N-Dubz rapper Dappy’s 800% surge in digital fans as Tulisa slams his plea to free murderer

A controversial video calling for the release of a convicted killer sent Dappy’s digital fans into overdrive.

The N-Dubz rapper saw eight times as many digital fans add him across social networks on last Tuesday, according to global analysts Musicmetric, who monitor the digital space for record labels around the world.

A whopping 3,822 new fans followed or liked Dappy on Tuesday compared to his daily average 440 for the previous month. By Wednesday it had reduced to 2,516, giving him a total of 586,000 online fans.

See the latest stats for Dappy here: http://bit.ly/MEBwIl

The rapper called for jailed killer Learco Chindamo to be freed in the opening credits of his new video Tarzan 2.

A disclaimer at the start reads “the views & opinions expressed in this video are those of the artist only” — with a message saying “Free Leo Chindamo”.

Chindamo knifed to death Philip Lawrence, 48, outside St George’s RC School in west London aged just 15, after the head intervened in a fight by the gates in 1995. Dappy, 25, went to the same school.

Chindamo, 31, served 14 years for murder and was released on licence in July 2010. But he was sent back to prison for breaching the conditions of his licence, after he was caught associating with gang members after his release.

Tulisa slammed the video, tweeting: ‘Just puttin it out there..dont involve me in dappy’s latest hype, I don’t condone it in anyway.N its a shame I’m not around 2 control him [sic].

Philip’s widow Frances of Ham, West London, told The Sun newspaper: “I haven’t heard the song yet. But I don’t think it is right someone should be making money from using his name in a song.”

Tulisa has more than four times as many fans than Dappy – 2,466,000. See the latest stats for her here: http://bit.ly/M45juq

Marie-Alicia Chang, Musicmetric co-founder, said:

“The idea that ‘controversy sells’ is hardly new, but it’s clear that, for whatever reason, the public is interested. The massive spike in digital fans for Dappy – an artist purely of the digital generation – could be a goldmine in helping sell downloads or lucrative gig tickets. Of course many others could be mightily offended by this kind of thing.

“But if labels can determine where their fans are, how they access their favourite artists and, most importantly, when, they’re able to get a lot more out of them. And at a time where music needs all the support it can get, being able to embrace technology in this way could be vital.”

Top 10 Summer Reads 2012: Take 3kg Off Your Luggage With Kobo.

Take 3kg Off Your Luggage Allowance With Kobo’s Top 10 Summer eReads

Want a summer holiday filled with fantasy, adventure and gripping thrillers?

To make sure thousands of Brits have a vacation to remember, Kobo, the digital eReading company, has hand-picked this summer’s top 10 must-eReads – to enlighten your holiday and take pounds off your luggage allowance!

The Kobo Touch also comes with a signature quilted back for comfort, in four great colours including lilac, silver, blue and black, with an anti-glare screen perfect for the sun, at just £79.99 at WHSmith.

Relax and take a journey of unrequited love; Greek tragedy, game playing, secrecy; and even murder! With these top ten summer eReads:

Top 10 Summer Reads 2012:

The Thread, by Victoria Hislop, RRP £4.99

Thessaloniki, 2007. A young Anglo-Greek hears the life story of his grandparents for the first time and realises he has a decision to make. For many decades, they have looked after the memories and treasures of people who have been forcibly driven from their beloved city. Should he become their new custodian?

Jubilee, by Shelley Harris, RRP £4.99

It is 1977, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and a photographer captures a moment forever: a street party with bunting and Union Jacks fluttering in the breeze. Right in the centre of the frame, a small Asian boy stares intently into the camera. The photograph becomes iconic, a symbol of everything that is great about Britain. But the harmonious image conceals a very different reality.

The Fear Index, by Robert Harris, RRP £3.49

Meet Alex Hoffman: among the secretive inner circle of the ultra-rich, he is something of a legend. Based in Geneva, he has destroyed a revolutionary system that has the power to manipulate financial markets. Generating billions of dollars, it is the system that thrives on panic – and feeds on fear. And then, in the early hours of one morning, while he lies asleep, a sinister intruder breaches the elaborate security of his lakeside home. So begins a waking nightmare…

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern, RRP £3.49

The circus arrives without warning. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents, Le Cirque des Rêves is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazement. But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing.

The Secrets Between Us, by Louise Douglas, RRP £3.99

Deborah Monroe and her daughter, Grace, are driving home from a party when their car hits a man running in the dark. Grace was at the wheel, but Deborah sends her home before the police arrive, determined to shoulder the blame for the accident. Her decision then turns into a deception that takes on a life of its own and threatens the special bond between mother and daughter.

The Hypnotist, by Lars Kepler, RRP £3.99

The No 1 Scandinavian crime bestseller. Detective Inspector Joona Linna is faced with a boy who witnessed the gruesome murder of his family. He’s suffered more than one hundred knife wounds and is comatose with shock. Linna’s running out of time. The killer’s on the run and, seemingly, there are no clues. Desperate for information, Linna enlists disgraced hypnotist Dr Erik Maria Bark. As the hypnosis begins, a long and terrifying chain of events unfurls.

Tideline, by Penny Hancock, RRP £4.99

One winter’s afternoon, voice coach Sonia opens the door of her beautiful riverside home to fifteen-year-old Jez, the nephew of a family friend. He’s come to borrow some music. Sonia invites him in and soon decides that she isn’t going to let him leave.

The Book of Summers, by Emylia Hall, RRP 4.99

Inside is a letter informing her that her long-estranged mother has died, and a scrapbook Beth has never seen before. Entitled The Book of Summers, it’s stuffed with photographs and mementos complied by her mother to record the seven glorious childhood summers Beth spent in rural Hungary. And it was a time that came to the most brutal of ends the year Beth turned sixteen.

A Perfectly Good Man, by Patrick Gale, RRP £4.99

When 20-year-old Lenny Barnes, paralysed in a rugby accident, commits suicide in the presence of Barnaby Johnson, the much-loved priest of a West Cornwall parish, the tragedy’s reverberations open up the fault-lines between Barnaby and his nearest and dearest. The personal stories of his wife, children and lover illuminate Barnaby’s ostensibly happy life, and the gulfs of unspoken sadness that separate them all. Across this web of relations scuttles Barnaby’s repellent nemesis – a man as wicked as his prey is virtuous.

Alice Bliss, by Laura Harrington, RRP £3.70

Alice Bliss is a profoundly moving coming-of-age novel about love and its many variations–the support of a small town looking after its own; love between an absent father and his daughter; the complicated love between an adolescent girl and her mother; and an exploration of new love with the boy-next-door.

Late For Work? No Worries

Wave goodbye to the nine-to-five worker

Being late is fine with the boss, thanks to smart technology

 

The majority of global bosses are happy for staff to turn up late for work, according to new research by the world’s most trusted online back-up service, Mozy®.  Mobile technology, including smartphone apps and cloud services, now means that bosses are surprisingly supportive of a flexible workforce – more than most employees realise.

 

The findings, which can be read in full at www.mozy.co.uk/9-5, emerged in a study of 1,000 British, German, French, US and Irish employees and employers, which found 73 per cent of bosses have a relaxed attitude to time keeping, as they trust their staff are working long before they actually get to the office.

 

Yet this will come as a shock to most workers as half of employees are under the impression that their bosses definitely will mind if they are late.

 

“This is brilliant news for workers everywhere,” comments Claire Galbois-Alcaix of online back-up specialist www.mozy.co.uk , which conducted the study. “Hard work isn’t going unnoticed and mobile working and technology is having more of an impact on employer attitudes than people think.”

 

Time-keeping

The average global boss would be willing to turn a blind eye to employees being up to 32 minutes late and let staff spend a quarter of the week working from home. However, British bosses are the strictest, wanting late-running workers at their desks no later than 24 minutes into the working day, whilst US employers take the most relaxed view, tolerating their staff turning up to 37 minutes late in the day.

 

Mobile tools

The death knell of the nine-to-five worker has been rung by mobile technology, with three quarters of employers giving employees tools to get their jobs done wherever they are.  However, just 11 per cent of British employers tool their workers up to be able to access everything on the move – which would allow people even more freedom.

 

Email in bed

The study confirms the long-held suspicion that the urge to check emails first thing in the morning is overwhelming for some: a third of all British employees has logged in by 6.30am, compared with just 13 per cent of French employees. On average, by 7.00am one in five employees worldwide has already checked their email.

 

Give and take

Whilst the majority of employers globally are happy for staff to start their days later, in return they’re looking for flexibility from their employees and when they wind down for the night.  The fluid approach to working hours means that many employers are now comfortable with calling after hours, with 80 per cent saying they think it’s acceptable to call staff in the evening.  The research shows that French bosses are the most considerate and stop calling the earliest; 43 per cent draw the line at calling after 7.00pm. 16 per cent of UK employers, on the other hand, think it is acceptable to call workers between 10.00pm and midnight!

 

The real nine-to-five

Global employers demonstrate further evidence that behaviours have changed beyond recognition by underestimating the amount of work that employers are doing away from their desks.  As a whole, they believe their employees spend an average of 55 minutes a day working away from the office, when in fact, the average global employee has already clocked up 46 minutes before they even arrive at the office.

 

What does the new nine-to-five look like? The global results show that the average person starts checking their work email at 7.42am, gets into the office at 8.18am, leaves the office at 5.48pm and stops working fully at 7.19pm, meaning employees are “in work mode” for nearly 12 hours a day.

 

“We can see from the research findings that we’ve come a long way towards work being ‘a thing that you do’, rather than ‘a place that you go’ but, with just 11 per cent of British employers saying their employees can access all of their work tools remotely, there’s still a long way to go”, continues  Claire Galbois-Alcaix from Mozy.  “Using internet-based solutions that allow workers to access their data as if they were in the office, wherever they are and whenever they want, will help everyone to continue seeing benefits.”

 

Taking a relaxed attitude

Bosses are taking a laid-back approach to more than just punctuality, as personal tasks creep into the office day. Across the surveyed nations, 37 per cent of global bosses are happy for employees to take longer lunches. Meanwhile, more than a third of British employers are OK with staff downing tools to enjoy office banter and regular tea breaks.

 

One in eight of global employers polled even claim they are fine with employees carrying out personal tasks like online banking, food shopping and paying bills while at their desks – with the American bosses being most relaxed (22 per cent) and the British being the most stringent.

 

Over half of British employees think nothing of leaving work early for a doctor’s appointment, with one in five leaving early to watch a child’s school performance, and around one in ten using Facebook or Twitter whilst at work.

 

Top personal tasks creeping onto the office to-do list

1.       Leaving work early for the doctor or dentist

2.       Personal phone calls

3.       Regular tea and coffee breaks

4.       Chatting to colleagues

5.       Sending personal emails

6.       Taking a long lunch to get a few things done

7.       Online banking

8.       Leaving work early for a child’s performance at school

9.       Paying a few bills

10.   Having breakfast at work

11.   Reading newspapers and magazines

12.   Using Facebook and Twitter

13.   Calling customer complaints

14.   Researching things to buy online

15.   Brushing teeth

16.   Researching holidays

17.   Online shopping

18.   Showering after cycling / running /gym

19.   Looking up recipes for dinner

20.   Playing the lottery

21.   Online food shop

22.   Reading gossip online

 

Something Happening For Kids | Theatre

When: 21 July 2012. 10.00am – 5.00pm

Where; The Place

Robin Howard Dance Theatre

The Place presents Something Happening For Kids, a full day of dance performances and activities specially curated for children (aged 11 and under).

Choreographer Darren Ellis is restaging extracts of his latest work Long Walk Home, which portrays a series of four women, each at a different stage of their lives, as they analyse their hopes and their dreams, accompanied by atmospheric live music by the folk band Askew Sisters. Alongside them, The Place’s First Moves, the youngest dancers (aged 5-8) from the Children and Youth Dance programme, will show two new pieces in the round and up-close.

Darren Ellis is also performing in After Effects, a powerful solo piece in which the human body is at the core of an interactive sound and light performance with a modified acoustic drum kit.

Circus dance artist Ilona Jantti will premier the fantastically imaginative HUHU, commissioned by The Place, in which a web of ropes and architectural devices will create the backdrop for an urban chase, combining circus, contemporary dance, animation and the idea of the city’s space.

Author Michael Rosen will recite his much-loved We’re Going on a Bear Hunt in a series of participatory readings, in which the magical story will be brought to life by dance artist Joanne Moven.

Shuffle, The Place’s new junior dance company, will complete the programme with Lookout, a dreamy and suggestive site-specific piece, originally created for a window overlooking the river Thames.

A series of workshops, ranging from percussion and dance, and movement and play will also be available, allowing the young participants to explore rhythms and create movement to live musical accompaniment.

Ilona Jäntti, HUHU

12pm – 12.30pm / 3.15pm – 3.45pm

Robin Howard Dance Theatre
Suitable for all ages

Darren Ellis Dance, LONG WALK HOME + First Moves 1+2

10.45am – 11am / 11.30am – 11.55am

Studios 1 and 2
Suitable for all ages;

Darren Ellis Dance, AFTER EFFECTS
11.30am – 11.50am / 1pm – 1.20pm / 2.30pm – 2.50pm / 3.45pm – 4.05pm.

Founder’s Studio

Michael Rosen, THE BEAR HUNT , with Joanne Moven
1pm-1.15pm / 1.45pm – 2pm / 2.45pm – 3pm / 4.15pm – 4.30pm
Studios 1 and 2

Suitable for all ages; A selection of Michael Rosen’s books will also be available to purchase on the day.

Shuffle Dance Company, LOOKOUT
STUDIOS 9 & 10;

10.30am – 10.40am / 11am – 11.10am /11.30am – 11.40am

WORKSHOPS

Percussion/Dance Workshops with Helen Clarke & Mark Ball
Using dance, musical instruments and body percussion, young dancers will have lots of fun exploring rhythms and creating movement to live musical accompaniment. Please wear loose comfortable clothing.
10am – 10.30am (3-5 yrs)
11am – 11.30am (5-7 yrs)
12.45pm – 1.15pm (8+ yrs)
2pm – 2.30pm (5-7 yrs)

Movement Play & Free Play with Louise Klarnett

These classes are for babies from 3 months with a parent or carer. Classes provide babies with a movement, sensory and rhythmic experience in a playful environment supported by their parent or carer.
Please wear loose comfortable clothing.
10am – 10.45am (parents and babies/toddlers: 3 months-3 yrs)
11am – 11.45am (3-5 yrs)
1.30pm – 4pm Movement free play

Dance Workshop with Laura Aldridge
Fun dance workshops with a circus theme. Please wear loose comfortable clothing.
10am – 10.30am (5-7 yrs)
11am – 11.30am (3-5 yrs)
1.30pm – 2pm (8+ yrs)
2.15pm – 2.45pm (5-7 yrs)

PLUS…

Social Dance silent disco; Arts Activities; An all day Weirdy Beardies hair salon; Soft play
Outdoor picnic area; Free buggy park; Baby changing facilities; Special children’s menu.

Tickets and information: 020 7121 1100

The Place, Robin Howard Dance Theatre, 17 Duke’s road, London WC1H 9PY

Price: £6 single ticket and a group of four £16

A child’s ticket includes access to one workshop. Please book online or call the ticket office. These are subject to availability

www.theplace.org.uk

Milk: The Carbon Footprint Culprit

Milk poured down kitchen sinks every year creates a carbon footprint equivalent to thousands of car exhaust emissions, according to a new study.

Scientists say 360,000 tonnes of milk are wasted in the UK each year, creating greenhouse gas emissions amounting to 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

The University of Edinburgh study said this is the same number emitted by about 20,000 cars annually.

Researchers looking into the environmental impact of food production said eating less meat and cutting down on food waste would save significant greenhouse gas emissions. They also suggest the food industry could reduce emissions by seeking more efficient ways to use fertilisers.

Dr David Reay, of the university’s School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said: “Eating less meat and wasting less food can play a big part in helping to keep a lid on greenhouse gas emissions as the world’s population increases.”

Researchers also said halving the amount of chicken consumed in the UK and other developed countries to levels eaten in Japan could cut greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 10 million cars off the road.

The research team said figures show if average chicken consumption in developed countries fell from the current level of 26kg each every year to the Japanese average of about 12kg each by 2020, global emissions from poultry would fall below current levels, despite increased output from the developing world.

This would cut the predicted global output of nitrous oxide, a key greenhouse gas, from this source by almost 20%, based on current growth rates, they said.

The study, carried out in collaboration with the University of Aberdeen and partners in Europe and America, was published in Nature Climate Change.

The team arrived at their findings by examining data for global agricultural production of greenhouse gases together with consumption of food in various regions of the world.

 

How Does That Song Go?

Frost Magazine have come across a useful music resource.

Zlyrics have come up with a comprehensive online lyrics resource featuring over 700,000 lyrics from over 30,000 artists. It took them months to gather all the lyrics data along with the music video of every track. The lyrics submitted by users at Zlyrics are then double checked by our team to ensure the accuracy.

If you love music then check it out.

Temptation Island by Victoria Fox | Book Review

This book is the first ever ‘bonkbuster’ I have ever read. I am more of a serious sort when it comes to books. So what did the bonkbuster virgin (ahem) think of her first foray into the genre? I enjoyed it.

I read a lot of magazines and the more I read the more I though that Victoria Fox knew something I didn’t. The book is entertaining, glamorous and on the right side of believability. I still believed in the plausibility of the story within the context. The book follows the lives of three female superstars as they get caught up in the scandal of the century, with plenty of murder, celebrity backstabbing and salacious affairs, it epitomises pure escapism.

In the middle of the Indian Ocean, a secret island exists for the elite. Exclusive to the rich and famous and owned by one of the richest men on earth, it provides a sanctuary from the glare of the media spotlight to a lucky few. Three of the world’s most famous women, drawn by the luxury and glamour of its shores, are about to unearth a series of shocking secrets that will change them forever.

Aurora Nash is LA’s wildest teen tearaway. Riotous, hedonistic, self-seeking, she’s totally out of control. After rehab, therapy and a jail sentence achieve nothing, her desperate parents, America’s best-loved country and western stars, decide that a strict British boarding school is their last resort. They pray for change: the world can never know the truth behind their only daughter’s birth. But Aurora is set to learn the earth-shattering facts for herself, as soon as she sets foot on the Island.

British actress Stevie Speller is one half of Hollywood’s golden couple, who famously got her big-break by accident, whilst helping her flat-mate Bibi at a New York audition. Now Stevie’s the toast of Tinseltown and Bibi’s married to the film industry’s most sleazy and sordid magnate, Linus Posen. When Linus is found dead in Bibi’s bed, the press screams murder and Bibi is hounded out of town. Escaping with Bibi to the Island, Stevie will do whatever it takes to protect her friend, guilty or otherwise.

Lori Garcia is a world-famous supermodel, picked from obscurity by the darling of the fashion industry and married man Jean-Baptiste Moreau. After a devastating encounter between the two, Lori will stop at nothing in pursuit of his affections. But it’s not until she reaches the Island that Lori learns who Jean-Baptist truly is. Lori discovers he’s involved in a scandal more desperate than she could imagine – one that is spreading through Hollywood like wildfire.

Another thing the book did was trigger my memory about certain celebrity and stories. When I interviewed Victoria she mentioned the controversial theme and said she wanted to know what people thought. I don’t want to give too much away here but I definitely recommend this book. Although it is over 600 pages it is a fun and entertaining read. I found the book hard to put down and it also made me think.

The book is a bit of an eye-opener, true or not. Temptation Island is a worthy successor to Jilly Cooper and Jackie Collins: a bonkbusting fantastic read: pure escapism.

Temptation Island

KIDWELL-E FESTIVAL UNVEILS FAMILY-FRIENDLY AUTHOR LINE-UP

~ Tickets now on sale for the UK’s first literary festival to unashamedly celebrate the ebook, new writing talent and popular fiction ~
~ Confirmed guest at the two-day event (July 28/9) in Wales include authors Dougie Brimson, Polly Courtney, Martin Edwards, Tim Heald, Nicholas Allan and Mary Hooper ~

Bestselling authors including “Yob Laureate” Dougie Brimson, crime writer Martin Edwards and the controversial Polly Courtney will be appearing at the UK’s first ebook literary festival next month.

Taking place in the “picture postcard” coastal village of Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, West Wales, on the last weekend of July, the inaugural Kidwell-e Festival promises a packed line-up of guest authors, readings, workshops and family-friendly entertainment suitable for all ages.

Unashamedly popularist in its focus and willing to give exposure to fresh writing talent as well as established authors, the festival will celebrate the “digital publishing revolution” and cover all popular genres such as crime, romance, historical adventure and comedy.

For the kids, there will also be a Children’s Festival with the BBC’s Nicholas Allan, Pippa Goodhart, Mary Hooper and many more taking part.

Among the authors taking part are Dougie Brimson — dubbed the “Yob Laureate” for his bestselling books on football hooliganism and lad culture such as The Crew and Top Dog. Brimson has also moved into comedy, with his most recent book, 2011’s The Art of Fart, becoming his first ebook exclusive.

Polly Courtney, meanwhile, is famous for breaking free from publisher HarperCollins in protest at the “fluffy” chick-lit titles and cover designs assigned to her novels, such as It’s a Man’s World.

At Kidwell-e, she will be discussing how to “go it alone” in the publishing world, while award-winning crime writer Martin Edwards (The Hanging Wood, The Coffin Trail) will be laying down the law on how to write compelling crime fiction.

They will be joined at the festival by the likes of royal biographer Tim Heald (Princess Margaret — a Life Unravelled), award-winning publisher Hazel Cushion (founder of Accent Press), Guardian journalist Wendy Berliner, acclaimed naval historical fiction writer David Davies (The Journals of Matthew Quinton), Amazon best-selling novelist Andrew Kirby, and rising comedy writer Alex Thomas (War & Piste).

For younger readers there is a host of popular children’s authors scheduled for the Kidwell-e Children’s Festival, including acclaimed author/illustrator Nicholas Allan (The Queen’s Knickers, Hilltop Hospital), Adèle Geras (Dido, the Tutu Tilly series), Pippa Goodhart (You Choose — winner of Mumsnet’s Book of the Year for 3-4 Year Olds Award 2011), Carnegie Medal nominee Mary Hooper (At The House of the Magician, At The Sign Of The Sugared Plum) and Anne Rooney (Vampire Dawn series).

If that’s not enough, there will also be fire breathers, magicians, writing and circus skills workshops, stilt walking, Medieval minstrels and face painting to keep the kids busy. Entry to the festival is free for children under 14.

Festival founder and best-selling Welsh author Julian Ruck (The Ragged Cliffs Trilogy) said: “The Kidwell-e Festival is the first event of its kind within the UK to officially recognise, and celebrate, the ebook — the most innovative, exciting and empowering medium to hit the publishing world since Caxton and Gutenberg.

“The festival’s motto is “INclusive, Not EXclusive” and we have a wealth of fascinating talks and readings on all aspects of popular writing taking place in the stunning countryside of the Gower Peninsula, as well as family-friendly entertainment.”

He added: “Kidwell-e is about promoting literature and literacy to all in the digital age, giving new writing talent a chance, and most of all, having lots of fun.”

*

The Kidwell-e Festival takes place on Saturday, July 28, and Sunday, July 29. Tickets are priced £15 for one day or £25 for two days when booked in advance. Entrance on the day is £18. Children under 14 go free. For more information visit www.kidwellyefestival.com.