After what's seemed like an interminable wait, Microsoft's freshly baked Windows Phone 8 devices are finally beginning to flood the US market. And if you happen to be a subscriber on lady Magenta, well then, mark today as the day you can claim the 8X or Lumia 810 as your own -- the latter being a network exclusive. While you won't have your pick from amongst the vibrant color options we've seen so heavily promoted, you will get to choose between HTC's signature device (in California Blue) packing 16GB of storage for $199 or Nokia's all-black low-ender for $149, both available on a two-year contract with a $50 mail-in rebate. Not sure whether or not you should make the leap to WP8? Then be sure to check out our full review of Redmond's mobile OS -- it might help force your hand.
Posted: Nov 13 in Anti-Aging tagged Anti-Aging and Menopause, Hormone Replacement Therapy by Staff
It?s the topic that we wait to quietly discuss until behind closed doors. Sure, we are open to talk about the hot flashes and mood swings that are such a staple of menopause, but what about?you know?your sex drive?
First of all, you should know that about 20 percent of adult women will experience hypoactive sexual desire during and after menopause. This is the complete cessation of sexual interest. In some women this is marked by a mild lack of interest in sexual activities, while in others it sets on more severely and sex becomes something distasteful and dreaded. This change of spirit regarding intercourse can be damaging to relationships, and causes a great deal of emotional distress among the millions of women who quietly try to understand their changed romantic desires.
The Science behind Reduced Desire
Menopause is a time of drastic hormonal changes. In women, the ovaries cease making hormones like estrogen and testosterone as the body ages. Estrogen is responsible for bone formation and strength, developing female sexual characteristics and accelerating the metabolism. This is why bone fractures and weight gain are also common threats among menopausal women. During menopause, reduced estrogen levels can cause the female sexual organs to lose their plasticity and malleability?often leading to dryness and irritation, especially during and after intercourse.
Low testosterone is known for affecting the sex drive of men as they age, but it has the same effect on women?even though it is generally present in smaller quantities.
Reduced mental desire for sex is often coupled with uncomfortable symptoms that can make intercourse unpleasant?like vaginal dryness, fatigue and poor self-image thanks to menopausal weight gain. The good news is that treatment for hypoactive sexual desire is actually the same form of antiaging used to address other symptoms of menopause: bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.
BHRT works by restoring depleted levels of testosterone and estrogen, thereby relieving the symptoms prompted by decreased hormone levels. In addition to increasing energy levels, boosting weight loss efforts and improving bone strength, BHRT can help women regain their sex drive.
Menopause marks the end of fertility, but that doesn?t need to mean the end of romance. When it comes to a lack of sexual desire, remember: it?s not you?it?s nature that is causing the problem. Antiaging can help you regain your sex drive, and help make intercourse enjoyable again.
Avoid GMO's easy by avoiding harmful foods and drinks....Today's Post:? Tuesday, 11-13-2012 Most of our healthcare costs -- both for you as an individual and for all of us over our lifetimes -- now goes for almost completely preventable diseases!Modern doctors and medical care have found out how to tell if you are headed for these diseases but don?t know much yet about how to prevent them or reverse them.Although being sedentary and doing no exercise and sitting too much for many too many hours each week are part of the problem, eating and drinking things that cause these diseases is clearly an even more important cause.Our bodies are evolved to eat what people ate over 10,000 years ago.? And, we have added some things since that are actually good for you, such as red wine and dark beer in moderation and extra virgin olive oil and beans and lentils.Then we began eating grains -- and although this began to harm health, for most people who ate only foods made from whole grains and got a lot of exercise and activity, having enough to eat was better for you than any problems caused.As author Michael Pollan says it, NOW, "most of what we're consuming today is not food." And, even many of ?the real foods have been made less healthful.Most teens and too many adults now think of packaged snacks and packaged desserts and foods made from refined grains -- and soft drinks -- not only as real food but completely normal and safe.They are in fact, neither of these things!Even if these nonfoods were made from crops grown without any GMO?s, they would still make you sick and fatten you if you ingest them at all often!? To put it mildly, to do so more than 3 or 4 times a week total is harmful.? And, doing so more than 5 times every single day is emergency room dangerous if you keep doing it for decades!By the way, virtually all of this stuff is fattening too.?? So managing to no longer eat or drink these things is a super easy way to be less fat.? For people who have been ingesting a lot of this stuff that can be 40 pounds of fat and up!!But, it gets worse!? Guess which foods are almost entirely made from GMO crops?This exact same stuff is made almost entirely from GMO crops!So they took the money they made from selling this stuff to put enough disinformation out to prevent us in California and beyond from passing Proposition 37 did they?They didn?t want to get us thinking that the stuff they were selling us might be harmful.But the way to avoid GMO foods easy is to avoid the nonfoods and artificial drinks that GMO crops are made into!Even better, you don?t have to guess or know if the GMO grown crops in these nonfoods are harmful or not.? Those nonfoods ARE extremely harmful for other reasons!!So, if you learn to avoid them completely, your intake of GMO crops drops like a stone into a well!AND, you will be far less fat within months with no added hunger.? You?ll gain less fat as you get older too.You will be less likely to get type 2 diabetes, heart disease, PAD, ED, strokes, high blood pressure, gout, arthritis, vascular dementia, and Alzheimer?s disease besides!Here?s a list of the bad ingredients that are almost all GMO foods:1.? Refined grain foods are harmful & mostly made from GMO wheat and from GMO corn.a) Eat brewers yeast or egg yolks from pasture raised chickens for the B complex vitamins that were once in whole grains.? b) Eat nonstarchy vegetables or beans or raw nuts for the fiber that used to be in whole grains.? c) And, if you want foods made from grains, lean towards grains other than wheat and corn and rice -- most of which also have no gluten.? Buckwheat and other grains work.? But the champ is quinoa!? (I understand it?s said ?Keen wa? instead of ?kwin O ah.?? Quinoa has a better quality, more complete protein than wheat and nearly as much protein!? Even better, where wheat, even 100% whole wheat, has a glycemic rating of about 100 ? 50% HIGHER than sugar, quinoa has a glycemic index rating of 35!? (Sugar rates about 65.)Best of all, quinoa likely never will be a GMO crop! Quinoa does not NEED to be.? It has its own natural insecticide that tastes too bitter to want to insects but which people can remove by soaking in water.? So the insect repellent is removable -- unlike GMO foods where it?s in the food and then in you if you eat them!Turning down refined grain wheat bread in sandwiches when eating out and ?free? bread served before meals in restaurants is challenging.? But the health benefits and reduced fat on your body make it well worth doing.Note that these refined grains also are high in omega 6 oils which are harmful.? See number 3 below.2.? HFCS, high fructose corn syrup, is made from GMO corn.? It often contains mercury because of one of the processes used to make it.? And, though it doesn?t have a lot more fructose, the fructose it does have is not bonded to the glucose as it is in real sugar.? Worse, it tastes sweeter and is more addicting than real sugar.Instead:? Eat and drink WAY less sweetened things ? 7 times a week or less instead of 7 times or more a day AND use only real sugar when you do.Always read labels and NEVER buy a food containing HFCS.? You?ll be less fat, you?ll protect your health, and you?ll avoid a lot of GMO crops.2.? Oils high in omega 6 oils are very harmful to your health in the kind of excessive intake many people now think of as normal.? They are almost 100% made from GMO corn, soy, and canola. (That helps make soy oil, corn oil, and canola oil cheap and used in hundreds of foods in every grocery store.)But even if you could get these oils from sources that were 100% nonGMO, these oils cause high chronic inflammation which we now know causes:? Heart and other vascular diseases, osteoarthritis, and helps cause many cancers! So avoid the bad health results and the GMO sources in one pass.? Never buy these oils or do so very, very seldom.Instead:? Use extra virgin olive oil or eat raw nuts or avocados.? Olive oil and the Mediterranean diet they are in have proven health benefits!? AND, olive oil is very low in both saturated fats AND omega 3 oils.(Unfortunately, at this time, even at Whole Foods, if you want premade salad dressings with only olive oil or real mayonnaise made with egg yolks and olive oil only, you are out of luck.? The cheaper omega 6 oils have all the shelf space.)3.? Hydrogenated oils are heart attack starter.? They cause excess inflammation and make your LDL into tiny particles that stick into the chinks in your blood vessels walls.? These oils are as bad for your heart and circulatory health as heavy smoking!Then, it gets even worse!? Eating less is no protection because it takes your body weeks to get rid of half of what you eat.? That means that if you eat even small amounts of hydrogenated oils on most days, you WILL have enough heart attack starter in your blood to harm you every day!But guess what?? These heart attack starter hydrogenated oils are the same oils high in omega 6 that are virtually all from GMO foods!? Corn oil, soy oil, and cotton seed oil are commonly used to make hydrogenated oils.And, unlike GMO foods at this time, labels like partially hydrogenated, hydrogenated, and amounts of the related trans fats greater than zero ARE mandated to be on food labels.So, always read labels!? Never ever buy or eat foods with ANY hydrogenated oils.True these things do NOT yet reveal they are from GMO crops.? BUT they are! And avoiding hydrogenated oils can save your life!Instead, go nonfat or use extra virgin olive oil or use small amounts of real butter occasionally from cows fed only grass! Coconut oil is a mixed review but may also be OK on occasion.The commercial baked goods, and fast food, and packaged snacks, and packaged desserts, and even some frozen dinners and entrees and some spices are all high in MSG which is harmful to some people, addicting, and always fattening.And what are these foods or nonfoods if you prefer made out of otherwise?? Almost all their other ingredients are listed above!Do the very best you can to use one ingredient spices and no blends o condiments that list ?spices? as an ingredient.Stop buying and eating commercial baked goods, and fast food, and packaged snacks, and packaged desserts, and most frozen dinners and entrees.When they have labels, read the labels and if any of the above ingredients are listed at all, do not buy or eat that food.What companies make these?? The list of companies that gave money to stop Proposition 37 contains virtually all of them!So, not only are these foods harmful for these other reasons, you can be virtually guaranteed they all are made from GMO crops!5.? Another problem with these foods is that most of them contain excessive amounts of salt that you hardly taste in many cases.BUT, a very high intake of salt causes inflammation of the insides of your blood vessels which then causes heart and other vascular disease, high blood pressure, AND gout, it was recently found!Stop buying and eating commercial baked goods, and fast food, and packaged snacks, and packaged desserts, and most frozen dinners and entrees.Also check all canned foods for sodium content too.When they have labels, read the labels and if any of the above ingredients are listed at all, do not buy or eat that food.Check the serving size and calculate how many servings you?d eat in a day if you bought that food.? Then check how many grams of sodium you?d ingest if you did that.? If it comes to over 1,000 grams or you?d total much over 1500 grams of sodium in a day, take a pass and do not buy or eat that food.6.? Soft drinks are in a class by themselves.Regular soft drinks contain HFCS mostly and when you drink them you get the double fattening effect:? you take in calories but reduce your hunger by nothing at all!? But part two is even worse, then you get rebound hunger later for sugary foods.? Yes, that DOES mean if you simply stop drinking regular soft drinks entirely when you have been drinking several a day, guess what happens?!You gradually become less fat and in some cases tens of pounds less fat AND you become LESS hungry!Most soft drinks contain phosphoric acid which is an effective cause of osteoporosis.AND the HFCS is made from GMO corn.Diet soft drinks have no calories directly.? But they produce the rebound hunger for sugary foods as if they did have the sugar their taste causes your body to expect.? THAT means that diet soft drinks are a drug like drink that causes sugar cravings.? Tests on rats even show this. And studies on both people and rats fed artificial sweeteners or diet soft drinks tend to show that ingesting this stuff fattens nearly as well and regular soft drinks AND causes as many diseases.No, diet soft drinks do not contain GMO corn.? But the same companies that bring you the regular soft drinks that do make them!Instead, drink water , green tea, black tea oolong tea, or coffee but without nondairy creamer!!All this means that escaping most GMO foods is easy even when the things they are in are not yet so labeled.Just avoid the things in the list above that fatten you and harm your health!? To help do so, always read labels!They harm your health and most of them fatten you ? for other reasons -- AND to make them more profitable they are almost entirely made from GMO crops.Protect your health and be less fat.? Pass on ALL this stuff. ?
Labels: 6 powerful ways to protect your health and be less fat, Avoiding harmful and fattening foods and drinks and ingredients also avoids GMO foods, Easy way to avoid GMO foods
Updated 10:15 a.m. ET:?The executive most widely tipped to be the next chief executive of Microsoft Corp has left the world's largest software maker barely two weeks after launching the flagship Windows 8, as CEO Steve Ballmer moved to tighten his grip on the company.?
The exit of 23-year veteran Steven Sinofsky, head of Microsoft's Windows unit, is the latest - and most prominent - in a line of high-profile departures from the Redmond, Washington-based company, which is struggling to keep pace with Apple Inc and Google Inc in mobile computing.?
It comes hard on the heels of Sinofsky unveiling the most radical revamp of Windows since 1995, designed to catapult Microsoft back into the forefront of Internet-based, touch-screen technology and reinvigorate a stock price that has been static for the past decade.?
The move was unexpected and neither Microsoft nor Sinofsky gave an explanation, although an executive at the company, who asked not to be named, said the decision was "mutual" and said he was not expecting Sinofsky to take a job at another company soon.?
"This is shocking news. This is very surprising," said Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities. "Like a lot of people, I thought Sinofsky was in line to potentially be Ballmer's successor."?
Sinofsky, 47, joined Microsoft in 1989 and made his mark as Bill Gates' technical assistant. He grew into an uncompromising leader whose ruthless style of cutting layers of management and formalizing the process of software development gave rise to the term "Sinofskyization" in the company.?
He wielded immense power as head of the Windows unit, the traditional center of Microsoft's business, but was not known for working well with other executives.?
One former Microsoft staffer who worked with Sinofsky and other executives said his relentlessly aggressive style exasperated other leaders and may have alienated too many people, including his mentor Gates.?
"He had no one left to fight for him," said the staffer, who asked not to be named. "Gates gave him cover, so he must have eventually caved."?
Ballmer, 56, shows no sign of leaving after almost 13 years in the job, despite almost constant criticism. He has now replaced all the leaders of Microsoft's five main operating units in the past four years.?
He told employees in a memo on Monday simply that: "Steven Sinofsky has decided to leave the company."?
In a later media statement, he added that it was "imperative that we continue to drive alignment across all Microsoft teams, and have more integrated and rapid development cycles for our offerings".?
That could be interpreted as disappointment in Sinofsky's ability, or willingness, to work with other units.?
"Windows has to be much more thoroughly integrated with Xbox, with other parts of the company," said Barnicle. "I don't know that was something Steven was as excited about as focusing on Windows."?
It could also suggest that Ballmer was not happy with the pace of progress under Sinofsky.?
"Within Microsoft's lead cycle, Sinofsky was delivering at the early edge of it," said Colin Gillis, an analyst at BGC Financial. "But now the competition has moved from a one-year cycle to a six-months cycle."?
Sinofsky had a stellar career at Microsoft, overhauling the hugely profitable Office division before going over to manage the release of Windows 7 in 2009.?
That was regarded as a success and Sinofsky was then tasked with overseeing Windows 8, Microsoft's new-look, touch-friendly operating system designed to bridge the gap with mobile computing leaders Apple and Google.?
At the same time, Sinofsky led the development of Microsoft's Surface tablet, its first own-brand computer, aimed at tackling Apple's wildly successful iPad head on.?
Analysts said it may be too early to judge whether Windows 8 and the Surface have been a success, after launching on October 26, but Sinofsky's departure could have been tied to his abrasive management and ambition for the top job.?
"It sounded like it had more to do with his leadership style," said Barnicle at Pacific Crest. "There wasn't really a next move for Steven at this point."?
Sinofsky forfeited some of his bonus this year due to falling sales of Windows and Microsoft's embarrassing failure to comply with an agreement with European regulators to allow users a choice of browsers, which could cost the company millions of dollars in fines.?
Sinofsky himself shed no light on his exit.?
"It is impossible to count the blessings I have received over my years at Microsoft," he said in a statement. "I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this awesome company."?
He did not announce any plans to take a job elsewhere.?
Sinofsky will be succeeded by Julie Larson-Green, who will head the Windows hardware and software division, and Tami Reller, who will remain chief financial officer of the Windows unit. Together, they will report directly to Ballmer.?
Sinofsky's departure comes two weeks after rival Apple shook up its own top management, forcing out mobile head Scott Forstall and retail chief John Browett.?
One analyst cited talk that the moves might be related.?
"Some are speculating that the availability on the market of Forstall might have something to do with Sinofsky's departure," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. "I doubt we will have to wait long to know if this is the case."??
Christie's Images LTD. 2012(NEW YORK) -- An "ultra-rare" watch by Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe from musician Eric Clapton sold for $3.6 million by Christie's.
Only two of this particular model were cased in platinum.? Made in 1987, it's described as a "platinum perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phases."
The watch had an estimated value of $2,668,650 to $4,278,080 or 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 Swiss francs.
George Sabra, the new head of the main Syrian opposition bloc in exile, the Syrian National Council, speaks to reporters during a press conference on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the Syrian National Council meeting in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Sabra struck a combative tone Saturday, saying international inaction rather than divisions among anti-regime groups are to blame for the inability to end the bloodshed in Syria. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal)
George Sabra, the new head of the main Syrian opposition bloc in exile, the Syrian National Council, speaks to reporters during a press conference on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the Syrian National Council meeting in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Sabra struck a combative tone Saturday, saying international inaction rather than divisions among anti-regime groups are to blame for the inability to end the bloodshed in Syria. (AP Photo/Osama Faisal)
DOHA, Qatar (AP) ? Syrian anti-government groups struck a deal Sunday under intense international pressure to form a new opposition leadership that will include representatives from the country's disparate factions fighting to topple President Bashar Assad's regime, activists said.
The opposition has been deeply divided for months despite the relentless bloodshed in Syria and repeated calls from their Western and Arab supporters to create a cohesive and representative leadership that could present a single conduit for foreign aid. The agreement, reached Sunday after more than a week of meetings in the Qatari capital of Doha, could boost efforts to secure international support ? and potentially weapons ? that will be crucial in the war to oust Assad.
"We have agreed on the broad platform and all (opposition) parties, without any exception, support this initiative," said Ali Sadr el-Din Bayanouni, a former Syrian Muslim Brotherhood leader who took part in the talks.
He said the new leadership will be called the Syrian National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces.
Later Sunday, the delegates elected Islamic preacher Maath al-Khatib president of the new coalition. Leading opposition figures Riad Seif and Suheir Atassi were elected vice presidents.
Mustafa Sabbagh was voted the coalition's secretary-general.
Al-Khatib said opposition fighters are "searching for freedom," claiming that if any carried out improper acts, it was because of the "regime's brutality."
He said the Syrian rebels will avoid acts of revenge in the future, noting that many soldiers security officers are "honorable people whom we call them upon to defect from the corrupt regime."
In a bid to be more representative and curb the influence of exiles considered out of touch with events on the ground, the new coalition will include activists from inside Syria as well as rebel commanders.
It will also include representatives from the largest current opposition group, the Syrian National Council, which initially resisted the idea of a new leadership council, viewing it as a threat to its claim of primacy. After some wrangling, the SNC secured 22 of the 60 seats in the new coalition.
SNC secretary-general Bassam Ishak said, "This new body will help up mobilize more international support and resources for the Syrian opposition," he said.
Another SNC member, Wael Merza, said the new group had the support of major regional backers including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey, which can open up "new channels for funding."
Al-Khatib, 52, is an Islamic preacher from the capital Damascus who was detained several times since the uprising began on charge of supporting anti-government groups. He ran as an independent.
He was once the preacher of Damascus' historic Ummayad Mosque and heads the Islamic Modernization Group.
Al-Khatib is known as a moderate who has called for political pluralism and strongly opposes sectarian divisions among Syrians.
Naming him as a president of the coalition could be a move to counter Muslim extremists who are gaining power among rebel groups.
Seif, 66, was a member of the so-called "Damascus Declaration" group ? a coalition of pro-democracy activists that came into existence after Assad came to power in 2000.
Seif is one of the country's most prominent opposition figures. He was released from prison in July 2010 after years in jail for anti-government activities.
He was arrested for the first time in 2001 for criticizing Assad and sentenced to five years in prison. He was re-arrested in January 2008 and sentenced to two and a half more years on charges of "weakening national sentiment," a term usually used to mean carrying out anti-regime activities.
Syria had previously banned Seif from travel, a measure regularly taken against dissidents. In 2007, the U.S. State Department urged Syrian authorities to allow him to leave the country to receive medical treatment.
Seif told The Associated Press in 2007 that refusing to allow him to seek treatment abroad for prostate cancer was "like being sentenced to a slow death."
Atassi comes from an influential family from the central city of Homs. She has been an outspoken critic of Assad for years and was arrested days after the uprising began while taking part in an anti-government protest in central Damascus.
The SNC was formed last year but quickly came to be viewed as ineffective and out of touch with activists and rebels fighting a bloody war on the ground.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton harshly criticized the SNC late last month and called for a leadership that can rally broader support, including inside Syria.
After the agreement was signed, the foreign ministers of Turkey and Qatar, Ahmet Davutoglu and Hamad bin Jassim, joined the conference. Davutoglu said claims of divisions among the opposition "are over now."
Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem said the new coalition "is a major achievement on the road to a new Syria."
All opposition groups and figures taking part in the Doha meeting rejected any dialogue with Assad's regime.
The Syrian government has dismissed the meetings in Doha. Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi called them political folly. In an interview on state-run Syrian TV aired late Friday, al-Zoubi said those who "meet in hotels" abroad are "deluding themselves" if they think they can overthrow the government.
The uprising against Assad began in March 2011 with peaceful protests. A regime crackdown prompted fierce fighting, propelling the conflict into a civil war that has taken on sectarian overtones.
In all, activists say more than 36,000 people have been killed.
Few smokers would claim that it?s easy to quit. The addiction to nicotine is strong and repeatedly reinforced by circumstances that prompt smokers to light up.
Yet the millions who have successfully quit are proof that a smoke-free life is achievable, even by those who have been regular, even heavy, smokers for decades.
Today, 19 percent of American adults smoke, down from more than 42 percent half a century ago, when Luther Terry, the United States surgeon general, formed a committee to produce the first official report on the health effects of smoking. Ever-increasing restrictions on where people can smoke have helped to swell the ranks of former smokers.
Now, however, as we approach the American Cancer Society?s 37th Great American Smokeout on Thursday, the decline in adult smoking has stalled despite the economic downturn and the soaring price of cigarettes.
Currently, 45 million Americans are regular smokers who, if they remain smokers, can on average expect to live 10 fewer years. Half will die of a tobacco-related disease, and many others will suffer for years with smoking-caused illness. Smoking adds $96 billion to the annual cost of medical care in this country, Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti wrote in The Journal of the American Medical Association last month. Even as some adult smokers quit, their ranks are being swelled by the 800,000 teenagers who become regular smokers each year and by young adults who, through advertising and giveaways, are now the prime targets of the tobacco industry.
People ages 18 to 25 now have the nation?s highest smoking rate: 40 percent. I had to hold my breath the other day as dozens of 20-somethings streamed out of art gallery openings and lighted up. Do they not know how easy it is to get hooked on nicotine and how challenging it can be to escape this addiction?
Challenging, yes, but by no means impossible. on the Web you can download a ?Guide to Quitting Smoking,? with detailed descriptions of all the tools and tips to help you become an ex-smoker once and for all.
Or consult the new book by Dr. Richard Brunswick, a retired family physician in Northampton, Mass., who says he?s helped hundreds of people escape the clutches of nicotine and smoking. (The printable parts of the book?s provocative title are ?Can?t Quit? You Can Stop Smoking.?)
?There is no magic pill or formula for beating back nicotine addiction,? Dr. Brunswick said. ?However, with a better understanding of why you smoke and the different tools you can use to control the urge to light up, you can stop being a slave to your cigarettes.?
Addiction and Withdrawal
Nicotine beats a direct path to the brain, where it provides both relaxation and a small energy boost. But few smokers realize that the stress and lethargy they are trying to relieve are a result of nicotine withdrawal, not some underlying distress. Break the addiction, and the ill feelings are likely to dissipate.
Physical withdrawal from nicotine is short-lived. Four days without it and the worst is over, with remaining symptoms gone within a month, Dr. Brunswick said. But emotional and circumstantial tugs to smoke can last much longer.
Depending on when and why you smoke, cues can include needing a break from work, having to focus on a challenging task, drinking coffee or alcohol, being with other people who smoke or in places you associate with smoking, finishing a meal or sexual activity, and feeling depressed or upset.
To break such links, you must first identify them and then replace them with other activities, like taking a walk, chewing sugar-free gum or taking deep breaths. These can help you control cravings until the urge passes.
If you?ve failed at quitting before, try to identify what went wrong and do things differently this time, Dr. Brunswick suggests. Most smokers need several attempts before they can become permanent ex-smokers.
Perhaps most important is to be sure you are serious about quitting; if not, wait until you are. Motivation is half the battle. Also, should you slip and have a cigarette after days or weeks of not smoking, don?t assume you?ve failed and give up. Just go right back to not smoking.
Aids for Quitting
Many if not most smokers need two kinds of assistance to become lasting ex-smokers: psychological support and medicinal aids. Only about 4 percent to 7 percent of people are able to quit smoking on any given attempt without help, the cancer society says.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have free telephone-based support programs that connect would-be quitters to trained counselors. Together, you can plan a stop-smoking method that suits your smoking pattern and helps you avoid common pitfalls.
Online support groups and Nicotine Anonymous can help as well. To find a group, ask a local hospital or call the cancer society at (800) 227-2345. Consider telling relatives and friends about your intention to quit, and plan to spend time in smoke-free settings.
More than a dozen treatments can help you break the physical addiction to tobacco. Most popular is nicotine replacement therapy, sold both with and without a prescription. The Food and Drug Administration has approved five types: nicotine patches of varying strengths, gums, sprays, inhalers and lozenges that can curb withdrawal symptoms and help you gradually reduce your dependence on nicotine.
Two prescription drugs are also effective: an extended-release form of the antidepressant bupropion (Zyban or Wellbutrin), which reduces nicotine cravings, and varenicline (Chantix), which blocks nicotine receptors in the brain, reducing both the pleasurable effects of smoking and the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Combining a nicotine replacement with one of these drugs is often more effective than either approach alone.
Other suggested techniques, like hypnosis and acupuncture, have helped some people quit but lack strong proof of their effectiveness. Tobacco lozenges and pouches and nicotine lollipops and lip balms lack evidence as quitting aids, and no clinical trials have been published showing that electronic cigarettes can help people quit.
The cancer society suggests picking a ?quit day?; ridding your home, car and workplace of smoking paraphernalia; choosing a stop-smoking plan, and stocking up on whatever aids you may need.
On the chosen day, keep active; drink lots of water and juices; use a nicotine replacement; change your routine if possible; and avoid alcohol, situations you associate with smoking and people who are smoking.
A strong earthquake, followed by two milder shocks,?rocked central Myanmar on Sunday morning.
USGS
A USGS map shows the location of a 6.6 magnitude earthquake Sunday morning in Myanmar.
The U.S. Geographical Survey said the epicenter of the 6.6-magnitude temblor that hit at 7:42 a.m. local time was about 17 miles east of Shwebo, or 72 miles northwest of Mandalay, and 6 miles underground.
Two?milder quakes estimated at 5.0 magnitude struck about 20 minutes later about 50 miles northwest of Mandalay, USGS reported.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Residents from Mandalay, the second biggest commercial city in central Myanmar, told Reuters that they felt a very strong tremor.
"I've never felt such strong tremor. I also heard some loud noises and the light went out. No idea about the damage,'' a?resident said.
Residents in Bangkok, the capital of neighboring Thailand, also said they felt the?quake.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue any tsunami warnings.
Watch World News videos on NBCNews.com
President Barack Obama is scheduled to become the first American president to visit Myanmar during a Nov. 17-20 tour of Southeast Asia that will include Thailand and Cambodia, the White House said Thursday.
The quake was initially estimated at 7.0 magnitude but was revised lower by the USGS.
The USGS said much of the population exposed to the earthquake lives in structures vulnerable to shaking. The area has been subject to secondary effects of temblors such as landslides.?
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.
This article includes reporting by Reuters.
Stay informed with the latest headlines; sign up for our newsletter?
More world stories from NBC News:
Follow World News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook
The recent spat between the French government and Google demonstrates that traditional media will not give in to the powers of disruption without a fight. The result, whatever it may be, is highly unlikely to be in anyone?s interest.
If, for example, the French media companies are successful in convincing the country?s parliament to pass a law demanding that Internet aggregators pay royalties to media companies for snippets of their content, Google is likely to drop those companies from its search engine. Google would take this dramatic move as the precedent of a pay-for-limited use agreement would potentially undercut its business model and threaten the golden goose that keeps the company flush with cash and thus capable of continuing its rapid pace of innovation.
Despite having the upper hand such an outcome is not in Google?s interest, since its strength lies in being all-knowing and having an ability to demonstrate expertise in every subject, not just some. By excluding French media companies from its index Google risks opening the search market to increased fragmentation by ceding the ground for search on certain topics to someone willing to pay to own it.
At the heart of the battle is the argument by traditional media companies that they provide the raw materials Google uses to fuel its services and should therefore be entitled to their fair share of the corresponding bounty. Google, on the other hand, claims only to organize and make accessible information that is already freely available. If media companies don?t want their content to be easily found through its search engine, Google argues, they simply need block Google?s crawler from indexing them.
What underlies the debate however is a larger issue of how traditional media companies are going to survive the transition from the offline world of scarcity to the online world of abundance. Desperate for new sources of revenue, many of the world?s most renowned traditional media companies find themselves on the brink of?collapse. Such a scenario not only threatens an entire industry employing thousands w0rldwide, but also the very foundation upon which strong democracies are built.
The changing landscape
If print publications are under threat from the internet, many ask, why don?t traditional media companies simply stop printing newspapers and instead focus on producing online content where the potential audience, no longer restricted by a limited distribution model, is much larger?
The problem with such an argument is that margins for online advertising have never matched the margins of offline print and the increase in traffic volume doesn?t necessarily make up for the immediate decrease in revenues. What?s more, the margins that large brand publishers can command online are increasingly under threat for the following three reasons:
First, more and more non-traditional media outlets are gaining a larger share of the audience thus creating more competition for advertiser spend. What money is being spent online then is being spread out further and further.
Second, the valuable proprietary audience data online publishers can offer advertisers is becoming less of a competitive advantage as the online marketplace matures. With the increased sophistication of advertising exchanges such as Google/DoubleClick Ad Exchange and Yahoo!?s Right Media,?both of which allow advertisers to target and re-target users across multiple properties, media companies can no longer claim privileged access to their audience?s likes, needs and desires. The gap, therefore, between premium, directly-sold advertising and remnant ads sold through a third-party is closing much to the old-world incumbents chagrin.
Third, the anticipated shift of advertiser budgets from offline media to online media has yet to materialize and likely won?t do so in time to save the industry. Though online advertising spending continues to increase at healthy rates, traditional media companies join Internet giants such as Google and Facebook in trying to crack the nut of monetizing mobile traffic which is gaining as a larger share of their total readership.
All of this is to say that simply relying on online advertising is not enough for traditional media companies carrying the excessive costs of a legacy print business.
New models
What?s needed then is a new revenue source that will allow traditional media companies to diversify and ensure stability over the long term. The news, as Jeff Jarvis is want to point out, has never paid for itself and has always relied on some other business model to subsidize its production. With Craigslist and eBay offering classified ads for free and thus undercutting that source of revenue, many wonder what business model will be left for media companies to sustain themselves.
The truth is, however, there isn?t and never will be any one business model that will support the media industry as a whole, since abandoned revenue-positive business models are hard to come by. Some, such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, have imposed static paywalls under the assumption that people will pay them for content they can easily get free elsewhere. While some niche content providers will likely survive on content alone, others will simply cede more ground to their low-cost competitors and thus ensure their own long-term irrelevance.
Aside from the success of the odd paywall, replacing the old media business model will not be one solution but a multitude of solutions. Media companies will need to leverage their assets such as relationships with customers, advertisers, and content producers to create new economic opportunities along with developing and incorporating exciting technologies that re-define how we consume information.
Aside from business models we also need to reconsider exactly how the news is produced and the role of the media company in this process. As The Guardian reminds its readers, comment is free, and as such it is too shortsighted for media companies to try to insist on a distinction between news producers and news bloggers/aggregators. Furthermore, media companies will also have to recognize and come to terms with the blurring of those who consume information and those who produce it. In such a scenario, for example, the role of the newspaper editor and writer needs to be re-imagined such that the quality of information continues to remain high while the cost of obtaining it remains low.
Finally, we cannot negate the role that traditional media companies play in producing what is essentially a public good. Given its special status we citizens must also re-think whether or not we want to rely on for-profit and sometimes agenda-driven media companies as well as state-controlled organizations to filter the information we consume. One solution, for example, is found in Uruguay, where the daily newspaper La Diariais built on a model of radical transparency and accountability. The governance of the newspaper is ensured by the same individuals it is meant to protect. The opportunity for social enterprises like La Diara to shape how we consume information is massive and only beginning to reveal itself.
Conclusion
The attempt by the French government then to impose a ?Google Tax? is simply a stop-gap measure designed to try to throw a rope to a dying industry drowning under the weight of its own inaction.
Aside from failing to solve the problem it sets out to address, a tax on aggregators will have a chilling effect on the evolution of French internet companies as it limits and discourages innovation around how we organize and access information.
The outcome will surely be to stunt the potential growth of a knowledge economy in the already economically vulnerable France, forcing more of its entrepreneurs to leave for the greener pastures of Silicon Valley and its spin-off communities. Even more so, history has proven itself unkind to nations that resist the encroachment of creative destruction brought about by technological innovation, and France might be wise to take note.
Rather than rely on governments to step in and solve the industry?s problem, traditional media companies need to stop resisting innovation in their industry and instead embrace it. While there is no doubt that, as the saying goes, ?information wants to be free? the excessive demand unleashed by ubiquitous connectivity means that the potential for a diversity of business models abounds. The solution though requires a fundamental re-think of how we create and consume information, and if traditional media companies are unwilling to lead the charge then young internet entrepreneurs around the world will take up the challenge. Everywhere, that is, except maybe France.
All Critics (83) | Top Critics (31) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (9)
"Robot & Frank" hits all the right notes - romantic, fantastic, tragic and sweet.
There's a warm and poignant interplay between the co-stars.
Langella ... is tremendous.
It may not seem like an even playing field pitting an actor as powerfully intense as Frank Langella opposite a robot, but that's the game plan behind the waywardly endearing, slightly futuristic fantasy Robot & Frank.
Much of Robot & Frank is (frankly) resistible, including the climactic narrative twist, but there is also a likeable oddness that transcends the sentimental contrivance.
An endearing movie about a human and his mechanical new buddy.
A subtle, good-natured ride with a gentle bite. Langella gives an exquisite performance as the wily ex-con.
More concerned with the heart than the robotics, Robot & Frank is a buddy movie in which memory is a prized thing. And it's certainly memorable
Simply oozing with charm, this sci-fi buddy movie about a robot and an ageing ex-jewel thief with memory issues has heart when you least expect it, allowing its bittersweet arrow to gently trigger our emotions
Deserves credit for bringing comic fantasy close to sensitive reality
If Miranda July tackled an episode of Tales of the Unexpected the results might be something close to what's on offer here.
Langella provides a formidable central presence, both stubborn and endearing, while Sarsgaard injects warmth and humanity into Robot.
An hysterically funny, breathlessly paced and moving meditation on old age and existence, topped by an award-worthy turn from Frank Langella. One of the year's best.
Jake Schreier and scriptwriter Christopher Ford go well beyond the initial fun of the robot conceit to craft a thoughtful film musing on both the ageing process and our relationship with technology.
A little gem of a movie about aging and obsolescence that is also a very modest sci-fi cautionary tale.
... a marvel of the highest order. Robot and Frank manages to seamlessly blend comedy, science fiction and drama into a film that is hilarious, truly original and utterly heartfelt
This blend of sentiment and genre fancy is not unlike something Ray Bradbury might have contrived for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Robot & Frank is an airy, engaging flight of fancy. It's also part caper film, part character study, and part allegory about aging. Robot & Frank shouldn't work, but it does.
..never hits the easy and obvious beats of a buddy comedy; there's no sentimental bonding between man and mecha man. Similarly, though it feints toward romance, the relationship ... resolves in an unexpectedly bittersweet way.
"Robot & Frank" is a study of a man who lives with his past mistakes but can't shake how truly alive they made him feel when he was making them, regardless of what they cost him.
Hodgepodge of moods built around an unlikely story of friendship between a man and his service robot, the film carries itself confidently, with occasional moments of significant emotion.
They get the robot right, with fluid movement (by dancer Rachael Ma) and canned warmth in its user-friendly voice (performed by Peter Sarsgaard).
What a weird, winning little movie is Robot & Frank.
The chief spectacle here -- and it's a good one -- is Langella in gruff, curdled mode, an underappreciated master actor slipping seamlessly into a bespoke role.
"Robot & Frank" is so endearing it's easy to forget it's science fiction.
President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks about the economy and the deficit, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Barack Obama gestures as he speaks about the economy and the deficit, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gestures as he speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Boehner said any deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff should include lower tax rates, eliminating special interest loopholes and revising the tax code. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama holds up a pen as he speaks about the economy and the deficit, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio calls on a reporter during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012. Boehner said any deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff should include lower tax rates, eliminating special interest loopholes and revising the tax code. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama passes Vice President Joe Biden after speaking on the economy and the deficit, Friday, Nov. 9, 2012, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? An economic calamity looming, President Barack Obama on Friday signaled willingness to compromise with Republicans, declaring he was not "wedded to every detail" of his tax-and-spending approach to prevent deep and widespread pain in the new year. But he insisted his re-election gave him a mandate to raise taxes on wealthier Americans.
"The majority of Americans agree with my approach," said Obama, brimming with apparent confidence in his first White House statement since securing a second term.
Trouble is, the Republicans who run the House plainly do not agree with his plans. Speaker John Boehner insisted that raising tax rates as Obama wants "will destroy jobs in America."
So began the "fiscal cliff" political maneuvering that will determine which elected power center ? the White House or the House ? bends more on its promises to voters. The outcome will affect tens of millions of Americans, given that the tax hikes and budgets cuts set to kick in Jan. 1 could spike unemployment and bring on a new recession.
An exhausting presidential race barely history, Washington was back quickly to governing on deadline, with agreement on a crucial goal but divisions on how to get there. The campaign is over, but another has just begun.
The White House quickly turned Obama's comments into an appeal for public support, shipping around a video by email and telling Americans that "this debate can either stay trapped in Washington or you can make sure your friends and neighbors participate."
Obama invited the top four leaders of Congress to the White House next week for talks, right before he departs on a trip to Asia.
In laying their negotiating markers, all sides sought to leave themselves wiggle room.
"I don't want to box myself in. I don't want to box anybody else in," Boehner said at the Capitol.
Outside all the new the talk of openness, the same hard lines seemed in place.
Obama never expressly said that tax rates on top earners must return to the higher levels of the Bill Clinton era, leading to speculation that he was willing to soften the core position of his re-election campaign to get a grand debt deal with Republicans. "I'm not wedded to every detail of my plan. I'm open to compromise," he said.
But his spokesman, Jay Carney, seemed to slam that door. He said Obama would veto any extension Congress might approve of tax cuts on household incomes above $250,000.
Obama's remarks were choreographed so that a diverse-looking group of Americans stood behind him and dozens more were invited to pack the East Room. In the weeks ahead, he plans to pull in the public as a way to pressure Congress.
"I am not going to ask students and seniors and middle class families to pay down the entire deficit while people like me, making over $250,000, aren't asked to pay a dime more in taxes. I'm not going to do that," said Obama.
He said voters plainly agreed with his approach that both tax hikes and spending cuts are needed to cut the debt.
"Our job now is to get a majority in Congress to reflect the will of the American people," Obama said.
About 60 percent of voters said in exit polls Tuesday that taxes should increase, either for everyone or those making over $250,000. Left unsaid by Obama was that even more voters opposed raising taxes to help cut the deficit.
The scheduled year-end changes, widely characterized as a dangerous "fiscal cliff," include a series of expiring tax cuts that were approved in the George W. Bush administration. The other half of the problem is a set of punitive across-the-board spending cuts, looming only because partisan panel of lawmakers failed to reach a debt deal.
Put together, they could mean the loss of roughly 3 million jobs.
Since the election, Boehner and Obama have both responded to the reality that they need each other.
Compromise has become mandatory if the two leaders are to avoid economic harm and the wrath of a public sick of government dysfunction.
Obama says he is willing to talk about changes to Medicare and Medicaid, earning him the ire of the left. Boehner says he will accept raising tax revenue and not just slashing spending, although he insists it must be done by reworking the tax code, not raising rates. The framework, at least, is there for a broad deal on taxes.
Yet the top Democrat and Republican in the nation are trying to put the squeeze on each other as the public waits for answers.
"This is his opportunity to lead," Boehner said of Obama, not long before the president said: "All we need is action from the House."
Obama said the uncertainty now spooking investors and employers will be shrunk if Congress extends ? quickly ? the tax cuts for all those except the most-well off.
The Senate has passed such a bill. The House showed no interest on Friday in Obama's idea.
Obama and Republicans have tangled over the Bush tax cuts for years. The president gave in to Republican demands to extend the cuts across the board in 2010, but he ran for re-election on a pledge to allow the rates to increase on families making more than $250,000 a year.
Also lurking is the expiration of the nation's debt limit in the coming weeks. The last fight on that nearly led the United States to default on its bills.
When asked if he would try to use that issue as leverage, Boehner said it must be addressed "sooner rather than later."
The national debt now stands above $16 trillion. The government borrowed about 31 cents of every dollar it spent in 2012.
___
Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor, Donna Cassata, Julie Pace, Matthew Daly, Jim Kuhnhenn and Ken Thomas contributed to this report.
___
Follow Ben Feller on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BenFellerDC
Location: Abuja, Nigeria Company: First Gate Business Intermediaries Limited
Responsibilities:
? Identify and suggest tactics for positioning the Company as an employer of choice.
? Formulate and execute recruitment plans to identify, select, hire, train and retain the best talent to meet the Company?s manpower needs.
? Source and select candidates in a transparent and fair manner, and ensure that the right calibre of people are recruited into the Company.
? Liaise with staff across the Company to identify employee learning and development needs.
? Design and implement cost-effective learning and development strategies to improve the Company?s performance.
? Maintain effective performance and career management strategies that would help sustain a performance driven culture and ensure appropriate balance between staff personal and professional goals.
? Work with managers to ensure the Company?s performance management system is employed in an objective, equitable, transparent and merit-driven manner. Maintain employee reward and recognition programs.
? Maintain an optimal organization structure to support the achievement of the Company?s goals and objectives.
? Serve as a primary point of contact for all employees on HR related issues. Support the CEO in resolving significant/complex disciplinary cases, appeals and related HR issues.
? The candidate will be responsible for providing strategic oversight for the administrative and human resources activities of the entire organization.
? He will entrench the company culture and values, as well as oversee training, discipline, appraisals and orientation of staff to meet company goals
Qualifications and Requirements:
? B Sc. Degree (Minimum of a Second Class Lower)
? 3-5 years HR background.
? At least 30years of Age
? Supervisory experience (added advantage)
? Relevant professional certifications/ memberships (added advantage)
? Basic computer use skill is a must
? Strong interpersonal, communication, negotiation and motivation skills
? Candidates must be highly qualified, motivated, ambitious and experienced individuals with Managerial skills
A couple of weeks after the release of Actress Tonto Dikeh?s two new singles ?Itz Ova? and ?Hi,? the web went crazy as 2.3million people downloaded her music. By the end of the week, Dikeh allegedly had over 5million downloads.
Instead of focusing on the success of the downloads and business principles to draw on, some artists, including Burna boy, wished the worst including ?death? on so called ?wack? singers like Tonto.
Bottom line, as I said before, who cares if you can?t hold a note? There is an audience for everyone and the music industry is big enough to accommodate a Tonto Dikeh on one far end of the spectrum and a P-Square on the other.
Folks whether music, fashion, film or what have you, you can have an amazing product or service but if no one is buying or paying attention to you, then your product is simply not cutting it. It is either that or you have not identified your audience AND placed in front of that audience, your work so that they can scoop up everything you are serving and ask for more.
For me, Tonto Dikeh?s success, which she intends to follow up with a music video, reminded me of the need to share with you all the importance of: 1) understanding the purpose of social media; and 2) why you should make sure you do not alienate your core audience, especially those online/social media, with the deals you sign with digital distributors.
Raise your hands AML artists if you do not want to be successful? Your hands should remain to your sides. We all want to be successful. In Nigeria?s music industry, artists sit and hope that they can one day be signed to a label. Some have been signed to labels but just as quickly as they were signed, they parted ways. Names like Killz, Darey Art Alade, Kel, GT the Guitarman, Mo?Cheddah and many more come to mind. By the way, whatever happened to RETTA signed with Joy Tongo?s JTON Productions?
Back to the story. What happens after artists are signed to labels? Somewhere along the line, these artists conclude that: 1) record labels are not all they are cracked up to be i.e. they are bad; and 2) they can do what their labels where doing by themselves i.e. they can start and run successful labels.
Indeed as it stands Nigeria?s music industry is saturated with independent label owners, many of whom are artists that have no clue about running a business much less a record label. I should know this because my inbox is constantly filled with many of these artists turned label owners soliciting even the minutiae of details on how to run their indie labels.
In any event, these artists launch their record labels and what happens? They realize being a business owner IS VERY hard, ?asin? VERY VERY HARD. Entrepreneurs are fearless people and there is a certain grit and determination you gotta have as an entrepreneur to be successful.
These artists turn label owners realize that they do not have the resources to run a label. They also realize they are pretty screwed because they have to run a label and at the same time produce music, as signed artists on their self owned labels, to stay relevant. The smart ones discover that social media is an integral part of their success story, especially as indie label owners. They look to You Tube, Facebook, Twitter Vimeo, Blogs, Itunes, CD Baby, Sound Cloud, Band Camp etc. to get the word out and have fans sharing to increase demand for their services i.e. concert performances etc. and products.
(Fans) People start getting to know about their work and most importantly, SHARING IT. What has been happening of late, especially in the past year? A new digital distributor gets into the picture and says I can make you money by curbing piracy of your work online. I?ll give you an upfront fee. You sell exclusive digital distribution of your songs to me. I will use You Tube?s ad supported platform and my website to make money and then circle back based on the percentage you sign to pay you royalties. The artists sign the exclusive deals, get the upfront monies and jump on Oprah?s sofa like Tom Cruise did.
The artists doesn?t even factor the fan in the deal. They have never sat to think and say: who are my fans? What age? What do they do? How do they do it? Basically both the demographic and psychographic segmentation necessary. They basically jabor ?asin? dump their fans to be at the mercy of these new entrants.
What happens to the fans that have been sharing the works of these artists in gazillion places? The new entrant labels them ?pirates,? and restricts access to only one platform to share music, with the assumption that if the fans want the works of the artists, the artists no longer has to work for it. Instead, the fans, whether they like the platforms or not, have to go find the artists on You Tube via IROKO, IROKOING or Spinlet.
By the way, how disastrous was that whole EME highly anticipated album shared on Spinlet on an exclusive deal? That was such a missed opportunity because again, there was the whole focus on ?piracy? and making a quick buck without the big picture in mind, the fans. The result was a dissatisfied fan based and frankly an injured Spinlet in terms of credibility in the market place.
Tonto Dikeh?s 5 Million downloads, to me, says we need to reassess the way Nigerian artists view sharing and how they treat the very fans who have helped them get here and want to help them even more.
In the industry, I have seen and know artists who usurp (i.e. take) from producers, promoters, industry professionals et. al. without having the decency to give back both when they asked and even if they are not. It does backfire. While these kinds of actions may not have as crippling an effect on your career within the industry; as an artist, when you take the same conduct to your fans, you build resentment, distrust and dwindling sales.
Indeed, the graph below titled ?A Crash Course in Piracy,? continues to substantiate my discussions about the false alarm of piracy, online, that has been raised by new entrants into Nigeria?s music distribution game against the very fans that has helped our artists get to where they are.
I often discuss IROKO/IROKOING because they are the most visible and have spearheaded the alleged campaign of curbing piracy online.
5 Lessons for Nigerian Artists
I get curbing piracy but please note the following 5 key lessons when it comes to digital distribution that you should walk away with from the Tonto Dikeh case:
1. Without getting too technical, the internet is founded on fundamental principles of sharing. Indeed this core function of the internet remains till today. An exhibit can be seen with the power of social media.
2. But for Nigerian fans and blogs SHARING the works of our artists, most of our artists will not be where they are today. Further, there would not be this resurgence and reawakening of respect for Nigerian artists.
3.Alienating fans who share your work is lame. There is no other way to say it. Have you all sat and thought long and hard why Tonto Dikeh has over 5million downloads in a few days of releasing her two singles ?Hi? and ?Itz Ova? Despite how successful leading names like M.I Abaga, P-Square, Davido, Wizkid and D?Banj are, we have never seen that in the entire history of the music industry. Please correct me if I am wrong. Tonto Dikeh is not even a singer. She is an actress!
What if she limited the ability to share her songs online by as many fans as possible in whatever platforms they deem fit to their friends and families? Do you think that would have helped to make her singles go as far as they have? What does 5million downloads mean for her? Does it mean a musical career? Probably not. Tonto Dikeh has said she is doing this to prove a point not necessarily to sing. She thinks no one should deter you from your goals. Just do it!
?I listened to my songs over and over again and I told myself I did well. In all I see only the positivity in it,I made History. Peoples opinion of how my music was has further strengthened my belief that dreams die when you let the next man?s opinion get to you and I am using now to pass a message to everyone out there, if you can just do it. Don?t let anyone?s opinion kill whatever dream you have or try to stop you from taking the next step.?
Does Tonto?s 5 million downloads mean endorsement deals worth millions of Naira for Tonto? Most likely yes. Does it mean increased requests for her appearance from events to films where she can command thousands of US dollars/British Pounds? Most likely.
Folks, these days, even American artists know that music is a free commodity as painful as this may sound. Instead, they have rewired their minds and don?t necessarily focus on selling just their music. In fact, in many instances they give that free commodity away in exchange for what their emotionally connected fans cannot easily get i.e. access to them, tickets to their concerts/ tours, subscriptions, merchandise etc.
4. Artists you alienate your fans when you turn those sharing your work into so called ?thieves.? This model has not worked for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and it certainly will not work for Nigerian artists, IROKO, Spinlet or the new entrants getting into the digital distribution market place. The RIAA has sued 12year olds, dead people, single mothers and over 12,000 people and they have realized it doesn?t work. It alienates and creates animosity and artists are not any better off than where they were before.
5. Artists y?all gotta rearrange your mindset and when next a digital distributor approaches you and says, I can display your music videos on You Tube and my website but you have to sign an exclusive deal with me, you should look at them like they are retarded, think about your fans and negotiate a better non-exclusive deal. You should also think outside the box and the many ways you can generate income from your songs.
If ?PIRACY? is what is thrown at you for the licensing of your IP rights digitally, you should point to the graph and numbers below and ask for the data that so called pirates i.e. your fans, online, are stealing (which is allegedly) making you lose money.
In conclusion, yes be about your money, but don?t forget about your fans and how you make them FEEL, especially as the digital revolution in Nigeria?s music industry continues. In the final analysis, as Tonto Dikeh?s 5 million downloads, within days, show, it can be the difference maker with whether you will have a successful career or not.
Can we say #POKO?s ?HI? 5 Million Downloads sharing method is WINNING?
Source
Written by Uduak Oduok, Esq.?@uduaklaw
http://africamusiclaw.com
??NOTE: Disclaimer ? this article is for information purposes only and does not constitute an attorney-client relationship with Ms. Uduak Oduok.?
Ms. Uduak Oduok is an Attorney and Partner at Ebitu Law Group, P.C,?ebitulawgrp.com. An industry insider as well as a Publisher (Ladybrille) & Journalist, her practice areas include Business Litigation and Fashion & Entertainment Law. For more information about her or the law topics she discusses, visit her at?www.africamusiclaw.com. Otherwise, to solicit her for speaking engagements, business consulting offers, press interviews and/or radio/television legal commentary, email ([email?protected])
TmoNews | 
T-Mobile, (2) | Email this | Comments
