(April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a four-octave vocal range.[2] Starting as a member of the doo-wop group The Moonglows in the late fifties, he ventured into a solo career after the group disbanded in 1960 signing with the Tamla Records subsidiary of Motown Records. After starting off as a session drummer, Gaye ranked as the label’s top-selling solo artist during the sixties.
Because of solo hits such as “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)“, “Ain’t That Peculiar“, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and his duet singles with singers such as Mary Wells and Tammi Terrell, he was crowned “The Prince of Motown”[3] and “The Prince of Soul”.[4]
His mid-1970s work, including the albums What’s Going On, Let’s Get It On and I Want You, helped influencing the quiet storm, urban adult contemporary and slow jam genres. After a self-imposed European exile in the early eighties, Gaye returned on the 1982 Grammy-Award winning hit, “Sexual Healing” and the Midnight Love album before his death. Gaye was shot dead by his father on April 1, 1984. He was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.[5]
McCain: Obama Should Tap Lieberman To Be Defense Secretary
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/19/john-mccain-joe-lieberman-defense_n_811110.html
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday that in light of the retirement news of his Senate colleague Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), President Barack Obama should offer his friend and former campaign supporter a cabinet position — as a replacement for Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
McCain was answering a question from CNN in a telephone interview about whether the president should consider picking Lieberman for the post, since Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said he wants to leave this year.
“You know its funny you mention it,” responded McCain, “I really hope that the president would consider him. I hadn’t thought about it but I sure hope, whatever happens, he will play a major role on national security issues,” said McCain.
Go straight to he!! John McCain. You have some gall after thrusting Sarah Palin upon us. Go to he!! & rot!
Yes, I’m sure PBO has been contemplating asking John McShame his recommendation on who should be his next pick for Defense Secretary.
Giffords Stands On Own Two Feet
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/19/gabrielle-giffords-stands-on-two-feet_n_811355.html
Representative Gabrielle Giffords stood on her own two feet with assistance today, Tucson’s KVOA reported. Her doctor, Peter Rhee, also said the congresswoman sat in her hospital room’s chair and looked out over the Catalina mountains. According to Rhee, Giffords has begun an “aggressive rehab” program.
Giffords, the last of the shooting victims to remain in Tucson’s University Medical Center, will be transferred to TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital, KVOA reports:
Dr. Rhee would not confirm that Giffords will leave for TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston on Friday, but he says the transition from UMC to the next hospital will be seamless.
TIRR is one of the top-rated rehabilitation hospitals in the country, and has been recognized for this for the past 21 years, according to U.S. News and World Report. The hospital was chosen for its rehabilitation program and its relative proximity to Tucson, Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly says.
Giffords has been continually improving all week. In an email obtained by the New York Times yesterday, the congresswoman’s mother described her daughter scrolling through photographs on her husband’s iPhone and playing with his tie.
“Everyday Gabby improves and shows higher levels of comprehension and complex actions,” Giffords’ mother wrote in the message.
NBC/WSJ poll: Obama bouncing back
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41161439/ns/politics-more_politics
WASHINGTON — What a difference a few weeks can make.
Last month, Republicans were celebrating their midterm victories; Democrats were licking their electoral wounds; and President Barack Obama’s approval rating was stuck in the mid-’40s.
But after a five-week stretch that included bipartisan legislative achievements in the lame-duck session of Congress, mostly positive economic news and Obama’s well-received speech honoring the victims of the tragic shootings in Arizona, the political world has taken an abrupt turn in direction.
According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Obama’s approval rating has surged above 50 percent; confidence in the economy also has spiked; and the Democratic Party — but not the GOP — now enjoys a net-positive rating from the American public.
President Obama has ALWAYS been top shelf, for me. So the WSJ can shove it.
Glenn Beck And Sean Hannity Dropped From Philadelphia Radio Station
Yesterday, hate radio hosts Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity had their nationally syndicated radio shows dropped from WPHT in Philadelphia, which is the second radio station to drop both of the conservative commentators. The moves were scheduled back in November 2010, and Marc Rayfield, market manager for CBS Radio in Philadelphia and senior vice president, said that WPHT wants to become “more of a locally based station.”
Just weeks ago, Beck was dropped from WOR in New York, but the most recent cancellation in Philadelphia hurts Beck even more. Beck got his start in Philadelphia, and many of his radio staffers still live in Philly, including Beck’s side-kick Stu. Immediately after being dropped yesterday, Beck dropped all affection for the city where he got his start, saying, “Philly sucks.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/19/beck-hannity-philly/
Karma!
When evil gets to rockin…Karma comes a knockin
Democrats Challenge GOP to Ditch Their Government Health Plans
Posted on 18. Nov, 2010 by Stevie in Politics / Current Events, WTF Moments
I love this challenge and it hits right to the heart of how Republicans need to be held to the fire on so many issues!
This week, we reported that Congressman-elect Andy Harris (R-Md.) raised hell in freshman orientation on Capitol Hill. He was upset that he has to wait four weeks for his government health benefits to kick in. These are the same health benefits, essentially a public option, that he campaigned against in his recent win over Democrat Frank Kratovil.
The story gained some traction in the media because it reeks of hypocrisy from the GOP – many of whom claim to hate “Obamacare.” The Democrats, as a result, have sent letters to Republican leaders challenging them and their members to give up their government health benefits. They want members of Congress “walk the walk” of the American people whose health benefits they claim we can’t afford. Taxpayers currently pick up the tab for over half of the costs of the health plans for each of the 535 members of Congress.
The letter was drafted by Reps. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.), Linda T. Sanchez (D-Calif.), Donna Edwards (D-Md.), and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio). They also sent the letter to Democratic leadership to see if anyone on that side of the aisle would be willing to chuck their benefits too.
This is exactly how you hold anti-healthcare Republicans accountable! How the hell does a group of people CAMPAIGN on repealing government healthcare for ten of millions of people, yet ask for the same coverage DAY ONE when they get to Capitol Hill? In what crazy, jacked up world does that make sense? This is not even an ideological fight. It’s common sense.
I guess we’ll have to wait patiently to see which GOP members have the balls to give up their federal coverage. *drums nails on the table*
http://www.prunejuicemedia.com/2010/democrats-challenge-gop-to-ditch-their-government-health-plans/
Dannie, your man Boehner is such a BONER!
The ‘dish’ Boehner will miss
Political pundits have been abuzz in recent days over John Boehner’s decision to skip President Obama’s state dinner for Chinese president Hu Jintao. Did Boehner really decline, as departed RNC spokesman Doug Heye told Politico, because he’s just not fond of “all the pomp and circumstance of Washington?” Or is this some broader snub to President Obama? Is he trying to shore up his credentials with Tea Party members by avoiding glitzy expensive Washington events? Does he want to look tough on China? Or does he just like to go to bed early?
The questions may seem inconsequential to some, who see this as much ado about little more than an RSVP to a social event. But it also says a lot about Boehner’s leadership style. What it says, of course, depends on how you look at it. While some may see a principled leader who doesn’t partake in fancy insider events just because of tradition, others may see a leader who’s putting politics first, and ditching a critical opportunity to better get to know the leader of one of the world’s most powerful countries.
It’s not entirely clear why the Speaker is skipping the event, which marks the third time the Republican leader has skipped a state dinner during Obama’s administration. But Heye’s rationale that Boehner doesn’t believe in Washington’s pomp apparently didn’t stop him from attending a 2007 state dinner for Queen Elizabeth II during George W. Bush’s presidency. The white tie dinner for more than 100 guests included caviar, champagne and dover sole.
Some etiquette experts have looked aghast at Boehner’s decline. Politics Daily quotes Anita McBride, chief of staff to former First Lady Laura Bush, as saying that “you really have to be sick, dead or dying to regret a state dinner invitation.” Meanwhile, Letitia Baldridge, who was social secretary to President Kennedy, had even sharper words. She told the same reporter that Boehner’s decision was “short-sighted and a failing of his duty.”
If Boehner truly is uncomfortable with Washington glitz–and isn’t trying to send a bigger message through his absence–he should deal with it for an evening. Leadership requires that people do things they don’t like all the time, whether it’s attending a fancy dinner or negotiating on thorny issues with opponents.
A leader at Boehner’s level should actually want to take every opportunity to present a unified front to other countries–no matter how much we may disagree with some of their practices and policies–and to improve relations with someone who leads a country fast becoming this nation’s largest global rival. Yes, Boehner is meeting with President Jintao later this week. But a social setting like Wednesday night’s event offers unique opportunities.
http://views.washingtonpost.com/leadership/post_leadership/2011/01/the-dish-boehner-will-miss.html?wpisrc=nl_pmpolitics
Boner won’t go to the state dinner because you can’t get sloppy drunk at a state dinner. The speaker of the house can’t be seen slobbering over Hu Jintao. That’s not a good look. At the Bush state dinner, boner was still a nobody, so noone noticed those few extra drinks he took. But now errybody is watching.
If Boner came, he’d get drunk and blurt out,” I can’t believe this ni@@a is the president!” And then he’d pass out.
That’s not a good look for America.
DAMN! BWA HA HA HA HA You know the speaker so well, Dannie.
A wonderful story of the courage to survive & thrive
All washed up? No and YES
Shantae Holmes takes the steps to follow her dreams
by Jan Willms
Balancing her 14-month-old daughter on her knee while she visits with customers, Shantae Holmes, 39, doesn’t have much time to reflect on how much she has accomplished in her life.
She perches on a stool in the light and cheerful atmosphere of All Washed Up, the laundromat she owns at 3008 Penn Ave. N. in Minneapolis. Becoming a business owner was a dream that Holmes has had since she was a child. But the dream lay dormant for a while, as Holmes spent time in incarceration.
Challenges to face
“I had the recidivism virus,” Holmes explained, “and I served two probationary periods of three years. I was in Shakopee, the workhouse and the county jail. I was involved in miscellaneous negative activities.”
But her dream resurfaced again. “I was tired of my lifestyle, and I wanted to challenge myself. I didn’t want a career as an inmate.”
Although Holmes is very personable, she chooses to be selective in sharing some of the problems she has encountered and overcome. “I much prefer to connect with women survivors from different disfunctionalities of life,” she said.
http://www.womenspress.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=20&ArticleID=3757
Stephen Colbert Reduces Sarah Palin To “Media Troll” And “Self-Promoting Ignoramus”
by Colby Hall | 7:47 am, January 19th, 2011
Some background: Yesterday Ms. Brzezinski seemed to take the position that, just because Sarah Palin made some comments somewhere, it wasn’t necessarily worth reporting. In advance to his pep talk, Colbert runs a clip of the clearly frustrated and disinterested Morning Joe co-host, before turning to camera to encourage Mika:
I know you think this story has no purpose other than keeping Sarah Palin’s name in the headlines for another news cycle. I know you think she has nothing to offer the national dialog and that her speeches are just coded talking points mixed in with words picked up at random from a Thesaurus.
I know you think Sarah Palin is at best a self-promoting ignoramus and at worst a shameless media troll who will abuse any platform to deliver dog-whistle encouragement to a far right base, that may include possible insurrectionists.
I know you think her reality show was pathetically unstatesmanlike and at the same time I know you believe it represents the pinnacle of her potential. And that her transparent desperation to be a celebrity so completely eclipsed her interest in public service so long ago that there would be more journalistic integrity on reporting on of the lesser Kardashians’ ass implants.
I know, i know that when you arrive at the office each day you say a silent prayer that maybe, just maybe, Sarah Palin will at long last just shut up for just ten f*cking minutes. I know because I can see it in your eyes.
Well, guess what, Mika that’s the gig. And it’s only January of 2011, kiddo. And you have a minimum of two more years of this ahead of you. You want to stay in this game? You dig deep. You find another gear. You show up to work every day and get your hear and makeup done. You slap on a smile, get out there on TV and repeat what Sarah Palin said on Hannity last night right into the lens.
I have faith in you, kid. You can do it. See you in New Hampshire. I’ll buy.
Video:
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/stephen-colbert-reduces-sarah-palin-to-a-media-troll-via-pep-talk-to-mika-brzezinski/
CNN Names Suzanne Malveaux CNN Newsroom Anchor
by Mark Joyella | 12:25 pm, January 19th, 2011
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has been named a dayside anchor for the network, effective January 31. Ken Jautz, executive vice president of CNN/U.S., made the announcement this morning. Malveaux replaces Tony Harris, who quit the network.
CNN says Malveaux will CNN Newsroom from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays, joining a dayside lineup that includes Kyra Phillips, Ali Velshi and Brooke Baldwin.
“Suzanne is a welcome addition to the CNN Newsroom lineup, adding a depth of experience as well as fresh perspective to our daytime coverage,” said Jautz. “We are very pleased to expand Suzanne’s role so that we can showcase her political expertise as well as her broader strengths as a journalist.”
Malveaux, who will relocate from Washington–where she’s been on the White House beat for nearly a decade–to CNN headquarters in Atlanta. “I’m looking forward to this new chapter, bringing news and stories that impact viewers in and outside the Beltway,” said Malveaux.
Harris, who’d been at CNN for six years, left the network at the end of 2010. CNN has not named a replacement for Malveaux at the White House.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/cnn-names-suzanne-malveaux-cnn-newsroom-anchor/
18 Jan 2011
Hotties, Law Schools, Politics, SCOTUS, Supreme Court
Miss America 2011 Wants a Law Degree, and Then an Appointment to SCOTUS, and Then Election to POTUS
By Elie Mystal
This is why we shouldn’t let people under the age of 18 speak in public. Ever.
The new Miss America, Teresa Scanlan, is just 17 years old. Why we live in a society that regularly parades minors out in public to be ogled (whether for their beauty or dunking prowess or whatever) is a subject for another blog post.
As you know, beauty pageant winners are often asked about their life ambitions — as if staying “off the pole” wouldn’t be a major accomplishment in itself. Scanlan’s ambitions are particularly funny, more like the stuff you’d expect to hear from a 7-year-old girl instead of a young woman of 17.
Under normal circumstances, the public wouldn’t be a party to these particular ramblings. But since her parents decided to allow Scanlan to be thrust into the public spotlight, everybody gets to chuckle…
Skip:
Teresa will be a student at Patrick Henry College. Her scholastic ambition is to attend law school and she ultimately hopes to become a judge and eventually a politician. Along with the title of Miss America 2011, Teresa won a $50,000 scholarship sponsored by Artistry exclusively by Amway to continue her education. For the talent portion of the competition, Teresa performed “White Water Chopped Sticks” on the piano.
http://abovethelaw.com/2011/01/miss-america-2011-wants-to-go-to-law-school-and-then-an-appointment-to-scotus-and-then-election-to-potus/
Patrick Henry College= SPAWN OF THE TEA PARY http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Henry_College
From Patric Henry? I don’t think so.
Ha! You’d be surprised at the number of folks attending these kinds of colleges who are elected officials. It’s organized that way.
ANALYSIS AIR DATE: Jan. 14, 2011
Shields and Brooks on Obama’s Tucson Speech, Calls for Political Civility
MARK SHIELDS: It’s the college town. It’s really a wonderful city. And it was shaken to its roots. And I think there was an emotional need to affirm. And I think this was a form that the affirming took, was the cheering.
There was one observation that was made this week I just have to pass on to you by a friend of mine, Allen Ginsberg, who is an historian up in Maine. And he said, this week, we saw a white, Catholic, Republican federal judge murdered on his way to greet a Democratic woman, member of Congress, who was his friend and was Jewish. Her life was saved initially by a 20-year-old Mexican-American college student, who saved her, and eventually by a Korean-American combat surgeon.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june11/shieldsbrooks_01-14.html
Watch the Live Stream:
Next On: First Lady Michelle Obama’s “100,000 Strong” China Study Abroad Initiative Event.
Wednesday, January 19 at 10:30 am on the campus of Howard University
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/eca-test
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RzJ9MHzxN5g
BWA HA HA HA Our bad for causing your VICTIMHOOD, Sarah Palin. LMBAO
Hospital Visitation Regulations Go Into Effect Today
Posted by Brian Bond on January 18, 2011 at 05:41 PM EST
“There are few moments in our lives that call for greater compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted to the hospital. In these hours of need and moments of pain and anxiety, all of us would hope to have a hand to hold, a shoulder on which to lean – a loved one to be there for us, as we would be there for them.”
With those words on April 15, 2010 President Obama directed HHS Secretary Sebelius to initiate rulemaking to ensure that hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate visitors. The President further advised that the rule should ensure that participating hospitals may not deny visitation privileges based on factors including sexual orientation or gender identity.
Today the new Hospital Visitation Regulations go into effect.
This policy impacts millions of LGBT Americans and their families. The President saw an injustice and felt very strongly about correcting this and has spoken about it often over the years. I want to thank HHS Secretary Sebelius and her team for their resolve to see this rule implemented. In fact, long before this rule was finalized, back in June, 2010 the Secretary laid the groundwork by reaching out to leaders of major hospital associations asking them to encourage their member hospitals to not wait for the formal rulemaking to run its course regarding patient-centered visitation rights suggested by the President.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/01/18/hospital-visitation-regulations-go-effect-today?utm_source=011911&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=daily
President Obama Welcomes President Hu of China to the White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Now Streaming…
January 19, 2011 9:00 AM EST
President Obama and President Hu of China hold a Joint Press Conference
http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
January 19, 2011 1:05 PM EST
Thanks!
Should Sarah Palin Be Indicted for Incitement to Violence?
http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/45535/should-sarah-palin-be-indicted-for-incitement-to-violence/#comment-131299602
On Monday, Ross Douthat defended Sarah Palin in his op-ed “Scenes from a Marriage.” Sure, he took the position that the media ought to give up on Palin and get back to normal productive coverage of normal productive politicians. But he also aimed to extinguish any “possible link between Jared Lee Loughner’s crime and Palin’s martial campaign rhetoric.” The next day Palin took a spectacular dip in the polls, down to a 38% approval rating.
There’s already a burgeoning movement that suggests Palin and her contemporaries, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh, shouldn’t be let off so easy in there connection to the Tucson massacre, an area Palin marked on her infamous (and totally looney) crosshairs map.
At Petition Online a group has set up a request that the Department of Justice open an investigation into the rhetoric conservative’s now rely on to get undereducated, trigger-happy Americans out to vote. That’s not perceived metaphor from a liberal, by the way. Palin has actually stated that by “reload” she means go out and vote.
Should the Department of Justice open an investigation into Palin? Well, when you place a target over an area, you are most assuredly suggesting something be fired at it. That actually happened. If the DOJ does not open an investigation, it suggests our democracy see the shooting and Palin’s rhetoric as nothing more than a happy coincidence. This would be a real tragedy.
The Tucson shooting should not have been another opportunity for Palin to position herself under the Klieg lights. It should be an opportunity to put her in front of a jury. Sign the petition.
Mark Kelly’s Diane Sawyer Interview: Gabrielle Giffords Feared She Would Be Shot (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/19/mark-kelly-diane-sawyer-interview_n_810783.html#comments
Mark Kelly sat down with Diane Sawyer in an exclusive interview for ABC’s “20/20”, where he discussed his wife Gabrielle Giffords’ current condition, her earlier fears of being attacked by dissenters, and what it was like to believe she had died when news of the shooting first broke.
In a remarkably personal interview, Kelly revealed that his wife had spoken about 10 times before the shooting of her fears of being shot during one of her town meetings, and Kelly isn’t sure she should continue being a member of Congress after her recovery.
Kelly also talks of his wife’s remarkable progress and his hope that she’ll eventually make a complete recovery.
Kelly, who has been photographed beside his wife’s bed holding her hand, said there is a habit of hers that has convinced him that she recognizes him.
“If I hold her hand, she’ll play with my wedding ring. She’ll move it up and down my finger. She’ll take it off… she’ll put it on her own finger. She’ll move it to her thumb. And then she can put it back on my finger,” he said.
I heard on NPR this morning that Gabby’s leaving the hospital Friday and going to rehab. She might be walking in a few weeks. Good stuff!
Good Morning, Everybody. Hamppy Hump day! :-)
Good Morning, Ametia, 3 Chics, Friends & Lurkers!
Wednesday Graphics – Tumblr Backgrounds
Hi Dannie & SG2! :-)
Good morning all!!
Good Morning, Dannie!
I’m loving Marvin’s tunes.