Friday, January 16, 2015

Republican presidential prospect Ben Carson

In this March 8, 2014, file photo, Ben Carson addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference annual meeting in National Harbor, Md.

CORONADO, Calif. — Republican presidential prospect Ben Carson on Thursday compared the Islamic State group to American patriots willing to die for freedom.

In a speech to the Republican National Committee's winter meeting outside San Diego, the former neurosurgeon and conservative favorite praised American patriots for their willingness to give their lives for their beliefs. Then he mentioned the Islamic State group.

"They got the wrong philosophy, but they're willing to die for what they believe, while we are busily giving away every belief and every value for the sake of political correctness," he said as Republican officials from across the country interrupted him with applause. "We have to change that."

Commonly known as ISIS, the Islamic State group has been responsible for hundreds of deaths across the Middle East in recent months. Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for recent beheadings of Western journalists and aid workers. One of the suspects in the recent Paris terror attacks claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group.

A Republican National Committee spokesman had no immediate response when asked to comment on Carson's remarks, which came as part of a 35-minute luncheon address.

After the speech, Carson said it's "ridiculous" to suggest he was likening American patriots to the Islamic State.

Carson has drawn criticism for other comparisons. In his speech Thursday, he dismissed such reaction as politically motivated attacks by opponents. He also referred to recent accusations that he had plagiarized sections of a book, telling Republicans that he had "missed a couple" of citations and taking full responsibility for that.

Last spring Carson called the scandal over patient care at veterans hospitals "a gift from God to show us what happens when you take layers and layers of bureaucracy and place them between the patients and the health care provider." In 2013 he called the Affordable Care Act "the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery," adding that "it is slavery in a way because it is making all of us subservient to the government."

Carson is popular among conservatives across the country, and some have launched a national draft effort encouraging him to run for president. The only high-profile African-American considering a White House bid, he remains little known among much of the Republican establishment.

He said Thursday that he wasn't in a rush to announce his 2016 plans.

"I don't see the urgency," he said. "Let everybody else get in if they feel urgent, but I would have a tendency to do things the way they feel right to me."

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Top 15 Most Popular Blogs

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

You Can’t Afford To Ignore Bloggers Anymore

By BRYAN STAGGERS JANUARY 7, 2015 0

So, here’s the score. You’re a band – you might be new, or conversely, you might be more established than kingpins like the classic Iron Maiden or next-generation stars like Bring Me The Horizon. Doubtful, but who knows? Basically, it doesn’t matter. Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘forget the rock press’ (Kerrang, Rock Sound, Metal Hammer, NME and so on), there’s certainly a new form of media emerging that should no longer be ignored. Of course, I’m talking about ‘bedroom’ bloggers.

Before you sneer and debate the concept of ‘silly little girls’ voicing their opinions to nobody in particular on their ‘little blogs’, consider this:
71% of people are influenced by blogs and make purchases or other decisions based on recommendations. Purchases can also mean gig tickets, downloads, and merch, no?
Brands of all sizes and niches are using blogs to advertise their stuff on! Music is so forward thinking, so don’t be left behind.

Likewise, bloggers come in all different categories – they aren’t ‘silly’ in the slightest and are often very knowledgeable about their passions and can write well.

Bloggers tend to pride themselves on having a large social following, so working with them can have a ridiculously positive impact on your own engagement and fan base.

If bloggers start linking to your website, this can have brilliant SEO value, and will truly put you on a Google map of a different persuasion! Want to be found in search terms when people look for certain events, or genres? Thought so.

How does this make a difference to your band, and what can you do?

Well, naturally, if you build up a relationship with bloggers, you can start inviting them to stuff they might think is cool – such as gigs you’re playing, festivals you’re opening and other stuff like your band’s first album launch.

Everyone loves a bit of VIP treatment, and they’re much more likely to tell their friends if they’re treated really well and have a good time. Their readers will be somewhat envious, and will want to engage with the band now that they think you’re kind of elusive, but you’ll be inviting people JUST LIKE THEM, in theory, so they’ll think you’re pretty cool and down to earth, as well as rockstars.

There are so many bloggers to look out for, from the now ‘career’ bloggers like Zoe London, to self-confessed alternative music lovers like Amy Valentine, or even newbies like Claire Louise. Then of course you have student blogs where they’re lovingly writing them collectively, or smaller music media for the passionate and aspirational young journalists out there.

Lots of them don’t get paid yet, so in return for a space at your next show, they could be giving you untold amounts of worthwhile promotion. People read and are influenced by what they have to say – why should this be any different for musicians if it works for some of the world’s leading companies?
So, instead of using your guest list to impress a few old friends and hangers on, why not start using it productively?

You should even get your PR team involved and let them know this is something you’re interested in. If you’re out on your own, start building those relationships now. The return will be so worth it in the long run – word of mouth speaks volumes!

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands.

MusicDish*China Top 10 Songs Gives Insight Into Chinese Online Fans

MusicDish*China Top 10 Songs Gives Insight Into Chinese Online Fans

Email: chinasounds@musicdish.com
Website: http://www.musicdish.com/china/music/singlepromo.php3
Music: http://www.ximalaya.com/10289999

In 2014, MusicDish*China (独立小炒) featured over 150 songs from Western indie musicians to Chinese music platform Ximalaya since July as part of its Song Blast promotional service. Covering genres from pop, R&B, jazz, electronic and rock, many songs have generated thousands of plays on the Chinese platform, with the most listened surpassing 30,000. So what appeals to Chinese online listeners?

Pop and EDM Find Favor With Chinese Online Fans
We listed our top ten most played songs on Ximalaya below. Without a doubt, one thing they share in common is that all ten of them are enjoyable to the ears --- Chinese ears to be precise. One of the trends we have discovered is that Chinese indie listeners on Ximalaya buy more into pop and electronic music, with pop being most popular. Another pattern that drew our attention is that all of our top fours have frighteningly beautiful, melodic, yet powerful female vocals. We hope our top ten songs can give a glimpse into the style of Western acts appealing to online Chinese fans this year. So here we go:

1. "Close Your Eyes" by Roxanna
Plays: 31,427
Genre: pop, jazz
Canadian music sensation Roxanna was born in wartime Iran. Her music always has an amazing power to heal broken hearts and inspire lost souls. Resounding melody, emotional lyrics, powerful voice, and a strong accompaniment of string orchestration all together make it the most touching song. This is why Close Your Eyes managed to touch our hearts and became our top one in the list of most played songs in 2014.

2. "Run" by Marina V
Plays: 19,175
Genre: pop
Marina V has this "hauntingly beautiful voice" (LA Times) that could intoxicate us. Run is a melodic and emotional pop song that would catch your ears very easily, and probably would linger in your head for days to come. As the songwriter and producer for her own music, Marina V always integrates her childhood experiences in Russia and teenage life in America into her songs. This song won her LA Music Critic Award in 2013.

3. "Falling 4 U" by Devyn Rose
Plays: 12,673
Genre: R&B, electronic
Talented musician Devyn Rose has been producing R&B, hip-pop and remixing tapes with her unique style that combines different music genres together. This Falling 4 U is sexy, edgy, yet hits you with an attitude. Beautiful and clean melody with a strong beat-driven rhythm all together make this song a number three on our most played songs list in 2014.

4. "Tomorrow" by We Are Catalyst
Plays: 10,716
Genre: rock, electronic
Heavy metal, alternative rock and electronic, "Tomorrow" is like a standard millennial type of thing. Leading vocal has a pure and simple female voice, which adds a sense of innocence to this dark, hopeless world that was created in the song.

5. "Stuck in My Head" by Sam Ebako
Plays: 10,080
Genre: EDM
After four stunning, female voices taking over the top four spots in our chart, finally we are here with some strong, male vocal expression. Sam Ebako is a Cameroon-born singer and songwriter. Stuck in My Head actually came out after his horrible breakup with his ex-girlfriend. The sad and grieved lyrics make a sharp contrast with the strong beats and hasty rhythm; and the electronic effects added to the vocal make this song very trendy and clubby.

6. "Boom" by Lina Fouro(L4O)
Plays: 9,215
Genre: pop, electronic
L4o has always been popular among teenage girls. Her music is popping, chic and very straightforward. Catchy melodies with candid lyrics, Boom allows us to hear this simple, and maybe a little bit shy teenage girl expressing her love for her high school crush. The electronic effects and sexy vocal voice save this song from being plain, boring and too sweet.

7. "Somewhere" by Hashback Harnish
Plays: 7,343
Genre: electronic, experimental
Smoky, mysterious, and edgy. Hashback Harnish makes us enter this post-midnight world that only exists in our deep imaginations…

8. "Toxic Kisses" by SweetTooth
Plays: 6,603
Genre: rock/heavy metal
Heavy metal and electronic usually do not go along, yet Sweet Tooth surprises us by making these two comfortably compatible with each other. Toxic Kisses creates this dashingly frantic sense that would give you goose bumps from the first note.

9. "Sing Along, Sing Along" by Cookie Robinowitz
Plays: 5,803
Genre: pop
Cookie Robinowitz has successfully made this song pop-y and captivating that this song is simply enjoyable. The melody is so catchy that you would probably be singing along together right after verse one, just as the title has suggested.

10. "With You" by FM Pilots
Plays: 5,453
Genre: pop-alternative
FM Pilots is a pop-alternative band from Oklahoma. This song With You is frank, simple and clean-cut. The lead vocal has a very attractive voice, and the melody is well written and catchy. All of these make this song enjoyable and fun to listen.

MusicDish*China Song Blast
Since July 2014, MusicDish*China Song Blast service has been promoting Western acts on its branded channels on Chinese streaming platforms such as Ximalaya, Lizhi.fm and YuYin.fm as well as Chinese social sites such as Weibo, Douban, Huaban and Diandian
http://www.musicdish.com/china/music/singlepromo.php3

What Is Ximalaya?
As one of the major music platform in China, Ximalaya (ximalaya.com) is an online podcast platform and music player with mostly user-generated content. According to BaiduApp (a Chinese digital distribution platform for mobile apps, like GooglePlay and Android Market), more than 14 million people have downloaded Ximalaya app to their mobile devices since its launch in 2012.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Why You Can’t Afford To Ignore Bloggers Anymore

You Can’t Afford To Ignore Bloggers Anymore.

BRYAN STAGGERS JANUARY 7, 2015 0

You Can’t Afford To Ignore Bloggers Anymore.

So, here’s the score. You’re a band – you might be new, or conversely, you might be more established than kingpins like the classic Iron Maiden or next-generation stars like Bring Me The Horizon. Doubtful, but who knows? Basically, it doesn’t matter. Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘forget the rock press’ (Kerrang, Rock Sound, Metal Hammer, NME and so on), there’s certainly a new form of media emerging that should no longer be ignored. Of course, I’m talking about ‘bedroom’ bloggers.

Before you sneer and debate the concept of ‘silly little girls’ voicing their opinions to nobody in particular on their ‘little blogs’, consider this:

71% of people are influenced by blogs and make purchases or other decisions based on recommendations. Purchases can also mean gig tickets, downloads, and merch, no?
Brands of all sizes and niches are using blogs to advertise their stuff on! Music is so forward thinking, so don’t be left behind.
Likewise, bloggers come in all different categories – they aren’t ‘silly’ in the slightest and are often very knowledgeable about their passions and can write well.
Bloggers tend to pride themselves on having a large social following, so working with them can have a ridiculously positive impact on your own engagement and fan base.
If bloggers start linking to your website, this can have brilliant SEO value, and will truly put you on a Google map of a different persuasion! Want to be found in search terms when people look for certain events, or genres? Thought so.

How does this make a difference to your band, and what can you do?

Well, naturally, if you build up a relationship with bloggers, you can start inviting them to stuff they might think is cool – such as gigs you’re playing, festivals you’re opening and other stuff like your band’s first album launch. Everyone loves a bit of VIP treatment, and they’re much more likely to tell their friends if they’re treated really well and have a good time. Their readers will be somewhat envious, and will want to engage with the band now that they think you’re kind of elusive, but you’ll be inviting people JUST LIKE THEM, in theory, so they’ll think you’re pretty cool and down to earth, as well as rockstars.

There are so many bloggers to look out for, from the now ‘career’ bloggers like Zoe London, to self-confessed alternative music lovers like Amy Valentine, or even newbies like Claire Louise. Then of course you have student blogs where they’re lovingly writing them collectively, or smaller music media for the passionate and aspirational young journalists out there. Lots of them don’t get paid yet, so in return for a space at your next show, they could be giving you untold amounts of worthwhile promotion. People read and are influenced by what they have to say – why should this be any different for musicians if it works for some of the world’s leading companies?

So, instead of using your guest list to impress a few old friends and hangers on, why not start using it productively? You should even get your PR team involved and let them know this is something you’re interested in. If you’re out on your own, start building those relationships now. The return will be so worth it in the long run – word of mouth speaks volumes!

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Bodies ‘littered on the streets’ after Boko Haram attack on Baga

Locals say insurgents began shooting indiscriminately in Nigerian town

The aftermath of a Boko Haram bomb blast at Dukku bus rank in Gombe, Nigeria, in late December in which at least 20 people died and 18 sustained various injuries. In Baga the dead were said to be “littered on the streets and surrounding bushes”. Photograph: EPA

Topics:
News
World
Africa
Boko Haram

Thu, Jan 8, 2015, 20:14

First published:Thu, Jan 8, 2015, 18:08

Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram have attacked the northeastern town of Baga for the second time in a week, leaving bodies littering the streets, according to an official.

Two locals said the Islamist insurgents began shooting indiscriminately and burning buildings on Tuesday evening in raids on the civilian population that carried on into Wednesday.

More than 2,000 people are unaccounted for according to Musa Bukar, chairman of local government for the Kukawa district, which includes Baga.

The dead are “littered on the streets and surrounding bushes”, said Mr Bukar, speaking from a camp in the city of Maiduguri that is sheltering people who have fled the attacks.

On January 3rd, Boko Haram captured the headquarters of a multinational military force in Baga set up to combat the insurgency.

“I escaped with my family in the car after seeing how Boko Haram was killing people ... I saw bodies in the street. Children and women, some were crying for help,” Mohamed Bukar told Reuters after fleeing to the state capital Maiduguri.

The insurgency killed more than 10,000 people last year, according to a count by the Council on Foreign Relations in November.

It is seen as the gravest threat to Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, and a headache for President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of an election on February 14th.

Soldiers fled Baga over the weekend when the Sunni jihadist group overran a nearby army base.

The district head of Baga, Abba Hassan, said on Thursday that at least 100 people were killed when the group first took over the town on the edge of Lake Chad. Abubakar Gulama, who escaped without his family to Monguno, 40 km (25 miles) away, said he crossed “many dead bodies on the ground” and that “the whole town was on fire”.

Reuters TV footage showed scores of civilians waiting on sandy streets on the outskirts of Baga to catch buses out of town. Many carried the few possessions they had salvaged, such as bags of clothes and rolled up mattresses. In the last week, around 2,000 Nigerians and 500 Chadians have fled Boko Haram attacks in Chad’s Lake region, Chadian Prime Minister Kalzeubet Pahimi said on Wednesday.

A source at a rights group in Maiduguri said some 10 women who snuck out of Baga a few days after the first attack had reported that their daughters aged 10-20 had been kidnapped. The militants have been waging an insurgency to establish an Islamic state for more than five years.

The number and scale of attacks rose sharply in 2014 after the government imposed emergency rule on the three worst-hit states in 2013, and the administration of the president has met growing criticism for failing to quash it.

The president defended his record on tackling Boko Haram at the launch of his election campaign and blamed opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari for Nigeria’s ill-equipped army.

Boko Haram has taken over or rendered ungovernable swathes of the northeast, especially Borno state where Baga is located.

It has also launched attacks in Chad and Cameroon, while Chad has appealed for international aid to support the refugees coming across its border.

Monday, January 5, 2015

Keshia Knight Pulliam

Keshia Knight Pulliam fired from "Celebrity Apprentice" for not reaching out to Bill Cosby

Keshia Knight Pulliam attends the Soul Train Awards 2013 at the Orleans Arena on Nove. 8, 2013, in Las Vegas. JASON KEMPIN/GETTY IMAGES FOR BET

"The Celebrity Apprentice" returned for a new season on Sunday night, and like with previous seasons, someone had to be the first person "fired." In this case, it was Keshia Knight Pulliam -- who played Rudy Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" -- and her ousting ended up being because of Bill Cosby.

The episode, taped prior to the recent sex abuse allegations that have come out against the actor/comedian, ended with Pulliam being booted from the boardroom because she didn't reach out to her former TV dad to help contribute to the episode's fundraising challenge.

Pulliam was the project manager for her team, which was tasked with raising funds for charity via a bake sale. While other cast members contacted famous friends to donate, the former child star did not ask Cosby for help.

"I have not talked to Bill Cosby on the phone in I don't know how long," she explained when questioned by Donald Trump. "For me to pick up the phone having not talked to you for five years, except for when we run into each other for a Cosby event, I feel that's not my place to do."

Trump disagreed. "You have this tremendous guy with this tremendous amount of money. And with one phone call you could have won this whole event," he told her.

"I really believe, if you'd called that gentleman, he would've helped you, even if you hadn't spoken to him in years," he added. "Because you were an amazing team with one of the most successful shows ever, so I think it would have been a very quick call to make for charity...Keshia, you're fired."

After the episode aired, Trump took to Twitter to explain the decision.

Friday, January 16, 2015

Republican presidential prospect Ben Carson

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Top 15 Most Popular Blogs

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

You Can’t Afford To Ignore Bloggers Anymore

MusicDish*China Top 10 Songs Gives Insight Into Chinese Online Fans

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Why You Can’t Afford To Ignore Bloggers Anymore

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Bodies ‘littered on the streets’ after Boko Haram attack on Baga

Bodies ‘littered on the streets’ after Boko Haram attack on Baga

Locals say insurgents began shooting indiscriminately in Nigerian town

Monday, January 5, 2015

Keshia Knight Pulliam

Keshia Knight Pulliam fired from "Celebrity Apprentice" for not reaching out to Bill Cosby

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