblockchaincorporation.com
FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY; NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. Any Bitcoin Latinum offered is for educational and informational purposes only and should NOT be construed as a securities-related offer or solicitation or be relied upon as personalized investment advice. Bitcoin Latinum strongly recommends you consult a licensed or registered professional before making any investment decision.
Media contact
Company: Bitcoin Latinum
Contact: Kai Okada, Director of Communications
E-mail: Kai.Okada@bitcoinlatinum.com
Website: https://bitcoinlatinum.com/
Address: 2100 Geng Road, Palo Alto, California 94303, USA
Telephone: +1 800-528-0985
Unlike previous works, Good Karma will be Jaguar French’s first album without any profanity. It is one and a half years in the making, self-written and self-produced from his home studio in Dallas, Texas during the pandemic. While retaining the edgy artistic power French is known for, the songs are melodically complex, with novel instrumentation and soul searching lyrics.
The album will come on the heels of his recently released music video, Black and White (featured on VivaLive TV), from his album, JAGG (Just Another Gift from God). The music video was released on September 11, to honor a time when people were united. The song resounds with the chorus, “Don’t call me black no more. Call me American.” and the reversed, “Don’t call me white no more! Call me American.”
French’s messages have always stirred positive conversation, and at times, controversy among his peers. French commented, “I want to see people united, not by the racial culture they belong to, but by pride of country in which they reside. We have divided ourselves by accepting labels that were based on racism, and as the connotation becomes lost we begin to take pride in such labels – such as black and white. Let the conversation be more about content and art and less about the face promoting it.”
Jaguar French (J French) is a world renowned rapper, owner of a fashion brand, mental health advocate and public speaker. He began doing music at 12 years old, overcoming a major speech impediment. French has worked with artists such as Jah Born, RC & The Gritz, and Erykah Badu. French is a Grammy Voting Member, has been featured in Entrepreneur, Billboard, BET Jams and hosts his own Podcast, Fireside with French.
www.JFrenchForever.com Black and White Music Video @JaguarJFrench
Good Karma will be available on all music platforms November 21, 2021.
Jaguar French Andre Marcel 310-896-8006 www.jfrenchforever.com
Harlem-based artist Bayeté Ross Smith hopes to spur students and lawyers to question assumptions and reimagine solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.
Columbia Law School announced that Harlem-based photographer, artist and educator Bayeté Ross Smith has been named artist-in-residence for the 2021–2022 academic year. Columbia Law established this new program to examine and broaden how the institution honors its history and values, while also celebrating its vibrant and diverse community.
While in residence, Ross Smith will engage directly with faculty and students in classes, co-curricular events and other related programs. He will showcase installations of his work on the Law School campus, where he will maintain a studio space and have access to Columbia’s existing art collection and the Columbia University Libraries archives. Ross Smith plans to use the residency to expand on his “Art of Justice” project, a series of art and media installations and corresponding programs that addresses contemporary social, political and human rights issues while strategically engaging the legal community.
“I am thrilled and honored to have been chosen as Columbia Law School’s inaugural artist-in-residence,” said Ross Smith. “This opportunity will allow me to advance my work utilizing the storytelling power of the arts to engage law students, legal scholars and future policymakers in the contemporary and historic social justice issues and human rights issues that must be addressed in order for society to make the necessary progress we need over the course of the next century and beyond.”
Through his work, Ross Smith hopes to help shape the perspectives of law students during the formative years of their professional training.
“We are delighted to welcome Bayeté Ross Smith as our first artist-in-residence,” said Gillian Lester, Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law. “Bayeté’s art examines many of the social, cultural and justice-oriented issues that are key elements of the Law School’s mission. He pushes creative boundaries with exceptional creativity and has a passion for challenging bias through education and promoting social justice through artistic expression.”
Ross Smith has chosen to focus his artistic energies on the legal community because of the vital role lawyers play in policymaking and the field of criminal justice.
“My goal is to create work that forces people to question their preexisting beliefs and ask themselves, ‘Why did I think that?’ in relation to any given topic or concept,” Ross Smith said.
A native New Yorker from Manhattan, Ross Smith was chosen as the inaugural artist-in-residence among more than 400 applicants. Entries were reviewed by faculty who lead Columbia Law’s Naming and Symbols Working Group.
Kendall Thomas, Nash Professor of Law and faculty co-chair of the selection committee, believes that Ross Smith’s “Art of Justice” project will offer “a powerful aesthetic toolkit for critical inquiry and reflection about the adverse impact of unconscious bias and distorted historical narratives in our legal system.”
“Ross Smith has a keen sense of how the arts can be used to help lawyers, law students, legal educators, and legal policymakers understand and address the cultural perspectives that shape our professional practice,” said Thomas. “I’m excited about the contributions Ross Smith will make to the Columbia Law learning community, and I look forward to working with him.”
About Bayeté Ross Smith Ross Smith is a photographer, artist, and education worker who lives in Harlem and works at the intersection of photography, film and video, visual journalism, 3D objects, and new media. He has been recognized with multiple awards, fellowships, and grants for his work, including as a POV and New York Times Embedded Mediamaker, a Presidential Leadership Scholar, a 2021 CatchLight Leadership Fellow, a TED Resident, a Creative Capital awardee, an Art for Justice Fund Fellow, and a BPMPlus grantee.
His interdisciplinary work includes photographs, videos, sculptures, and performances. His work has appeared in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the Oakland Museum of California, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Brooklyn Museum, among others. He has also exhibited internationally with the Goethe-Institut (Ghana), the Fotomuseum (Belgium), the Lianzhou Foto Festival (China) and America House (Ukraine).
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