You tell me. What’s worse: former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., being charged with tax schemes and violations, or the Bankers who perpetrated the largest crime against Americans and being the sole cause of this continuing recession, walking around FREE and collecting fat bonuses for running their banks into the ground?
Discuss, please…..
Wamer here in DC – 35 degrees…..and I say that as a native Californian who’s been living in DC for nearly ten years, LOL
A Different World’ star Lou Myers dies
Feb. 20, 2013, 8:29 PM EST
WENN
Beloved TV star Lou Myers has died following heart surgery in West Virginia.
The star of “A Different World” (which was a spin-off of “The Cosby Show”) passed away at the Charleston Medical Center on Tuesday night, aged 77.
Bing: Lou Myers filmography
Myers played Mr. Vernon Gaines on the hit ’80s comedy.
The actor was hospitalized in January after collapsing at his home.
TMZ reports Myers fell into a coma on Tuesday and was declared dead hours
later.
http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=791895
Monica Roberts @TransGriot
Selling Out The Black Community For Fun And Profit- Guest lecturer Tavis Smiley #whitehistoryclasses
Dr. Goddess @drgoddess
My Family Did WHAT?!: How to Overcome the Shock of Learning How the Irish Became White in America #WhiteHistoryClasses
radiyo star @batgirlsclub
Colorblindness 101: how to not care if someone is green, purple, or polka-dotted in a post-racial society #whitehistoryclasses
Beneath the Underdog @DayeTiggs
@Viva_La_Vadge Rub Some Dirt On It: Bad European Remedies Offered While Spreading Disease to the New World #WhiteHistoryClasses
J @HeyWhiteGirl_
How to be angry at people of color about Welfare, Affirmative Action and other programs that benefit mostly whites #whitehistoryclasses
problemwiththat @problemwthat
“You Make It, We Take It” Cultural Appreciation from a White Persective. #whitehistoryclasses
Teacake the Grappler @_praxis_
White Tears: how to miss the point of a critique #whitehistoryclasses
Afroanna Puffington @BabylonSista
Black History Survey: From the Birth of MLK Jr. to the Death of MLK Jr. #whitehistoryclasses
@desusnice Raisins, Apples & Pears, oh my! Critical Deconstruction of Potato Salad thru History #whitehistoryclasses
@TaylerSometimes: Gimme Dat Becky: Black Freedom Fighters & White Women From Cornel West to Elon James White. #WhiteHistoryClasses”
@blunted215: Your Booze Ain’t Like Mine: An Examination of Malt Liquor #whitehistoryclasses
@thewayoftheid: Ass So Fat: How To Embrace Cultural Aesthetics You Once Shunned And Appropriate Them #whitehistoryclasses”
@dustybluemage: For The Wire Tells Me So: Coopting Experiences through Television #whitehistoryclasses
Black Canseco @BlackCanseco
“Thomas Jefferson: Sally Hemmings’ #WhiteBoo” #WhiteHistoryClasses
My Eyes! My Eyes! Jesus, Son of the Living God!
Christopher Dorner — Gruesome Death Photos for Sale.
http://www.tmz.com/2013/02/20/christopher-dorner-death-pics-sale/
Christopher Dorner’s badly scorched, partially dismembered body was photographed after his death … and TMZ has learned the pics are now being shopped to the media.
TMZ has seen the photos (the sellers showed up to our doorstep) — and the shots are extremely gruesome.
The top of Dorner’s head is gone … presumably the result of the self-inflicted gunshot wound that ended his life after the gun battle at a remote cabin in Big Bear, CA last week.
The body is missing several limbs … including an arm and parts of a leg … and his midsection is charred from the fire that consumed the cabin during the Feb. 12 shoot-out.
Despite the intense blaze, several body parts remained intact … including his eyeballs, chest area and penis.
In fact, Dorner’s upper teeth were barely damaged … which helped authorities ID the body.
TMZ did not purchase the photos — but the sellers are definitely on the hunt for a buyer.
If the sellers work for ANY LA County government office that gave them access to take those pictures, I can see why they’re trying to sell them because they’re about to be FIRED from their damned jobs, and they should be.
I guess TMZ has standards, since they didn’t chomp at the bit to buy them. No other self-respecting media outlet should, but I’m betting Fox is itching to make that purchase, which would take them lower than whaleshyt.
GOP States Invite Washington To Run Their Health Care
Sahil Kapur-February 19, 2013, 2:00 PM
Reality 1, Boehner 0
By Steve Benen
Wed Feb 20, 2013 9:18 AM EST
We’re down to just nine days before brutal sequestration cuts kick in, undermining the economy, the military, and public needs. At this point, it’d be a mistake to suggest the bipartisan talks have stalled, since there no talks — Democrats have unveiled a sequester alternative, and Republicans have not; Democrats have said they’re open to compromise, and Republican have said they aren’t. The probability of avoiding next week’s mess is quickly approaching zero.
With this in mind, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has a 900-word op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on the subject, devoted almost entirely to a desperate attempt to avoid blame. In the larger context, it’s only mildly annoying that Boehner invests more energy in pointing fingers than working on a solution, but it’s far worse that the Speaker peddles blatant falsehoods, lacking enough respect for the public and the political world to be honest with them.
During the summer of 2011, as Washington worked toward a plan to reduce the deficit to allow for an increase in the federal debt limit, President Obama and I very nearly came to a historic agreement. Unfortunately our deal fell apart at the last minute when the president demanded an extra $400 billion in new tax revenue — 50% more than we had shaken hands on just days before
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/02/20/17030297-reality-1-boehner-0?lite
There have been no discussions since this was President’s Day week, and these mofos used that as an excuse to go on VACATION, just one month after returning from Christmas VACATION.
This business with the sequester is another reason that should KILL the ReThug/Teahadists, but it probably WON’T.
Leave the 17th Amendment alone
By Steve Benen
Wed Feb 20, 2013 4:56 PM EST
For a couple of years, specifically 2010 and 2011, far-right activists pushed a muddled constitutional message. On the one hand, conservatives claimed to be the true, unyielding champions of the Constitution and all it represents. On the other, these same conservatives said the Constitution needed to undergo major changes to bring it more in line with the right’s expectations. This never really made sense, but we apparently weren’t supposed to note.
As a practical matter, the latter goal of giving the Constitution a touch-up led to some fairly radical proposals. Conservative Republican lawmakers and candidates, for example, said they might want to scrap at least one part of the 14th Amendment. The right also hoped to “restore” the “original” 13th Amendment. A variety of conservatives, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), said the 16th Amendment should also probably be removed from the Constitution, too.
And for quite a while, the right seemed especially animated by the idea of repealing the 17th Amendment — the one that lets Americans choose their own U.S. senators — so much that it became “part of the Tea Party orthodoxy.” Dave Weigel noted yesterday that this idea hasn’t completely faded, at least not yet.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/02/20/17033667-leave-the-17th-amendment-alone?lite
#whitehistoryclasses
Nisha @utternappyness
I See Black People 101 (Women’s Only class): How to Clench Your Purse For Dear Life & Speedwalk to your Vehicle#whitehistoryclasses
Dani Alexis @danialexis
No Hood? You’re Good!: Identifying the REAL Racists in America#whitehistoryclasses
Federal Cox @Federal_flashes
“I’m not racist. My neighbor was 1/4th black.” – A Guide On How To Recover After Making Clearly Racist Statements#WhiteHistoryClasses
dar @dammitdar
You Is Kind, You Is Smart, You Is Important: Watching “The Help” in Mixed Company #whitehistoryclasses
@brokeymcpoverty: It’s Okay, I’m Here: The Dynamics of Saving People Who Didn’t Ask For Your Help
Black Canseco @BlackCanseco
How Whites Saved Jazz & Blues From Depraved Black Indifference#WhiteHistoryClasses
AnacosTico @southeastgaucho
Gentrifying 322 B: Are Your Chicken And Waffles Free-Range and Organic? #whitehistoryclasses
The sequester slideshow that may haunt the Speaker
By Steve Benen
Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:43 AM EST
When it comes to next week’s sequestration cuts, here’s what matters: coming to terms with the scope and severity of the damage, and understanding who’s prepared to compromise to reach a solution. Here’s what doesn’t matter: who came up with the idea in 2011.
And yet, it’s the sequester’s origin story that fascinates Republicans, not for any substantive reason, and not because it will help the country in any way, but because finger pointing is easier than governing.
While it’d be infinitely more satisfying to argue over the important questions, there are no efforts underway to sidestep this self-inflicted wound. So, if we’re stuck in the argument GOP leaders insist on having, we might as well note they’re wrong about this, too.
For Republicans, President Obama “proposed and demanded the sequester.” We know this isn’t true. Indeed, at the time, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) bragged about Republicans getting the sequester into the Budget Control Act.
But John Avlon takes this a step further today, pointing to a PowerPoint presentation that Boehner’s office developed with the Republican Policy Committee and sent out to the Capitol Hill GOP on July 31, 2011.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/02/20/17031418-the-sequester-slideshow-that-may-haunt-the-speaker?lite
SM∆LLS @dachevision
Mama I Want To Sing: A History of Blue-Eyed Soul #WhiteHistoryClasses
Afroqueerized Bee @afroqueerizdbee
History 223: “Slavery By Another Name” White Anarchists Speak about Resisting Capitalism on a Trust Fund. #whitehistoryclasses
@obaa_boni: Seeing the Negro at night : Anderson Cooper trains the white eye #WhiteHistoryClasses
@Vivaciously_Val: Is Oprah Our Mammy?: The Infatuation With Motherly Black Women #whitehistoryclasses
@blunted215: Black History: Why Nothing Happened From 1863-1964 #whitehistoryclasses
These are hilarious and SPOT ON.
J.C. Watts’ Nonprofit Seeks to Boost GOP Credibility With Minorities
As Republicans continue to grapple with their diversity problem, former Rep. J.C. Watts has moved to fill at least one void by launching a nonprofit charged with recruiting and placing ethnic minority staffers in GOP congressional offices.
Watts, an Oklahoma Republican and African-American who left Congress 10 years ago, said it could take years for his party to build the kind of outreach with ethnic minorities capable of countering Democrats’ success with such groups, which helped propel the party’s candidates to key victories in last year’s elections. Now a lobbyist, Watts hopes that his new organization, Insight, is one solution to a multifaceted problem.
http://www.rollcall.com/news/jc_watts_nonprofit_seeks_to_boost_gop_credibility_with_minorities-222546-1.html
Go straight to HELL, J.C. Watts. Where were you the last 4 years while your GOP went full out RACIST on non white Americans.
The Crackas crumble and break it, and as usual, they call RENT-A-NEGRO to pick up their crumbs.
Fuck you!
JC Watts didn’t LEAVE Congress. Let’s get this one on the real.
The cockroach, aka “The Hammer” who was the Majority Whip in Congress during the Bush Crime Family regime, Tom DeLay, pulled that fool to the side and told him there was no room for “Nigras” in the GOP leadership – that’s why his ass is gone from Congress. When he was the token for them, they allowed him to hold a leadership position because the ReThugs were in the MINORITY. When they got control, there was no.way.in.hell they were going to allow a brotha to be in charge of anything except fetching them tea and sandwiches.
Brothas in a GOP leadership position? That might have given Harold Ford ideas, and drew more sell-out brothas to the party. Them old white saltimes couldn’t have THAT.
Being young, black, and safe
Lini S. Kadaba, For The Inquirer
Posted: Wednesday, February 20, 2013, 8:25 AM
The Lindner family: Parents Donna and Steven with Sam and Sophia
Whenever 13-year-old Samuel Lindner goes out with his friends, his parents remind him to “act like you’ve been somewhere.”
The phrase has been a constant in the Lindner household since Sam was in preschool. It means he should present himself with confidence, bred of education and experience. Be polite, on his best behavior, and make smart choices.
On the surface, the advice sounds like typical parental nagging. But Sam, his 15-year-old sister, Sophia, and his parents know those five words connote much more – a set of unwritten rules that can mean the difference between success or failure, even life or death. The Lindners, who live in Ardmore, are African American – and that simple fact adds layers of concerns for the welfare of their children.
“Sam knows racism exists, and he understands why,” says Steven Lindner, 48, a Lower Merion commissioner and corporate trainer. “But that doesn’t make it any easier. . . . We don’t want him to fester over it. We just want him to be aware of these situations.”
The Lindners and other African American parents say they need look no further than the daily headlines to validate their heightened awareness. This month, Trayvon Martin would have celebrated his 18th birthday. Instead, the Florida teenager’s death a year ago next week remains a stark reminder to black parents of the dangers their children face.
The Lindners tell Sam not to travel in groups of teens – to avoid any suspicion of hooliganism. And whenever Sam or Sophia head to the store, the mantra is: “Don’t forget to get a receipt. Don’t forget to get a bag.” Because, the Lindners have told their children, blacks too often are profiled as shoplifters.
“It does make me angry,” Sam says, his usually soft-spoken voice rising a notch. “But just certain times when I’m going to have to let it go.”
His mother, Donna Lindner, 44, a school administrator on the Main Line, says: “I think these conversations are essential. The costs are too high to take a chance.”
Great piece. The children musst be educated in the ways of RACIST America. The Bennetts would do well to get schooled and teach their son Jonah too.
President Obama to speak at unveiling of Rosa Parks statute
President Obama will speak Wednesday at an unveiling ceremony for a statue at the Capitol honoring civil rights icon Rosa Parks.
Her statue will be the first ever of an African-American woman in the Capitol as part of its National Statuary Hall Collection.
http://thegrio.com/2013/02/20/obama-to-speak-at-unveiling-of-rosa-parks-statute/
The White House unveiled a new Official Portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama.
thanks guys for putting it in the sidebar
It warms my heart and makes me SMILE to see, hear, and know Michelle Obama is our FIRST LADY. Lookie; she’s already on the sidebar, and she is a sight to behold.
Axelrod: If Money In Politics Is Inevitable, Let It Go Straight To Candidates
Former White House senior adviser David Axelrod took to Twitter on Wednesday to call for an end to the “SuperPac and faux SuperPac game,” and proposing a campaign finance system where fully-disclosed funds go straight to candidates as an alternative. “Too much money in politics,” Axelrod wrote, in the second of three Tweets. “But if it’s inevitable, let it flow directly to candidates and demand full disclosure, with stiff penalties.”[….]
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/02/axelrod_campaign_finance_tweets.php?ref=fpnewsfeed
Obama n’ Tiger; Too Big For Their Britches?
By Desi Cortez
Don’t deny it – the two most hated Black men in the country, together, slappin’ whitey around, has resulted in aggravating and agitating most of America; The rank n’ file of the Republican TEA Party is peeved n’ pissed by these boys arrogance, as is the Liberal press corp. A number of women are, perhaps not offended, but rather as my mother would say . . . “disappointed” the President would “want to” golf with the two-timing fallandering playboy.
Let’s roll n’ stroll for a moment; their gathering embodies more than a few combustible elements, no?
US Golf, in the realm of US popular culture is in the same breath as Polo, Tennis, Cricket, and Lacrosse, and oh yeah, water Polo. So to see this country club endeavor, might we say overran by undesirable Negroes, that fact in-flames millions
………………………
But in the guesstimation of White America, these two men embody and symbolize what White folks fear most . . . Black Alpha Males. Our society is set-up to manufacture White Alpha Males, and to deter and retard the mass-production of Black Alpha Males.
It was tantamount to maintaining Slavery and the mindset was the rule even after slavery ended. That’s what separate n’ unequal was all about – not educating, nor enlightening Black people, i.e., consciously, and in a cold calculating effort not creating competent competition for every meaningful aspect of life” in America was the unstated but adhere- to unspoken rule of White America, and it still is today.
That’s why the “Right” would prefer to build for-profit prisons then public preschools; the pipeline for Blacks and Browns is designed to end with either part-time employment at Wal mart, prison or an early-death. That’s the way most of White America likes it.
Tiger and Obama are the arrogant, uppity Black men White guys harbor contempt, envy and malice for . . . and are of-course intimidated-by.
One is a family man Walt Disney would be proud of. The other is a Boy Scout gone bad – his penis unchained, and it has what can only be described as an addiction to White women. Both uh, lifestyles rub White men the wrong way. They don’t know who they fear more – the officer n’ gentleman President your wife wishes you were “more like” or the rich Black athlete who’s going to have your woman bedded on his private yacht.
http://blackathlete.net/2013/02/obama-n-tiger-big-britches/
STRAIGHT, NO CHASER!
Gas Prices Mounting Again…Why?
Yesterday morning, reluctantly waking to the rude static of the clock radio I reach for the snooze but decided against ten more minutes of sleep. Instead I readjust the dial trying to find the local NPR station’s elusive, ever-shifting frequency. Squeezed in between the new Latino station and another springing reggae on unsuspecting early morning listeners, the hourly news had already broken in.
National gas prices are expected to rise above $4.00 a gallon soon…
“What? Why?” I say out loud, the remaining sleep washing away. Listening closer, “…due in large part to an increase in the cost of crude oil, refinery maintenance shutdowns and the shift to the more costly summer blend of gasoline.“
Okay, well those are, on the surface at least, apparently credible reasons but pondering a bit more upn them a few questions arise.
http://mashedpotatobulletin.com/2013/02/20/gas-prices-mounting-again-why/#more-2922
Obamacare is Working
Posted on February 20, 2013 at 2:00 pm by JM Ashby
Projections for Medicare spending between 2011 and 2020 have fallen by $500 billion.
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
CBO has reduced its projections of Medicare spending in response to a pattern of very low spending growth in the past three years. Medicare spending per beneficiary in fiscal year 2012 increased by only 0.4 percent — well below the 3.4-percent growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. Over the 2010-2012 period, Medicare spending per beneficiary grew at an annual rate of 1.9 percent, while GDP per capita increased by 3.2 percent a year. CBO projects that Medicare cost growth will remain subdued for the rest of the decade.
Medicare spending growth has slowed even more than costs in private health insurance, according to Standard & Poor’s and Medicare’s actuary. Although some of the slowdown stems from the recession, CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf and other experts have concluded that a substantial part reflects structural changes in the health care system. Professional associations, hospitals, and doctors are taking steps to curb costly and ineffective procedures and treatment.
The Affordable Care Act is bringing down the cost of healthcare by challenging a culture of waste, not by throwing momma from the train.
http://bobcesca.thedailybanter.com/
Where’s teh fuckin’ FENCE, McGrumpy! LOL See how that ANGER comes back to bite cha?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G0S82yHW-00
SMGDH
http://youtu.be/LuYV1lySStU
Thansk for this; I’m trying to fast from MSNBC.
http://youtu.be/N_e41hMeicY
http://youtu.be/ZZ3J5vJcXRI
CNN Breaking
Dabbing at this eyes with a handkerchief, former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty in federal court to one charge related to using campaign funds for personal expenses.
“Guilty, your honor,” Jackson responded to U.S. District Judge Robert Wilkins, after looking back at family members in the courtroom, including his father, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson.
“I used monies that should have been used for campaign purposes,” Jackson acknowledged to the judge.
According to court documents, the former Democratic congressman from Illinois misused about $750,000 in campaign funds.
Once seen as a rising political star, Jackson could face up to five years in prison. The judge set sentencing for June 28.
Breaks my heart.
Beyoncé Knowles’ autobiographical documentary that premiered last Saturday was the largest audience for an HBO doc since Nielsen amended its method of measuring ratings in 2004, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Beyoncé was the subject of the documentary as well as its executive producer, narrator, co-writer and co-director.
“Beyoncé: Life Is But A Dream” attracted about 1.8 million viewers during its initial 9pm broadcast. Spike Lee’s 2006 documentary, “When the Levees Broke,” that looks at the devastation in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina is the only documentary to come close with 1.7 million viewers.
http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/02/beyonces_hbo_documentary_most_watched_since_spike_lees_katrina_series.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+racewireblog+%28ColorLines%29
BTW, have you seen “TOO BIG TO FAIL?,” Leutisha?
Not yet. I’m trying to understand why some institution who raped the American economy can’t be punished for it – but a brotha with a half-smoked joint in his pocket gets 25 to life.
No such thing as “Too Big to FAIL” because if they FAIL, the harder they FALL.
It’s a very painful, ugly wound that will not heal, unitl these banksters are JAILED for raping and crashing our economy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVV6dzDOgQ0
Inside Job was better
Happy 86th Birthday, Mr. Poitier!
Oprah’s Dinner of a Lifetime with Sidney Poitier (part 1 of 4)
Wedensday, Feburary 20 at 2:20 PM: The President is interviewed by regional television outlets.
That’s it; take it to the streets, Mr. President
I got chills watching and listening to Beyonce share her spiritual experience. Ivy Blue is precious.
John McCain Jeered at Arizona Town Hall
Video
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/mccain-jeered-arizona-town-hall-over
Conehead O’Brien? I thought Jimmy Kimmel was hosting this year.
Conan O’Brien to headline WHCD
By CAITLIN MCDEVITT | 2/20/13 9:01 AM EST
Comedian Conan O’Brien has signed on to headline the upcoming White House Correspondents’ Dinner, a source tells POLITICO 44:
O’Brien signed the contract Tuesday, according to the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
His appearance at the dinner on April 27 will be his second time entertaining at the proverbial “nerd prom” and marks a notable get for White House Correspondents’ Association President Ed Henry of Fox News.
O’Brien was the featured performer at the dinner in 1995, when he roasted viewers for watching the event live on C-SPAN on a Saturday night and former President Bill Clinton for his folksy demeanor, long-winded speeches and failed attempt to reform health care.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/click/
Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert wants to know: Where is the transparency?
Following the White House press corps’ complaints that President Obama’s holiday weekend — which included a golf outing with Tiger Woods — afforded them virtually no access, Colbert demanded answers on his Tuesday show:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/02/20/stephen-colbert-on-obamas-golf-outing-with-tiger-woods-video/?wpisrc=nl_politics
Donna Richardson Joyner: Body and soul
By Vicky Hallett, Published: February 19
Donna Richardson Joyner is what most people would refer to as a fitness guru. But she prefers a term a kid called her a few months back: “a cheerleader for Jesus.”
Even without the pom-poms, it’s a spot-on description of the seriously spirited 50-year-old who grew up in Silver Spring, gained VHS fame as one of the “Buns of Steel” instructors, and eventually found that God had a greater plan for her toning talents.
Her mom, who would watch Joyner’s workouts with the sound off while playing gospel, had urged her for years to make a fitness video with Christian music. Joyner was uneasy about the idea until she led a “workout in worship” at a church in St. Louis, with the organ playing and the choir standing behind her.
“You know how runners get a runner’s high? We got a spiritual high,” says Joyner, who went back to her hotel, cried and settled on a new life’s mission.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/donna-richardson-joyner-body-and-soul/2013/02/19/24a3ebb8-7792-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html?wpisrc=nl_health
Texas woman has 2 sets of identical twins
This is How China Hacks America: Inside the Mandiant Report
Feb 19, 2013 5:20 PM EST
Cybersecurity firm Mandiant released a massive and scathing report identifying a unit of the Chinese government that has hacked 115 U.S. companies. Here are the critical details.
The Chinese government just got caught with a smoking cyber gun.
Cybersecurity consultant Mandiant released a much-anticipated report Tuesday morning, offering the most detailed look to date inside the Chinese People Liberation Army’s direct involvement in hacking into American government and corporate websites.
The PLA Unit 61398 is identified by the report as the most prolific hacking group inside the Chinese government. Dedicated to infiltrating English-language sites, the unit recruits English-language proficient speakers and experts in computer security, but otherwise scrubs any mention of its organization from Chinese-language websites. Operating out of a 12-story, 130,663 square foot facility in the Pudong New Area sector of Shanghai, its building is able to contain as many as 2,000 personnel. Special high capacity fiber-optics were installed by China Telecom when the building was constructed in 2007 and the outfit utilizes over 1,000 servers.
In this three-year investigation, Mandiant documented Unit 61398 hacking into 141 companies (including 115 in the U.S.) across 20 industries, and stealing many terabytes of compressed data in sustained attacks averaging 356 days. The longest persistent attack documented by Mandiant lasted 4 years and 10 months. The largest recorded theft was 6.5 terabytes from a single company over 10 months.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/19/this-is-how-china-hacks-america-inside-the-mandiant-report.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=cheatsheet_morning&cid=newsletter%3Bemail%3Bcheatsheet_morning&utm_term=Cheat%20Sheet
3 Chics saw this coming!
Soledad headed out at CNN
Last Updated: 12:11 AM, February 20, 2013
Posted: 12:02 AM, February 20, 2013
High-profile morning anchor Soledad O’Brien is on her way out at CNN as new boss Jeff Zucker moves Erin Burnett into her morning slot, Page Six has exclusively learned.
We’re told award-winning journalist O’Brien has indicated she is ready to leave after she was initially promised a plum prime-time slot, but that role has so far failed to materialize.
A source tells us: “The deal to move Erin to the morning alongside Chris Cuomo is basically done. Soledad had been told she’d get a prime-time slot, but that hasn’t yet happened, and now she is telling friends she is likely to leave.”
http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/soledad_headed_out_at_cnn_NGuo73hdisQIzTlt8EkkYM
Props to Soledad for trying. I knew those “Black In America” series were going to give Zucker a reason to can her in favor of a snowflake who can’t be objective in her reporting because she’s married to a DC insider.
Current TV is where Soledad needs to go because the other mainstream outlets won’t want her. She asked too many damned questions that backed YT into corners and either forced them to lie or tell the truth about what it’s like to be Black in America.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Life At Chicago’s Harper High School
Hear a great audio documentary about life for students and staff at Chicago’s Harper High School, one of the city’s most troubled. This is part 1 of a 2 part series. Staff and students are constantly dealing with violence. It has become part of the culture in the school.
I was struck by the feeling of helplessness, even among staff. This documentary sounded like something from a war torn developing country… not from one of America’s largest and most important cities. I came away feeling that the city of Chicago could do more. With a police department with thousands of officers, certainly they should be able to make a school and its surrounding neighborhood safe for students and parents. There are law enforcement and security steps that could be taken…but I just didn’t get the sense that there was any leadership from the city government. In suburban schools.. when there is word of potential violence, it is not unusual for law enforcement to do a complete shakedown… check students, clear lockers, check vehicles coming in or out. Why no hotspot policing around the school? (Flood area with extra patrols, send in the gang and drug task forces, establish a school police force and give them the authority they need to patrol surrounding areas, install cameras, proactive car stops, etc).
…………………………………….
The school administrators seemed to be on their own. The staff members are expected to be teachers, social workers, surrogate parents, caregivers, friends, psychologists, security officers…. it’s amazing. In part 1, even some of the staff members (those who had been the rock for students) crumbled to peaces…and broke down emotionally. It is clear that the people on the ground who work in these schools everyday have a different sense of urgency than the politicians in Washington DC… including the President. I also found it interesting that (at least in part 1) no one talked about the negative impact that rap culture has had… how it has contributed to this problem. Maybe that issue will be touched on in part 2. The program also highlights how culture & social conditions impact learning. The teachers can’t fix this problem on their own. Test scores are bound to be low in this kind of environment. But should you get rid of the teachers? Absolutely not. Teachers who stick around in these environments are heroes. Their salaries should be increased and they should be given medals for what they have to deal with everyday.
http://mirroronamerica.blogspot.com/2013/02/life-at-chicagos-harper-high-school.html
Early Morning Open Thread: They’re Baaaack….
By Anne Laurie February 20th, 2013
Like a shingles attack, relict of a long-forgotten childhood ailment, Simpson & Bowles have returned with an even more toxic version of their Austerity “for thee, but not for me” Plan. Per Greg Sargent:
Like a pair of aging crooners hoping to recapture past glory with a long-awaited reunion tour, Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson released a new version of their deficit reduction plan today. Ezra Klein ferrets out the real news in the plan: It asks for far less in new revenues, and more in spending cuts, than the previous Simpson-Bowles plan did…
…[T]he plan roughly represents the ideological midpoint between the Obama and Boehner fiscal cliff blueprints — which is why the plan is so heavily tilted towards cuts. As Kevin Drum notes, this is particularly odd, given that spending cuts have already been “75 percent of the deficit reduction we’ve done so far.” Drum adds: “this sure makes it hard to take Simpson-Bowles 2.0 seriously as a plan.”
That’s true, but it also provides a useful window into the arbitrariness of Beltway conceptions of what constitutes the ideological “center.” After all, the Boehner fiscal cliff plan raised taxes only on income over $1 million; the Obama offer raised taxes only on income over $400,000. Both of these are to the right of the balance Obama just won an election on: The expiration of the Bush tax cuts for income over $250,000. Yet these were designated the two ideological outer poles for the purposes of defining the debate….
Alex Pareene, at Salon:
… S and B are doing their best to explain why we need a new, different plan. One reason is that, in their eyes, the situation has gotten so, so much worse since their last plan, that we now need more deficit reduction than we needed last time. The other reason is that the point of this plan is to be a model for a “compromise” between the current supposed GOP sequester-avoiding plan and the Obama administration’s sequester-avoiding plan, and it does this by adding tax revenue that the GOP has explicitly ruled out — but not as much as the original Simpson-Bowles plan, which had a lotta taxes — and demanding even more spending cuts than the original plan did. So the new centrist common sense bipartisan compromise is way more conservative than it was a few years ago, but still not conservative enough to win any Republican support (beyond insincere rhetorical support, I mean).
The cuts come from Medicare and Medicaid, because while the Obama administration laid out a plan to get as much deficit reduction as Simpson-Bowles originally demanded, the Obama administration did so in the wrong way, without trying to cut a bunch of money from those programs and Social Security…
http://www.balloon-juice.com/2013/02/20/early-morning-open-thread-theyre-baaaack/
Jay Carney breaks it down like a fraction…
“I would note that, you know, and this is important to note given some of the coverage of this issue, that when it comes to solo news conferences, where the president of the United States stands up, and for 40 minutes, 50 minutes, or an hour, takes your questions, allowing reporters to go deep on issues, President Obama has given 35 of those. President Bush, his immediate predecessor gave 19,” Carney said. “When it comes to interviews, the president’s given 591 interviews since he took office. So, I think, that it is clear that we are making an effort to provide access, to make sure that the president is being questioned by reporters and anchors and others. And we’ll continue to do that.”
“I mean, the president had some downtime, he was playing golf,” Carney said. “You know, I understand that there was a desire to have access or a photograph of that, but the president was having [a vacation].”
Ray Charles Foundation Donates $3 Million to Morehouse
During Morehouse’s 25th Annual “A Candle in the Dark” fundraising gala over the weekend, the Ray Charles Foundation stunned the room by announcing their donation of $3 million to the college.
“I know that Ray Charles had a long-standing relationship with Morehouse based on professionalism, integrity and honesty,” said Valerie Ervin, president of The Ray Charles Foundation. “He genuinely valued the education and preparation that Morehouse provides to young men.”
The gift will secure the naming of the academic wing of the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College after his mother, Aretha Robinson.
The relationship between Charles and Morehouse began several years ago when he was invited to Atlanta to perform with the College’s jazz ensemble. Ray Charles’ dear friend and former Morehouse Trustee Bill Cosby opened that performance, but it was his long-time manager, Joe Adams, who introduced the star to Morehouse. Adams was an avid supporter of and contributor to Morehouse, having given a personal gift, himself, in support of the construction of the performing arts center, now named for his dear friend.
“Morehouse is fortunate to have been able to forge a relationship with Mr. Charles. More important, we are grateful to him, Ms. Ervin, and The Ray Charles Foundation for all they have done to promote appreciation of the arts and humanities and to further music education at the College,” said John Silvanus Wilson Jr., the 11th president of Morehouse. “The funds so generously donated this evening will not only memorialize Mrs. Aretha Robinson, but they will afford us new opportunities to promote the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center.”
Ray Charles received an honorary degree from Morehouse in 2001 and later that year the musician, who was often referred to as “The Genius,” made two $1-million gifts to the College to seal a mutual commitment to find, educate and inspire the next generation of educated young man.
http://www.eurweb.com/2013/02/ray-charles-foundation-donates-3-million-to-morehouse/
Fox Host Calls Universal Preschool ‘Immoral Crazy Talk’
By Igor Volsky on Feb 18, 2013 at 12:59 pm
Last week, Fox News attacked President Obama’s proposal for expanding universal early childhood education by characterizing it as a government handout intended to extend “literally, the nanny state” and warned that the president is using preschool to entice a whole new generation of toddlers to vote for him.
On Sunday, the network’s sister station, Fox Business, continued its attacks, as host Gerri Willis called the effort “immoral“:
WILLIS: I have to tell you, I think it’s immoral to make all of these promises, when you know you can’t afford it, we can’t afford it. Preschool for everyone, are you kidding me? We don’t have the money for that! … This is just crazy talk and I think it’s immoral to put this across as something that’s actually doable, when it’s not.
http://thinkprogress.org/education/2013/02/18/1606671/fox-host-calls-universal-preschool-immoral-crazy-talk/
North Carolina Governor Signs ‘Unprecedented’ Gutting Of Unemployment Insurance
By Travis Waldron on Feb 19, 2013 at 1:25 pm
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R) today signed a law that imposes severe cuts to his state’s unemployment insurance program, a change that will also cost jobless workers in the state access to the federal unemployment compensation program.
McCrory’s signature earned him a rebuke from the National Employment Law Project, which said in a release that the law will result in “the most severe cuts to both state and federal unemployment insurance of any state in the nation”:
These heartless cuts, in the state with the fifth-highest jobless rate in the nation, at 9.2 percent, show a shocking disregard for 400,000 unemployed North Carolinians and their families, many of whom will now go from struggling to barely make ends meet to outright struggling to survive. The immediate pain of these cuts will fall on North Carolinians unfortunate enough to lose work through no fault of their own in a weak economy where jobs are scarce. But the entire state will take a hit from the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in spending at local businesses that would’ve boosted the local and state economies.
The law reduces the maximum benefit allowed from $535 a week to $350 while cutting the number of weeks an unemployed worker is eligible for the program from 26 to 20. As a result, 170,000 jobless North Carolinians will also lose access to $780 million in federal unemployment funds. The average unemployed worker in the United States has been off the job for 35 weeks, meaning many jobless workers will now face the prospect of searching for a new job without access to a safety net program.
Republican state senators have touted the law as “re-employment” program, even though research suggests that workers who receive unemployment benefits search harder for jobs than those who don’t. McCrory, meanwhile, praised the fiscal responsibility of the law, which will allow North Carolina to pay back money owed to the federal government a measly three years earlier than it would have under the old program.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/02/19/1610571/north-carolina-unemployment-cuts/
– – –Quincy Jones launches music education application — –
– – – – -Quincy Jones says he has co-created the music version of Rosetta Stone.
The 79-year-old composer-producer launched a new music education application Tuesday called Playground Sessions, which teaches users how to play the piano. He said the app will help children and adults learn how to read music and understand the mechanics of piano playing.
There’s “such a need for this,” Jones said in an interview last week. “The concept is brand-new. I have been praying for this for a long time. It has a learning concept similar to Rosetta Stone. I’m blown away by this.”
— -Playground Sessions is a musical app with real-time feedback and video tutorials from pianist David Sides. It features about 70 popular songs by Beyonce and Justin Bieber, and well-known tunes like Katy Perry’s “Firework” and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York.”
Jones, who produced Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and other successful albums, hopes Playground Sessions will have an impact on music education programs in schools around the world. One of first schools that will use the app is Jones’ alma mater, Garfield High School in Seattle.
– –SNIP – —
– – -Chris Vance, who co-created the app and founded Playground Sessions, got together with Jones more than a year ago after working alone on the application for three years. He said Jones immediately saw a vision for the product and wanted to make learning music a fun experience.
http://thegrio.com/2013/02/19/quincy-jones-launches-music-education-application/
I hear you, CPL.
Here’s the thing…what laws did they break?
I know that sounds ridiculous. they cause a global economic crash, but I’m serious – what laws did they break?
Because of Clinton and the repeal of Glass-Stengal, a lot of what they did was LEGAL.
that’s fucked up but true.
I’m so disappointed in JJJ. He had the world and threw it all away.
The laws are not fair or just. JJJ knows that he will judged differently. And these for the rich and powerful do not apply to him. He played and now he has to pay. PERIOD.
Precisely! JJJ can’t get away with… what OTHERS get away with.
Reblogged this on teesepowell.
Good Morning, everyone :)
Good Morning, Rikyrah & Everyone :-) Happy HUMP day!
Morning, everyone!
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! It’s cold as a witches tit in a brass bra
YIKES!
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