Trends, Travel, History and Books

Steenberg Vineyards launches South Africa’s first Winery App

Source:  Cision

Steenberg Vineyards in Cape Town’s Constantia Valley is living up to its reputation for being at the forefront of global trends, leading the way once again as the first winery in South Africa to introduce their own application for all Smartphones including i-Phone, BlackBerry, and Android phones, as well as i-Pads and Tablets.

The new app provides Steenberg with a convenient and internationally accessible platform to engage with techno-savvy clients, agents and wine enthusiasts. At the same time it provides app users with a fun and easy-to-use tool to learn about their wide selection of wines, stay abreast of new wine releases, upcoming Steenberg events and special happenings at the Steenberg Winery. At the cellar door, visitors to the Steenberg Tasting Room are now able to access tasting notes and food & wine pairings right away, with an effortless click on their tablets, smart phones and other electronic devices.   This provides interactive participation in the wine tasting experience, taking it to a totally new level.

For iOS, BlackBerry and Android phone users there are convenient ways to find and download the app.

They can navigate their way to http://road.ie/steenbrgwine on their phones and download the app from there.

The app is readily available for download from the iTunes App Store (for iPhone and iPad) and also from Google Play for Android, free of charge. Those who prefer accessing the app via the World Wide Web can do this via a simple web-search.

Those who prefer accessing the app via the World Wide Web can do this via a simple web-search.

Among the useful features that the Steenberg app offers is up-to-date wine tasting information and hours; real time updates about Steenberg news and events; and a store locator to guide users to retail outlets closest to them that stock Steenberg wines. Stunning photographs which can be downloaded and fun videos add to the pleasure and convenience of using this app.

The Steenberg Vineyards Team is upbeat about this move and believes it is a smart step in the right direction of providing their loyal supporters and business partners across the globe with a simple, user-friendly way of entering into conversation, and accessing vital information about Steenberg. It’s also an innovative tool to share targeted information with a very specific audience of movers and shakers.

Digital advocacy is one of the latest buzzwords in tourism marketing, with ‘word-of-mouse’ becoming a crafty marketing tool as audiences are engaged online and inspired to take action around brands. Apps are part of this landscape and have been taking off at a rapid rate with many more people now accessing information and interacting on social networks via tablets, laptops and other devices than on their desktop PCs – because of convenience and speed.

Steenberg’s new app is in line with these growing trends, and firmly establishes the state-of-the-art winery as a trend setter in this arena. It also gives Steenberg the tools to further improve social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. ‘With these platforms, which represent an immediacy that is both intimate and practical, we can reach a much wider audience, and so introduce them to our wines. It gives us the chance to take the Steenberg brand into the personal space of more and more people, and start a dialogue with them with the aim to dispel the notion that the wine industry is an exclusive one,’ Homan concludes.

Raptor Day at Wave Hill

Source:  Cision

Situated on the east bank of the Hudson River, Wave Hill is home to an expansive vista and 28 acres of beautiful gardens and woodlands—an ideal spot for bird watching.  This fall, as large birds of prey skim the skies, join us for Raptor Day to see them with your own eyes.  Volunteers for Wildlife will be showing off a few of their feathered friends during live raptor shows. Learn to spot them for yourself on our birding walks, guided by an NYC Audubon & Wave Hill naturalist.

Let your imagination soar with other fun and creative opportunities to make art and learn more about the ecology and biology of raptors. A Wave Hill Educator will lead storytelling throughout the day; a family gallery tour of the fall exhibition Foregrounding the Palisades offers a unique perspective of the rocky cliffs; a shadow puppet-making workshop allows you to bring the birds home with you; and the chance to dissect an owl pellet gives an inside look at what these nocturnal birds eat for dinner. It’s sure to be a hoot!

What:    Raptor Day at Wave Hill!

Date:     Columbus Day, Monday, October 8, 9:30AM – 4PM

Time:    Birding Walk with NYC Audubon                               9:30AM

Storytelling                                                                         10AM-1PM

Family Gallery Tour                                                        10AM & 12PM

Family Birding Walk with NYC Audubon                10:30AM & 12:30PM

Volunteers for Wildlife Live Raptor Show              11AM & 1PM

Predator vs. Prey Art Making Workshop                1-3PM

Owl Pellet Dissection                                                       2-4PM

Fees:     Programs FREE with admission!

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Arkansas Baptist College President, Dr. Fitz Hill Identifies Employment Barriers InNew Book “Crackback! How College Football Blindsides The Hopes of Black Coaches”

Source:  Black News .Com

Nationwide — Dr. Fitz Hill, President of Arkansas Baptist College (ABC), who served as assistant head football coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks before being selected as the first African American to lead the San Jose State football program, has been a passionate longtime scholar when it comes to the challenges faced by African Americans in the college coaching profession.

After years of research, he has now written the most comprehensive book ever on the subject Crackback! How College Football Blindsides the Hopes of Black Coaches.

Doug Williams, who as the Washington Redskins’ quarterback was named MVP of Super Bowl XXII, wrote the foreword for Crackback! Williams currently serves as head football coach at Grambling State University.  Seeking a diverse perspective on race-related issues for African American football coaches, Dr. Hill chose to co-author his book with Mark Purdy, an award-winning sports columnist for the San Jose Mercury News. Purdy frequently covered Hill when he was employed as San Jose State’s head football coach from 2001-04.

On multiple occasions, Purdy has been named to the annual Associated Press Sports Editors list of America’s Top 10 sports columnists and was also cited by the Wall Street Journal for writing one of the country’s Top 10 sports columns.

Hill has spent the last 24 years studying race-related barriers for African American football coaches employed at predominantly white colleges and universities.

His groundbreaking exploration of the issue, including his own doctoral dissertation, has been featured on such television shows as ABC’s “Nightline,” “HBO Real Sports” and numerous ESPN programs. As a nationally consulted expert, Dr. Hill was summoned to testify before a U.S. congressional committee about this topic while writing Crackback!

Hill is scheduled to be featured on ESPN “Outside the Lines” in September to discuss the most recent employment developments of Alcorn State University. Alcorn is a member of the historically black Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and recently gained wide notoriety for the hiring of the first white head football coach in the history of the school and football conference.

Hill discusses how this hire could potentially be an additional barrier for African American football coaches seeking head coaching positions. New York Times sports columnist, Bill Rhoden also recently wrote about Crackback! while attempting to explain the racial phenomena of Alcorn’s decision.

Juliette Fairley’s Mulatto’s Dilemma Makes its West Coast Debut 

Source:  Chloe Feigen PR

Nationwide -The short film Juliette Fairley’s Mulatto’s Dilemma (JFMD) premiered this weekend at the New York International Film Festival in Los Angeles.

The highly acclaimed 10 minute movie screened in the Mary Pickford room of Raleigh Studios on Melrose Avenue to a full house on Saturday night September 15.

“It is rewarding to sit in the audience and experience the viewer’s response to my work,” said Fairley who wore two different sequined dresses on opening night at Confidential Lounge in Beverly Hills as well as at the screening three days later.

What started as a solo show that Fairley performed alone off-broadway two years ago at the Roy Arias Theater in New York and the Whitefire Theatre in Sherman Oaks has quickly gained significance on the film festival circuit due to the television syndication of the prequel Mulatto Saga.

JFMD is the sequel to the 7 minute short Mulatto Saga, which is currently airing on network affiliates and cable stations across the country, including KCAL –TV in Los Angeles and CBS in New York.

“The overall goal is to get the 90 page script funded and produced,” said Fairley. “That’s why I’ve been promoting the short films in order to draw attention to the larger script.”

JFMD stars Fairley, Cassidy Knight, Kaylee Souther, Hassan Goding and others and will next screen at the Pocono Mountain Film Festival on October 20 and at the Red Hook International Film Festival in Brooklyn on October 14.

“It’s gratifying to have my short films screen at so many different film festivals across the country because it means the word is getting out,” said Fairley who is currently revising the larger script Juliette Fairley’s Mulatto Saga to submit to prominent film festivals across the country.

Fairley’s films have been endorsed by the likes of Jasmine Guy, Malcolm X’s Daughter Ilyasah Shabazz, Law and Order Actor Richard Brooks, FOX TV Host Tom Murro and many other celebrities.