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The World's Email Encryption Software Relies On One Guy, Who Is Going Broke

The World's Email Encryption Software Relies On One Guy, Who Is Going Broke
The man who built the free email encryption software used by whistleblower Edward Snowden, as well as hundreds of thousands of journalists, dissidents and security-minded people around the world, is running out of money to keep his project alive.
Werner Koch wrote the software, known as Gnu Privacy Guard, in 1997, and since then has been almost single-handedly keeping it alive with patches and updates from his home in Erkrath, Germany. Now 53, he is running out of money and patience with being underfunded.
"I'm too idealistic," he told me in an interview at a hacker convention in Germany in December. "In early 2013 I was really about to give it all up and take a straight job." But then the Snowden news broke, and "I realized this was not the time to cancel."
Like many people who build security software, Koch believes that offering the underlying software code for free is the best way to demonstrate that there are no hidden backdoors in it giving access to spy agencies or others. However, this means that many important computer security tools are built and maintained by volunteers.
Now, more than a year after Snowden's revelations, Koch is still struggling to raise enough money to pay himself and to fulfill his dream of hiring a full-time programmer. He says he's made about $25,000 per year since 2001 — a fraction of what he could earn in private industry. In December, he launched a fundraising campaign that has garnered about $43,000 to date — far short of his goal of $137,000 — which would allow him to pay himself a decent salary and hire a full-time developer.
The fact that so much of the Internet's security software is underfunded is becoming increasingly problematic. Last year, in the wake of the Heartbleed bug, I wrote that while the U.S. spends more than $50 billion per year on spying and intelligence, pennies go to Internet security. The bug revealed that an encryption program used by everybody from Amazon to Twitter was maintained by just four programmers, only one of whom called it his full-time job. A group of tech companies stepped in to fund it.
Koch's code powers most of the popular email encryption programs GPGTools, Enigmail, and GPG4Win. "If there is one nightmare that we fear, then it's the fact that Werner Koch is no longer available," said Enigmail developer Nicolai Josuttis. "It's a shame that he is alone and that he has such a bad financial situation."
The programs are also underfunded. Enigmail is maintained by two developers in their spare time. Both have other full-time jobs. Enigmail's lead developer, Patrick Brunschwig, told me that Enigmail receives about $1,000 a year in donations — just enough to keep the website online.
GPGTools, which allows users to encrypt email from Apple Mail, announced in October that it would start charging users a small fee. The other popular program, GPG4Win, is run by Koch himself.
Email encryption first became available to the public in 1991, when Phil Zimmermann released a free program called Pretty Good Privacy, or PGP, on the Internet. Prior to that, powerful computer-enabled encryption was only available to the government and large companies that could pay licensing fees. The U.S. government subsequently investigated Zimmermann for violating arms trafficking laws because high-powered encryption was subject to export restrictions.
In 1997, Koch attended a talk by free software evangelist Richard Stallman, who was visiting Germany. Stallman urged the crowd to write their own version of PGP. "We can't export it, but if you write it, we can import it," he said.
Inspired, Koch decided to try. "I figured I can do it," he recalled. He had some time between consulting projects. Within a few months, he released an initial version of the software he called Gnu Privacy Guard, a play on PGP and an homage to Stallman's free Gnu operating system.
Koch's software was a hit even though it only ran on the Unix operating system. It was free, the underlying software code was open for developers to inspect and improve, and it wasn't subject to U.S. export restrictions.
Koch continued to work on GPG in between consulting projects until 1999, when the German government gave him a grant to make GPG compatible with the Microsoft Windows operating system. The money allowed him to hire a programmer to maintain the software while also building the Windows version, which became GPG4Win. This remains the primary free encryption program for Windows machines.
In 2005, Koch won another contract from the German government to support the development of another email encryption method. But in 2010, the funding ran out.
For almost two years, Koch continued to pay his programmer in the hope that he could find more funding. "But nothing came," Koch recalled. So, in August 2012, he had to let the programmer go. By summer 2013, Koch was himself ready to quit.
But after the Snowden news broke, Koch decided to launch a fundraising campaign. He set up an appeal at a crowdsourcing website, made t-shirts and stickers to give to donors, and advertised it on his website. In the end, he earned just $21,000.
The campaign gave Koch, who has an 8-year-old daughter and a wife who isn't working, some breathing room. But when I asked him what he will do when the current batch of money runs out, he shrugged and said he prefers not to think about it. "I'm very glad that there is money for the next three months," Koch said. "Really I am better at programming than this business stuff."

Norway Drops Plan To Jail People For Helping Homeless

Norway Drops Plan To Jail People For Helping Homeless

OSLO, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Norway's government dropped a plan to ban begging on Thursday after opposition parties and rights campaigners said it would criminalize anyone offering help to the poorest people in one of the world's richest nations.
The opposition Center Party dropped its previous support of the proposed law, leaving the minority right-wing government -- which has linked begging to rising crime rates -- without a majority to get it through parliament.
The legislation would have banned both begging and "cooperation" with beggars, with fines or up to a year in jail, in an attempt to outlaw gangs suspected of organizing trips for homeless people from nations including Romania.
But the Center Party said the clause outlawing cooperation could threaten simple acts of charity.
"It cannot be a crime to give clothes, food and shelter," Marit Arnstad, head of the party's parliamentary group, told the NTB news agency. She said the party would now not support any national ban on begging, no matter how it was phrased.
Rights campaigners have also described the law as draconian and against Nordic traditions of tolerance.
Deputy Justice Minister Vidar Brein-Karlsen told Reuters the proposed law had now been dropped. "Everyone knows begging creates debate, and we can only note that the Center Party has changed their standpoint," he said in a statement.
The Center Party has often cooperated with the two-party coalition in cracking down on crime.
Last year the three linked begging to an increase in crime, saying in a joint statement that there had been an "explosion" in pickpocketing in Oslo to match the number of cases in Berlin, which has seven times the population.
Norway, rich from oil and gas, has a sovereign wealth fund worth $860 billion, or $170,000 for each of Norway's 5 million population. Last year, the government passed a law allowing local municipalities to outlaw begging in public places. (Reporting By Alister Doyle; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Senators Push To Arm Ukrainians

Senators Push To Arm Ukrainians
WASHINGTON -- A bipartisan group of U.S. senators pushed Thursday to send arms to Ukraine, saying in a Capitol Hill news conference that the United States needs to send "defensive, lethal" weapons to the country to help stem fresh offensives by Russian-backed separatists.

Sending arms would be a step beyond what many European allies support, and the senators offered no estimates of how far Americans should be willing to go in a new proxy war against Russia or how much the nation should be willing to pay. The White House has already sent $118 million in non-lethal assistance to Ukraine.

"The United States and our allies must deter further Russian aggression by providing defensive, lethal assistance," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said that legislation would be offered soon to allow for the nation to send arms.

McCain also said the move would be carefully calibrated to pose no real threat to Russia, but to raise the stakes for Russian President Vladimir Putin to meddle further in Ukraine.

"Defensive, lethal assistance will not allow the Ukrainian military to defeat the Russian military in a full-fledged war. But it will raise the risks and costs Russia must incur to continue its offensive," McCain said. "It will pierce the veneer of the Kremlin's cynical and false narrative that there are no Russians in Ukraine."

The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), echoed McCain, saying the goal would be to force all the parties back to considering a political solution to the conflict.

"We should be prepared to help Ukraine to defend itself against this aggression," said Reed, who noted that Congress already has approved sending defensive weapons, including anti-tank weapons and radar systems.

"The hope of all of us is that this step will reenergize the political process, and that there will be a respect for the cease-fire, and also help to the president of the Ukraine to deal with the political issue," Reed said.

Germany and France have so far resisted arming the Ukrainian government, and senators were harshly critical on Thursday.

"I'm hopeful that Germans, that under German leadership, that the Europeans will come around, and be much more active in support of Ukraine. Frankly I'm not overly optimistic," McCain said. "They've been a huge disappointment to me. Their actions recently have been reminiscent of the 1930s," he added, referring to infamous appeasement policies towards Nazi Germany before World War II.

McCain said that refusing to give Ukraine weapons was contributing to massacres. "Right now, they have no ability to defend against Russian tanks. That really makes for wholesale slaughter," he said.

Asked about potentially escalating conflicts between the United States and Russia, McCain suggested that the situation was growing more dire because sanctions and diplomacy were not enough to deter Putin.

"There was the belief that if we did not provide defensive weapons to Ukraine, then things would eventually be OK. We didn't want to 'provoke' Vladimir Putin. Well obviously Vladimir Putin has not gotten that message," McCain said.

"We're frankly at the end of the line here. You just can't stand by and watch people being slaughtered with superior equipment. You know, blankets don't do very well against tanks," he said.

Asked about how much cost the United States should bear to supply the weapons, McCain answered, "I have no idea."

His colleagues did not either, but suggested the cost did not matter. They also ruled out sending U.S. forces to fight on the ground in Ukraine.

"The key here is to give the Ukrainians the ability to defend their territory and also to move back to a political solution," said Reed.

Several pointed to an agreement signed 20 years ago called the Budapest Memorandum, in which the United States, Russia and Britain offered assurances to respect the sovereignty and borders of Ukraine. They also noted that the United States has promised to shield other allies along Russia's borders.

"We gave our word. And what is the cost if we don't keep our word that we will be there to protect our friend?" said Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) "Everybody in the region is scared to death, is afraid of what Vladimir Putin is going to do, and if at some point we don't stand up for our friends, it will only get worse."

The White House is reportedly considering taking stronger steps as the situation worsens.

Spokesman Josh Earnest said earlier this week that the aid already sent includes "body armor, helmets, vehicles, night and thermal vision devices, heavy engineering equipment, advanced radios, de-mining equipment, portable explosive ordinance disposal robots, patrol boats, counter-mortar radars, and other items that are required to sustain Ukraine's defense and internal security operations."

Earnest did not say if boosting that effort was in the cards, but he did not rule it out.

"We're continually evaluating our strategy and our response with essentially two goals: One is to isolate Russia's political leadership for the decisions they're making to destabilize the situation in Ukraine, and also to take steps to support our friends in Ukraine that are going through a very difficult time," Earnest said.

"Ultimately, it is the view of the United States that this situation will be resolved diplomatically, that the idea that somehow the United States can offer enough assistance to the Ukrainians to put their military on par with the large Russian military is unrealistic," he added.

McCain did not say exactly when he would advance legislation, but suggested it would be soon.

"We'll be marking up legislation," McCain said.

A group of more than 30 members of the House of Representatives also made a similar appeal Thursday in a letter to the White House, pleading for more war aid.

"Tighter sanctions and greater humanitarian assistance should be part of that support, but now, more than ever, the U.S. must supply Ukraine with the means to defend itself," said the lawmakers, including the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and the Republican chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul (Texas).

Don't Blame Religion for Violence

Don't Blame Religion for Violence

Violence often breaks out between religious groups. Yet, it is a mistake to blame religion for violence. Unfortunately, warfare is a universal human potential that would still exist if we were all atheists.

Not all societies are warlike, however. Anthropologists contrast the peaceful Shoshone with the more belligerent Paiute in North America for instance. The Shoshone wandered widely in small groups in search of food. They did not fight because they had no territory worth defending, as the Paiute did (1).

Land (or territory) remains an important bone of contention around the globe, in places as diverse as Israel and the Ukraine but there are many other resources that stimulate aggression, from oil and minerals, to spices, and opium. Many seemingly religious conflicts have nothing to do with theology even if religion serves as a convenient label for opposing groups.

Ireland's War between Catholics and Protestants Was not a Religious War
Wars fought across lines of religious membership are easily mistaken for wars about religion. Yet, most involve conflict over over vital resources. The problem in Northern Ireland was that Catholics were a discriminated-against minority who were cut out of well-paid jobs and scraped by in substandard housing with minimal political power and plenty of intimidation by police. Of course, Northern Ireland tensions were also fueled by a territorial dispute between England and the Republic of Ireland where Catholics were considered disloyal to the colonial Stormont regime.

So the violence in Northern Ireland had little or nothing to do with theology as such. If both sides had belonged to the same religion, or no religion at all, they would have had just as much reason for conflict.

In Northern Ireland, religion served as a convenient line of demarcation within the population across which the conflict was fought. Religion functioned as a group identifier that evoked an us-versus-them mentality. Social psychologists recognized many decades ago that any arbitrary identifier can be used to foment hostilities between groups that are otherwise equivalent.

Established Religions Mostly Favor Peace
Mainstream religions mostly discourage warfare. There are some historical exceptions, including the days of Papal armies and empires, and the medieval Crusades where the Catholic Church wanted to capture Jerusalem and claim it as a Christian city.

In general though, religious leaders are content to exercise their power indirectly by influencing secular leaders and the public). They promote peace of mind through their rituals rather than stirring up hostility.

Unfortunately, there are some firebrand clerics who ignore that playbook and use their pulpits to inspire aggression against other religious groups. The fact that they cloak their message of hate in religious rhetoric tells us nothing about the mainstream churches that they choose to pervert. Such messages find receptive soil in communities that feel marginalized, despised, or deprived of job opportunities and social mobility.

Radicalization of a small number of individuals can have devastating consequences as recent events in Europe demonstrated. That is particularly true in the context of a global Jihadi movement organized over the Internet. It is disturbing in a world where violent extremists are permitted to hold territory, and even to form governments.

Pirate Societies
Phenomena like the Lord's Resistance Army, ISIS, and Boca Haram, are more dangerous than Al Qaeda because they aim to hold territory by terrorizing civilians and are willing to take on large armies such as those of Iraq and Nigeria, sometimes with stunning success.

That success is partly due to having superior equipment purchased with the proceeds of various crimes from stealing oil, to kidnapping, and human trafficking.

Apart from their religious rhetoric, these terrorist groups have many similarities to pirate societies of the past, complete with a large treasure chest, brutal system of punishment, and distinctive clothing and flags.

With their safe havens in the Caribbean and elsewhere, a relatively small number of pirates defied the great navies of the world for centuries. Some, like Blackbeard, used carnival tricks - such as placing a lighted fuse under his hat - to intimidate his victims.

ISIS and their ilk are little more than the pirate communities of old. They may use religious rhetoric to rationalize their grisly crimes, to justify their punishments, or to attract new recruits from abroad. Yet, their agenda is not religious and it is not new. Their ambition is the same as that of Blackbeard. They enjoy scaring people but they also want the loot.

Nigerian Elections: At the Crossroads

Nigerian Elections: At the Crossroads
Nigeria is a promised land; Africa is a great continent; we are marching on; to take our place; among all the nations of the world. This was our marching song at every morning assembly before classes began as elementary school students in the 1980s in Eastern Nigeria. This hymn captured the hope of the founding fathers and mothers of Nigeria about Nigeria's place in both African and world history. More than fifty-four years after independence from Great Britain and after three decades of experimenting with the American presidential system many Nigerians are still waiting for the dividends of democracy. In the words of the late Nigerian singer, Sony Okosun, many Nigerians are asking: "Which way Nigeria?"

As Nigeria prepares for national elections this February, memories of the June 12, 1992 annulled elections in Nigeria loom large. That election was considered the most free and fair elections ever conducted in the country since Independence. However, the violence and breakdown of law and order which followed the annulment of those elections took Nigeria to the brink of a second Civil War. This is why John Kerry's insistence in his recent visit to Nigeria on free and fair elections in Nigeria as basis for continued co-operation between the two nations is well-timed. Violence and anarchy have often characterized elections in Nigeria. Indeed, party politics and national elections in addition to religious fundamentalism have been the greatest sources of violence and war in Nigeria. They have also been fueled by the exploitation of the deep religious and ethnic differences in the country. This is worsened by the shocking economic and social disparity between politicians who have their hands in the till, their religious acolytes who sanctify the corrupt politicians with blessings and praise, and over 70% of Nigerians who live below the poverty line and over 53% of Nigerian youth who are unemployed.

When in 1979 Nigeria abandoned the Westminster Parliamentary system for American-type presidential and constitutional federalism, the hope of most Nigerians was that the country will become a United States of Nigeria. Nigerians hoped that their nation will be a model of good governance, civil liberties, rule of law, checks and balances and other practices and principles of democracy which define American political culture. Nigerians were optimistic then that like America which emerged from her Civil War a progressive and more united nation, that Nigeria through the American Presidential system can witness a national rebirth from the smoldering embers of the Civil War and bad governance which plagued her as a nation.

The sad reality is that a criminal elite--military and their civilian accomplices--has run Nigeria's economy aground by siphoning and mismanaging Nigeria's oil wealth. For instance Nigeria has lost more than 220 billion pounds of her national wealth to corruption and mismanagement in the first 40 years after independence through the political gatekeepers and their military, civilian and religious networks who control 90% of Nigeria's GDP. Nigeria has also lost more than 30 billion dollars from oil theft within the last ten years according to a report by Chatham House. In addition, Nigeria's political elites have preyed on the fragile ethnic and religious divides in the country to sustain a patron-client relationship which has defined the accession and retention of power in Nigeria. Most elections in Nigeria are simply charades and a mockery of democracy. The best candidates do not get any chance to get on the ballot or to win. This is because they cannot break the stranglehold of the prebendal aristocrats who have turned governance in Nigeria into a cesspool of corruption with a high attrition rate for those who refuse to dance to the tune of the political patrons. Elections in Nigeria simply highlight the disenfranchisement and powerlessness of most Nigerians in shaping their national destiny. In Nigeria, power does not belong to the people. Rather, power belongs to a few thin top layer of the Nigerian elites who are kept afloat on the sea of our national wealth, while the rest are drowning in the perilous waters of economic and social deprivation. Breaking this hold is something which lies beyond the capacity of Nigerians because there is no transcending national consciousness or patriotism which can be a template for building a counter narrative of inclusion and being in Nigeria in order to subvert the status quo. Nigeria needs the help of the international community. The US in particular should not support governments in Nigeria and the rest of Africa which emerge through flawed elections or military coups even if such governments are surrogates of the interest of the US in the continent.

Nigeria stands at the crossroads of history. These forthcoming elections in Nigeria could unravel all that is flawed about the Nigerian nation. The fault-lines of ethnic and religious polarities are emerging; there are random incidents of violence against candidates who campaign in areas outside their ethnic or religious stronghold. More worrying to many discerning Nigerians is the absence of any clear policy options between President Goodluck and his main challenger General Buhari on how they will confront the myriad problems which have held Nigeria down including the threat of Boko Haram and general insecurity in the country. Absent is also a plan from both parties on how to resuscitate the collapsing social and public services in Nigeria and how to provide jobs for millions of Nigerian graduates who are roaming the streets of life without hope. Neither the ruling party, PDP nor the opposition party, APC has enough ethical and ideological bandwidth to transmit a new narrative of national identity, or a platform to address the economic woes of Nigeria and her failed power and agricultural sectors. This election has not afforded Nigerians the opportunity to have a national conversation about the way forward. This is because the campaigns have been filled with 'sound and fury' of character assassination, stoking of ethnic and religious sentiments, finger-pointing, etc all of which signify nothing for the future of Nigeria. This is why I cry for my country of birth and the millions of poor Nigerians who have never known the good life despite the huge oil wealth of Nigeria and who do not see any hope beyond the dance, drama, empty promises and grandstanding of the Nigerian elites who are criss-crossing the country for votes.

TransAsia Airways Plane Carrying 53 Passengers Crash Lands In Keelung River In Taipei

TransAsia Airways Plane Carrying 53 Passengers Crash Lands In Keelung River In Taipei
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A Taiwanese commercial flight with 53 passengers aboard clipped a bridge shortly after takeoff and crashed into a river in the island's capital of Taipei on Wednesday morning.

Aviation authority director Lin Chi-ming told a news conference that two people were killed. The country's Central News Agency said three people were killed.


transasia plane crash

Footage of the rescue efforts in Taipei.


Taiwan's Central News Agency said at least 10 people were being taking to safety after the incident but gave no immediate information about the other passengers and crew aboard the TransAsia Airways flight.

Taiwanese media posted pictures of the plane in the water several dozen meters (yards) from the shore in the Keelung River.

CNA said the flight from Taipei to the outlying island of Kinmen lost contact with flight controllers at 10:55 a.m. and the fuselage landed in the Keelung River near the city's downtown Sungshan airport.


transasia plane crash

At least 10 people are awaiting help.

The plane was identified as a French-made twin-engine turboprop ATR 72 with a two-pilot air crew.

The plane's fuselage was seen half-submerged in the shallow river, with passengers and rescuers standing on the hull and swimming in the water.




The accident comes just months after a TransAsia ATR-72 crashed while attempting to land on the island of Penghu off Taiwan's coast, killing 48 people and injuring another 10. Stormy weather and low visibility were suspected as factors in that crash last July.

Jordan Executes 2 Prisoners After ISIS Killing Of Pilot, Official Says

Jordan Executes 2 Prisoners After ISIS Killing Of Pilot, Official Says
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A Jordanian government spokesman says Jordan has executed two prisoners, including a would-be female suicide bomber from al-Qaida.

The executions at dawn Wednesday came just hours after Islamic State militants released a video that purportedly showed a captured Jordanian fighter pilot being burned alive in a cage.

Jordan vowed a swift and lethal response.

Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani said that two prisoners, Sajida al-Rishawi and Ziad al-Karbouli, were executed early Wednesday.

Al-Rishawi has been on death row for her role in a triple hotel bombing in the Jordanian capital Amman in 2005 that killed dozens.





James Brady, former Reagan press secretary and gun-control advocate, dies


James Brady, a former White House press secretary who was severely wounded in the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan and later became a prominent gun-control advocate, has died.


Brady died at 73 after a series of health issues, his family said in a statement on Monday.
"Over the years, Jim inspired so many people as he turned adversity into accomplishment," the statement said.

Brady was one of four people hurt in Reagan's shooting by John Hinckley outside a Washington hotel.

Suffering a head wound, it was erroneously reported at one point that Brady had died. He was, however, left partially paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Reagan, severely wounded as well, also survived the attack and served two terms as President. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the shooting and has spent the ensuing years in a psychiatric hospital.

After leaving the White House, Brady launched the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which pushes for stricter firearms laws.


He inspired the Brady Bill, which was fiercely fought over for years before Congress approved it and President Bill Clinton signed it into law in 1993. It requires background checks for gun purchases.
President Barack Obama praised Brady's legacy.

"Jim is a legend at the White House for his warmth and professionalism as press secretary for President Reagan; for the strength he brought to bear in recovering from the shooting that nearly killed him 33 years ago; and for turning the events of that terrible afternoon into a remarkable legacy of service," Obama said in a statement.
The Brady Campaign also acknowledged his death in a tweet: "We are heartbroken over James Brady's passing. We offer our deepest condolences to his wife, Sarah, and their family."
Brady was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award. The White House press briefing room also was named in his honor.

Source : www.edition.cnn.com


Manchester United beats Liverpool 3-1 in preseason International Champions Cup



Second-half strikes from Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard earned Manchester United a morale boosting 3-1 win over Premier League rivals Liverpool in the final of the preseason International Champions Cup in Miami on Tuesday morning.
Liverpool took the lead in the 14th minute when the lively Raheem Sterling was brought down in the area by United defender Phil Jones and skipper Steven Gerrard drilled home the penalty.
The Merseyside team should have doubled its advantage shortly after half-time but Rickie Lambert fluffed his shot after finding space inside the area.

United equalised in the 55th minute with Javier Hernandez delivering a cross deep to the back post and Rooney coolly side-footed home a cushioned volley from a tight angle.
Two minutes later, Mata's well-struck effort from the edge of the box took a slight deflection off Mamadou Sakho and beat Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
United wrapped up the win in the eight-team tournament when substitute Jesse Lingard blasted home from 18 yards out two minutes from time.

Source : www.abc.net.au

Beyonce releases surprise 'Flawless' remix featuring Nicki Minaj

Beyonce has joined forces with Nicki Minaj for a surprise remix of "Flawless" that has left the rap blogosphere and Twitter completely blown away. Listen below.
The standout line is Beyonce's declaration, "Of course sometimes shit goes down when there's a billion dollars on an elevator," a once-and-for-all ending to that infamous elevator tussle between  Jay Z and Solange.

But the line "You wish I was your pound cake" is rife for unpacking, too. And then there's Minaj, who marks her first Beyonce collaboration by reestablishing herself as hip-hop's Queen Bee: "Winning is my motherf—ing protocol/'Cuz I score before I ever throw the ball." Minaj's verse is otherworldly in its intensity, recalling the fire she spat at the end of Kanye West's "Monster" four years ago.



There's also a quick sample of Outkast's "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" horn riff in the "Flawless" remix." Outkast wrapped its headlining set at Lollapalooza right before Beyonce posted the remix on her website.
The surprise "Flawless" remix follows the surprise release of "Beyonce," which was released as a "visual album" without warning last December. The album featured guest spots by Frank OceanDrake and Beyonce's hubby, Jay Z.

source : www.billboard.com

Orlando Bloom Tried To Hit Justin Bieber, Missed

Orlando Bloom and Justin Bieber got into a heated altercation at Cipriani in Ibiza, Spain, early Wednesday morning, reports The New York Post.

After getting in each other’s faces—Bloom threw a punch at the pop star—the crowd cheered.

According to witnesses, Bloom took a swing at Bieber after the singer, 20, made a rude comment about Bloom’s ex, Miranda Kerr. But a source close to Bieber insisted that the comment was only made after Bloom took a swing, and missed.

“Justin was at one table, and Orlando was at another,” a source told The New York Post. “But when Bieber and his party were later walking past Bloom’s table, Orlando refused to shake Bieber’s hand.” Then “Bieber said something rude to Orlando, like, ‘She was good.'”




Another source close to Bieber countered that the pop star didn’t make any rude comment and that “Justin didn’t even know Orlando was there. But when they saw each other, it was Orlando who was just being an a-hole to Justin.”“They got in each other’s faces and there were words,” a source said. “But they were separated by their entourages.”

A witness captured 30 seconds of the confrontation on video and posted it to Facebook. It shows Bloom walking away from Bieber and being separated by a crowd, but then turning back to walk to Bieber and confront him.“When they were back together again, Orlando threw a punch at Bieber,” said a source. “He just tried to pop him! The whole place cheered.”

The bad blood between the two began in 2012 when Bieber was seen getting flirty with Kerr after a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, which reportedly led to tension between the model and her Hollywood star husband, Bloom. The married couple then separated in October 2013.

Then newly single Bloom was seen spending time with Bieber’s ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, in April. 



Source : www.novinite.com

‘Bachelorette’ Recap: Eric Hill’s Death Revealed After Hometown Dates

‘Bachelorette’ Recap: Eric Hill’s Death Revealed After Hometown Dates

Josh M., Nick V., Chris and Marcus have clearly been the four favorites throughout this whole season of ‘The Bachelorette,’ so we were FINALLY guaranteed some drama with Andi being forced to send one of them home on July 7. But as it turned out, that wasn’t even the most emotional part of the episode.

Cody said it himself in his epic, semi-psychotic rant — making the final four and bringing Andi Dorfman home to meet your family is the goal of any contestant on The Bachelorette. The hometown dates are where the bachelors can really inch closer to getting engaged, but they can just as easily be a dealbreaker. Does Andi hate the vast nothingness of Chris‘ home state, Iowa? Did she finally realize that Josh M. actually peaked in high school?

Andi, Meet Nick’s Freaking Enormous Family

We started in Nick V.‘s hometown of Milwaukee, Wis., otherwise known as the home of the Bachelorette devil. Nick thrived on his home field (by the way, Milwaukee looks like a lesser version of Chicago), taking Andi to his favorite market and a brewery that just happened to have a beer called “Nick & Andi” on tap!

Then Nick brought Andi home to his family of about a bajillion. There was a wall that had pictures of Nick and all of his siblings and it legit looked like a room in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I’m never a big fan of the family interactions that have to happen on hometown dates, because I sort of feel bad every time ABC makes a cute old guy like Nick’s dad pretend to give a s**t about a dating show, but they do yield some gems from time to time. My favorite one at Nick’s house was when his sister (I think? There were a lot of them) asked him if Andi made him laugh. First, he hesitated. Then he said, “She just makes me smile.” Sorry, Andi, YOU ARE NOT FUNNY.
But on the whole Milwaukee was a layup for Andi — nice family, easy softball questions, delicious if corny beer.

Chris Welcomes Andi To The Abyss Of Iowa

I can’t say the same about Chris’ hometown of Arlington, Iowa. There was one big problem Andi had with Chris the Farmer’s digs — IT WAS 100 PERCENT FARMLAND. Remember, before The Bachelorette, Andi was an aspiring actress assistant D.A., so her main question upon arrival was, like, um, what the eff will I do here?
Only pretending to be a farmer is fun (obviously riding in a tractor turns Andi on) — actually being one is not.
Chris’ answer to her question was the opposite of reassuring. “Well, there’s an opportunity to be a homemaker,” he said. What did Chris mean by this? Did he mean that Andi could actually start a home construction/interior design company? Because that’s not something people just up and do. Or did he mean that Andi could transition into being a housewife who cooks pork chops and pops out babies? Either way, it was insulting and horrible.
Andi pretended that she wasn’t bothered by the emptiness of Arlington, but Andi is a liar sometimes. “If you want to have a career, then you can do that,” Chris’ mom told the dejected bachelorette after dinner, as if it was 1946. Those are assurances you don’t really want to need about your future.

Andi & Josh: What A Sports Family Is Like

But what’s worse — worrying that you won’t have a career or worrying that your husband has a failure to launch? That’s what Andi had to consider after meeting Josh’s family in Tampa, Fla.
In a moment I’ve been waiting for since I found out that Josh’s little brother is Aaron Murray, former starting quarterback of the University of Georgia and current backup for the Kansas City Chiefs, Andi got to meet Aaron and the rest of the fam — and they were intense.
Because I’ve seen Varsity Blues, I know that families can get hooked on one child’s NFL dreams and obsessively turn all of their focus into achieving those dreams. With Aaron, that’s how Josh and his family were (they even let him give all the toasts!), and it bugged Andi. She actually seemed to get a little competitive, mentioning Josh’s “new life” at every turn and even using the words “cut the cord” with Josh’s mom.
Josh hasn’t really messed up this entire season, but his biggest mistake might have been having a family that is super obsessed with football.

Oh Yeah, Remember Marcus?

Meanwhile, Marcus was the one who painted such a lovely picture of his home life in Dallas, Texas, and by that I mean he told her all about his history of abuse and abandonment.
Thankfully, things were a tad lighter once Andi actually got there. Marcus, to the delight of nobody, made a call-back to his stripper solo from the second episode. “This is every girl’s dream,” Andi (wrongly) stated. Then they strolled around sunny Dallas before Marcus took Andi to introduce her to his (possibly messed up) family.
They seemed more or less normal though, like a smaller version of Nick’s family with a foreign mother (?). So this season, there were no big road bumps on the hometown dates, which meant Andi didn’t really have any easy excuses — going into the rose ceremony, she more or less had to choose to eliminate the guy she liked the least.

‘The Bachelorette’: Andi Learns About Eric Hill’s Death

Unfortunately the high everyone was on from hometown dates didn’t last very long, as Chris Harrison broke the news to Andi and her bachelors that contestant Eric Hill tragically died in a hang-gliding accident.
It was sad to have Eric’s death hang like a dark cloud over The Bachelorette once again — and to see how it ripped up the four guys. And in a rare, stark moment, the Bachelorette production team actually put down the cameras to console Andi and mourn with the bachelors.
Obviously Andi broke down, mainly because she remembered how she sent him off the show in shame. You could understand how Andi put all that guilt on herself — on top of all that pressure over having to eliminate someone — after hearing Eric died, even though she never really did anything wrong. She even struggled through the rose ceremony a day later, and had to retreat to her lair, where she cried while Chris Harrison creepily stood nearby in the dark.
But the show had to go on, and Andi was crushed even more when she was forced to send Marcus home. I don’t think it was anything specific about the guy, he was just kinda blah compared to the other three. Andi always liked him way more than I did, but even she never loved him.
Now, who do you think is going to give Andi the best “date” in the fantasy suite next week — Josh, Chris or Nick?
– Andrew Gruttadaro

Source :  hollywoodllife.com