Governor Sarah Palin Launches Online Video Channel On The TAPP Platform

Los Angeles, July 27, 2014 / TAPP co-founders Jeff Gaspin, former chairman of NBC Universal Television, and Jon Klein, former president of CNN/U.S., announce the official launch of the Sarah Palin Channel, a subscription-based online network offering supporters of the candidate for Vice President of the United States and former Alaska Governor unprecedented access to and interaction with Governor Palin.

The Sarah Palin Channel , which went live today, provides a direct connection between Governor Palin and her supporters, completely bypassing any filters.  Governor Palin serves as executive editor, and oversees all content posted to the channel, which includes timely videos and her commentary on important issues facing the nation.  Additionally, the channel offers subscribers a behind-the-scenes look into Governor Sarah Palin's personal life as mother, grandmother, wife and neighbor.  Channel members will also have the ability to post their own videos, send questions to the Governor and participate in online video chats, where they can talk directly with her and other subscribers.

Membership in the Sarah Palin Channel provides a free trial, and subscription is set at $9.95 per month, or just $99.95 for a full year.  Members who sign up now through August 1, 2014, will receive an additional two months free at the end of the year.  

Active military can subscribe free of charge by e-mailing your name and active duty status to proudlyserving@SarahPalinChannel.com.

Gaspin, Klein and co-founder Michael Greer, former Chief Technology Officer of The Onion, announced the creation of the TAPP platform in March 2014, followed shortly by the launch of its first channel, Steve Arterburn's New Life TV, hosted by the popular relationship counselor and radio host.  The Arterburn channel has turned profitable in less than four months online.  Future channels to be launched by TAPP will include top thought leaders in the fields of sports, entertainment, lifestyle, fitness, finance and more.

"Subscription video is taking off," said Gaspin, who serves as TAPP's chairman. "Audiences are clearly open to paying for premium access to deeper dive content they love." 

"Well-known personalities enjoy the connection to their supporters and control over the content," added Klein, TAPP's CEO.  "That's why TAPP is preparing to expand our roster even further."

Investors in TAPP include Discovery Communications, as well as individuals including investment bankers Ken Moelis and Peter Ezersky.  They were recently joined by Luminari Capital, a Silicon Valley venture fund founded by Daniel Leff to invest in disruption and innovation in the digital video ecosystem.

 

SOURCE TAPP


RELATED LINKS
https://sarahpalinchannel.com

Lady Gaga Ultimate Little Monster Experience at artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball Tour

SAN FRANCISCOJuly 1, 2014 /  IfOnly, an experiential marketplace that helps raise money for not-for-profit organizations, announced today that the July 11 Lady Gaga Ultimate Little Monster Experience at the United Center in Chicago will now include Chef Art Smith. Chef Art and his team will serve a gourmet dinner for a small and intimate group of fans as they chat with Lady Gaga's mother Cynthia Germanotta about the mission of Born This Way Foundation and meet Lady Gaga in-person before the sold out show. A percentage of the proceeds from the experience will go directly to Born This Way Foundation, which was created by Lady Gaga and her mother in 2011 to foster a more accepting society.

Chef Art was a long-time personal chef to Oprah Winfrey and is known for his expertise in Southern cuisine. Smith has authored three award-winning cookbooks: Back to the Table; Kitchen Life: Real Food for Real Families; and Back to the Family. As an influential figure in the culinary world, Chef Smith continues to contribute articles to O, The Oprah Magazine and Oprah.com. IfOnly and the Born This Way Foundation are thrilled to have Chef Art as part of this amazing event to support the Foundation.

Curated by Lady Gaga, this first of its kind special event gives the five-time Grammy winner's most devoted fans a behind-the-scenes all-access meet and greet and VIP experience at the art RAVE ARTPOP Ball Tour. In addition to the dinner with Chef Art, fans will get an in-depth look at the inner workings of a Lady Gaga concert. 

For more information, fans can go to:  http://www.ifonly.com.

The Ultimate Little Monster Experience includes:     

• Gourmet dinner, including appetizers and drinks, prepared by Chef Art Smith
• An individual meet and greet with Lady Gaga during dinner
• An individual photograph with Lady Gaga
• A backstage Haus of Gaga tour including the wardrobe area, stage access, sound booth and more
• Premium up close and personal concert seating with optimal stage viewing

IfOnly experience comes with very limited availability and will continue in the following cities. Advanced purchase is required:

• July 11th: Chicago
• July 17th: Dallas
• July 21st: Los Angeles
• July 30th: Phoenix
• August 6th: Denver

"Born This Way Foundation and Lady Gaga are thrilled to offer this experience to our most devoted fans and to further support the mission of Born This Way Foundation, which is to connect young people with the skills and opportunities they need to build a kinder, braver world," said Cynthia Germanotta President and Co-Founder of Born This Way Foundation.

About IfOnlyIfOnly delivers extraordinary experiences for good.  Founded in 2012 by serial entrepreneur Trevor Traina, IfOnly is a premium experiential marketplace that offers exclusive experiences to customers who are passionate about food, wine and spirits, music, sports, entertainment, travel and beyond. IfOnly partners with A-list luminaries to curate dream experiences at every price point, with a trusted charity benefiting from each purchase.

About Born This Way FoundationFounded by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, the Born This Way Foundation was founded in 2011 to foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated. The Foundation is dedicated to creating a safe community that helps connect young people with the skills and opportunities they need to build a kinder, braver world. We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe, to be empowered and to make a difference in the world. Together, we will move towards acceptance, bravery and love.

SOURCE IfOnly

http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/FX-SF60646-20140701-1.mp4

RELATED LINKS

www.ifonly.com

Security Out in Force Around Maracana Stadium Ahead of Belgium V Russia Match

Security Out in Force Around Maracana Stadium Ahead of Belgium V Russia Match

Brazil beefed up policing for a World Cup match at the Maracana stadium on Sunday (June 22) to try to prevent a repeat of security breach when scores of ticketless Chile fans forced their way into the ground. Around 600 trainee police officier joined roughly 3,000 police officers already deployed for matches at the stadium and an extra set of barriers have been set up at key points for security checks before fans get close to the perimeter fence.

Talk to your Teen about Marijuana

Islamic Microfinance Challenge

Pakistan’s Wasil Foundation Wins Islamic Microfinance Challenge

Washington, D.C., 17 June 2014: The Wasil Foundation, a Pakistan-based microfinance institution, won the Islamic Microfinance Challenge, a global contest to identify innovative Sharia-compliant financial products. Wasil won the $100,000 grant award for its package of products aimed specifically at smallholder farmers.

The theme of the Islamic Microfinance Challenge was “Beyond Murabaha.” It received entries from microfinance institutions in 11 countries. The Challenge is co-sponsored by the Islamic Development Bank, Al Baraka Banking and Triple Jump. It aims to spur innovation in an Islamic microfinance market where there is growing demand, but also a narrow product offering, focused mainly around murabaha – a cost-plus-markup product geared toward asset purchases.
Judges of the Islamic Microfinance Challenge selected Wasil’s entry – an “Agricultural Financing Package” of salam and ijara products – for its impact on the lives of its clients, the sustainability of the offering and its potential to scale up in Pakistan and in other predominantly Muslim countries.
Salam offers agricultural clients a cash advance against a guaranteed purchase price for their crops. Through ijara, Wasil rents agricultural land and then subleases it to a farmer for an agreed period of time. Fruit, vegetable and flower farmers pay a monthly rental fee in cash, while wheat and rice farmers can pay in the form of crops. By combining these two financial products, Wasil helps smallholder farmers sustain themselves between harvests while reducing their costs. The Agriculture Financing Package represents an average of nearly 10 percent of Wasil’s current portfolio, though that number can increase to 20 percent during the peak agricultural season.
“To alleviate poverty in Pakistan, we have to focus on the farmers. But many farmers will not opt for interest-based lending because of religious reasons,” said Wasil’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer Farida Tariq. “We are extremely thankful to the organizers of the Challenge who have given recognition to our work in Islamic finance.”
Other entries that were shortlisted for the final round of the Challenge included Sudan’s Bank of Khartoum and the Kyrgyz microfinance institution Kompanion Invest. Both submitted profit- and loss-sharing mudaraba products, which split risk between the institutions and their clients.
Videos of all finalists are available at http://www.cgap.org/news/innovation-islamic-microfinance
“We hope this recognition will inspire other microfinance providers to expand their own Sharia-compliant product offerings,” said Mayada El-Zoghbi, Senior Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP. “With high poverty rates in the Muslim world, Islamic microfinance can play a key role to provide financial access for the poor. Broadening the range of Islamic microfinance products is an important way to bring the poor into the financial mainstream.”
About CGAP
CGAP (the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor) is a global partnership of 34 leading organizations that seek to advance financial inclusion. CGAP develops innovative solutions through practical research and active engagement with financial service providers, policy makers, and funders to enable approaches at scale. Housed at the World Bank, CGAP combines a pragmatic approach to responsible market development with an evidence-based advocacy platform to increase access to the financial services the poor need to improve their lives. More at www.cgap.org
About the About the Islamic Development Bank
The Islamic Development Bank is a multilateral development financing institution located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1973 by the Finance Ministers at the first Organization of the Islamic Conference. Learn more at www.isdb.org
About Al Baraka Banking Group
Al Baraka Banking Group Headquartered in in Manama, Bahrain, Al Baraka Banking Group offers retail, corporate and investment banking and treasury services strictly in accordance with the principles of Sharia through its network of subsidiary banks and representative offices in over 15 countries. Learn more at www.albaraka.com
About Triple Jump
Triple Jump is a responsible investment manager based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Triple Jump manages and advises investment funds that focus on improving livelihoods at the bottom of the pyramid. Learn more at www.triplejump.eu

The Beatles Story

  

'Footsteps of Mandela' Musical Tribute Set For July 18 At New York's Riverside Church

NEW YORK, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- International Mandela Day 2014 will reverberate globally this year in a new musical production, Footsteps of Mandela, capping a day of commemoration marking the first birthday since the passing on December 5, 2013 of South Africa's first democratically elected president, Nelson Mandela.

Jazzical® pianist and producer Joel A. Martin and internationally renowned South African producer Welcome Msomi present an original musical production inspired by songwriter Stan Satlin's Auratorio Americana, a choral work celebrating world peace, freedom and human dignity. A drumming circle performing outside The Riverside Church will inaugurate the international Drums of the World emanating from New York and Johannesburg, South Africa to countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.  

Legendary Metropolitan Opera star Simon Estes, Tony/Emmy Award-winning Broadway actress Liz Callaway, gospel/jazz singer Jolie Rocke Brown and South African women's a cappella group Thokoza will perform with more luminaries expected to join in the celebration. South African government officials and United Nations dignitaries will be in attendance.

Footsteps of Mandela caps International Mandela Day commemorative events, beginning with daytime proceedings at the United Nations General Assembly and other remembrances around the world.

Proceeds from Footsteps of Mandela will benefit The Nelson Mandela Foundation and "Nothing But Nets" Program with the Simon Estes Foundation/United Nations Foundation.

www.footstepsofmandela.org

The performance and HD broadcast will take place on Friday, July 18, 7 pm, at the Riverside Church, one of the most beautiful churches in North America and has stood for freedom and social justice for decades. Nelson Mandela visited Riverside in 1990 just after he was released from Robben Island after being imprisoned there for 27 years, and again in 2005 on his final trip to North America.

Senior Minister Emeritus Rev. Dr. James Alexander Forbes, Jr. said of Mandela's visits to Riverside Church, "We are stirred to action and honored to host this important event. Let July 18 count as a reminder and resounding call to freedom and justice for people everywhere. May we continue to follow the Footsteps of Mandela toward a peaceful world for now and future generations."

Riverside Church is located at 490 Riverside Drive, at W. 121^st Street, NYC.

 

SOURCE Footsteps of Mandela


RELATED LINKS
http://www.footstepsofmandela.org