R2Bees won the night at the 2013 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs)

The much talked about 2013 Vodafone Ghana Music Awards has come and it is no longer news that the Tema fraternity have once again swept the prestigious Artiste of the Year accolade.

R2bees were crowned with the biggest award on the night amidst five additional ones that they scooped home. As a surprise package, the group received a brand new MG Rover vehicle and Samsung Galaxy S4 phones from Vodafone as part of the awards.

M.anifest, Herty Borngreat and Kaakie were also among the big winners on the night.

Performances from Steve Bedi, Efya, Fuse ODG, 4x4, M.anifest, Amandziba, Akatakyie, Kontinhene, EL, Criss Waddle, Keche, Asem & Kwabena Kwabena, Kwaw Kese, VIP, Sarkodie and R2bees, were enough to warm the cold night that was emceed by KOD and Eazzy.

Below is the complete list of winners at the VGMA 2013

Gospel song of the Year: Zaphenath Paneah

Dancehall Artiste of the Year: Kaakie

Highlife song of the Year: R2bees with 'Odo'

Afro pop song of the Year: Fuse ODG

Hip hop song of the Year: M.anifest

Hiplife song of the Year: R2Bees

Hiphop/Hiplife artiste of the Year: R2Bees

Highlife artiste of the Year: Afriyie

Gospel Artiste of the Year: Herty Borngreat

African artiste of the Year: Wizkid

Best female vocal performance of the Year: Efya

Best rapper of the Year: M.anifest

Best collaboration of the Year: Herty Borngreat & Trigmatic

Group of the Year: R2Bees

Best video of the Year: Chase with 'Lonely'

Best new artiste of the year: Kaakie

Best album of the year: EL

Most popular song of the Year: 'Life' by R2bees

Artiste of the Year: R2bees

No prize for Miss Universe Ghana 2012

The 2013 edition of Miss Universe Ghana has started but Gifty Ofori, the winner of the last year’s pageant, is yet to receive the prize package promised her by organisers, Insignia Experience and RAC Group.

NEWS-ONE has gathered that the two companies have split over the organization of the event and this may be the reason they are dragging their feet in releasing the prizes to the winner.

The 24-year-old model and nurse was supposed to be given a list of prizes including an official car service for her year of reign, an all expense paid trip to the 61st Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, a three-month internship at the United Nations in New York, and a presentation and modeling portfolio shot by celebrity photographer Fadil Berisha in New York.

The rest are a Samsung Note 3 phone tablet, four pages editorial spread in an international magazine, personal celebrity stylists in New York, Los Angeles and Accra and also management and representation by the Insignia Experience/RAC Group as well as a year of incredible experience of celebrity status and adventure. Per her contract, she will also be given a house to live in for her year of reign.

NEWS-ONE reached Gifty and asked her about the prize package and this was her response: “I have only received Samsung Galaxy, my trip to represent Ghana at 61st edition Miss Universe in the US and the photo shoot I did. I have not received the vital packages.”

She said she had not received any official car service to go about her project. She is embarking on a reading programme and HIV sensitization project and has been using public transport to carry out the project. The internship with the United Nations has also not materialized just as she didn’t see any feature about her in any international magazine. Also, she has not been given that celebrity status she was promised from the beginning.

“While I was in the USA, I was waiting for internship with the UN to happen but it never happened. When I came back, I had to go out and solicit for funds for my project which I need to do. It was difficult for me because everything has to come from my pocket. Meanwhile, I have been raised to a certain standard and I have been left hanging with no one supporting me.

I have always expected the two companies to let us sit down and talk about what needs to be done but nothing is happening. They don’t care about my feelings,” she added.

The organisers would neither pick their phones nor reply to numerous text messages sent to them seeking an explanation for the apparent disappointment, when NEWS-ONE tried reaching them.

LAURYN HILL SENTENCED TO THREE MONTHS IN JAIL

Singer Lauryn Hill has been sentenced in the US state of New Jersey to three months in jail for tax evasion.

The Grammy-winning singer, 37, also faces three months of home confinement, after pleading guilty last year.

Hill failed to pay taxes on about $1.8m (£1.2m) of earnings between 2005-07.

In a statement to the judge, Hill said she had intended to pay the taxes but could not after withdrawing from public life and ending her music career to raise her children.

Hill has six children, five of whom she had with Rohan Marley, the son of Bob Marley.

"I am a child of former slaves who had a system imposed on them," Hill said in court. "I had an economic system imposed on me."

Hill started her career with Grammy-award winning hip-hop group Fugees alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel.

She released her acclaimed solo debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998. It won five Grammy awards and sold more than 19 million copies worldwide. 

BBC

Chris Kelly of Kris Kross Dead at 34

Chris Kelly, one-half the hip-hop duo Kris Kross that scored a radio hit with "Jump" in the early Nineties, has died, The Associated Press reports. According to a medical examiner, Kelly, 34, was pronounced dead at Atlanta Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon; the cause of death is unconfirmed. 

Known as "Mac Daddy," Kelly and his groupmate, Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, were discovered by a 19-year-old Jermaine Dupriwhile performing at an Atlanta shopping mall. The budding hip-hop mogul brought the duo to Ruffhouse Records, which released their debut album,Totally Krossed Out, in 1992, when Kelly and Smith were 13 and 12 years old. As Kris Kross swiftly gained popularity among teens with their radio-friendly rap and trendsetting style (they wore their clothing backwards), the album reached Number One, selling four million copies, and its lead single, "Jump," topped the singles chart for eight weeks. The group was embraced by older music stars, t0o, appearing in music videos by Michael Jackson, Run-D.M.C. and TLC. 

Song Stories: Kriss Kross, "Jump"

Kriss Kross released two more albums in the Nineties to lesser success before Kelly and Smith went their separate ways. In February, the duo reunited to perform their at the 20th anniversary concert for Dupri's So So Def label.

http://music.yahoo.com

7 Surprising Things That Make You Live Longer

Want to add years to your lifespan and squeeze more into your life? You’re not alone. Researchers are constantly on the hunt for ways we can increase our longevity, and they have come up with some pretty surprising findings. To help pave the way for a longer life, check out these seven unexpected things that increase your lifespan. 1. Smiling in photographs Next time someone asks you to smile for the camera, it may be wise to heed their advice if you want to live a longer life. A study by researchers at Wayne State University studied photos of former professional baseball players and found that the bigger their smile, the longer they lived. In fact, those players with the biggest smiles amassed an average of seven more years than those with none. It is believed that this is because big smiles in photographs reflect true happiness, which is beneficial for both your physical and mental well-being. 2. Having "positive" initials While you may not give much thought to your initials, a surprising study by researchers at the University of California has revealed that having initials that spell out positive words (such as ACE, WOW or VIP) could add years on to your life. The study found that men with positive initials lived 4.48 years longer while men with initials that spelled out negative words died 2.8 years younger. Having negative initials most significantly seemed to impact on deaths with psychological components such as suicides and accidents, although there was a noticed increase in longevity in almost all disease categories for those with positive initials. 3. Getting married If you’re lucky enough to have found the guy or girl of your dreams, research suggests that taking the next step and getting married could add years on to your lifespan. Being in love has many reported health benefits. In fact, researchers at the University of Rochester reported that a good marriage can be as beneficial for your heart as quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight and reducing high blood pressure. Multiple research studies and statistics have backed this up, showing that those who are married live longer than singletons, generally due to the fact that they have a higher income and experience less social isolation. 4. Being slightly overweight While poor diets and obesity are bad news for your health, research has suggested that slightly overweight people actually live longer than those of normal weight, and significantly longer than those who are obese or excessively thin. However, David Feeny, who led one of the surprising research studies, has warned that this does not mean that normal weight people should attempt to gain weight to increase their lifespan. Experts explain that although being bigger may add a few years on to your lifespan – perhaps due to it helping to safeguard against the weight loss and frailty that often incurs in old age – that does not mean that it will increase your quality of life. 5. Having religious beliefs Multiple research studies have shown that believing in God – regardless of which faith you adhere to – could help to boost your health and increase your lifespan. A study involving liver transplant patients showed that those who had “strong religious connections” were up to three times more likely to survive, even if they did not attend church. Research results published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences also showed that people who attended regular religious services were 46 percent less likely to die during the six-year study. Experts believe that this may be due to increased social ties, less risky behavior and also the increased ability to cope with stress. 6. Being a social butterfly Healthy living can sometimes seem like hard work and it seems to be rare that the things we love are good for us. However, if you want a fun way to boost your health, take note: research suggests that making regular plans with your friends can help you to live longer by reducing feelings of depression, stress and risky behavior, and encouraging you to look after your health. In fact, a study by Brigham Young University found that having a good social network boosts your survival chances by 50 percent, while having few friends affects you longevity as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. 7. Laughter Whether you’re having a giggle with friends or watching a funny movie, laughter is guaranteed to boost your mood and leave you feeling great. However, the benefits of laughter go way beyond that. Studies have found a multitude of ways in which laughter boosts your health, including lowering blood pressure levels, reducing bad cholesterol, enhancing the immune system and helping blood vessels to function better. A seven year study in Norway also found that those who laughed most often in everyday life were 35 per cent less likely to die during the study period.

6 reasons beer is good for you

Beer lovers, rejoice! Not only does beer taste great, and make you feel “buzzed” on life, beer is also good for you!

As pints are poured in bars and restaurants across the country, know that drinking beer has real health benefits.

1. Decrease incidence of heart disease

There are more than 20 well-done, large international studies that all demonstrate the heart benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. One study, conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) noted a 20-40% decrease in coronary artery disease in moderate alcohol drinkers. (1)

Now, that doesn’t mean drinking more is better.

Drinking beer responsibly is drinking healthy. Moderate consumption of beer (alcohol) results in an increase in HDL (good Cholesterol) and a decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol), along with an improvement in both HDL and LDL particle size. (3).

So, don’t worry about the medical terms; just know that a slightly “buzzed” heart is a happy heart!

2. Hops of vitamins

A Dutch study showed a 30% increase in Vitamin B6 in beer drinkers, which makes sense because hops are loaded with the vitamin. This is important because Vitamin B6 helps to battle heart disease.

Alcohol is also an antioxidant which may contribute in part to the decrease in heart disease.

So if you’re looking for a boost in Vitamin B6, or just want a healthy dose of antioxidants, grab a cold one (or two) and cheers to your health!

3. Decrease in Kidney Stones

The Journal of Epidemiology revealed a 40% decrease in kidney stones among beer drinkers. This is most likely secondary to the hydration from the beer since we don’t note a similar finding with other alcohol consumption.

So if you want to avoid the extreme pain associated with kidney stones, grab a couple brews and drink to stone-free days ahead…

4. Benefits for women

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says beer helps prevent a decrease in bone density.

Beer is also high in flavonoids – from the hops- which acts as a natural hormone replacement.

The National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment followed over 200,000 females and found that drinking alcohol decreased the incidence of osteoporosis (7).

All of this leads to a decrease in hip fractures in elderly females, which is important because hip fractures after the age of 65 are associated with a significant increase in mortality.

So, women, if you’re concerned about your bone health, don’t just focus on calcium; add some beer to your diet for another way to protect your bone density.

5. Beer Makes Your Head Clear

That’s right; drinking the right amount of beer is good for your mental health.

The New England Journal of Medicine reported a preservation of mental acuity, especially in elderly women, who drink alcohol moderately.

There are numerous studies that show that moderate alcohol consumption not only decreases the incidence of Alzheimer’s but also improves memory, concentration and reasoning. (6) 

6. Stroke Reduction

Multiple studies consistently show up to a 50% reduction in the risk of strokes in moderate alcohol drinkers. Most notable was a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (4).

The American Stroke Association has stated that 2 alcoholic drinks per day can decrease your incidence of stroke (5).

So, the next time you crack open a cold one, know that you’re doing more than just having a good time…you’re drinking to your health! Cheers!!!

*The health benefits of drinking beer and alcohol in general are based on moderate consumption, which means two beers per day for an average size man and one beer a day for average size women. Many of the benefits described above are lost when alcohol is consumed excessively, and drinking alcohol excessively can have a serious negative effect on your health.

Porn sites reject 'growing risk' of malware claim

Pornography websites identified as potentially putting their visitors at risk of downloading malicious software have hit back at the claims.

Last week, the BBC reported on figures that suggested two popular sites posed high levels of risk.

The research, conducted by security expert Conrad Longmore, referenced data compiled by Google.

One of the sites named, Pornhub, said the numbers quoted "grossly exaggerate" the threat.

Another, xHamster, admitted it did suffer problems "in the past", but that rigorous systems were now in place.

"We had an issue with malware in the past and we totally stopped working with that advertising agency because of that problem," a spokesman said in an email.

"Now our reliable partners are checking new advertisers very strictly, so it's almost impossible to put a new site with malware on xHamster.

"The problem is that even reliable advertisers sometimes can be hacked. For example, in the past we had such issues with one of the top five porn paysites in the world.

"Their ad system was hacked and used for malware."

'Clearly a problem'

Mr Longmore - who published the study on his blog - called the response a "non-denial denial".

"The data is open to interpretation, but there was clearly a problem just one week ago, there may not be a problem today," he said.

"There might be a problem tomorrow, of course."

Continue reading the main story

The research was based on statistics from Google's diagnostic service which crawls web pages for harmful content and posts a 90-day review of what it finds.

For xHamster, Google's figures indicated that "suspicious" content was found on the site as recently as 6 April.

The most recent instance of "suspicious" content found on Pornhub was on 28 January, according to the figures.

But Manwin, the company that owns Pornhub, told the BBC the risk was "minute".

"On average, the website serves over 15.5 billion ads every month," a spokeswoman said.

"Isolated incidents of malware are immediately caught, and minute when considering the mammoth amount of traffic our site receives.

"Pornhub prides itself on providing the optimal user experience, in an environment safe from the threat of infection from third-party malvertisements."

She added that according to Pornhub's own figures, only 0.003% of advertising displayed on its site in a three-month period was potentially harmful.

bbc