A new investigative journalism report by Billboard reports Chris Brown’s alleged “downward spiraled” explained by former employees and people close to Brown.
Brown, who is currently planning a 33-date tour, is described at one point in the report as the “new Bobby Brown.” Others involved in the story expressed their fears that Brown tends to self-medicate his problems.
The Billboard report begins with a former employee’s account of a “Mondy morning around this time in 2016,” where the employee recounts Brown being upset with a delivery man as he strolled Instagram to look for updates on Karrueche Tran, Brown’s former girlfriend. At the time, Brown’s team told Billboard that he would stay away for three days in a row doing cocaine and “dabbling in” other drugs including molly, Xanax and lean.
LOS ANGELES – APR 3: Chris Brown at the iHeart Radio Music Awards 2016 Arrivals at the The Forum on April 3, 2016 in Inglewood, CA (Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com)
“He will cuss you out and say, ‘Hey, man, I’m functioning. I’m going to get the work out.’ And he does,” someone still employed by Brown explained. “But [he’s not] the first functional star who thinks they can handle those powerful drugs. I got to say with all my heart, he’s dancing with death.”
Billboard also revealed that Brown was diagnosed with bipolar II disorder three years ago, according to a probation officer’s report. The report also pointed out that he had engaged in “inappropriate self-medicating,” adding that he also suffered from “untreated PTSD.”
A former female employee of Chris Brown explained that Brown does not hate women. Rather he’s a “very sweet, sensitive guy. But they’re an easy target, and he’s a bully. It’s not just women it’s everyone, and he can get away with it.”
You can read Billboard’s full investigative report, which also includes details on Chris Brown’s felony assault of Rihanna in 2009 and canceled boxing match with Soulja Boy, here.
On Monday, Amazon’s hosting network mysteriously took out large portions of the internet, unsurprisingly causing first world problems for people across the country. Amazon was able to fix the issue and started searching for the cause of the problem. Evidently, that problem turned out to be a typo.
Amazon was taking a few servers offline to update their billing system when a single mistake caused parts of the internet to start crashing and knocking out the entire system.
Amazon explains that early Monday morning an authorized team member executed a command that was intended to shut down a few servers. The Amazon released a statement about what happened, “an authorized S3 team member using an established playbook executed a command which was intended to remove a small number of servers for one of the S3 subsystems that is used by the S3 billing process.”
Amazon added, “Unfortunately, one of the inputs to the command was entered incorrectly and a larger set of servers was removed than intended. The servers that were inadvertently removed supported two other S3 subsystems.”
An employee, who will probably always be known for making this mistake, entered the wrong command and shut down several major websites and apps. Fortunately, they were able to fix the problem, but this is a good reminder that Amazon’s hosting platform controls a significant portion of the internet.
No reports are suggesting how this has impacted Amazon sales. Good thing Amazon still has Alexa.
Disney XD has released a teaser for the upcoming TV reboot of DuckTales on Thursday.
The first season of the show, which is executive-produced by Matt Youngberg, will feature 21 half-hour episodes and two one-hour animated specials.
DuckTales stars David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck, Danny Pudi as the voice of Hewey Ben Schwartz as Dewey, and Bobby Moynihan as Louie. Also, Kate Micucci will voice Webby Vanderquack, Beck Bennet will play Launchpad McQuack and Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley.
The original DuckTales classic aired for three years starting 1987 to 1990 and centered around the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his partner Launchpad McQuack, the star of Disney’s Darkwing Duck.
McDuck’s nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were left in the care of their uncle, Donald. The original TV show was written by Mark Mueller who also wrote the hit Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and was nominated for two Emmys.
Shares of Snap started trading more than 40% higher than their original IPO price, which was $17 per share. Now the company is trading at $24.94 by mid-day trading.
After months of rumors, Snap’s IPO has set the stage for the future of the camera company. Snap’s performance illustrates investors expectations for the company and that the corporation will continue to make money.
Yesterday, Snap was priced at $17 per share, giving the company a valuation of around $24 billion. Snap raised $3.4 billion in its IPO, presenting the company plenty of money to move forward and grow despite high costs to keep the business moving.
After opening at $24, shares of Snap reached $25 per share, but since then trading has fallen below that range. But, a stock price around $24 per share would value Snap at around $30 billion. In comparison, Twitter is worth a little more than $ 11 billion.
NEW YORK CITY, NY- December 21, 2016: Snapchat’s Snap Inc. Fifth Avenue pop-up store sells Spectacles at Bot vending. (NYCStock / Shutterstock.com)
It is important to note that investors who are buying shares in Snap’s IPO are buying non-voting shares for the company. As a result, investors are hoping the company will continue to grow under the guidance of CEO Evan Spiegel and his team. Since, Spiegel and co-founder Bobby Murphy will have control of voting shares of the company and will, for the most part, not be controlled by Wall Street investors.
Essentially, the purpose of going public is to raise capital and Snap has a lot of expenses. Snap spends millions of dollars running their business. The company has a $1 billion contract with Amazon and a $2 billion contract with Google that will be paid out over the course of five years. Snap is also actively acquiring companies. In fact, last year Snap obtained an augmented reality company.
But the biggest question following Snap’s IPO is whether the company can make capital and advertisers receive a return on their investment by using Snap’s advertising products.
Facebook launched live-video streaming last year as a new feature for users to share their experiences in real time. However, since Facebook Live has gone mainstream, users have captured the more painful moments of reality including fights, murders, racism, and even suicides. In fact, earlier this year a woman was arrested for abusing her child after taping her child to a wall and sharing it on Facebook Live.
But, the social network announced on Wednesday that they are adding suicide-prevention tools into Facebook Live that will allow users who are watching the live video to report that video to Facebook and reach out to the person directly. Also, Facebook will begin providing resources to help people report the live video and put the person in immediate contact with a support line.
Facebook also announced they are testing live chat support from crisis support groups through Facebook Messenger. Facebook will be partnering with Crisis Text Line, the National Eating Disorder Association, and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The company also said they are creating reporting tools by using artificial intelligence.
via Facebook.com
The company also stated that they are creating reporting tools by using artificial intelligence. Facebook indicated that they would be using information from mental-health experts to test a reporting process that uses computer pattern recognition in posts reported for suicide. The artificial intelligence will make the option to report a post about suicide a more prominent option for users that the AI identifies potential risk. Facebook has also started using artificial intelligence to identify posts that are linked to thoughts of suicide. Those posts are then reviewed by the company’s Community Operations team to provide that user with help.
Facebook will also be launching a video advertising campaign to raise awareness about how to help people considering suicide.
“We have teams working around the world, 24/7, who review reports that come in and prioritize the most serious reports like suicide,” Facebook explained in a blog post. “We work to address posts expressing thoughts of suicide as quickly and accurately as possible.”
It is important to note that at least three Facebook users live-streamed their suicides since the start of 2017.
Casey Affleck won The Academy Award for best actor for his acting performance in Manchester by the Sea, but not everyone was happy to see the actor win the prize.
Affleck’s criticism stems from a 2010 sexual harassment lawsuit against the star that was filed by two women who worked with the filmmaker on the mockumentary I’m Still Here. Affleck settled the case out of court.
Many people on Twitter referenced the allegations after Affleck won his Oscar. One of the people that criticized Affleck was none other than ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat actress Constance Wu.
Affleck opened up about the allegations to the Boston Globe about the backlash. He said neither said can discuss the details of what occurred. However, Affleck said, “I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else.”
Regarding the backlash, Affleck said, “There’s really nothing I can do about it. Other than live my life the way I know I live it and speak to what my own values are and how I try to live by them all the time.”
On his Oscar win, Casey Affleck told the Globe, “I don’t know what [the Oscar] means going forward. I don’t plan on changing anything about what I’ve done up to this point. Every once in a while a part of Manchester by the Sea comes along and you get the chance to do it and you just hope, at that moment, you’re ready.”
Casey Affleck at the 89th Annual Academy Awards – Press Room held at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, USA on February 26, 2017. (Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com)
In 2010, while filming I’m Still Here starring Joaquin Phoenix, the movie’s cinematographer Magdalena Gorka alleged that after a long night of filming, Affleck climbed into bed with her but, became upset after she asked him to leave. Gorka also claimed that during filming, Affleck and others joked about their sexual exploits and suggested she have sex with one of the movie’s camera assistants.
Also, producer Amanda White accused Affleck of sexual harassment. According to reports, Affleck told another crew member to show his penis to her. White also alleged that Affleck asked her to stay in his hotel room and “grabbed her” when she said no. Affleck would later settle out of court paying the producer and the cinematographer $2 million each.
Oprah Winfrey suggested that President Trump has made her rethink whether she could run for President and win.
During an interview with Bloomberg Media’s David Rubenstein, Rubenstein asked if she considers ever running for President of the United States.
“Have you ever thought that, given the popularity you have — we haven’t broken the glass ceiling yet for women — that you could actually run for president and actually be elected?” he asked.
Winfrey paused before answering. “I never considered the question, even a possibility,” Winfrey began, then suggesting Trump’s election made her reconsider the possibility of running. “I just thought, ‘Oh… oh?,’ ” explained continued.
Rubenstein added, “Because, it’s clear you don’t need government experience to be elected president of the United States.”
“That’s what I thought,” Winfrey said. “I thought, ‘oh gee, I don’t have the experience, I don’t know enough’… And now I’m thinking — Oh.”
Oprah Winfrey receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at The White House on November 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. (Rena Schild / Shutterstock.com)
During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Winfrey said that she would never run for president.
“Is there any other charismatic African-American woman that both sides of the political aisle really love?”, Colbert asked after suggesting Michelle Obama should run for President.
“Never,” Winfrey responded. “No, no, it’s not my thing.”
50 percent of the DNA in the chicken used in Subway sandwiches comes from a chicken, according to a new study. Researchers say that the number should be 100 percent if it is chicken.
CBC did a DNA test of chicken from various fast-food restaurants in Canada and found most of the restaurants contained approximately 100 percent chicken DNA, except for Subway. For example, McDonald’s Country Chicken had an average of 84.9 percent chicken DNA and Wendy’s Grilled Chicken Sandwich had an average of 88.5 percent Chicken DNA.
Meanwhile, the results of the study found Subway’s oven-roasted chicken contained 53.6% chicken DNA. Meanwhile, Subway’s chicken strips only had 42.8% chicken DNA. The rest of it contained soy DNA.
NEW YORK – NOV 27: An exterior view of a Subway restaurant in New York City, on November 27, 2013. Subway operates in over 100 countries and has over 40,000 restaurants. (JStone / Shutterstock.com)
Researchers were so surprised by the DNA results they checked the Subway chicken twice. In a statement, Subway Canada disagreed with the findings and claimed that their chicken is “100% white meat” with 1% or less of soy ingredients.
“Our chicken strips and oven roasted chicken contain 1% or less of soy protein,” Subway explained in a statement. “We use this ingredient in these products as a means to help stabilize the texture and moisture. All of our chicken items are made from 100% white meat chicken which is marinated, oven roasted and grilled.”
Subway added, “We tested our chicken products recently for nutritional and quality attributes and found it met our food quality standards. We will look into this again with our supplier to ensure that the chicken is meeting the high standard we set for all of our menu items and ingredients.”
Overall, researchers argued that fast food chicken has 25% less protein than you would receive from chicken cooked at home. Also, the levels of sodium were seven to 10 times higher than “unadulterated chicken.”
Update (Wednesday, May 17, 2017): Subway has issued a statement on the investigation.
Independent Labs Discredit Canadian Story on Subway Chicken
Two independent laboratories testing Subway® chicken have found that alleged test results broadcast on Feb. 24 by the Canadian Television show, Marketplace, were false and misleading.
Test results from laboratories in Canada and the U.S. clearly show that the Canadian chicken products tested had only trace amounts of soy, contradicting the accusations made during the broadcast of CBC Marketplace.
Subway representatives immediately contacted the program and the lab that conducted the tests to inquire about the methodology and the testing process. The program and the lab declined to engage with Subway except to share the results. In response, Subway sent samples of the Canadian products that Marketplace claimed contained 50% soy protein to Maxxam Analytics in Canada and Elisa Technologies, Inc., in Florida.
The results from both labs found soy protein below 10 ppm, or less than 1%, in all tested samples. These findings are consistent with the low levels of soy protein that we add with the spices and marinade to help keep the products moist and flavorful.
“The stunningly flawed test by Marketplace is a tremendous disservice to our customers. The safety, quality and integrity of our food is the foundation of our business. That’s why we took extra caution to test and retest the chicken. Our customers can have confidence in our food. The allegation that our chicken is only 50% chicken is 100% wrong,” said SUBWAY President and CEO Suzanne Greco.
Dave Theno, Subway’s Chief of Food Safety & Quality, said, ” Our chicken is 100% white meat with seasonings, marinated, cooked and delivered to our restaurants. The chicken has no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Through years of testing, we’ve never seen results like the program claimed.”
Subway has shared the results of the independent tests with Marketplace and the lab that conducted the flawed test. The company is demanding a retraction and apology.
Uber CEO TRavis Kalanick is worth over $6 billion but, money can not buy you solutions to solve the countless problems the company is currently facing. Now, Kalanick has a new problem, a viral video.
Bloomberg has obtained footage of Kalanick getting into an argument with an Uber driver.
Uber has had a tough year, from sexual harassment allegations to a boycott campaign against the ride-sharing company. Now, a video has surfaced showing the company’s CEO getting into a heated argument with an Uber driver.
The video, which was recorded by driver Fawzi Kamel, shows Kalanick sitting between two women. Then, about four minutes into the video, his friends exit the car and Kamel starts talking with Kalanick.
Kalanick tells Kamel that Uber had to lower prices or the company would go out of business.
“No, no no. You misunderstand me. We started high-end. We didn’t go low-end because we wanted to. We went low-end because we had to because we’d be out of business,” Kalanick said.
“What? Lyft? It’s a piece of cake right there,” Kamel replied.
“It seems like a piece of cake because I’ve beaten them. But if I didn’t do the things I did, we would have been beaten, I promise,” Kalanick responded.
Kamel argues Kalanick that he lost $97,000 and is “bankrupt” because of Uber’s business strategy. His situation is pretty common among Uber drivers. In fact, a Bloomberg report last January reported some Uber drivers are now sleeping in their cars, and the company has continuously started cutting fares to the point where some drivers make less than $10 an hour.
Kalanick eventually exits the car telling Kamel that “Some people don’t like to take responsibility for their own s***.” They blame everything in their life on somebody else. Good luck!”
Kalanick sent an email to Uber staff and posted a statement about the video on their website.
“By now I’m sure you’ve seen the video where I treated an Uber driver disrespectfully,” Travis Kalanick said. “To say that I am ashamed is an extreme understatement. My job as your leader is to lead…and that starts with behaving in a way that makes us all proud. That is not what I did, and it cannot be explained away.”
Kalanick added, “It’s clear this video is a reflection of me—and the criticism we’ve received is a stark reminder that I must fundamentally change as a leader and grow up. This is the first time I’ve been willing to admit that I need leadership help and I intend to get it.”
“I want to profoundly apologize to Fawzi, as well as the driver and rider community, and to the Uber team”
YouTube is tackling TV. Following in the footsteps of Hulu, Apple, and other streaming companies, YouTube is going after cable television.
For $35 a month you can obtain a TV package that includes all the major news channels, ESPN, USA, FX, Oxygen, E!, Disney Channel, National Geographic, and not to mention, local TV channels. Also, YouTubers can add TV channels such as Showtime, an unlimited cloud-based DVR with unlimited storage and six accounts.
Essentially, YouTube TV will allow you the ability to live and record content from major TV network. Also, all of this content will be featured alongside YouTube’s pre-existing content and will work on nearly any TV screen that has the YouTube app.
The new service will be available later on this year and set for early spring. There is no contract, and six users can access the content at any time.
That said, there are a lot of major networks missing from the list. Most popular channels including The Walking Dead’s AMC, TBS, and TNT. Also, CNN is absent from the list. Meanwhile, Sony Playstation Vue includes CNN, TBS, TNT, and AMC.
YouTube TV will also be able to connect with Google’s internet of things device Google Home, so you will be able to ask Home to start playing a show on your television.
The mobile app will also include three main features including live, library and home. The live tab will show you everything that is currently broadcasting on the respective network. If you want to watch a particular show, you can just tap, and it will begin to play. If you want to look at a show later, you can click the plus icon, and the will start recording a show. YouTube TV will also harness Google artificial intelligence technology, and users will be able to see recommendations underneath the current video they are watching.
