Mediaboss Marketing

MIAMI BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

From the 27th annual Winter Music Conference, W Hotels Worldwide today unveiled the 2012 W Hotels and burn studios DJ Lab, including new location and updated roster of DJ mentors. In its second year, the program is a collaboration between W Hotels and burn studios, an innovative music platform developed by burn, a globally leading energy drink from The Coca-Cola Company. Launched last year at the burn studios Hacienda in Ibiza, Spain, the 2012 DJ Lab will move to Bali, a similar international hub for electronic dance music and global music festivals. The recently opened W Retreat & Spa Bali Seminyak will host the weeklong program. Building upon the W brands mission of discovering whats new and next in music, the DJ Lab will tap eight rising talents from key international cities around the globe, providing them with mentorship to polish their skills during the intensive DJ boot camp. The participants will then embark upon a global tour, playing for both guests and locals in W Hotels around the world.

The first ever W Hotels and burn studios DJ Lab proved to be a dynamic way for W to further support emerging talent, said Vincent Gillet, Global Brand Leader, W Hotels Worldwide and Le Mridien.With programs such as the W Hotels Designers of the Future Award and Fashion Next, the DJ Lab is yet another way W is able to identify and support rising stars in design, fashion and music, providing them with a global platform to showcase whats new and next around the world.

An updated roster of DJ Lab mentors, which include accomplished individuals from all corners of the music and entertainment industry, will also head to Bali this summer. The mentors will help the rising DJs hone their craft, perfect their music engineering skills and develop a personal sense of style, all while helping to bolster the many elements required to succeed on an international stage. Michaelangelo LAcqua, Global Music Director for W Hotels Worldwide, will return as a DJ Lab mentor, bringing with him a skill set cultivated from years of working with brands to strengthen their presence through music curation. LAcqua, who has held the Music Director role for nearly three years, also serves as executive producer of the DJ Lab, among his other work for W Hotels, including the Symmetry music program and extensive music platform on the W Hotels App for iPhone. He also remains one of the industrys leading internationally acclaimed DJs and music producers.

As part of the 2012 W Hotels and burn studios DJ Lab, LAcqua has identified a top-tier group of mentors, including: Rob Garza, one half of the DJ duo Thievery Corporation; Paul Nolan, a master audio engineer who has DJed alongside the likes of Mark Farina, DJ Sneak, Hernan Cattaneo and Danny Howells; Jason Bentley, Music Director of Los Angeles-based KCRW and host of Morning Becomes Eclectic, as well as a distinguished music supervisor for film and advertising; and W Hotels Global Fashion Director Jenn Lombardo, who will provide the DJs with direction on style and personal image.

The burn brand believes in inspiring action with those who want to leave their creative mark on the world, said Prinz Pinakatt, GlobalDirector, burn, The Coca-Cola Company. Through the partnership with W Hotels, we are providing access and guidance to renowned music and entertainment industry names to nurture and develop aspiring DJs, helping them break onto a global stage.

The 2011 DJ Lab included DJ Angus Wong (Hong Kong); Lincoln Madley (New York), also known as DJ Bouji; Miaou Mix, comprised of Noemi Sunshine Ferst and Judith Dju (Tte d'Affiche, Paris); Stopmakingme of London, also known as Daniel Avery; and Eiko of Tokyo. While in Ibiza, the up-and-coming DJs were mentored by day and spun various events by night, including a sunset cruise on a catamaran and a W Happening at La Plage, one of Ibizas best beach clubs. Throughout this past year, the DJs were invited to spin at W Happenings and other sought-after events, including new W Hotels in London, St Petersburg, Bali, and Taipei; Fashions Night Out in New York City; and residencies at W Retreat & Spa - Maldives and W Retreat Koh Samui. W Hotels also featured exclusive mixes created by this group on the music tab of the W Hotels iPhone application, an integrated music platform that features more than 150 hours of exclusive curated playlists.

To unveil the 2012 DJ Lab, W Hotels will this evening host an industry panel discussion, titled In the Mix: The Importance of Mentorship within Music at the W South Beach. The panel will be moderated by Jim Tremayne, Editor of DJ Times, and will include Maurice Bernstein, CEO/President of New York-based Marketing Agency, Giant Step and George Hess, Head of Global Promotion at Strictly Rhythm, as well as LAcqua and Bentley. DJ Angus Wong and Noemi Sunshine Ferst and Judith Dju of Miaou Mix will take part in the discussion and later spin for the crowd of industry influencers and music VIPs who will be gathered at the hotel to celebrate Winter Music Conference.

The rising DJs selected to join the 2012 program will be announced in the early summer, while W Hotels will announce a search for one final DJ through a partnership with Resident Advisor and Mix.DJ. Launching May 1, 2012, please visit http://www.whotels.com/music for more details on how to participate in the competition or to download the W Hotels App.

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From Ibiza to Bali: W Hotels Worldwide Unveils 2012 W Hotels & burn studios DJ Lab

Written by Chris Daniels Thursday, 22 March 2012 14:07

The St. James City Council will go paperless. In an effort to save money and be more environmentally friendly, the council has opted to change the way that members access information.

The council voted paperless for monthly packets. (City Clerk) Sarah Wheeler surveyed and discovered that with labor, cost of paper, copier costs, folders, and postage, we spend around $3,870 a year putting those packets together. After doing a quick look at the costs of going paperless, she found that we could do so around $4,000, Mayor Dennis Wilson explained. The city will request bids for ipads and laptop computers to see which would be the best option moving forward. Other advantages of going paperless are many. Weve had previous meetings when a topic arises from a past meeting. The council usually doesnt have last months packet on hand. By going with computers, they would have access to all of that data, Wilson said. Eventually, city codes would also be available to the council in the event a code needs to be reviewed. Benefits from cost alone made the decision easy, as the council unanimously agreed to pursue going to a paperless system. Time savings, easy access to record keeping, and better communication with citizens were also important aspects to the decision. Each council person will be assigned a city email address. If a citizen has a problem or concern they can call or email their ward. Apart from that we also want to go green. This building already has wireless, so there wouldnt be any additional cost to install a new wireless system, Wilson said.

Read the original here:
Aldermen going digital to save time and money

MARC HINTON

OPINION: It's to be hoped that Jerome Kaino departs New Zealand rugby for his two-year deal in Japan with cheers and not jeers ringing in his ears.

If ever a departing rugby star deserved a kind word and fond farewell it's Kaino who's been a fabulous servant for the New Zealand game and deserves his chance to provide a bit of financial security for his family.

No one -- with the possible exception of Richie McCaw -- has put his body on the line for the cause to the extent of this likeable 28-year-old.

He played all but one minute of last year's World Cup, and was the All Blacks' most consistent performer throughout the tournament. For that alone he has earned his pension in Japan where the workload, demands and attrition will be a fraction of what he faces in New Zealand.

This, I'm told, was a deal that Kaino could simply not turn down.

There's talk it could have been around the $2 million mark and it's a sad reality that the cash-strapped NZRU, who have committed so much coin to retaining Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and for the time-being Sonny Bill Williams, have no hope of going close to matching that sort of deal.

In fact there are some whispers around the traps that the new contract offered by the New Zealand Rugby Union was not that flash. One well-placed observer reckoned Kaino may have even been offered less money than he was on previously to stay on.

Whatever, the decision was a no-brainer for Kaino.

For starters yet another major shoulder injury must raise concerns about the loose forward's ability to survive the demands of the modern professional game in New Zealand.

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Kaino deserves nothing but praise for decision

Around 700,000 people turning 65 next year will be hit the hardest The tax will take 3.5billion from more than 4.4million pensioners Senior Tories say the move is the Chancellor's biggest blunder

By Tim Shipman and James Coney

PUBLISHED: 17:52 EST, 22 March 2012 | UPDATED: 19:20 EST, 22 March 2012

The full extent of George Osbornes stealth tax raid on pensioners was laid bare yesterday.

Around 700,000 people turning 65 next year will be hit the hardest losing 323 annually with the end of age-related income allowances.

In all, the granny tax will take 3.5billion from the pockets of more than 4.4million pensioners. Senior Tories have denounced it privately as the Chancellors biggest blunder.

Burden: Around 700,000 people turning 65 next year will be hit the hardest - losing 323 annually with the end of age-related income allowances

The new rules are so arbitrary that some OAPs will lose far more than others born a day before them.

Ros Altmann of Saga said: Middle-class pensioners are outraged. My inbox is full of angry emails from those who did save for their future but are now hit.

The message of this Budget is, dont bother to save for the future and if youre too old to work any more you dont count.

See the article here:
Granny tax backlash: Fury as full scale of Chancellor's raid on pensioners emerges

Australia's tax legislation is, according to urban legend, the longest piece of legislation in the world. One of our law professors reportedly has an entire room devoted to books of Australia's extensive tax law. Part of the story is that Australia has several tax Acts.

Best of all, 'if Australia keeps making new laws at the current rate, there will be 830 billion pages of tax legislation by the turn of the next century,' said Robin Speed from the Rule of Law Association in the Sydney Morning Herald. In 2006, 4100 pages were taken out of the tax legislation to 'improve readability'. What a relief!

Then there is the 10,000 rulings a year the Australian Taxation Office issues (based on the average between 2000-08). Each of them can have the same weight as an Australian High Court decision.

What does this mean for you? 'Australians pay at least 125 different taxes each year,' your Treasury says on its website. '...there could be as many as 160 different state taxes and 259 taxes nationally.' Then, on top of that, there are local government rates.

Our favourite taxes are the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET), which is 29% of wholesale sales. And the superannuation funds tax - yes, you pay taxes on money the government forces you to save in Australia.

But all this is simply not enough. And so the Mineral Resources Rent Tax is following in the footsteps of the existing Petroleum Resource Rent Tax. And the Carbon Tax is following in the footsteps of the failed European emissions trading scheme debacle.

Perhaps that law school professor will need a second room to house this ever-growing pile of legislation.

Why do you, as an investor, need to worry about this kind of politicking? Well, tax is theft. With the threat of violence thrown in for good measure. There is simply no way of getting around that basic truth, as uncomfortable as it might make you feel.

First, to the claim that taxes are a violent threat. If you don't pay taxes - and don't cooperate with the consequences of refusing to pay them - the police will happily lock you away. And if you refuse to be locked away, the police will use force to make sure you are.

But why is tax theft? Well, if you get together a group of friends and they democratically vote to take away your money, that's theft. But if a slightly larger group known as the Australian electorate and their representatives try it, it apparently isn't theft any longer.

Original post:
Australian Tax: Running Government at a Profit