4 More Years?
If you missed it, check out President Barack Obama’s 2012 DNC Speech.
News
(video) Bill Clinton’s DNC Speech
This Guarantees Obama’s Reelection
I’m not an Obama Supporter or hater. I’m not a republican or a democrat. Those lines were drawn decades ago and our country and life has evolved since then.
Republican or democrat… you have to admit, this is one hell of a speech by Bill Clinton at this year’s Democratic National Convention.
7.7 Earthquake in the Philippines
One Dead -> 7.7-magnitude quake hits Philippines
Philippines
A 7.7-magnitude undersea quake struck off the eastern coast of Samar province on Friday night, triggering tsunami warnings across a wide swath of Asia.
Undersecretary Benito Ramos, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), reported that 50-year-old Emilita Ubalde was killed and Adrian Ubalde, 5, was injured in a landslide in Barangay Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City. The landslide occurred after the earthquake.
Meanwhile, a report by radio dzMM said that a house in Agusan del Sur province was hit by a fire. The report said that the fire was sparked by a gas lamp that was toppled during the earthquake.
There were some reports of cracked roads after the quake. Local officials in Samar province said that there was a report that a bridge collapsed.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that the quake struck 112 kilometers southeast of Guian, Samar. The quake, which was tectonic in origin, took place at 8:47 p.m.
The US Geological Survey initially measured the quake at magnitude 7.9. It later said that the quake measured at 7.6 in the Richter scale. It said that the quake hit at a depth of 34.9 kilometers and was centered 106 kilometers (66 miles) east of Sulangan town on Samar Island.
Phivolcs said in its bulletin that the quake was felt at:
Intensity 7 in Guian, Oras, Sulat, Borongan City, Eastern Samar;
Intensity 6 in Siargao, Surigao del Norte; Tacloban City; Palo Leyte; Saint Bernard, S. Leyte;
Intensity 5 in Mati City; Compostela; Compostela; Legaspi City; Iloilo City; Beilig City; Iligan City;
Intensity 4 in Butuan City, Catbalogan City, Butuan City, Cagayan De Oro City;
Intensity 3 in Cotabato City, Mambajao, Camiguin, General Santos City; and
Intensity 2 in Marawi, Sipalay City Phivolcs said that residents in the coastal areas of northern Samar, eastern Samar, Leyte, southern Leyte, Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Sur were advised to evacuate their homes.
Tsunami alert
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a tsunami alert in the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Guam, the Northern Marianas and Papua New Guinea as soon as the earthquake was detected.
The PTWC lifted the alert two hours after the quake struck.
The PTWC said that based on sea level readings, the earthquake generated a tsunami.
“This tsunami may have been destructive along coastlines of the region near the earthquake epicenter,” the center said. “This center will continue to monitor sea level gauges nearest the region and report of any additional tsunami wave activity.”
The PTWC said that “when no major waves are observed for two hours after the estimated time of arrival or damaging waves have not occurred for at least two hours then local authorities can assume the threat is passed.”
At 9 p.m., Phivolcs issued a tsunami alert level 3 in coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean, particularly the provinces of Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas announced over microblogging site Twitter that the tsunami warning alert was lifted at 12:10 a.m. Saturday.
Phivolcs chief Renato Solidum said that thetsunami warning was supposed to have been lifted at 10:47 p.m. or two hours after the earthquake, but they decided to extend it after detecting tsunamis as high as 19 centimeters in Surigao provinces.
Solidum said that there were no reported damages from the tsunamis as of midnight.
Ramos said that local government units in provinces covered by the tsunami warning alert were able to immediately evacuate residents living along coastal areas.
Solidum said that the hundreds of families that evacuated can already return to their homes.
“Iyong mga nagsilikas ay puwde nang bumalik. Tingnan nila ang mga babalikang bahay ay ‘di nasira.. Kailangan tingnan at i-assist ang mga lumikas,” Solidum announced in a press briefing after lifting the tsunami alert. – with AP
Music Mogul Chris Lighty, Dead at 44
Rest in Peace Lighty
Lighty, 44, was a longtime manager of 50 Cent, Diddy, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey
Longtime Hip Hop executive Chris Lighty has died. News broke today (August 30) first on Twitter and then confirmed on VIBE.com that the Bronx, New York native and founder of Violator Entertainment died from an alleged suicide. Details are still emerging.
Lighty was integral to the careers of 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, N.O.R.E., Diamond D, and many others. After growing up under the tutelage of Hip Hop icons like DJ Red Alert, Lighty began working professional at Russell Simmons’ RUSH Management firm in the late 1980s, where he helped work with Def Jam Records artists and others in securing endorsement deals and touring.
A part of the Native Tongues at the turn of the decade, Lighty and his brother as The Violators, helped the movement alongside A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul.
The Violator name carried on in the late 1990s and 2000s, when Lighty launched his own firm. The management company handled clients ranging from Diamond D and Foxy Brown to Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip. In recent years, Lighty was working on Brand Asset Group with Lyor Cohen, his longtime associate and friend, and Warner Music Group. Last September, Violator merged with Primary Wave to form powerhouse management company Primary Violator.
DJ Yoshi at the UnTapped Fashion & Music Series Event (NYC)
Friday September 7, 2012
Jordana Hazan
Proudly Presents
Millesim New York
Located Inside the Carlton Hotel: Madison & 29th St.
Music By
DJ Yoshi
Official DJ of Rutgers Football, Monster Cable Products, Original MamaJuana Liquor
Hosted By
Joe Lance
Fashion Director of Top Model
Doors Open Promptly at 7:00pm
RSVP IS REQUIRED
To RSVP Email chaka(at)UnTappedNewYork2012.com
….
More About The Event
Celebrity DJ Yoshi, will be spinning today’s hottest hits as the 2013 Spring collection of the top “up & coming” fashion designers from around the world, will be showcased on this fantastic evening via a live photoshoot by nationally recognized “Fashion Photographer”: Shana Schnur.
The hottest up & coming artists will get to perform throughout the festivities & a CD release with dozens of hidden talent will take place.
Recognized by Betsey Johnson & partnered with the “Duane Street Hotel Blogger Suite”, Untapped Fashion & Music is a concept founded by Jordana of Untapped PR four years ago, where emerging fashion designers & artists/musicians come together to celebrate both music & fashion industries – the event is held in every metro city internationally, on the night prior to fashion week.
Guest will enjoy: Art by Ermanski.
Upon arrival guests will walk the red carpet. Once inside, they will peek at a live photoshoot, pop into the gifting suite to receive goodies, watch live performances by the hottest up & coming talent, join us in a CD release celebration, mingle with tastemakers in the industry & sip on scrumptious cocktails.
Olympic Champions Owe The IRS
F*** You. Pay Me
via Huff Post
Even an Olympic victory comes with a price. In this case, it’s the taxes America’s victorious athletes can expect to pay when they return from the games.
Medals and prize money are both subject to income tax, according to the Americans for Tax Reform.
“It’s no different from winning Wheel of Fortune or the lottery,” Alex Knight, a tax partner at Atlanta’s Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, told Reuters.
A gold medal, which is worth $650, according to CNN, could cost athletes about $236 in taxes. While a bronze metal, which is worth $5, could only cost an athlete $2 in taxes
The real bite, however, will be taxes taken out of Olympians’ cash bonuses.
The U.S. Olympic Organizing Committee will award London champions $25,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bringing home a bronze, Reuters reports.
At a 35 percent income tax rate, bronze medalists will owe the IRS a total of $3,500, silver medalists will owe $5,250 and top finishers will be liable for $$8,750, according to Americans for Tax Reform.
Of course, many high-profile athletes will also come home to lucrative sponsorships offers, also all taxable.
In 2008, Michael Phelps earned a $1 million bonus from Speedo, which he donated to charity, NBC News reports. This summer, Phelps’ teammate Ryan Lochte could earn even more from ads for Gatorade, Gillette and others.
But American athletes aren’t the only Olympians vying for the gold — or big prize money.
Though Malaysia has never won a gold medal in an Olympic Games, Andrew Kam, the owner of a gold mine and the Kuala Lumpur Racket Club, will award a 12.5 kilogram (27.5 pound) gold bar (market worth $630,000) to any badminton player who earns the top spot.
A recent Yahoo! Finance story also notes that during the 2010 Winter Olympics, Russians received $135,000 for gold medals and $54,000 for bronze.
There had been controversy leading up to London Games regarding Britain’s stringent tax laws, which ordinarily take a large cut of the global income of any international athlete competing on its soil. The policy has led some athletes, including golfer Sergio “El Nino” Garcia and tennis star Rafael Nadal, to abstain from competing in British tournaments.
Worried the policy would discourage participation from Olympic superstars like sprinter Usain Bolt, who has previously criticized the law, British taxing authorities agreed to an exemption for London 2012 Olympic athletes.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated how much medal winners could be taxed on their prize money. At a 35 percent income tax rate, bronze medalists would owe the IRS $3,500, silver medalists would owe $5,250 and gold medalists would owe $8,750.
UPDATE: Senator Marco Rubio (R- Fla.) introduced a bill to Congress on Wednesday that would exempt Olympic winners from taxes on prizes received at the London games.