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 America is the land of the free, but you know what’s not free? Hiring non-union labor to protest on your behalf. That’s what the Brooklyn-based Jewish Political Action Committee did — they enlisted Mexican workers to hold anti-homosexuality posters at the New York City Pride Parade while dressed as Orthodox Jews. Ironically, the hired hands pretended to be someone they’re not to protest people proudly being themselves. Also ironically, they dressed in ethnic drag to protest gay pride. The organizers could have paid them a little more to learn Hava Nagila and make it a package deal: Protest by day, bar mitzvah band by night. It is touching to see people reach out across lines of faith, race and class. All it took was their hatred of another group. Isn’t that the American way? Persecute strangers until you join them in ostracizing the next group of strangers? Hate can really bring people together. Americans hated the Irish until they saw the Germans coming. Then those Germans didn’t look so bad when the Eastern Europeans arrived. Americans hated Jews until they remembered there were still black people here. Most Jews look white anyway, so it’s hard to keep track. No doubt that the tide of Latinos and Muslims will change our tune again. We’ve got to band together with the folks who already overran the country to keep others from overrunning the country. Don’t take my word for it; ask a Native American. One hero in Montana is taking a stand. John Abarr founded a new KKK chapter that won’t discriminate based on race, religion or sexual orientation. What kind of country are we living in when you can’t even count on the Klan to be racist and homophobic anymore? So much for the good old days. I’m sure Jews, blacks and gays are clamoring to sign up, but I don’t think I want to belong to a club that would have someone like me as a member. (Where is Groucho Marx when you need him?)
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 The imperial wizard of the United Klans of America said Abarr’s inclusive KKK is absurd. Ironically, the progressive Montana Human Rights Network agreed. And there you have it: Another bridge built by hate. (On a related note, I’m thinking of changing my title from “Rabbi” to “Imperial Wizard.” It’s more whimsical.) But our hate is still small potatoes. It’s time to take it to the next level: Hate global, act local. What we need is something to inspire us to make common cause with our fellow humans, someone we can loathe together. That’s why I hope we find life on other planets. Imagine how it will expand our hate horizons. Picture all humanity locked arm in arm against the threat of illegal aliens from outer space. If we’ve learned anything from the movies, extraterrestrials are bloodthirsty conquerers. Don’t be fooled by E.T.’s charm — first he came for the Reese’s Pieces and I said nothing because I prefer M&Ms. Does that mean we are doomed to perpetual war? Or could there yet be a higher level of hate, a universal contempt, to unite us across species and galaxies?
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 If we turn our thoughts to the creator of all, asking why in God’s name there is so much strife and suffering in the universe, then the spark of hate will begin to glow within each of us. When that hatred glows brightest, then at last the messiah will come. God’s anointed one will ascend the throne of glory to find all of creation in concerted resentment against him, wondering what took him so long, already. As Isaiah prophesied: “And the many peoples shall go and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the Mount of the Lord, to the House of God, and ask, “Why are you still in your house? Have you seen what’s going on out here?”’”
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Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads British number one Heather Watson gave top seed Serena Williams a huge scare before losing a thrilling third-round match at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old battled back from a set down, winning six straight games from 3-3 in the second set. Watson served for the match at 5-4 in the decider but five-time Wimbledon champion Williams recovered to win 6-2 4-6 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes. The 20-time Grand Slam champion will play her elder sister Venus nextIt was a tough, tough ask today. But I was super, super close. I think that's what really hurts the most," said Watson. "I honestly didn't think I was going to win," Williams said. "How I pulled through, I really don't know. "I just was like, 'listen, if I'm going to go lose, I'm going to lose trying to do the right things'." Sam Smith, former British number one "I think that was one of the great performances by a female British player. Heather Watson should listen to Serena Williams saying that her aiming for the top 20 is probably setting her ambition a bit low. To me, that was top-10 tennis." Watson, the world number 59, was the last surviving British woman in the main draw and was hoping to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time. Few people gave Watson a chance against the world number one, who overpowered her to take a one-sided first set in just 25 minutes. Watson fails to emulate Sue BarkerClick & Close Ads Click & Close Ads It is 36 years since a British woman last beat a world number one, when Sue Barker beat Chris Evert in Boston in 1979. It appeared that the tournament favourite would sweep to a swift victory, but Watson regrouped and began to mount a better defence of her serve. At the same time, errors began to litter Williams' game and she became visibly frustrated by her frequent mistakes. That increased Watson's belief and, as she improved, the crowd began to sense a comeback was possible. Playing inspired tennis, she levelled at one-set all and moved 3-0 up in the decider with a double break. By now, Centre Court was rocking but Watson could not maintain the momentum, losing a point that would have put her 4-0 up, and Williams fought back to lead 4-3. Watson was not done yet, however. Another break gave her the chance to serve for the match at 5-4, and when she got to deuce she was within two points of victory. Williams has not won 20 Grand Slams without being a fighter, though, and she dug deep once again to break back and go on to win. Her victory keeps alive her hope of winning all four majors in the same calendar year, while Watson was left with nothing to show for an incredible effort.Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads

Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads This video shows the terrifying moments after the gunman Seifeddine Rezgui entered the Hotel Marhaba resort in Sousse. He has already murdered dozens of sunbathers on the beach. The brave hotel staff are seen searching for the killer after hearing gunshots. Shouts can be heard before Rezgui is finally shot by police. Labour's Sadiq Khan has argued the Metropolitan Police cannot continue to do "the outstanding job they do in protecting Londoners" faced with another round of cuts. Writing in the Daily Mirror, he said: "There can be no better source of information than that from the communities that are being targeted by extremists, but without the resources to build those relationships, to develop the trust then the police will be operating with one hand tied its back." 15.40 Over the next two days security services and emergency services will conduct a major exercise in London, the Prime Minister has announced. There will be a national minute of silence on Friday, a week after the attack occurred.Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads "There is no evidence to date that they were directly coordinated," said Mr Cameron. He added that there are over 50 people on the ground assisting in Tunisia and the RAF will arrange directly the repatriations of victims. Over 380 counter terrorism and local officers have been at British airports assisting those coming home. It is the largest counter-terrorism deployment in a decade. Mr Cameron said the Foreign and Common Wealth Office have updated their travel advice and are not advising against travel to coastal resorts in the region. "We will not give up our way of life or cow in the face of terrorism," he said. "The Tunisians and Kuwaitis will not... be cowed by terror," he added. The death toll of British victims is likely to rise above the current total of 18, David Cameron has said in the house. Mr Cameron said this morning's Cobra emergencies committee went through the attacks in Tunisia, Kuwait and France in its meeting. MPs are now marking the attack in Tunisia with a minute's silence in the Commons The Prime Minister, who chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee at 10 Downing Street, is due to speak in the House of Commons soon. We have an update on the suspected associates of gunman Seifeddine Rezgui who have been arrested. Tunisia's interior minister Najem Gharsalli has said a "significant number" of individuals were detained. News of the arrests follows the Home Secretary Theresa May's visit to the scene of the attack. Mrs May said she had had a "very constructive" meeting with politicians from Tunisia and other countries. Four people needing treatment are being flown back to the UK on board an RAF C17 plane with "medevac" teams experienced at bringing injured service personnel back from operations overseas. The aircraft left the Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire at lunchtime.POSHT Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads

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Click & Close Ads Indiana Jones has been named the greatest movie character of all time ahead of James Bond, Batman and Han Solo in a new poll. Harrison Ford, 72, takes two places (Jones and Solo) in the extensive survey of 10,000 film fans for Empire magazine, but there is only one female character, Alien’s Ellen Ripley, in the top 10. Sigourney Weaver’s battling warrant officer lands in fifth ahead of The Joker, Die Hard’s John McClane, Fight Club’s Tyler Durden, Darth Vader and The Dude from the Coen brothers’ The Big Lebowski. The poll result comes as something of a shock, given that plans for a new Indiana Jones movie seem to be on the back burner at Disney. The studio bought Lucasfilm for $4.05bn in October 2012, but has moved forward with proposals for a new series of Star Wars movies rather than focusing on the swashbuckling archeologist. New Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy told Vanity Fair in March that a new Indy film would see the light “one day”, but was unable to offer definitive timelines. Could Chris Pratt be the man for another Indiana Jones crusade?Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads Ben Child Read more “When it will happen, I’m not quite sure,” she said. “We haven’t started working on a script yet, but we are talking about it.” Some reports have suggested Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World’s Chris Pratt could be in line to pull on Indie’s battered fedora if and when Disney finally moves forward with a new film. Ford would most likely be in his mid 70s by the time a fifth movie hit cinemas, though advanced age has not stopped him returning as Solo in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Pratt has his pick of projects after sci-fi reboot Jurassic World roared to $1bn in a record 14 days earlier this week. The Empire poll is relatively light on superheroes, with no place for any of Marvel’s cavalcade of box office plundering masked crimefighters in the top 10. Cult figures such as Brad Pitt’s Tyler Durden and Jeff Bridges’ The Dude are in many ways surprising entries, though Durden made the No 1 spot in a similar Empire poll from 2008.Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads France—Kim Kardashian West does Instagram her way, and that means no paid promotions and admittedly too many bikini shots. "But it's what I want and what I put out," Kardashian said of how she curates her photo stream. She was speaking in front of an intimate audience today at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity. This was Kardashian's first time at the annual creative gathering in the south of France, and she spoke about her autobiographical mobile game (the focus of our March 2 cover story), social media habits and how to cultivate a brand, about which the self-made celebrity is an expert. Kardashian's talk came on the same day her mobile game scored a sponsorship deal with Karl Lagerfeld, which her gaming partner Glu Mobile announced. But she was openly pitching more fashion and beauty brands to get in on the action. The game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, was a surprise hit this year, and now has a million daily players with tie-ins to her reality show and real life. (Adweek selected Kim Kardashian: Hollywood as Hottest Game on our annual Hot List.) Her husband, musical artist Kayne West, nudged her toward the initiative with video game maker Glu Mobile. "I thank Kanye every day for making me do that deal," Kardashian said. The game is an obsession for some, and she envisions more chances for brands to promote to girl gamers, for whom Kardashian is now an unlikely role model and a rare feminist voice in the male-dominated genre. The game, which simulates rising through the ranks of stardom, keeps pushing out updates. Soon, her glam team will make a virtual appearance, opening new branding potential, Kardashian said.Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads "It helps with great opportunities for brands, hair care lines or makeup lines, that want some involvement, because that's something the player really enjoys learning about," she said. Kardashian also talked about her social media obsession and admitted occasionally reaching out to Twitter or Instagram to offer advice. She even pushed Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom to allow editing on posts because she kept making typos. "I'm not saying it's because of me, but it happened," she said, recalling the app change that eventually rolled out. Kardashian also said that these days, "I'm really into Twitter," talking about her evolving tastes. She used to just repurpose Instagram photos for Twitter, but the micro-messaging company approached her with a lesson in best practices. Twitter told her, "People don't really click on your links as much" as they do photos taken directly in Twitter. She said her Instagram feed is off limits, a no-promo zone. If she does take photos with a product it's not because she gets paid, she said. "I know a lot of my brands might get frustrated that I don't promote maybe as much as they would like, but I only do it if it's authentic," she said. Kardashian opened her talk with a personal experience at Cannes. She was awoken in the middle of the night by a naked woman trying to get into her room using a credit card as a key.Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads What if your life depended on a drug that cost half a million dollars a year, every year, for the foreseeable future? That's the price of Soliris, one of the world's most expensive drugs. It is the only medicine available for people suffering from two ultra-rare diseases: paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome (AHUS). In both cases, the body attacks and destroys red blood cells, causing anemia, organ failure and ultimately death. And for both diseases, Soliris is not a cure, but it can stop the attack on the body's tissue and organs, and patients can go back to living normal lives. But only if they can get the drug, and many can't, because it is priced beyond the reach of almost everyone. So how can one drug cost more than the annual income of all but a tiny percentage of households? The reason is locked in the so-called "black box" of orphan drug pricing, where actual research and development costs are carefully guarded secrets known only to drug company executives. Orphan drugsClick & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads "Orphan" in this context refers to rare diseases that languished untreated for decades because the patient population was too small to attract the interest of drug companies. But now medications to treat these ultra-rare diseases are becoming more profitable than traditional drugs, because of government incentives, increased patent protection and a business model based on extreme pricing. Most people assume the drug companies are charging sky-high prices to recover their research, development and manufacturing costs, because the patient population for rare diseases is so small. But in reality, the extreme prices of these new orphan drugs are largely arbitrary, and have very little to do with the development and manufacturing costs, according to industry analysts and academic researchers who have studied the issue.In case of Soliris, most of the research and development was done by university researchers working in academic laboratories supported by public funds. "I think the public science is well over 80 or 90 per cent of the work," said Sachdev Sidhu, a University of Toronto scientist who is also in the business of drug development. "Public resources went into understanding the molecular basis of the disease, public resources went into the technology to make antibodies and finally, Alexion, to their credit, kind of picked up the pieces." Misconception Sidhu spent years researching monoclonal antibodies, the underlying elements in Soliris, for a U.S. biotech company. Now he's started his own company, developing drugs that are similar to Soliris. He says it's time to correct the impression that without high drug costs there would be no new drugs.I think that's a major misconception," he said. Most drugs are based on scientific discoveries made in publicly funded research labs, by academic scientists. "The real story is it's all connected back to students, post-doctoral fellows, people doing very, very basic research accumulating that knowledge," Sidhu said. The extreme price of Soliris also can't be explained by the manufacturing costs, he went on, because monoclonal antibodies are much less expensive to make than people think. "We know roughly what that costs, and it's far, far, far less than the cost of the drug," he said. "It probably costs less than 1 per cent of the price of the drug to make the drug, so there's a lot of wiggle room on how to price the drug." Unique framework CBC asked Alexion for an interview to talk about why the drug costs so much. But the company refused. In a short statement, it said drug pricing depends on a "unique decision-making framework" that takes into account "the rarity and severity of the disease, the absence of effective alternative treatments, indirect medical and social costs, and clinical data that demonstrate the impact of the drug on patients who desperately need it." In other words, Alexion set the price of Soliris at half a million dollars a year, because that's what it thinks the market will bear, based on the fact that the drug works and patients have no other treatment options. Alexion knows that individual patients can't afford to pay half a million dollars a year for the rest of their lives. The business model depends on public health-care systems and private insurance companies reimbursing the million-dollar drug bills. But how many million dollar drugs can a public health system afford? Not many, according to health economist Michael Law, at the University of British Columbia. "As more and more of these expensive drugs like Soliris come along," he says, "we're going to have a reckoning, in terms of how we make those decisions." Soliris is Alexion's only drug, but it's a blockbuster, earning revenues of more than $6 billion dollars in just eight years, and making Alexion one of the fastest growing companies in the world. Countries pushing back So far, Alexion has refused to justify the high price, even when asked by national health officials in the U.K., who were struggling with the decision about whether to recommend that the British government cover the drug.Despite that refusal, the drug was approved for coverage in Britain last year. But in New Zealand, the drug was denied government coverage, because of "the very high price being demanded by Alexion," according to the decision document. That decision leaves New Zealand patients with no access to a drug that could save their lives. In Canada, there are also patients who can't get access to the drug, although some provinces will cover the cost for some patients based on certain criteria. In the meantime, Canada's watchdog on drug prices is accusing Alexion of charging more for Soliris in Canada than anywhere else in the world: around $700,000 per patient per year. This drug is forcing us to have to rethink how we say yes and how we say no when it comes to prescription drugs - Michael Law, University of British Columbia The Patent Medicine Prices Review Board held a preliminary hearing this week in Ottawa, the first step in a process aimed at forcing Alexion to lower the price, and even repay some money. Alexion is disputing the allegation. "This drug is forcing us to have to rethink how we say yes and how we say no when it comes to prescription drugs," said Law. Soliris is among the first of what will become a wave of new therapies for rare diseases, based on developments in monoclonal antibodies. "We will be getting a lot more drugs like this," said Sidhu. "The basic rule of thumb, if a drug costs more than an average household income, then its unsustainable. Something has to be done about that. Clearly it's not what the system was designed to handle." Governments do not have the power to force drug companies to justify the price of drugs that will be covered by public health-care systems. And industries claim that they need complete confidentiality to protect trade secrets. But Sidhu says there are ways to respect that need and still have greater transparency in drug pricing, including an accounting of how much of the research was done in the public domain. "I think we should decide what drugs cost based on a transparent knowledge of how much effort went into it, and who that effort came from. I'm always surprised how little knowledge there is of that." In the meantime, governments should be bracing themselves for more million dollar drugs that are making their way through the pipeline. It's estimated there are 7,000 orphan diseases that need some kind of drug therapy, and new developments in biotechnology are creating many new opportunities. It's the dawn of an era when it might be the lack of money, rather than the lack of drugs, that will block access to treatment for rare diseases.Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads The British singer canceled shows over the weekend in Denmark, Belgium and her homeland after checking into hospital for a procedure. She has since Instagrammed a picture of a drip in her arm with the message, “I am not ok... I am in a lot of pain.” She continued, “But I'm working on it with the doctors” and she revealed the situation was “unexpected but I'm here trying my best to not let it win.”I have seen a lot of "How are you today" comments... How am I.... *Looks up sighs and has to be honest* I am not ok... I am in a lot of pain. But I'm working on it with the doctors. We all have our moments and one of mine is now. Being human sucks when you are non stop and your body says NOPE not right now. Unexpected but I'm here trying my best to not let it win 🙅🏻 Sometimes admitting how you really feel can be the quickest road to recovery. And PLEASE know all of your understanding, love and support helps me so much. (And the morphine 😳) (And my Mums hugs) How are you today? Love Jess x On fleek to on bleek real quick | lolClick & Close Ads Click & Close Ads Before 😏 | After 😣 I'm going to be offline for a few days and I wanted to show you why | I don't often share personal stuff (especially about my health) anymore | I just get on with it secretly 😉 | but I wanted to share with you before someone else might and it gets twisted and exaggerated into something different or worse. Meh. 😒 Just know I am ok as I say in the video on the right | I had an operation yesterday so need to rest | I won't be saying what for so PLEASE don't keep asking me or harassing my close ones on here or anywhere for information | Its personal and I know you can respect that | I just wanted to explain to my fans why I may go AWOL for a minute | Love, prayers and well wishes is all I need ❤️ Sleep | rest | maybe some pie and mash 🙊 but mostly focusing my mind on getting my body better | and for the record it's not my heart or my voice | my heart and voice are FINE | ✊🏼 I want to take a moment to send a virtual hug and kiss out to anyone in pain or suffering at the moment. In hospital or at home. There is always someone worse off than us and in moments like this I pray for you all | Hospitals have been my secret second home my whole life and they never get nice to be in | But they can inspire a great song | Trying to see the positive in everything ☺️ Night gown could be good for the Voice live shows look too right? No? Too Much? 🐸☕️ lol Peace out for a minute people 🙋🏻 As Arni said on Graham Norton last night | "I'll be back" 😁Jessie J is booked to play five dates in the next two weeks, beginning July 3 at Küçükçiftlik Park in Istanbul, Turkey. An announcement has yet to be made on whether she'll be fit to perform these shows. Its also unclear if her latest medical ailment is connected with the "sudden illness" that caused her to cancel the final three shows of her Australian tour in March. Back in 2012, she abruptly canceled a pair of shows in Australia citing "vocal exhaustion." Curiously, the singer appeared on Sunday night's season opener of The Voice Australia and will again appear on Monday night's episode. She's been enlisted as a judge for the season, which was pre-recorded months earlier for Channel 9. Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads

Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads Lancashire county council has rejected a planning application by shale gas explorer Cuadrilla to frack in the county, in a major blow to what would have been the UK’s biggest round of fracking so far. Hundreds of anti-fracking campaigners outside the council’s town hall in Preston, where the verdict was announced, reacted with delight and cheers, and people in the council chamber applauded. The surprise rejection regards a site at Preston New Road, near Little Plumpton on the Fylde, where Cuadrilla had hoped to drill four wells and undertake exploratory fracking for shale gas.Nine of the councillors on the 14-strong development control committee voted in favour of a motion to reject the application on grounds of visual impact and unacceptable noise, and also rejected a related application for an array to monitor seismic activity. The long-delayed decision by councillors follows their rejection last week on traffic grounds of a bid by Cuadrilla to frack at another site, Roseacre Wood, between Preston and Blackpool.Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads Planning officers had earlier this month recommended the council reject Roseacre Wood but approve Preston New Road. Councillors said the grounds for refusing the application for a monitoring array at Preston New Road was that it ran contrary to planning policy EP11, in the respect that “the cumulative effect of the proposal would lead to the industrialisation of the countryside and adversely affect the landscape character.” They were earlier told that rejections were likely to be appealed by Cuadrilla, which is the only company to have fracked in the UK to date. In a statement, the company said it was “surprised and disappointed” at the decision, and it remained committed to extracting shale gas in Lancashire. “We will now take time to consider our options regarding an appeal for Preston New Road, along with also considering appeals for the planning applications recently turned down, against officer advice, for monitoring and site restoration at Grange Hill, and last week’s decision to refuse the Roseacre Wood application,” the statement said. Centrica, which has a 25% stake in Cuadrilla, said it was extremely disappointed by the decision. “It has taken a significant amount of investment to get us where we are today so we will be working closely with our partners at Cuadrilla before making any decisions on our next steps.” Ken Cronin, chief executive of Ukoog, which represents the shale industry, called on the government to review the planning process. “This after 15 months of a long, drawn-out process cannot be right, and I urge the government to urgently review the process of decision-making.” Alister Scott, professor of environmental and spatial planning at Birmingham City university said an appeal was certain. Professor Andy Aplin, director of the Centre for Research in Earth Energy Systems at Durham University, said a legal challenge was likely. Environmentalists gave the decision a warm welcome. Liz Hutchins, a senior campaigner at Friends of the Earth, spoke from outside the town hall where she said the atmosphere was “absolutely electric” and a “massive celebration.” “This is a bigger win than anyone was expecting, it shows the huge strength of feeling here. There was no way councillors could go against feelings of local people. This is a real blow for Cuadrilla and government. “Obviously Cuadrilla will try to appeal, and that will go to the national planning inspectorate, and we want a commitment from David Cameron that they won’t intervene in the wishes of local people here.”Daisy Sands, Greenpeace UK energy and climate campaigner, said “This decision is a Waterloo for the fracking industry and a triumph for local democracy.” The Green party MP Caroline Lucas described the decision as a fantastic victory and said: “The decision proves that, in spite of all the government’s efforts to force through fracking, local communities can prevent it from going ahead.” Around 500 people were protesting outside the town hall, according to organisers. More than 50,000 people signed a petition calling for the fracking applications to be rejected. Several councillors on Monday morning said coming to the decision had been extremely difficult, with one saying it had been “one of the most difficult decisions of our lives”. One member of the committee last week said they had faced intolerable pressure on the case. Marcus Johnstone, a member of the development control committee, said the application had been of the biggest it had ever considered: “The decision to refuse this application has been reached by a vote of the committee, which is composed of elected councillors, and each member of the committee has ultimately cast their vote based on the evidence they have heard and whether they think the proposal is acceptable in planning terms, and to the people they represent.” David Cameron has said the Conservatives are “going all out for shale”, and the energy and climate secretary Amber Rudd promised after being appointed that she would “deliver shale”. Andrea Leadsom, energy minister, said the decision was disappointing. “However, shale gas has huge potential in the UK, and is an opportunity to develop a new, homegrown energy source that would displace foreign imports and create tens of thousands of jobs. I’m confident that potential will be realised – and the government will back it.” Both frontrunners for the leaderships of the Labour party and the Lib Dems support a ban on the controversial technique for extracting shale gas, which involves pumping large volumes of water, sand and chemicals underground to fracture shale rock and release gas.Lucy Powell, the Labour MP for Central Manchester, said she was pleased by the result and that “much more evidence [was] required on [fracking’s] impact”. Management consultancy Poyry said the decision was a big surprise and “a serious setback for shale gas in the UK and many must be wondering if it can ever reach production phase.” Prof Jim Watson, research Director at the UK Energy Research Centre, said: “Today’s decision illustrates yet again that shale gas is highly controversial, and that has implications for how quickly the shale gas can be developed. Whilst this shows that local decision making about our energy choices will continue to matter, this particular decision is likely to be challenged.” Any appeal by Cuadrilla could land on the desk of Greg Clark, secretary of state for communities and local government, if his department decides to “call in” the appeal.Click & Close Ads Click & Close Ads

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Click & Close Ads Amy Smith, 17, and her six-month-old daughter Ruby-Grace Gaunt died, along with Ed Green, also 17, in Langley Mill, Derbyshire, on Sunday. Peter Eyre, 43, Anthony Eyre, 21, both of Sandiacre, and Simon Eyre, 24, from Long Eaton, are due before magistrates in Chesterfield on Friday. A 17-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of murder has been released on bail. The three victims all died from the effects of smoke inhalation, police said. Two men, aged 18 and 17, who were also inside the premises, were rescued by neighbours and treated for smoke inhalation.They used ladders to help rescue residents inside the house before emergency services arrived. Resident Sean Needham said he passed his six-year-old disabled son out of a window into his neighbour's arms. Several neighbouring properties were evacuated due to a gas leak caused by the blaze.Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads Tributes were paid online to the three victims. Katie Gough said: "Knowing the baby was only six months old is so heartbreaking, and 17 years of age is too young to die." Jodie Mee wrote: "Rest in peace girls and Ed, Heaven has gained two beautiful girls and a strong boy. Thoughts go out to their family and all the people who knew them." On Twitter, Immy wrote: "I feel so proud to have known someone who has been so brave and selfless, RIP Ed Green you won't be forgotten."Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads MADISON, Wis. — As Gov. Scott Walker prepares to announce his campaign for president next month, promising to bring what he calls “big bold leadership” to Washington, as he did in Wisconsin, he faces a cloud over that story line: Republicans back home are in revolt. Leaders of Mr. Walker’s party, which controls the Legislature, are balking at his demands for the state’s budget. Critics say the governor’s spending blueprint is aimed more at appealing to conservatives in early-voting states like Iowa than doing what is best for Wisconsin. Lawmakers are stymied over how to pay for road and bridge repairs without raising taxes or fees, which Mr. Walker has ruled out. The governor’s fellow Republicans rejected his proposal to borrow $1.3 billion for the roadwork, arguing that adding to the state’s debt is irresponsible. Continue reading the main story RELATED COVERAGE Demonstrators protesting the abrupt end to a Wisconsin State Senate committee hearing on the “right to work” bill on Feb. 24. From left: Maureen Dunn, a union activist; Daniel Benoit, a member of Teamsters Local 344; Wendy Stott, a union organizer for the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals; and Peter Rickman, a staff member of Wisconsin Jobs Now.Scott Walker and the Fate of the UnionJUNE 12, 2015 Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin greeted his cabinet in June 2012 after winning a recall election.Behind Scott Walker, a Longstanding Conservative Alliance Against UnionsJUNE 8, 2015Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads Gov. Scott Walker on Thursday at the State Capitol, where he discussed plans for building a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.Unions Subdued, Scott Walker Turns to Tenure at Wisconsin CollegesJUNE 4, 2015 From right, Paul D. Ryan and Gov. Scott Walker, listening to Mitt Romney in 2012.Wisconsin, Politics and Faith Bind Scott Walker and Paul RyanMAY 5, 2015 Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin speaking to Republicans on Friday in Charleston, S.C.For 2016 Run, Scott Walker Washes ‘Wiscahnsin’ Out of His MouthMARCH 20, 2015 Jeb Bush spoke this month in Dover at the home of Fergus Cullen, the former Republican Party chairman of New Hampshire.Jeb Bush and Scott Walker Point G.O.P. to Contrary PathsMARCH 29, 2015 “The governor rolled out $1.3 billion in bonding,” Scott Fitzgerald, the Senate majority leader, said in an interview. “It’s not been well received, is the best way to put it.”The budget stalemate forced Mr. Walker late last week to move the goal posts on the announcement of his all-but-certain presidential candidacy. For months, he said it would come after he signed a new budget — timing meant to contrast his ability to get things done with Washington dysfunction. But on Thursday, Mr. Walker said he would announce after “the end of the budget year.” That is, any time after June 30, the last day of the fiscal year. With lawmakers saying they might not finish their work before mid-July, he will not wait for a finished budget. A spokeswoman for Mr. Walker, AshLee Strong, said the governor “is optimistic an agreement will be reached in the coming weeks.” It is unclear if Mr. Walker’s feud with his Legislature will ripple out to voter perceptions beyond Wisconsin. Polls suggest that he is the early front-runner in Iowa and a top-tier candidate nationally, because of his reputation with conservatives built on defeating public-sector unions and surviving a recall election in his first term. Mr. Walker is making the case that unlike the senators in the Republican race, who include Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky, he has a record of hard-won policy achievements. “Some want you to think they fight,” Mr. Walker wrote of his rivals on the conservative website RedState last week. “But speeches aren’t fighting or winning.” In front of partisan audiences around the country, Mr. Walker often portrays himself as more ideologically conservative than he has been in Wisconsin. He takes credit, for example, for signing an anti-union “right to work” law this year, something that actually bubbled up from his Legislature after the governor insisted in his re-election race in 2014 that it was not a priority. “I don’t think he’d be in the position he’s in right now if it wasn’t for the Republican Legislature,” said Mr. Fitzgerald, who sponsored the bill. “We’ve been a big part of that list of reforms.”Mr. Walker has notched other recent successes in the Legislature that are red-meat issues on the campaign trail, such as requiring drug testing for people on public assistance and loosening tenure protection for professors. One issue he played down in 2014 but has seized on in early nominating states, where social conservatives are highly influential, is banning abortions after 20 weeks. Mr. Walker repeatedly refused to say if he favored such a ban during his close re-election last year, when polls showed him unpopular among women. In March, as doubts about his anti-abortion credentials were raised by national conservatives, he pledged to sign a 20-week ban that was “likely to come to my desk.” What he did not explain was that he had asked Wisconsin lawmakers to send him just such a bill, during a meeting in his office with Mr. Fitzgerald and Robin Vos, the speaker of the State Assembly, also a Republican. “Walker weighed in and said the 20-week abortion ban is something he would like to see hit his desk,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “It sent a message to us.” The governor specified that the bill should include no exceptions for rape or incest, according to Mr. Fitzgerald. The dispute with the Legislature is, at root, a debate over what is best for Wisconsin’s economy. Republican lawmakers favor investments in infrastructure and higher education, and the governor is committed to not raising taxes. Mr. Vos has accused Mr. Walker of avoiding an “adult conversation” on infrastructure costs.On the campaign trail, Mr. Walker boasts of lowering taxes by $2 billion and presiding over a drop in unemployment from 7.7 percent in January 2011, when he took office, to 4.6 percent. His fiscal discipline is echoed in his penny-pinching lifestyle. (He recently told of buying a $1 sweater at Kohl’s.) What he does not mention is that Wisconsin ranked 35th in job growth in the nation during his first term, and that it trails its neighbors in the Upper Midwest. The tax cuts and weakening of public sector unions have not spurred the economy enough to avoid a projected budget deficit over the coming two years. The state’s nonpartisan budget office estimated this year that Wisconsin would save $345 million in its budget over two years by accepting Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Unlike the Republican governors of four nearby states, Mr. Walker refused expansion, a litmus test for conservatives. The governor got the greatest resistance on his budget blueprint, which covers two years, over two proposals: to fill a hole in the transportation fund with the debt financing, and to cut $300 million from the University of Wisconsin system. “The university doesn’t deserve this cut,” said Senator Luther Olsen, a Republican, as lawmakers voted last month to restore $50 million of the governor’s cuts. “We are fools if we go around bashing one of the best things in the state of Wisconsin.” To pay for road and bridge projects, Mr. Vos, the Assembly speaker, and other Republicans favor raising vehicle registration fees. Mr. Walker labeled a fee increase the same as a tax increase, and promised a veto. Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads “He wants to make a political point that ‘I didn’t increase fees or taxes,’ ” said Representative Gordon Hintz, a Democrat on the Joint Finance Committee, which drafts the budget. “The false choice created by the governor’s presidential politics leads to outcomes which negatively impact the people of Wisconsin.” To accommodate the governor, Republicans are wrangling behind closed doors over some combination of borrowing and delaying needed projects. The governor’s press secretary, Laurel Patrick, said Mr. Walker had been consistent in opposing an increase in the gas tax or vehicle fees without a corresponding cut in taxes. “While obviously not our preferred option, if legislators choose to reduce bonding for transportation in the budget, Governor Walker would sign it,” Ms. Patrick said in a statement. Mr. Fitzgerald, the Senate majority leader, said he did not have the votes to pass a budget yet. “We’re trying to figure out how to get out of the box,” he said.Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads OTTAWA—Thomas Mulcair’s New Democrats have widened their lead in the latest horse race polling from Forum Research. Forum puts the NDP at 36 per cent nationally among decided voters, a comfortable margin over the Conservatives and Liberals, who are tied at 28 per cent. With four months to go before October’s election, Forum projects the NDP could capture 149 seats — just 21 shy of forming a majority government. Regionally, the New Democrats lead in the three largest provinces — British Columbia (54 per cent), Quebec (36 per cent), and Ontario (34 per cent). But the worst news from the Forum poll for the Conservatives is not their place among decided voters — it’s that they appear to have little room to grow. When asked what party would be their second choice to win, only nine per cent of respondents said they’d choose the Conservatives. A much larger number would choose either the Liberals (23 per cent) or the NDP (22 per cent) as their second choice to form government. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is also last among the three main party leaders in terms of approval rating, with 30 per cent saying they approve of the job he’s doing and 61 per cent saying they disapprove.Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads Not surprisingly, Harper’s approval is highest among Conservative voters (87 per cent) and in Alberta (41 per cent). Mulcair enjoyed a 50 per cent approval rating, while 38 per cent of respondents said they approved of the job Justin Trudeau is doing. Forum conducted the polling on June 22-23, surveying 1,268 Canadians. The results are considered accurate within three percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Regional samples are less accurate.Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads James Horner, the Oscar-winning composer of Titanic, has died aged 61 in a plane crash in southern California. A single-engine plane registered to Horner crashed near Santa Barbara on Monday morning. The identity of the pilot was not initially known, but Horner’s death was later confirmed by Sylvia Patrycja, his assistant, on her Facebook page, the Hollywood Reporter said. “We have lost an amazing person with a huge heart and unbelievable talent,” Patrycja wrote. “He died doing what he loved. Thank you for all your support.” The plane – a S-312 Tucano MK1 turbo-prop with two seats – crashed about 9.30am local time on Monday in the Los Padres national forest, said Mike Lindbery, a spokesman for the Ventura County fire service. No one else was on board.Horner was a trained pilot and before news of his death was released, Jay Cooper, a lawyer for the family, confirmed the plane was one of several the composer owned.Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads Born in Los Angeles in 1953 to a production designer, Harry Horner, and his wife, Joan, Horner trained at the Royal College of Music in London before returning to study for a degree in music at the University of Southern California. After a composing career which began in the concert hall, Horner cut his teeth in Hollywood in the late 70s on The Lady in Red. He earned his first Academy award nomination for Aliens and went on to score more than 100 films, including the blockbusters Braveheart, Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind. Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads Many musicians make a pilgrimage to Nashville in search of a new sound or jolt of musical inspiration, but Ruby Amanfu's journey to Music City began when she was just three years old, when her family relocated to Tennessee from Ghana. Her time in the spotlight began when she was in third grade (she won a pack of gumballs at the talent show). After spending time in the duo Sam & Ruby and collaborating with musicians ranging from Patti LaBelle to Kelly Clarkson, she sang alongside Jack White on the White Stripes singer-guitarist's 2012 solo LP Blunderbuss and performed "Love Interruption" by his side at the 2013 Grammy Awards. But Amanfu cites covering Bob Dylan's "Not Dark Yet" at a tribute show called Dylan Fest in New York in 2013 as the moment her career took flight. After her barn-burning performance at the gig, she teamed with the event's producers and made a plan to cut an album of deep cuts by artists she admires most. The result — Standing Still (due August 28th via Thirty Tigers/Rival & Co Records) — was recorded in five days in a log cabin in Tennessee with producer Mark Howard, a six-piece band and guest producers that include the Black Keys' Patrick Carney. Hear her cozy take on Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak cut "Streetlights" below.Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads "It was the first night in the cabin. I had talked with the band about how we were going to flip this Kanye West song on its head," Amanfu tells Rolling Stone. "I wanted to turn it into a waltz but didn't want to overthink it, so we just did what came instinctually. I sang to candlelight only and we just went for it. We did three takes of it and the third time was the charmed one that ended up on the record. I'm glad this is the first song everybody gets to hear because this is exactly where our album started." She says the song resonates with her because it "reminds me of those moments in life when time can present itself as a curse instead of a blessing. Time can often define an experience in a way that makes it feel like the moment has passed us by and faded out of view too quickly to fully grasp it. All you can do is keep paying your dues and keep moving forward and hope that those streetlights guide you to the destination you're hoping for."Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads In an age of depressed record sales, her albums sell by the millions. Her tours fill arenas around the world. And a complimentary tweet to her nearly 60 million followers can help kick-start another singer’s career. But as Taylor Swift’s victory in a one-day battle against Apple this week showed, she also has a rare power to influence the music business itself, at a time of deep anxiety among artists big and small about the value of their work. These days, the concern is about the value of music in the digital age, and by taking on Apple — and Spotify before it — Ms. Swift has emerged as perhaps the most effective negotiator in the business, for her own benefit as well as others’. “She is the most powerful person in the music industry,” said David Lowery of the bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, and an advocate for artists’ rights. “She is able to bring the debate to the mainstream.” Continue reading the main story RELATED COVERAGE Taylor Swift performing in Germany on Friday.Taylor Swift Criticism Spurs Apple to Change Royalties PolicyJUNE 21, 2015 Jimmy Iovine announcing the Apple Music service at Apple's developer's conference earlier this month.Apple Music Streaming Service Terms Dismay Indie Record CompaniesJUNE 17, 2015 Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, and the its head of software and internet services, Eddy Cue, announced the company’s new music streaming service on Monday in San Francisco.Apple Music Is Unveiled, Along With Operating System UpgradesJUNE 8, 2015 Ms. Swift reaches the masses through her adept use of social media, whether teasing a new album on Instagram or taking on industry economics on her blog. On Sunday morning, Ms. Swift wrote a diplomatic but stern Tumblr post taking Apple to task for not paying royalties on test drives of its new streaming music service, set to open on June 30.Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads “We don’t ask you for free iPhones,” she wrote. “Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.” By midnight Sunday, Apple — one of the most powerful companies in the world — had capitulated to the 25-year-old pop star, saying it would pay royalties on all music for the three-month trials. One of its senior executives, Eddy Cue, even said he called Ms. Swift personally to give her the news. The backdrop to that decision was much more complex than the quick exchange might have indicated. For more than a week, independent labels around the world had been complaining about Apple’s proposed terms, saying that even for 90 days, a big drop in revenue from Apple — by far the music industry’s largest sales outlet — could be devastating. But even though Mr. Cue carefully noted in interviews that the company’s decision had been made with those labels in mind, its hurried announcement late Sunday suggested that it was Ms. Swift’s shaming that led Apple to change its tune. Dorian Cundick of CEB, a business advisory firm, said that Apple’s response to the situation was remarkable for the language of Mr. Cue’s public statements, which matched Ms. Swift’s informal but sincere tone. “We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists,” he wrote on Twitter. “Love, Apple.” “They were speaking a language that people hear as being extremely human in nature, not this big lumbering corporation,” Ms. Cundick said. In her post on Sunday, Ms. Swift said she was withholding her latest album, “1989,” from Apple’s streaming service. Neither Apple nor a spokesman for Ms. Swift responded to requests for comment on Monday. The company’s new music app, Apple Music — which includes a subscription streaming service, a free Internet radio station and a media platform on which artists can upload songs and videos — has been highly anticipated. But its announcement this month was also met with some grumbles from commentators that its many parts failed to add up to a cohesive whole. Then came the resistance from Ms. Swift. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Advertisement Continue reading the main story Advertisement Continue reading the main story It was not the first time that Ms. Swift has spoken out about the economics behind streaming music. Last year she withdrew her songs from Spotify, a move that ignited a still-burning debate over how much music should be given away free online. “I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an experiment that I don’t feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists and creators of this music,” she said in an interview at the time with Yahoo. The dispute with Apple follows another messy public debut for digital music: This year Jay Z took over the streaming service Tidal with a plan to make a majority of the company owned by artists, but it stumbled after an awkward public announcement and has been on a P.R. defensive ever since. By quickly addressing Ms. Swift’s complaints, Apple may have found a way to save face and appear flexible. “Discussing this at all is very good,” said Jim Griffin, a digital media entrepreneur and former major-label executive, “reflecting a growing transparency, a view behind the velvet rope.” While Ms. Swift’s comments follow in a long line of activism, few artists have enjoyed her success in challenging the industry’s establishment powers. In the 1990s, Pearl Jam battled Ticketmaster, saying that the company had a monopoly on ticket sales, but eventually dropped its opposition. Frank Sinatra lobbied for years to change the licensing laws over royalties for radio play. The record industry is still fighting for that radio royalty. But in 2012 Ms. Swift’s label, Big Machine, struck a deal with the country’s largest broadcaster, Clear Channel, that would pay those royalties for the first time; other independents and even a major, the Warner Music Group, followed Big Machine’s lead. (Clear Channel is now known as iHeartMedia.)Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads Executives at several independent labels, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because their talks with Apple were private, said on Monday that it was still not clear how they would be paid under the free trials. Apple is said to be preparing a per-stream royalty during the free trials that would apply to everyone, these executives said. When Apple’s $10-a-month subscription plans kick in, the company has said it will pay at least 71.5 percent of the revenue in royalties. Part of the reason Ms. Swift has been able to challenge the status quo is that she holds an unusual amount of control over her music: Big Machine is independent, and her family owns part of the company. It is a different situation for most artists signed to bigger labels, which often control distribution rights to their recordings, music executives said. “It’s fortunate for Taylor that she has the kind of deal where she has that control,” said Irving Azoff, a longtime artist manager. “I have a slew of artists that would love to have done it, but their label deals wouldn’t allow it.” Some of Ms. Swift’s supporters believe her success may partly be a result of the force of her personality — as well as her command of online communication. “There have been other artists that have spoken up, but it never really got to the masses,” said Martin N. Bandier, the chief executive of Sony/ATV, Ms. Swift’s publisher. “They were stifled or not heard. “But Taylor has been heard,” he added, “just by an Instagram or a tweet or a blog.”Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads A freelance photographer is calling Taylor Swift a hypocrite after the singer published an open letter that led Apple to reverse its decision not to pay musicians any royalties for its three-month free trial of Apple Music. In the letter, Swift said she was asking for payment not for her own benefit but for that of artists who couldn't afford to go three months without music-streaming revenue: This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. But according to photographer Jason Sheldon, Swift's heartfelt pleas lose gravitas when you take a look at Swift's policy toward image licensing. Sheldon published an open letter on his blog in which he described how Swift's attempt to control the use of her photos means photographers might not get paid for their work. Sheldon points to a "contract authorisation form" photographers are expected to sign in order to take pictures of Swift on behalf of a publication. His problem is that any photograph he takes of Swift can be licensed only once to a single publication, and so he would be unable to sell that photograph again if the publication decided to drop the story for something more pressing. Swift's label, Firefly Entertainment, would also retain the rights to the photograph. Sheldon says:Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads As a freelance photographer, I am asked to photograph concerts by publications. I get paid IF and when the photos are used, not for turning up to a show and shooting it. Therefore, if the newspaper has a bigger story to run and doesn't have enough room to use my photo, I don't get paid. When I'm not allowed to do anything else with the photos, that means I've incurred expenses to work, which I can't recover. Therefore preventing me from licensing my photos to more than one publication, or even (as later versions of this contract stipulate) preventing me from using the images for my own self promotion in a portfolio, while they can use them without licensing the usage, is highly unfair and unjustified. Sheldon said that by doing so, Swift was exploiting photographers in the same way that she accused Apple of planning to exploit artists: You say in your letter that three months is a long time to go unpaid. But you seem happy to restrict us to being paid once, and never being able to earn from our work ever again, while granting you the rights to exploit our work for your benefit for all eternity. How are you any different to Apple? Photographers need to earn a living as well. Like Apple, you can afford to pay for photographs so please stop forcing us to hand them over to you while you prevent us from publishing them more than once, ever. In her letter, Swift asked Apple to change its policy, contending that nobody asks Apple for free iPhones, so the company shouldn't be asking for free music from those who create it. Sheldon made a similar argument in his letter to Swift: Photographers don't ask for your music for free. Please don't ask us to provide you with your marketing material for free. Sheldon signs off by telling Swift that it is "time to stop being 'mean.'" A UK representative for Taylor Swift told Business Insider via email: The standard photography agreement has been misrepresented in that it clearly states that any photographer shooting The 1989 World Tour has the opportunity for further use of said photographs with management’s approval. Another distinct misrepresentation is the claim that the copyright of the photographs will be with anyone other than the photographer — this agreement does not transfer copyright away from the photographer. Every artist has the right to and should protect the use of their name and likeness. Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads Apple will pay royalties to music labels and publishers during the three-month free trial of its Apple Music streaming service, the company has confirmed, after protests from independent labels and musician Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift criticises 'shocking, disappointing' Apple Music Read more Swift appears to have been the tipping point in the row that had been rumbling all week, after she published a blog post – To Apple, Love Taylor – calling on Apple to abandon its plans for no payouts during the trial period. Apple’s senior vice president for internet software and services Eddy Cue responded directly to the star on Twitter in announcing the company’s u-turn. “Apple will always make sure that artist are paid,” tweeted Cue. “#AppleMusic will pay artist for streaming, even during customer’s free trial period. We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple.” Cue told BuzzFeed that Apple will pay a “per-stream” royalty during the trial, revealing that he had already called Swift to tell her about the change of plans. “Taylor Swift’s tweet today solidified the issue for us, we decided to make a change,” he told BuzzFeed’s John Paczkowski, while confirming that Swift hasn’t yet agreed a deal to put her music on Apple Music. Apple Music is the company’s long-anticipated rival to streaming services like Spotify, and is due to launch in more than 100 countries at the end of June. Although a monthly subscription will cost $9.99, or $14.99 for a family of up to six people, Apple is making its new service free for three months so that people can try it out. After striking licensing deals with major labels, the company had planned to only start paying royalties after the trial period. Independent label trade bodies in the US, UK, Germany, France and Australia spoke out against these plans in recent days, claiming that their members would be most at risk from any three-month blip in earnings if a large number of people buying music downloads from Apple’s iTunes store switched to the free trial. Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads Apple Music interview: 'Algorithms can't do it alone – you need a human touch' Read more “We struggle to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple’s customer acquisition costs,” claimed indie label group Beggars Group in a statement published on its website. “As a whole the independent sector is a powerful voice in the music industry but its individual parts , the smaller labels particularly, cannot withstand such a potentially catastrophic drop in revenue,” added British indie trade body AIM in a statement sent out to its members.Swift’s blog post on Sunday made even more headlines, however. “I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service,” she wrote.“I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.” Swift cited the plans as one reason she would not be making her last album, 1989, available to stream on Apple Music, although she had not announced whether she would be withholding her entire back catalogue from the service as she has from Spotify. Swift has become one of the most vocal musicians in the ongoing debate about how well (or poorly) streaming pays off for artists and songwriters, having taken Spotify to task in 2014 for the free tier of its service. “I’m not willing to contribute my life’s work to an experiment that I don’t feel fairly compensates the writers, producers, artists and creators of this music,” she said then. “And I just don’t agree with perpetuating the perception that music has no value and should be free.”Swift’s stand against Apple also prompted support from other musicians. Billy Bragg, who has been vocal in his criticism about the levels of remuneration artists receive from streaming, described Apple’s decision as a “very positive step”. Speaking to the Guardian, Bragg said: “The point that Taylor is making is that music has value. It is a very important argument to make, so I am very supportive of the stance. The key thing here is it illustrates the ability and power of the artist to make a stand and think about the rights of the creator rather than the rights of the record labels or the streaming services.” “I’m not big or influential enough to exert any power over something as big as Apple but Taylor Swift is, so consequently her stance is really important. I think it shows that if more powerful artists took a similar stance, we could see a real change.” Bragg acknowledged that it was “not always an easy thing for artists to do”. He pointed out that music rights often belonged to record labels, not the musicians themselves, which took the power of negotiation out of artist’s hands. Swift, however, is on a smaller indie label and is therefore able to exert more creative control over how and where her music can be accessed. “Very few artists of Taylor’s stature have the power to do this, and I think the fact she is on an indie label makes a major difference here,” said Bragg. “It shows more than ever the importance of artists keeping hold of their rights so they are in a position to negotiate with streaming services and I think the future for artists is to be able to exert greater control over these kinds of deals.”Click & Close Ads
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Click & Close Ads Elin Nordegren is single again and on vacation in the Hamptons, sources tell Page Six. The Swedish beauty, ex-wife of Tiger Woods, has rented a house and was spotted with a few female friends over dinner at Beautique Southampton on Saturday night, where they were drinking shots of Sex on the Beach. “They were definitely celebrating something,” said a spy. Perhaps Woods’ recent split from skier Lindsey Vonn? Or Swedish Midsummer? Sources tell us psychology graduate Nordegren, who’s in the Hamptons with her kids, some girlfriends and their children, is free again after splitting with billionaire mining entrepreneur Chris Cline for good. We’re told they had not been able to patch things up after breaking up last year. Nordegren — who’d approved of Woods’ relationship with Vonn and spent time with the couple — told People of her ex, “I have moved on and I am in a good place. My relationship with Tiger is centered around our children and we are doing really good — we really are — and I am so happy that is the case. He is a great father.Click & Close Ads
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Why Jordan Spieth shot down date with Kendall Jenner
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Click & Close Ads Jordan Spieth doesn’t keep up with the Kardashians after all.The 21-year-old Masters champ recalls a close encounter of the Kardashian/Jenner kind, telling ESPN’s Jason Sobel that Caitlyn Jenner once tried to fix him up with her daughter Kendall. Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads During a Southern California golf outing in 2013, Jenner, then Bruce, approached Spieth about going on a date with the teenage model. While many would jump at the chance to court the Estee Lauder spokesmodel, Spieth declined. He hadn’t the slightest clue who the Jenners were. While we expect Spieth has a hunch as to who the Jenners are now, thanks in part to Caitlyn’s Vanity Fair cover story, the Texas-bred golfer had another reason to turn down Kendall: his high school girlfriend, Annie Verret. Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads “Annie’s good for Jordan,” Spieth’s mother, Chris, tells the New York Times. “He doesn’t need a celebrity girlfriend. He doesn’t want the attention.” Sorry, Kendall, Spieth’s only got eyes for one brunette beauty.

Zachary Quinto and boyfriend Miles McMillan make a trip to Wholefoods look like a magazine shoot! Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads There are probably only a few places in the world that these genetically blessed beaus could go and not look great doing it. Zachary Quinto and model boyfriend Miles McMillan have an uncanny knack for making the most mundane of activities look cool and stylish. On Thursday it was no different, as the Star Trek actor - who just turned 34 - and Miles headed to Wholefoods in New York.
The pair made for a handsome twosome as the actor was left in charge of the cart while his 24-year-old boyfriend was tasked with special item missions. While the two men are obviously genetically blessed, it also takes a lot of work to stay looking as good as they both do. Part of that is eating well, so while at the store they made sure to load up on a lot of organic vegetables and fruits including multiple bunches of bananas and half a dozen avocados. Click & Close Ads
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Gigi Hadid looks downtrodden on solo outing... as ex Cody Simpson cosies up with Victoria Justice at event! Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads She has been spotted getting cosy with Joe Jonas lately. But Gigi Hadid looked a little lonesome on her latest outing. The 20-year-old model looked none-too-please while seen on a solo outing in the Noho, Manhattan neighbourhood of New York on Thursday. Click & Close Ads
Click & Close Ads Perhaps the reality star's seemingly sour mood has to do with the fact that her ex Cody Simpson was spotted cuddling up to actress Victoria Justice as they were seen together at the DoSomething.org Spring Dinner in the same city. Gigi looked great despite her frown in a mostly white ensemble including lacy long-sleeve top tucked into matching ripped skinny jeans. She completed the look with a pair of olive green Adidas sneakers and accessorised with a pair of large designer shades and a black leather clutch. The daughter of Yolanda Foster had her blonde locks up in a high ponytail as she sported neutral-coloured make-up topped off with a swipe of shiny lip. Click & Close Ads
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