 First Twitter live streaming deal announced in the Middle East and North Africa Twitter Logo (PRNewsFoto/Twitter, Inc.) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates and SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Global developer Emaar Properties and Twitter announced today that they are partnering to live stream the New Year's Eve firework displays in Dubai to a global Twitter audience. This is the first live streaming deal Twitter has announced with a partner based in the MENA region.
The live show will air on New Year's Eve from Downtown Dubai at 11:30pm GST/11:30am PST and will be available worldwide to Twitter's logged-in and logged-out audience on Twitter and connected devices. A series of fireworks crescendos will extend across the 500-acre Downtown Dubai and can be viewed from key locations across the city. Choreographed to a customized soundtrack, the pyrotechnics display will bring to life several milestone moments and artistic interpretations in fireworks of a falcon flying high, swirling comets, and Arabian dance forms. In specialized red and white comet shows and LED shows, the pyrotechnics will be displayed from Burj Khalifa, Dubai Opera and various landmarks. The finale of the event will feature a display in pyrotechnics celebrating Dubai's current and future icons. Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director of Emaar Properties, added: "The first-of-its-kind live streaming partnership with Twitter for the much-awaited New Year's Eve Gala in Dubai will offer audiences across the world a real-time experience of the spectacle. It marks Emaar's ongoing digital strategy to make emotional connections with the people and engage them through the potential of social media. The New Year's Eve celebrations by Emaar is a tribute to the positive spirit of our city, and the live streaming will define it further as a true global celebration from Dubai." "We are excited to announce our first live streaming partner event in the Middle East and North Africa region," said Kinda Ibrahim, Director of Media Partnerships, Middle East & North Africa, Twitter. "Live streaming the firework displays, combined with the live conversation on Twitter, will allow people across the world to view and Tweet about the festivities as they happen, creating a truly global celebration." The stream will be available globally at DubaiNYE.twitter.com and on @MyDowntownDubai. You can join the conversation with the hashtag #MyDubaiNewYear.   Virgin America Named Top Domestic Airline In The Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards Survey SAN FRANCISCO, July 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ Halcyon TV-- Virgin America, the airline known for reinventing the travel experience, has been named the "Top Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards readers' survey for an unrivaled ninth consecutive year – representing a win of this award every year the airline has been in service. To celebrate and thank its loyal flyers, Virgin America today launches a network-wide fare sale, with Main Cabin fares as low as $39* (taxes and fees included, restrictions apply) in addition to an Elevate® 50 percent bonus points offer.** This year, Virgin America received an official top score of 83.59 in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards domestic airline category, which evaluates all airlines for cabin comfort, in-flight service, customer service and value. The awards are widely recognized as one of the largest and most prestigious awards in the travel industry with over 200,000 readers participating in this year's survey. "It's a tremendous honor to be recognized as the 'Top Domestic Airline' by Travel + Leisure readers for the ninth consecutive year," said David Cush, Virgin America President and CEO. "To be recognized in this way year-after-year – even as our competitors have tried to catch up with Virgin America, is a testament to our innovative onboard experience and the amazing guest service our teammates deliver every day. We are thankful to our loyal flyers and the more than 3,000 Virgin America Teammates who have worked so hard to change this industry for the better – by creating an airline that people love." Fare sale tickets start from $39* in Main Cabin (taxes and fees included, restrictions apply) and must be purchased by 5:00pm PT today for travel between August 23, 2016 and February 8, 2017. Tickets are on sale now at www.virginamerica.com and at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN***. Virgin America is also thanking flyers today with a sweet Elevate points offer: Travelers can earn 50 percent more Elevate points on all routes when they book and fly now through August 31, 2016.** For more details, visit: www.virginamerica.com/cms/promos/7-6-16-elevate. Virgin America's Elevate program has pioneered a number of loyalty benefits in the U.S. industry, including being the first program to offer dynamic reward pricing – the ability for guests to redeem reward points for any unsold seat on any flight with no blackout dates. "Congratulations to Virgin America on achieving a remarkable number one ranking for the ninth consecutive year," said Travel + Leisure Editor Nathan Lump. "The airline has many loyalists in the Travel + Leisure audience who sing its praises for everything from a fun and stylish sensibility to responsive customer service to an innovative entertainment system and in-flight amenities." For over 20 years, Travel + Leisure has enlisted their loyal travel consumers to share their knowledge of the World's Best travel options. Travel + Leisure is one of the travel industry's most respected publications with a readership largely comprised of sophisticated world travelers. The magazine's 2016 World's Best Awards are announced online at www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best and in the August issue – and includes rankings of best hotels, cities and airlines, to name a few. As the only airline headquartered in California, Virgin America has grown a loyal following of flyers for its brilliant guest service, unique design and tech-forward amenities. Virgin America's new fleet of Airbus A320 Family aircraft offer custom-designed mood-lit cabins and amenities like fleet-wide WiFi, power outlets and touch-screen personal entertainment. The airline's Red™ in-flight entertainment platform includes more than 25 films on demand, live TV, interactive maps, video games, seat-to-seat chat, music videos, a 3000 song library and an on-demand menu – so flyers can order a cocktail or snack from their seat-back any time during a flight – and even send a drink to another seat. Despite being the first (and still only) U.S. airline to offer WiFi fleet-wide as of 2009, Virgin America has continued to invest in creating a leading onboard experience. The airline upgraded to a faster, ground-based WiFi via Gogo's ATG4 product as of 2014, and in 2015, launched a new connectivity partnership with ViaSat to bring significantly faster satellite WiFi to its new delivery aircraft – allowing travelers to stream Netflix at 35,000 feet. The satellite WiFi service is flying on 10 of the airline's newest delivery aircraft as of this month. In 2015, Virgin America launched the next generation of its Red® entertainment platform, which offers higher resolution, capacitive touch screens and an Android-based software platform that allows for more content and interactivity. In 2015, the airline also became the first to launch a "surround sound" listening experience in-flight via the Red platform. Virgin America's on-demand menu remains unique in the U.S. airline industry – allowing travelers to order a meal or cocktail from their seat-back screen at any time during a flight. This, coupled with the airline's locally-focused menu, has helped Virgin America capture numerous food awards – including most recently the "Best Domestic Airline for Food" in Travel + Leisure's 2015 World's Best Awards. In addition to its curated on-demand meals in Main Cabin and its premium plated First Class service, the airline has forged unique "foodie" partnerships with the likes of Dean & Deluca and San Francisco's own Philz Coffee, Anchor Steam craft beer and Humphry Slocombe ice cream. Since its 2007 launch, Virgin America has expanded its network to include Austin, Boston, Cancun, Chicago,Dallas Love Field, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Newark, New York (JFK and LGA), Orlando, Palm Springs, Portland, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. (IAD and DCA), Honolulu and Kahului, Maui. Earlier this year, Virgin America launched nonstop flights from Los Angeles to both Honolulu and Maui – expanding on its service from San Francisco. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seating with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, Virgin America's First Class cabin offers plush white leather seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier's Main Cabin Select service offers 38 inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media content, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding. For more about Virgin America's unique guest experience, visit: https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/fly-with-us.  Virgin America Named Top Domestic Airline In The Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards Survey  Ouadahi's Flying Fence at Hosfelt Gallery (PRNewsFoto/Hosfelt Gallery) SAN FRANCISCO, June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco's premier contemporary art gallery, today announced its next exhibit starting July 16, 2016 of a new body of work by Algerian painter Driss Ouadahi. Ouadahi's work considers the political and psychological aspects of boundaries and borders and was inspired by his volunteer work helping refugees from Middle East conflicts resettle in Germany. Ouadahi's work is dominated by photo-realistic fences, cityscapes and tiled tunnels that question the myth of human mobility. His work is particularly relevant during a time when walls and borders have become prominent in both European and American politics and through actions like the recent "Brexit" (United Kingdom exit from the European Union), partly on grounds of immigration and border control.
"Ouadahi's depictions of the fence are meticulous, almost resembling an actual photograph, but his atmospheric backgrounds are ambiguous and evocative," said Todd Hosfelt, founder of Hosfelt Gallery. "The fences are often slashed open like a gaping wound, or bent out-of-shape, to suggest the struggle and impediments the millions of people fleeing war and violence face as they seek a better life. Ouadahi uses the fence as a de-humanizing symbol of alienation and otherness. This new body of work from an international rising star sends a distinctive message to those who call for the building of walls and closing of borders. Hosfelt Gallery is proud to host this series at a particularly timely and relevant moment given today's global news." Driss Ouadahi was born in Morocco to Algerian political exiles. He first studied architecture in Algiers and then painting at the world-renowned Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf, where he lives today. He was awarded the grand prize at the Dakar Biennale in 2014, and his work has been exhibited internationally, including New York, Dubai,North Africa and throughout Europe. Hosfelt Gallery will present his depictions of chain-link fences and empty subway tunnels, influenced by Ouadahi's interactions with Syrian and Iraqi refugees who have re-settled in Germany. The exhibition will open on Saturday, July 16, 2016 with a public reception from 4 to 6 pm, and can be seen at Hosfelt Gallery through August 8, 2016. The gallery is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 am-5:30 pm, and Thursday 11 am-7 pm. Private appointments are also available by calling 415-495-5454. For more information, including photos and a description of the exhibition, visit www.hosfeltgallery.com.  This year the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival will honor the 100th year of the 1916 Irish Rising and the men and women who supported this centennial event. In recent years the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival has regained its status as one of the biggest parades in our State. Featured groups from throughout the Bay Area’s Irish community include schools, youth organizations, labor unions, cultural groups, as well as the San Francisco Fire and Police Departments. In addition, many of our local political leaders proudly march up Market Street.
For more information about the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Festival & Parade in San Francisco, go to: http://www.sresproductions.com/events/st-patricks-day-festival/ National AIDS Memorial Grove Announces Recipients of 2015 Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship1/16/2016  Chanel DeLaney, Mark Ng greet scholarship recipient Abdon Orrostie (PRNewsFoto/National AIDS Memorial Grove) source: National AIDS Memorial Grove  Manuel Venegas, Abdon Orrostieta, Eric Ciasullo and Chanel DeLaney (PRNewsFoto/National AIDS Memorial Grove) source: National AIDS Memorial Grove SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National AIDS Memorial Grove has awarded six outstanding undergraduate students each with a Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship for their commitment to active roles of public service and leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship, named in honor of AIDS educator, activist and reality television pioneer Pedro Zamora, who passed away more than twenty years ago from an AIDS-related illness, has helped support the education of young people who today are engaged in a variety of HIV-related work in their schools, communities and chosen academic fields. The scholarship program began in 2009 and is funded primarily through grants provided by UnitedHealthcare, Wells Fargo and Project Inform. This year marks the largest distribution of funds from the program with a total of $40,000 awarded to six undergraduate students, two of whom are two-year scholarship recipients with $5,000 awarded in 2015 & 2016. The six recipients will each receive $5,000 to support their educational goals as they continue to provide much needed leadership and community service in HIV/AIDS public awareness and prevention, public policy, and treatment and support for people living with HIV/AIDS. "We are pleased to see the growth of the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship and see first-hand how our support is helping the next generation of leaders who are actively engaged in AIDS-related work," said John Cunningham, executive director of the National AIDS Memorial Grove. "This couldn't be done without the strong support and funding from UnitedHealthcare, Wells Fargo and Project Inform." The scholarships recipients are from six states and include: Raymond Jackson is working on his associate's degree in Business Administration at Essex County College inNewark, N.J. Raymond's goal is to work with the Centers for Disease Control in their Global Health Economics Department, the financial resources to help individuals in third world countries with HIV/AIDS. In addition, he is working as a peer educator at Project (WOW), where he has the opportunity to share his personal story of living with HIV and educate his peers of the importance of protecting themselves. Adrian Nava is a second-year recipient and third-year student at the University of Denver. He plans on completing his bachelor of arts in International Studies and Sociology. Adrian plans on working in the nonprofit sector, focusing on health and access to health services for LGBT people and people of color. Adrian has worked in the sexual health field for five years and continues to do work around sexual health at state and national levels. Uzo Okoro is a senior at Brown University in Providence, R.I., majoring in Public Health. Upon graduation, she will attend The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University to pursue her medical degree. Uzo was selected by the nonprofit group Advocates for Youth to be a Youth Ambassador for NYHAAD (National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day) to promote a message of prevention, treatment, care and youth empowerment. She also uses events, forums and social media to amplify the voice of HIV+ survivors. At Brown University, she is a lead coordinator of the Sexual Health Awareness Group (SHAG), where she participates in sexual peer education. Abdon Orrostieta is a two-year scholarship recipient and junior at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla. He volunteers with Latino Salud, a nonprofit community- and minority-based HIV agency that provides HIV rapid testing and linkage services making Ryan White support and other medical services accessible to HIV-positive individuals. He is also a member of the Health Awareness and Prevention Society, which promotes increased awareness and healthy living through education and prevention, and plans to incorporate what he has learned through his involvement with HAPS and Latino Salud into his future professional endeavors. Shira Smillie is a sophomore at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Va., where she is double-majoring in American Studies and Latin American Latino and Iberian Studies. Her concentration in American Studies focuses on the intersections of identity, poverty, power and privilege in the United States. Shira works at theUniversity of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing on an HIV/STI prevention program for black youth with mental illness. Manuel Venegas is a two-year scholarship recipient and first-generation Mexican-American college student. Receiving this award will help him finish his undergraduate studies in Latin American & Caribbean Studies with an emphasis on Global Health. His background in public policy, community organizing and mobilization are just some key factors that come into play when he advocates for HIV & AIDS at the community, state and national levels. Manuel, who was also selected by Advocates for Youth to be a Youth Ambassador for NYHAAD, is a third-year student at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he serves on the City of Seattle LGBT Commission and hopes to strengthen his voice as a community advocate, and leverage his perspective as a person openly living with HIV. "UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to continue providing funding and support for this important scholarship program, which is helping students pursue their education and active involvement in AIDS-related careers and community engagement," said Chanel DeLaney of UnitedHealthcare. "As a long-term supporter of the National AIDS Memorial Grove, Wells Fargo is impressed with the caliber of students offered scholarships through the Pedro Zamora Scholarship Program," said Mark Ng, Bay Area Regional Sales & Marketing Manager for Wells Fargo. "They will be excellent ambassadors to continue carrying the torch for Pedro." The Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship is open to current high-school seniors and college undergraduate students who have demonstrated an active commitment to fighting AIDS. Applications are accepted during the winter and spring of each year. Interested applicants are asked to write personal statements and an essay detailing their HIV/AIDS-related community service, and provide proof of current academic status. As part of their application, scholarship recipients must demonstrate an active commitment to HIV/AIDS-related community service. Scholarship recipients are eligible to apply for ongoing educational support connected to both their chosen field of study and related community work, helping support future leaders in the HIV/AIDS arena. Through a reapplication and qualification process, the National AIDS Memorial and its funding partners will have the opportunity to follow these individuals on their path to becoming leaders in the fight against AIDS. To learn more about the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship and other National AIDS Memorial programs, visit www.aidsmemorial.org or call (415) 765-0497. About the National AIDS Memorial: The National AIDS Memorial received the honor of being designated the official national AIDS memorial in 1996, in large measure because of the leadership of Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi who helped pass legislation that was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, elevating the Grove to join the company of the nation's other 43 federally designated memorials. The National AIDS Memorial is located inSan Francisco's Golden Gate Park at the corner of Nancy Pelosi Drive and Bowling Green Drives.
"Discover San Francisco" Series II is by award winning aerial cinematographer Halcyon. This trailer was shot with the Nikon 3300 and edited on FCP. Enjoy and Good Evening to you San Francisco! #DiscoverSF
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