Waka Flocka Flame Wants Out
Waka Flocka Flame is the latest major label artist to want out of their contract.
The Atlanta rapper went on a Twitter tirade on Thursday blasting his label Atlantic Records and says he want to leave.
“I f***ing hate my label,” he said.
“Atlantic Records —– LET ME BUY-OUT,” he added.
He also shared some ‘facts’ about what transpired between himself and Atlantic Records.
“Labels don’t do sh** for the artist #FACTS Labels don’t invest #FACTS Labels hire a bunch of amateurs to keep cost down #FACTS,” Flocka continues.
Flocks is working on a new album
Meek Mill Releases Drake Diss Track
A leak snippet of a new Meek Mill track surfaced online today showcasing him dissing Drake over the “Back To Back” beat.
Yesterday Meek went off on his labelmate Wale on Instagram following an interview the MMG rapper did on The Breakfast Club.
Wale told the hosts of the show that Meek Mill lost the battle with Drake because he brought pen and paper to a gun fight. Now today a 15-second snippet of an alleged Meek song leaked online.
It’s kind of hard to understand what Meek Mill is saying because of the way he raps, but take a listen below.
Perhaps Drake has not heard the song yet because we know that third diss song is coming. in the meantime, Meek Mill has been getting roast on social media with a ton of memes since he attacked Wale yesterday.
Wale and Meek Mill maybe labelmates but they are not friends and its evident after yesterday showdown between the two of them.
The “Matrimony” singer went on The Breakfast club where he spoke about Meek Mill infamous beef with Drake and his comments weren’t too kind towards the Philly emcee.
"Honestly I think he brought a pencil to a gun fight,” Wale said. “He ain’t even bring a knife—a pencil. A piece of paper. He tried to paper cut him to death.”
Meek Mill got so angry at his Maybach Music Group labelmate that he went on Instagram and fire off a feisty message.
“Ni***s b doing all this to drop a new record gossiping about they hoe as feelings and they personal life because they miserable and nobody don’t rock wit them!” Meek rant.
Meek is also telling Wale that he doesn’t want him in Maybach Music Group anymore and that he should go jump off a roof.
“We don’t wanna hear you nomore Fam! Go jump off a roof like u been tryna do chump! He not MMG IM MAKING THAT CALL,” he said. The Philly emcee added that Wale tried to call him and told him that Rick Ross owes them money.
Milly has since deleted the post from Instagram. Seems Rick Ross stepped in and told them to calm things down. But that didn’t stop Wale from responding on Twitter.
His tweet, looking for a roof!
Is Bolt Dating April Jackson?
Usain Bolt is rumored to be dating former Miss Jamaica Universe, April Jackson. Seems that is not the case because the sprint legend’s people are telling us that they are just friends.
Jackson, 26, and Bolt have been rumored to be dating for about four months now. Sources told a popular UK tabloid that the pair met through a mutual friend.
“They were introduced in 2012 but it wasn’t until the following year they got closer and started to date,” sources said.
Urban Islandz sources close to Bolt told us that they have been good friends for years.
“They’ve known each other for years and are good friends so no they are not dating,” our highly placed source said. “Usain busy schedule made it hard for him to focus on a relationship right now. We are coming off a hugely successful 2015 season and are looking forward to Rio in 2016.”
April Jackson was crowned Miss Jamaica Universe in 2008. She has since moved on to making an appearance on The Apprentice in the UK.
Turks and Caicos - Leader Among Caribbean Tourism Destinations
PROVIDENCIALES, Turks and Caicos - Friday, October 23, 2015 - TCI's Tourism Partners are still celebrating after what can only be described as a true validation of the country's growing success as a leader among Caribbean tourism destinations. The destination and various TCHTA members proudly walked away with the following prestigious awards at the Caribbean and North America Ceremony of the 22nd Annual World Travel Awards held recently in Bahamas.
- Caribbean's Leading Beach Destination - Turks and Caicos Islands
- Caribbean's Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort - Beaches TCI
- Caribbean's Leading Boutique Hotel - Point Grace TCI
- Caribbean's Leading Destination Management Company - Olympia Destination Management Company
- Caribbean's Leading Hotel Residences - The Estate at Grace Bay Club
- Caribbean's Leading Luxury Resort - Amanyara Resort
- Caribbean's Leading Spa Resort - The Palms TCI
In the local categories the winners were:
- TCI's Leading Boutique Hotel - The Regent Grand
- TCI's Leading Hotel - Grace Bay Club
- TCI's Leading Hotel Suite - Penthouse at The Palms TCI
- TCI's Leading Resort - Beaches TCI
- TCI's Leading Spa Resort - Parrot Cay COMO
Commenting was TCHTA's Executive Director Stacy Cox who stated, "World Travel Awards is known across the globe as the ultimate travel accolade and for us as a destination to have been awarded so many of these coveted titles is truly a honour. It was an amazing experience to be in attendance at such an event as our members were recognised and celebrated for pushing the boundaries of industry excellence."
Cox added, "In addition to World Travel Awards another hotel member - The Somerset on Grace Bay - was recently named the winner of the CHIEF Award for Sales & Marketing by the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA). These accolades speak to the work our members are determined to put in to ensure that our tourism product continues to surpass expectations. As TCI continues to establish itself as a leading tourism destination we congratulate all winners as well as all our members as we reognise that these achievements aren't possible without the hard work and commitment of our industry professionals."
Photos of all winners can be found by clicking the following link: World Travel Awards
DR. CARLTON MILLS ANNOUNCED AS NEW PRINICIPAL OF LONG BAY HIGH SCHOOL
The Turks and Caicos Islands Government is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Carlton Mills as the Principal for the new Long Bay High School in Providenciales.
Dr. Mills possesses a wealth of education and experience, holding a Certificate in Teacher Education, a Bachelor's Degree in History and Sociology and a Diploma, Master's Degree and Doctorate in Education.
He previously served as the Principal of the Marjorie Basden High School from 1990-1992; Principal of the Raymond Gardiner High School from 1992-1997, Vice President of the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College from 1997-2007 and Minister of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture from 2007-2009.
Dr. Mills was recently awarded the Cayos Medal for his patriotic service to the islands in the education and political arena and now holds the title the Much Honoured Dr. Carlton Mills, P.A.
Commenting on the appointment Deputy Governor Anya Williams said; "It is an esteemed pleasure of mine to welcome the Most Honoured Dr. Carlton Mills back to the Turks and Caicos Islands civil service and to have him serve in this capacity.
"With his fortitude and passion for the education sector and the youth of this country, we have full confidence in his ability to grow and to develop the new Long Bay High School into one of the most productive institutions of learning in the Turks and Caicos Islands. We congratulate him on this appointment and look forward to working with him and to exceptional results from the L.B.H.S. in the years to come."
Dr. Mills added; "I am delighted to return to the public service. I think that I have been haunted for the past six years while out of the service. Education is my calling and moreso, my passion. I want to thank the team for seeing the qualities in me to select me for this new position. With God's help, it is my hope that our staff will work towards making this institution of learning one of the leading institutions in the country.
"We have a group of new students entering this institution. With quality leadership and direction, we can groom these young lives into becoming productive citizens. We can cultivate them into model citizens from which our future leadership in this country can be drawn from. I look forward to the challenges ahead. The success of this institution will greatly depend on overwhelming parental and community support. We look forward to embracing these entities to enable us to improve the teaching and learning process."
See how much tech giants like Apple and Google make per employee
One of the remarkable aspects of tech companies is just how much revenue and value some are able to generate with so few employees.
Pessimists could view this as bad thing, that these companies don't require as many workers to generate massive revenue — and that our jobs will all be taken by robots. But it also shows how productive a more tech-focused economy could be per person.
But exactly how much money do companies like Apple or Google or Microsoft make per employee?
Expert Market looked at the top tech companies in the world, in terms of revenue, and showed us how much each makes per employee. The top 12 are shown above:
Apple tells US judge iPhones are 'impossible' to unlock
Apple has said that encrypted data on newer iPhones can't be accessed, even by Apple, though the firm could in theory help police unlock older phones.
The comments came in a briefing filed on Monday to a US judge who asked for Apple's input in a case.
A US Department of Justice request has tried to force the company to help prosecutors access a seized iPhone.
According to Apple, 90% of its devices running iOS 8 or higher can't be unlocked.
The phone that is the subject of the justice department's request is an older device, but Apple has so far resisted unlocking it for authorities.
"Forcing Apple to extract data in this case, absent clear legal authority to do so, could threaten the trust between Apple and its customers and substantially tarnish the Apple brand," the company said in its briefing.
US magistrate Judge James Orenstein, of Brooklyn in New York, has scheduled a hearing for Thursday though it is not clear whether an Apple representative will be present.
In order to decrypt the data on newer devices, the encryption key - known only to the user - would have to be entered.
'No back doors'
Meanwhile, Apple chief executive Tim Cook has told an audience in California that the company does not allow intelligence agencies to access data via "back doors" in its software.
"We think encryption is a must in today's world," said Mr Cook, speaking at the Wall Street Journal's WSJDLive conference.
"No-one should have to decide privacy or security. We should be smart enough to do both."
The data encrypting services that come with the latest smartphone and computer operating systems can only be unlocked when a specific key is used, according to Dr Joss Wright of the Oxford Internet Institute.
"Apple may supply the device and system but if they don't have that key they're not able to unlock it any more than the US state department," he told the BBC.
He added that law enforcement agencies often found themselves attempting to circumvent this problem.
'Unbreakable'
This can be done by getting the user to voluntarily give up the key or by installing malware on the user's phone that snoops on the key as it is typed in.
"The core encryption is as near to unbreakable as you can get," he said.
"The point is you don't try to break the encryption, you break the software - you try to get the password from the user's computer so you can unlock it."
In another privacy-conscious step, Apple also recently removed more than 250 apps from the app store which used Chinese advertising software to extract personally identifiable information about users.
According to the company, this information included email addresses and data that could identify individual devices.
Apple said it would work with developers to get updated versions of their apps back on the app store "quickly".
Tesla self-drive mode filmed 'endangering passengers'
Videos posted online appear to show Tesla's new self-drive mode causing its cars to drive dangerously and speed.
One appears to show a car suddenly swerving off the road after exiting the motorway in the US city of Portland.
Another appears to show a Model S Tesla swerving towards an oncoming vehicle.
Autopilot takes over driving functions such as steering and changing lane.
But Telsa said: "The driver cannot abdicate responsibility for driving."
It said: "The latest autopilot release is a hands-on experience to give drivers more confidence behind the wheel, increase their safety on the road and make motorway driving more enjoyable."
But one Miami driver said his car had sped up to 75mph (120km/h) in a 60mph zone, resulting in it being pulled over by the Florida Highway Patrol, and posted pictures of the tickets he had been issued.
At the time of its release, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said autopilot was still in test mode.
"The software is very new," he said.
We're being especially cautious at this early stage, so we're advising drivers to keep their hands on the wheel just in case.
The notes accompanying the software update also stated it was suitable only for motorway driving.
YouTube launching ad-free $10-a-month subscription service
YouTube is peeling back the curtain on a paid version of the video site that doesn't have any ads.
The site, owned by Google, introduced the new $9.99 a month subscription option Wednesday. Called Red, it'll launch in the United States on October 28 with a one-month free trial.
For the first time in YouTube's history, it is commissioning original shows that you'll have to pay to watch, the same way Netflix and Hulu do.
But you won't lose access to the existing free version of YouTube. Red is a supplement.
Robert Kyncl, the company's chief business officer, called it the "ultimate YouTube experience."
Kyncl said "consumers are embracing paid subscriptions for ad-free content at an incredible pace."
Time will tell whether they embrace YouTube's.
Subscriptions are a priority for YouTube because right now almost all of its revenue comes from advertising. It is seeking to diversify its revenue streams by adding subscriptions, just as other major media companies have done.
Red has a few main benefits: No ads, the ability to save videos for offline viewing, and access to YouTube and Google's music streaming services.
So in essence it's a package deal -- uninterrupted video viewing and a Spotify-like streaming app.
There's also an initial launch slate of 10 web shows that will premiere exclusively for paying subscribers to Red, starting in January.
One is a reality series called "Scare PewDiePie," featuring a YouTube star whose real name is Felix Kjellberg. Another is a feature-length documentary, "A Trip to Unicorn Island," starring Lilly Singh, who calls herself "Superwoman" on the video site. (Here's the lineup.)
"We have a lot more shows set to launch in 2016," global head of original programming Susanne Daniels said at the press event.
At some point "down the road" each video will be opened up for free viewing, Kyncl said, but the content will remain exclusive to Red subscribers for an "extended period of time."
Kyncl and Daniels both said YouTube is making major investments in original programming. They seemingly invited comparisons to Netflix and other subscription-based video services.
For the time being YouTube only expects to sign up a small fraction of its users for Red.
As Kyncl said Wednesday, "Paid membership is a really hard business to be in."
Kyncl and the site's other executives have been exploring various subscription schemes for years.
Last fall YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said,
YouTube right now is ad-supported, which is great because it has enabled us to scale to a billion users. But there's going to be a point where people don't want to see the ads.
Earlier this year the company honed in on this idea and reached out to high-profile video makers for help.
An April letter asked creators to agree to new terms for an ad-free flavor of the site and said it would "generate a previously untapped, additional source of revenue for you."
Kyncl said Wednesday that 99% of the creators who currently make money from ads on the site have agreed to the new terms. Negotiations are continuing with the rest.
The best analogy to Red might be Hulu, which is best known for streaming TV episodes from networks like NBC and Fox. Hulu started as a free site, but it now has $8-a-month version with additional shows and a $12-a-month without any ads.
The free site still exists, but users are encouraged to upgrade.
Thousands of Syrians Flee Aleppo Countryside
Thousands of Syrian villagers are fleeing homes in the countryside south of Aleppo in the face of a government ground assault backed by Russian airstrikes, one of four major offensives mounted since Russia’s military intervention in the long-running Syrian civil war.
The three other offensives are focused mainly on rural areas in the provinces of Homs, Hama and Latakia.
Three weeks into the Russian air campaign, no ground assault has been launched by government forces in major rebel-held urban areas.
Militia commanders say they suspect the strategy of the government of President Bashar al-Assad is focused on stretching the rebels, seizing control of key highways and encircling larger insurgent-held towns in northern Syria.