New Harry Styles Single Faces Spotify Glitches on First Day of Release

Primera entrevista de Harry Styles como solista! [Subtitulado]

Chelsea Lauren/REX/Shutterstock

A technical issue on the music streaming platform Spotify kept the new single by Harry Styles from being accessed on the network for several hours on its first day of release.

The highly anticipated first solo track from the One Direction member, Sign of the Times was the top trending topic worldwide upon its debut at 8 a.m. London time on April 7 (and in the two hours leading up to Styles appearance on BBC radio), but initially was not found on Spotify either through search ofthe name Harry Styles or via the New Music Friday playlist, where it was set to appear.

The issue took less time to resolve on Spotifys premium tier than the free tier, where well into Friday, users and fans were still experiencing problems locating the song or accessing Styles brand new artist profile. Spotifys user base was last reported to be 50 million.

When contacted by Variety, a rep for Spotify confirms the glitch as a technical issue for both Free and Premium, adding, There should be no further issue, though users unable to play this track need to reinstall the Spotify application to remove the cache.

Many fans who went in search of the single elsewhere ended up at music video hub VEVO, where the lyric video for Sign of the Times racked up more than 6.4 million plays in 24 hours.

Data on multiple platform first-day streams has yet to be confirmed by Styles label, Sony Music subsidiary Columbia Records, which would not comment on the Spotify outage, but One Direction devotees were quick to voice their disappointment at a perceived disadvantage for Styles out-the-gate performance. After all, it was only a month ago that another beloved British singer, Ed Sheeran, shattered streaming records with the arrival of his latest album, (Divide), and single Shape of You, which logged 68.6 million streams and 10 million streams on Spotify in day one, respectively, upon release.

As for Styles, the singers team is expecting a second and subsequent waves of interest in Sign of the Times, as the Spotify community catches up, says a source, who adds that any judgment based on the first 24 hours is not an accurate reflection of the songs impact, due to its absence from Spotify.

Indeed, the introspective rock ballad, which nods to such musical icons as David Bowie and The Beatles, has received glowing reviews thus far, with both fans and critics applauding styles against-the-grain approach to pushing the traditional limitations of the pop format.

A look at its performance on iTunes shows an unqualified smash as Sign of the Times reached No. 1 in 82 countries and, according to an insider, beat label-mate Adele to the top spot on the iTunes singles chart by reaching the feat in 19 minutes (Adeles Hello took an hour). Apple also didnt encounter any issues with the Styles single on its streaming service, Apple Music, which last reported 20 million subscribers.

Still, the hiccup, which comes on the heels of a just-announced multiyear global licensing deal between Universal Music Group and Spotify, have some in the Sony Music orbit snickering that the Styles snafu was somehow instigated by the competition. But in all seriousness, says the Styles source, In the grand scheme of things, what it did across the board was bonkers.

Source: http://variety.com/2017/music/news/harry-styles-spotify-sign-of-the-times-1202026858/

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UPI Almanac for Saturday, April 8, 2017

Mary Pickford (AMERICAN HOLLYWOOD HISTORY DOCUMENTARY)

Today is Saturday, April 8, the 98th day of 2017 with 267 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Venus. Evening stars are Mercury, Mars and Jupiter.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aries. They include Lewis Morris, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, in 1726; pioneer neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing in 1869; actor mary pickford in 1892; Olympic figure skater/actor Sonja Henie in 1912; former first lady Betty Ford in 1918; comedian Shecky Greene in 1926 (age 91); composer Jacques Brel in 1929; actor/ former Ambassador to Mexico John Gavin in 1931 (age 86); journalist Seymour Hersh in 1937 (age 80); former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1938 (age 79); basketball Hall of Fame member John Havlicek in 1940 (age 77); choreographer Michael Bennett of A Chorus Line fame in 1943; baseball Hall of Fame member Jim "Catfish" Hunter in 1946; rock musician Steve Howe in 1947 (age 70); baseball Hall of Fame member Gary Carter in 1954; novelist Barbara Kingsolver in 1955 (age 62); actor/singer John Schneider in 1960 (age 57); musician Julian Lennon in 1963 (age 54); actor Robin Wright in 1966 (age 51); actor Patricia Arquette in 1968 (age 49); actor Taylor Kitsch in 1981 (age 36) and Taran Noah Smith in 1984 (age 33).

On this date in history:

In 1913, the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted, requiring that U.S. senators be "elected by the people."

In 1918, actors Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin pitch Third Liberty Loan bonds in front of the Sub-Treasury (now Federal Hall National Memorial) in New York City.

In 1935, the U.S. Congress approved the Works Progress Administration, a central part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt"s New Deal.

In 1952, U.S. President Harry Truman ordered government seizure of the steel industry to avoid a general strike.

In 1960, the United States Senate passed the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1960. President Dwight D. Eisenhower would sign it into law on May 6, 1960.

In 1974, Hank Aaron hit his 715th home run, breaking Babe Ruth"s longstanding career record. Aaron played two more seasons, ending with 755 home runs, a total eventually surpassed by Barry Bonds, who had 762.

In 1990, Ryan White, who put the face of a child on AIDS, died of complications from the disease at age 18.

In 1992, former tennis great Arthur Ashe confirmed he had AIDS. He said he contracted the disease from a blood transfusion.

In 1993, Marian Anderson, the first African-American singer to appear at New York"s Metropolitan Opera, died at age 91.

In 2005, about 250,000 mourners attended a 3-hour funeral mass for Pope John Paul II in Rome"s St. Peter"s Square while about 1 million others gathered nearby. Among those in attendance were U.S. President George W. Bush and about 100 other world leaders.

In 2008, American Airlines grounded all 300 of its MD-80 jetliners after an FAA review found faulty wiring in nine of them. Over the next five days, American canceled about 3,300 flights, disrupting travel of more than 100,000 passengers.

In 2011, with less than 2 hours to spare, U.S. President Barack Obama and Congressional leaders reached agreement on a federal budget, narrowly averting a government shutdown.

In 2012, a church in Makurdi, Nigeria collapsed during Easter mass, killing 22 people.

In 2013, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the merger of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Al-Nusra Front under the name Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham, or ISIS.

A thought for the day: "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything." -- William Shakespeare

Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2017/04/08/UPI-Almanac-for-Saturday-April-8-2017/8921491096417/

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hhgregg. RadioShack. Now Payless | Protect yourself when stores file bankruptcy

Indy-based hhgregg to close all stores after failing to find a buyer

Danielle Serino, WKYC 11:43 PM. EDT April 07, 2017

hhgregg (photo: eileen Blass, USA TODAY)

hhgregg, Radio Shack and now Payless.

Theyre just some of the retailers who filed bankruptcy this past year. Its not just bad for business in Northeast Ohio, but it can mean big problems for the people who shop there.

What do you do when a business goes belly-up and they still have your money, goods or services?

WKYC Consumer Investigator Danielle Serino tells us how to protect ourselves.

It was the Facebook post heard round the internet.

Josh Haladyna, of Kirtland, wrote on Facebook that he and his pregnant wife were cheated out of $3,000 in appliances they bought from hhgreggfor the new home they were remodeling.

"They didn"t have any of the appliances. They said they were discontinued, and that ours were gone from the warehouse. They were basically sold to someone else," says Haladyna.

hhgregg had filed for bankruptcy a week earlier and Haladyna says the general manager told him the company hadn"t paid its vendors, so they refused to send any more products.

But after more than 75,000 shares on Facebook and offers of help from the media, it wasn"t new appliances he got, but a full refund from the company.

"I didn"t understand the power of social media...how everyone had each other"s backs, he said.

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease," says Dworken & Bernstein bankruptcy attorney Howard Rabb. He agrees social media is often a great way to go, but adds that, whatever you do, you have to act fast.

"If the store is still open, get over to the store, the closest store to you and see if you can get action," Rabb said.

Warranties

When it comes to warranties, manufacturer or third-party warranties are sometimes honored.

If it"s the retailers own warranty, ask for a refund, since you may not be able to rely on it,. Or try to get a partial refund on the product price.

"Maybe you can get 10 percent off, 20 percent off, some amount of money so at least it pays for it to some extent, Rabb says.

But if the store is closed, you"re probably out of luck.

Gift Cards

If you have gift cards, what happens depends on the bankruptcy judge.

For example, when gadgets company Sharper Image filed for bankruptcy, consumers could cash in their cards, but only if purchases were twice the card"s value.

"Try to find some way to dump the card," Rabb says. "If it"s still open in another state, go online. Maybe somebody"s buying. There is a market."

Down Payment/Deposit

If you left a payment and the store"s closed, you have to file a proof of claim with the Bankruptcy Court.

But know that Bankruptcy Court is like a pyramid...with the secure creditors, like banks on topand unsecured creditors like customers on the bottom. The ones at the bottom get paid last.

You could also go to small claims court for any of the above, because Rabb says the company probably won"t hire a lawyer to fight it.

So what you"ll do is possibly get a default judgement, and you can file a claim in Bankruptcy Court, or maybe they"ll answer because you have a judgement now, he adds.

If all else fails, do what Josh Haladynasaid he woulddo if the store didn"t come through: "Just stand at the door and tell people to walk away, they are stealing your money. Don"t do it."

These scenarios are one reason why its best to pay with a credit card, not a debit cardand I hate to say itnot cash. Because they dont offer any protections.

With a credit card, you can dispute the charges. And if youre dealing with a business whose doors are closed and they have your merchandise, file a complaint with the Attorney Generals Office or the Better Business Bureau. They often mediate those cases.

Better Business Bureauhttps://www.bbb.org/

Ohio Attorney Generalhttp://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/

2017 WKYC-TV

Source: http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/hhgregg-radioshack-now-payless-protect-yourself-when-stores-file-bankruptcy/429723254

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The Harvard Women"s Soccer Team Takes A Stand Against Misogyny & Their Actions Are Inspiring � VIDEO

internalized misogyny

Female athletes have long been forced to prove themselves worthy to take the field, the court, or any other stage where men have staked their claim. Title IX ensured women who wanted to play sports would be given the opportunity, but it did not protect them from the misogyny that still exists in a world where "locker room talk" is code for acceptable degradation of women. In an inspiring video from Lifetime, the Harvard Women"s Soccer Team reveals how they shut down misogyny on their campus by standing together in the face of an overwhelming injustice.

In fall 2016, it was revealed the Harvard Men"s Soccer Team had been grading the new recruits of the women"s team for years. According to The New York Times, male players reportedly produced a "scouting report" ranking the incoming recruits based on their looks, even going so far as to discuss their bodies, give them a number rating, and assign them a sexual position. It sounds like a despicable practice, and when the women"s team found out, they responded to the men with one voice via an open letter in The Harvard Crimson.

During the video interview with Lifetime, player Brooke Dickens explained that during her senior year, she and her teammates had a cheer "27 strong" because there were 27 women on the team, and they were stronger together. When the team discovered that their fellow athletes had been disrespecting and objectifying them behind their backs, their anger was not for themselves, but for the women who they went out on the field with each week.

Together, the team decided to address the issue because they believed the behavior exhibited by the men"s team was far too often seen as acceptable by the nation at large. Their editorial was crafted in a way that allowed them to speak not only to the actions of the men, but to address how their words could never tear the women"s team apart. Rather than pit them against one another, the discovery of the rankings only brought the women closer together.

In their open letter, the team wrote,

"The actions and words displayed by members of the 2012 men"s soccer team have deeply hurt us. They were careless, disgusting, and appalling, but an aberrant display of misogyny such as this does not reflect the type of environment Harvard Athletics cultivates. Harvard Athletics, specifically Harvard Womens Soccer, succeeds because despite any atmosphere of competition, we know how to be a teamto lift each other up and bring out the best in those around us to achieve our goals."

Their words resonated not just across their campus, but throughout the nation. According to The Washington Post, rather than issue a slap on the wrist or simply hold a campus wide discussion, Harvard canceled the remainder of the men"s season in response to the evidence of their actions. The school made a clear statement that they had a zero tolerance policy for such apparent sexism. And had the women"s team not stood together to speak out, who knows how the college would have handled the situation. The Harvard Men"s Soccer Team issued an apology and owned up to their actions in a letter to the campus paper.

Lifetime

The immense amount of respect the women"s team showed for each other, and their fearlessness in standing up for what is right, should inspire athletes of both genders to act when they see injustices occurring. These women spoke despite the potential for repercussions, and they refused to let their male cohorts demean them and get away with it.

What the men"s team reportedly did was abhorrent, and it is only right that the rest of their season was canceled, even though that"s not what the women called for. The women"s team asked only for future members of the men"s team to speak out when they see injustices occurring, because otherwise they are culpable, whether they participated in the rankings or not.

Ultimately, the women gave the men"s team the only part of themselves they were willing to give away: their forgiveness. They wrote,

"Finally, to the men of Harvard Soccer and any future men who may lay claim to our bodies and choose to objectify us as sexual objects, in the words of one of us, we say together: "I can offer you my forgiveness, which is and forever will be the only part of me that you can ever claim as yours.""

Let this amazing team inspire you the next time you are faced with misogyny. It is always better to speak up than to stay silent. These fearless women are proof that your words of positivity can only make the world a better place.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=us&usg=AFQjCNGJ-HpkX6G4UpQpYW_2oQhbfA9y3g&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52779453496725&ei=FyDpWLDhBMrR3QGg8YSQCA&url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-harvard-womens-soccer-team-takes-a-stand-against-misogyny-their-actions-are-inspiring-video-49861

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Harry Styles Dishes on Liam Payne"s New Life as a Dad and Whether He"ll Be Godfather to His Son

Harry Styles - Sign of the Times (Letra Ingles y Español)

Al Pereira/WireImage

Harry Styles is taking on a few new rolesactor, solo artist...godfather?

In the midst of a press tour for his first solo single, "Sign of the Times," the former One Direction member is dishing on everything from his upcoming performance inDunkirk and the future of thegroup to potentially playing godfather to bandmate Liam Payne"s first baby boy. The star announced the birth of his first child in late March and, according to Styles, has been "loving" his life as a dad.

"He said it"s going really well," Styles said during an interview on Key 103. "I"m very happy for him."

As for whether or not he"s been asked to be the baby"s godfather, that"s still up in the air.

"I think it"s a roll of the dice to be honest. I think there"s a lot of people that Liam has in mind, but I"m not going to add any extra pressure," he said. "If it came my way, I would be honored."

In the meantime, he has new movie, album and sound to introduce to the world."I never wanted it to sound like anyone else," the star told Elvis Duran of his first track. "I didn"t want to feel like I was redoing something. But, at the same time, I think it"s impossible to not be influenced by stuff that you grew up listening to. All I know really is that I wanted to write through the whole album. I wanted it to be really honest. I didn"t want to hide and I just wanted to write what I wanted to listen to."

Now, as he prepares to hit theSaturday NightLivestage on April 15, he"ll also perform for the first time with his shorter locksthe result of a chop he underwent for the Christopher Nolan-directed drama.

"I felt very n***d," styles told duran of his short hair. "When I first told my parents I was going to be in a World War II film, they thought I was playing a lady on the train station waving the soldiers off, so we had to make the chop. But, it was good! It"s very breezy."

Source: http://www.eonline.com/news/842038/harry-styles-dishes-on-liam-payne-s-new-life-as-a-dad-and-whether-he-ll-be-godfather-to-his-son

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Judge: Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Howard defamation suit can continue against Al Jazeera

Ryan Howard 2009 Home Runs (HD)

WASHINGTON -- A federal judge says two Major League Baseball players can go ahead with their lawsuit on claims that an Al Jazeera documentary defamed them by linking them to performance-enhancing drugs.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson ruled Friday that the lawsuit by Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals and former Philadelphia Phillies player Ryan Howard can proceed.

The players sued after Al Jazeera aired the documentary "The Dark Side: Secrets of the Sports Dopers" in December 2015.

In the documentary, a pharmacist who was filmed covertly says Zimmerman and Howard took banned performance-enhancing drugs. The pharmacist later recanted and each player denied taking banned substances. Their denials are noted in the documentary.

Major League Baseball investigated the allegations and found no violations of its drug agreement.

Source: http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/19047778/judge-rules-ryan-zimmerman-ryan-howard-suit-continue-al-jazeera

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Analysis: Gorsuch a win for Trump and GOP establishment

LIVE STREAM: Senate Judiciary Committee votes on Judge Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court nomination

WASHINGTON Judge Neil Gorsuch"s confirmation to the Supreme Court has given President Donald Trump the first truly outsider president in recent memory his first major legislative achievement. And it"s a victory for the insiders.

Gorsuch, a well-respected, conservative legal star with a traditional background, won Senate approval on Friday, serving as a testament to the power of well-organized establishment Republican forces and a reminder of the ability of judicial fights to unite Republicans.

Gorsuch"s confirmation required Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, to eliminate the 60-vote threshold, dubbed the "nuclear option," to ensure approval with a simple majority. But after weeks of wrangling in the House over a plan to repeal and replace the so-called Obamacare law, the confirmation battle amounted to a badly needed triumph for Trump.

"This is a big win and it feels good to get this win," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., prior to Friday"s vote. "The nuances of a bill containing a myriad of provisions is totally different, totally different. But I do think the president can prevail with a good repeal-and-replace bill if he"ll put the weight of his credibility and office behind the effort, and I think he"s prepared to do that."

To be sure, a Supreme Court battle is far different from a complicated policy fight involving health care, which covers one-fifth of the nation"s economy and has been a central political fight since President Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009.

But that doesn"t mean it was a walk in the park.

In some ways, conservative outside groups were preparing for Gorsuch"s nomination process for months. His name first surfaced as a potential Supreme Court pick in late September when Trump included him on a list of 21 possible successors to the late Justice Antonin Scalia. (Gorsuch was not on an initial list of potential justices he released in May 2016.)

That heads-up gave outside groups like the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation time to review the potential jurists and create buy-in for Republicans once Trump made his choice. When Trump named Gorsuch in late January, the choice quickly won praise from groups like the Club for Growth, the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity and the National Rifle Association.

"Gorsuch is somebody who pretty much everyone on the right wants to vote for and wants to support. We were starting with a good product," said Michael Needham, chief executive officer of Heritage Action for America, one of several conservative groups that did not back the president"s health care law. "On health care, they kind of started with an egg and were surprised to find that the whole experience has been frustrating."

For a new administration, the dual legislative battles over Gorsuch and health care have coincided with an internal struggle between the anti-establishment forces that helped propel Trump to the White House and establishment figures seeking to consolidate power.

The tensions spilled out into public this week when Steve Bannon, Trump"s chief strategist and a proponent of take-no-prisoners politics, lost his seat on the Principals Committee of the National Security Council, a group of high-ranking officials who meet to discuss pressing national security needs.

Bannon"s addition to the NSC had sparked criticism that it was inappropriate for the political adviser to play a role in national security matters. His departure suggested reduced influence and rising tensions amid Trump"s West Wing staff, particularly between Bannon and a more moderate group led by Trump"s senior adviser and powerful son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

The two senior aides have clashed of late, with Kushner holding Bannon responsible for the controversies surrounding the failures of the president"s travel ban and the health care bill. Bannon, meanwhile, believes the president"s son-in-law is trying to shift away from the populist rhetoric he believes won the White House, according to associates of the two men who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations.

This week, Vice President Mike Pence, a solid member of the establishment wing of the White House, tried to revive the health care bill, working with the bloc of hard-line conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus to find a compromise that could pass the Republican-led House. That effort came after Trump, seizing his anti-establishment role, threatened to work to unseat conservative Republicans who did not line up behind him.

Republican lawmakers left for Easter recess with no deal, but have vowed to press on.

Gorsuch"s success and health care"s failure shines a light on the ability of judicial battles to energize Republicans, who have long railed against judicial overreach and courts acting in ways reserved for the legislative branch.

Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, said the importance of McConnell"s decision to refuse to consider Obama"s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland and ability to eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court picks could not be overstated. He said Gorsuch"s selection managed to unite Republicans and pave the way for a more conservative court.

"Some people will try to say this makes the win less," Schlapp said of the use of the nuclear option. "It makes the win bigger because it makes the next pick even easier to confirm."

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EDITOR"S NOTE Ken Thomas has covered the White House and national politics for The Associated Press since 2011.

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AP Congressional Correspondent Erica Werner in Washington and Associated Press writer Jonathan Lemire in New York contributed to this report.

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Follow Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/kthomasdc

An AP News Analysis

Source: http://www.startribune.com/analysis-gorsuch-a-win-for-trump-and-gop-establishment/418599393/

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