The African continent is the second largest continent in the world, and its people constitute a 10th of the world’s population with about one thousand indigenous languages spoken throughout the continent (Stone, 1998, p.2). In this context, it is important that a brief history of African music cannot be conclusive and is more complex than we realize. No scholar managed to offer a perspective about African culture that has not been contested. Given this history, we can only provide a bird’s eye view of African music. African music has a long history that has been orally transmitted from one generation to the other and captured in written form in excerpts found in journals of western explorers.
Writings on African music are largely based on western theoretical frameworks, and literature available under categories such as African music; world music, global music and ethnomusicology influences the discussion of African music. Most of the African music history has been surrounded by controversy on representation of African cultural heritage by non-native observers. Modern scholars of African music such as Hugh Tracy of South Africa, Nketia of Ghana, Mngoma of South Africa, Maraire of Zimbabwe and Makabuya of Uganda and others have expressed their reservation about misrepresentation of African culture by people who did not understand the people and the functions of the arts in those people’s lives. These discussions have highlighted a need to introduce context-based approach in the study of music and dance in Africa.
Mother AFRICA! There is no other continent on the planet that music and culture has not been derived from it. From chants, drumming, acapella, and tribal dance, join 3 ChicsPolitico as we explore the beauty, wonder, richness and SOUL of African music and dance.
Pierce Brosnan’s Daughter Dies of Ovarian Cancer
After a three-year battle with ovarian cancer, Pierce Brosnan’s daughter Charlotte has died, PEOPLE has learned.
“On June 28 at 2 p.m. my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life, having succumbed to ovarian cancer,” Brosnan, 60, tells PEOPLE exclusively. “She was surrounded by her husband Alex, her children Isabella and Lucas and her brothers Christopher and Sean.”
“Charlotte fought her cancer with grace and humanity, courage and dignity. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of our beautiful dear girl. We pray for her and that the cure for this wretched disease will be close at hand soon,” the actor continues. “We thank everyone for their heartfelt condolences.”
Charlotte, who was 41, passed away in London. She leaves behind husband Alex Smith, their daughter, 14, and son, 8.
Charlotte’s mother, Cassandra Harris, also died of ovarian cancer. She passed away in 1991 at age 50 while married to Pierce, after losing her own mother to the same disease
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20713827,00.html
The Traitor Snowden”
………………………….
I love this comment:
GOVCHRIS1988
−
One: What a bitch.
Two: I think this is the realization that his white boy card is not gonna get him outta this one. In his airheaded mind, he thought he started a revolution when all he did was show how utterly stupid he was. Assange and Greenwald abandoned him. Every other nation is either ignoring him or rejecting him or using him. And he is like Tom Hanks in the Terminal, except his country is allowing him to come back home. its just like my uncle did with my cousin when he ran out the house to avoid an asswhupping. My uncle called all his friends parents and told them not to let him in the house or stay the night. We were all like, Unc, don’t you wanna call the police. He said, no, we don’t even have to do that;his crazy ass is gonna have to come back in the house sooner or later. He just waited on that porch with the belt in his hand until he came back home.
Same thing here.
Dolan Sought Vatican Permission to Shield Assets
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: July 1, 2013
Files released by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee on Monday revealed that in 2007, the diocese’s archbishop at the time, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, requested permission from the Vatican to move nearly $57 million into a cemetery trust fund in order to protect the assets from victims of clergy sexual abuse who were demanding compensation.
Cardinal Dolan, now the archbishop of New York, has in the past emphatically denied seeking to shield church funds as archbishop of
Milwaukee, and he reiterated in a statement on Monday that these were
“old and discredited attacks.”
However, the files released Monday contain a letter he wrote to the
Vatican in 2007, in which he explained that by transferring the assets,
“I foresee an improved protection of these funds from any legal claim
and liability.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/us/dolan-sought-vatican-permission-to-shield-assets.html?hp&_r=0
Paula Deen Uses Prop 8 Ruling to Seek Partial Dismissal of N-Word Case
Paula Deen is pressing for the partial dismissal of the lawsuit that has toppled her empire — and she’s using the Supreme Court’s Proposition 8 ruling to do it.
Attorneys for Deen and her brother, Bubba Hiers, contend that a woman suing them on the grounds of racial discrimination, among other claims, doesn’t have legal standing to file the claim because she is white.
In a filing Monday, the attorneys pointed to the Supreme Court’s court’s ruling in the Prop 8 case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, in which the court said anyone suing in federal court must have standing.
The attorneys contend that plaintiff Lisa T. Jackson cannot, as a white woman, claim racial discrimination. That would mean that the line of questioning that led to Deen’s admission that she has used the N word in the past shouldn’t even have been part of the case.
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/paula-deen-uses-prop-8-ruling-seek-partial-212010794.html
nobody is gonna let a mofo like Snowden mess with their money. When whatever Senator stepped up and said – you let that mofo in, and we’ll have to rethink your trade agreement with us..
…………………………………………..
Uh Oh … Ecuador Throws Snowden Under Bus
JOSH MARSHALL JULY 1, 2013, 8:15 PM
The government of Ecuador had already been distancing itself from Edward Snowden’s cause. But now the country’s President, Rafael Correa, has gone as far as to say that his government never intended to facilitate Snowden’s journey from Hong Kong to Moscow. He now says his consul in London, apparently in league with Assange, was freelancing. This comes after Snowden released a statement thanking the Ecuadorean government for making his flight (in both sense of the word possible).
According to this interview with The Guardian, Correa says that the decision to issue Snowden a temporary travel pass was done by the country’s consul in London Fidel Narvaez, under whose protection Julian Assange is now staying, without authorization. He also seems to suggest that Assange was acting in concert with Narvaez to make this happen.
http://editors.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2013/07/uh_oh_ecuador_throws_snowden_under_bus.php
America is Under Siege As The Koch Brothers Look to Replace The Constitution
By: Rmuse
Jun. 30th, 2013
In military parlance, a siege is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict with the intent of conquering, by attrition and sustained assaults, an enemy holding a static defensive position with no means of escape or chance of marshaling assistance from outside forces. Siege warfare can last months, and even years, but if the attackers are patient and keep up constant pressure, the final defeat of the besieged is swift and extremely violent as the attackers take out their rage on the vanquished for not surrendering at the start of the war. For thirty years, Republicans have besieged 98% of the population with constant, and sometimes, low-intensity conflict that is reaching fruition and threatens to usher in a swift and violent end for most Americans at the behest of corporate and theocratic factions.
It is no longer a question of how or why Republicans are imposing corporatism and theocratic laws on the American people, but when they will finally transform this once democratic nation into a fascist state under authority of plutocrats and theocrats. The bad news is that America is one election away from total dominance by the Koch brothers billionaire club and religious extremists on the verge of replacing the Constitution with the bible and Milton Freidman’s manifesto “Capitalism and Freedom.” In fact, in preparation for oligarchs and theocrats ascendance to unchallenged authority to reign over the people, Republicans are eliminating the last vestiges of democracy, economic independence, and freedom from religion as they openly oppose the Constitution in their final push toward fascism.
The truth is that Republicans have panted to destroy New Deal protections for 80 years, but it was during the Reagan administration they began their siege in earnest and started transferring the nation’s wealth to plutocrats in the banking and financial industry. It was also the era the religious right gained unfettered access to the halls of Congress that is culminating in a blatant push toward rule by religious edict. Over the past four years, Republicans have tapped into racial animus rampant in a large segment of the population to garner support to give inordinate power to corporations with assistance from the Koch-influenced Supreme Court that gave corporations power over free and fair elections. Events of the past few weeks revealed that Republicans have now abandoned any pretense of governing for the people, and they are blatantly advocating for theocracy and corporatocracy.
It can no longer be argued that Republicans are not deliberately creating poverty to make room for tax benefits for the rich. In North Carolina, Republicans increased poverty by becoming the first of many Republican states to eliminate unemployment benefits despite the state has the fifth highest unemployment rate in the nation. North Carolina Republicans also are amending the state constitution to permanently make it a “right to work” (for less) state to keep corporate profits high and worker wages at poverty level that is a trend in Republican-controlled states. The Republicans’ goal is not to encourage hiring, but to increase corporate profits and produce a population barely surviving on less-than subsistence wages.
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/06/30/america-seige-koch-brothers-replace-constitution.html
She’s a real water babe: Incredible video shows a baby swimming the width of a pool in one breath
•Looking so comfortable in the water it is unbelievable to think this tiny child is only 16 MONTHS old when this video was taken of her swimming
•She swims face down, without any arms bands or help and roles onto her back when she needs to breathe
•She even jumps in and swims to the other side of the pool in one breath
By Helen Collis
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2352477/Incredible-video-shows-baby-swimming-width-pool-breath.html
It’s Not About Abortion to Me
When Wendy Davis courageously stood in the Texas legislative chamber to filibuster an anti-abortion law, she was standing up for me. When thousands of men and women drove from far and wide, flooded the chambers and tens of thousands lent support from across the nation, they did so for me. I too stood with Wendy, but it’s not about abortion to me.
Despite claims about late-term abortions, the truth is, 88-92% of all abortions happen during the first trimester, prior to the 13th week of gestation . In fact, 80% of abortions are performed within the first eight weeks of pregnancy. 15.2% are performed between the 9th and 12th weeks of pregnancy. So to have the Texas legislature restrict abortions to 20 weeks, actually effects few, since only 1.3% are performed after 20 weeks of pregnancy. So you, see, it’s not about abortion.
And rape? It used to be so ugly, it was sufficient excuse for a lynching, it’s still a reason to cage a man for decades, while the result from a rape is “a gift from God”. Now that’s twisted. According to the National Abortion Federation, only 1% of aborting women reported that they were survivors of rape…assuming most women would even tell. One has to wonder, why such a low percentage has sparked such a high percentage of outrage.
A full 12% of women included a physical problem with their health among reasons for having an abortion. Suddenly, exceptional America is no better than the third world countries they bully and the Constitution is no better than Sharia law. How soon we’ve forgotten that Uncle Sam was once an abortionist.
………………………………………………
What the Argument is Really About
Rep. Steve King (R-IA),
“….Preventing babies from being born is not medicine. That’s not…constructive to our culture and our civilization. If we let our birth rate get down below replacement rate we’re a dying civilization.”
According to a 2009 report by the Centers for Disease Control Reporting, the U.S. birth rate is in decline. “Replacement levels” were not achieved in 2008 or 2009. There was a 1% decrease in 2008 and a 3-4% decrease in 2009. Nevertheless, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the U.S. population continues to grow by about one person every 12 seconds…but those births are overwhelmingly to people of color.
The debate is not about the sanctity of life, it’s about maintaining a position of superiority by white men. Why a war against women? Because as women become independent, they are less wedded to the ideas of marriage, traditional families and childbearing; self-sufficient, married women are even more likely to get a divorce. But if you restrict their opportunities, give them less pay, shred the programs that support parenting and childrearing; nutrition programs, healthcare, Head Start..suddenly, the hope is, we revert to a 1950’s dreadland when an all-American woman had a man husband, children, a stove and a soap opera.
The debate is not even about the little ones. Of course, it could even be about the mercenary world of baby-peddling. For babies are sold not unlike any other commodity. You can almost buy two Black babies for the price of one white baby. It’s a matter of supply and demand, like the latest pair of Nikes. Seems to me, were there merit to all of their high-minded arguments about the right to life and adoption, there wouldn’t be a foster child anywhere in the United States.
http://thepoliticalpragmatic.blogspot.com/2013/07/its-not-about-abortion-to-me.html
Pnthrgrlgail @Mama4Obama1
.@TheReidReport RT @DianneWing2: Texas Capitol has shut off power to outlets preventing media & protesters from recharging equiment #SWTxW
1:09 PM – 1 Jul 2013
john miller @deaconmill
Places that shut down internet access to prevent negative news from getting out: China, Iran, and now Texas.
12:56 PM – 1 Jul 2013
I’m in this kind of mood today.
“I count six shots”…
http://youtu.be/B9tF3KgEdAI
” Say goodbye to Miss Laura”
http://youtu.be/U4Tk5Qyn6zk
A theme emerges when you take it all in
Perhaps you’ve noticed that I haven’t been writing as much lately as I normally do. There’s a reason for that. I’ve always said that my tendency is to pay attention to the big picture (if you’re looking for a site to keep you up-to-the-minute on the latest news, this is definitely the wrong one to watch). This week big stories have been coming at us so fast that its impossible to have the time to digest them – much less reflect. Frankly, I’m exhausted just trying to keep up.
I think it would be helpful to list the big things that happened in the last few days:
1.The SCOTUS decision to basically gut the Voting Rights Act.
2.DOMA is unconstitutional and equal marriage returns to California.
3.The awakening of Texas Democrats with the Wendy Davis filibuster.
4.The Senate passes Comprehensive Immigration Reform 68-32 to shouts of “Yes We Can” from Dreamers in the gallery. Please proceed Speaker Boehner.
5.President Obama’s trip to Africa and images like this.
6.Minority Leader Pelosi wants to craft the “John Lewis Voting Rights Act.”
7.George Zimmerman’s murder trial and the trashing of Rachel Jeantel.
8.The passive/aggressive embrace of victimhood by Southern white women as demonstrated by Paula Deen’s racism and apology tour.
Does anyone else notice a theme? Yep. “There’s something happening here” and its really important that we get the big picture right.
Posted by Smartypants at 10:33 AM
http://www.immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-theme-emerges-when-you-take-it-all-in.html
Midterms Matter!!!
As long as President Obama is in the White House and Democrats control the Senate, we’ll be able to stop the lunacy of the Republicans these days when it comes to federal legislation. They can hold as many votes in the House as they want on ending Obamacare and stripping away our constitutional rights as women – but they won’t ever be successful in actually getting those kinds of things done.
Where the real damage to people is being done these days is in state legislatures and governor’s offices. From attempts to try to throw monkey wrenches into the implementation of Obamacare to voting restrictions to the stripping away of worker’s rights to the extreme restrictions on a woman’s right to chose to ridiculous requirements in our children’s classrooms to even ending unemployment benefits in North Carolina, the Republicans are mounting an all-out assault on decency and fair play in states all over the country.
Its not just happening in so-called “red states” but it is a direct result of the 2010 midterm elections that swept Republicans into power in state legislatures and governorships. In my home state of Minnesota, we initially went there too in 2010. But we elected a Democratic governor by a razor thin margin and were able to hold on for 2 years until we elected a Democratic legislature in 2012. If you want to know what a difference that makes, take a look at this comparison to our neighbors next door in Wisconsin.
http://www.immasmartypants.blogspot.com/
https://twitter.com/NerdyWonka/status/351768823470383104/photo/1
Yet another reason to be skeptical that the GOP will reform
By Jamelle Bouie, Published: July 1, 2013 at 1:43 pm
If there’s one reason I’m skeptical of significant Republican reform—beyond the shaky electoral case for doing so—it’s that the Republican Party as a whole has taken a sharp turn to the right, even in states where its long-term survival depends on broadening its appeal to Latinos, African Americans and other groups.
There’s the Texas GOP’s refusal to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and its ongoing push to restrict—or effectively end—abortion services in the state. There’s Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s aborted attempt to end income taxes in the state and place a large new sales tax burden on its low-income residents. There’s the Kansas GOP’s successful attempt to do the same, and now there’s the North Carolina Republican Party’s effort to end unemployment insurance in the state.
Yesterday, 70,000 North Carolinians lost unemployment benefits as the result of deep cuts to the state-based unemployment system. Those cuts disqualify the state from federally funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which requires states to maintain a minimum level of average weekly benefits. Overall this year, about 170,000 workers whose state benefits run out this year will also lose federal assistance. The direct result of this will be a hit to North Carolina’s economy and further harm for the state’s low-income families.
As a matter of policy, the cuts make little sense. But as a matter of ideology, they fit perfectly. The current crop of Republicans—both nationally and on the state level—hold a basic hostility toward government assistance for the disadvantaged. It’s what animates Paul Ryan’s budget—which calls for massive cuts to the federal social safety net—as well as last year’s GOP rage against the “47 percent.” In Congress, divided government has blocked attempts to codify this disdain into law. The same, however, isn’t true for GOP-controlled state legislatures
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/07/01/yet-another-reason-to-be-skeptical-that-the-gop-will-reform/
What explains the Republican Party’s intransigence?
By Jamelle Bouie, Published: July 1, 2013 at 10:09 am
The Senate is far from functional, but it still is capable of passing legislation, as we saw last week with the immigration bill. That’s more than can be said for the House, which is effectively controlled by an influential plurality of right-wing members. What’s more, those members are nearly immune to criticism, given the conservatism of their districts. The public may hate the GOP’s opposition to universal background checks, but conservative members represent voters that applaud the stance against new gun regulations.
This has made for a durable Republican majority. As Politico argues this morning, however, the GOP may pay a steep price for its control of the House. “Some top GOP strategists and candidates warn that the ruby red districts the party drew itself into are pushing House Republicans further to the right — narrowing the party’s appeal at a time when some GOP leaders say its future rests on the opposite happening.”
Politico points to gerrymandering as the source of this GOP strength, but that overstates the situation. There’s no doubt gerrymandering plays a part, but the GOP’s current majority has much more to do with geographic sorting and the natural malapportionment of the House. In short, because the Constitution provides a representative for every state, regardless of population, some smaller states have more relative representation than their larger counterparts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/07/01/what-explains-the-republican-partys-intransigence/
How dysfunctional House GOP will spike its top priority
By Jonathan Bernstein, Published: June 28, 2013 at 2:15 pm
(Susan Walsh/Associated Press)
(Susan Walsh/Associated Press)
We may start hearing a lot more about tax reform soon. House Republicans say that tax reform is their top priority; once they have a bill (okay, if they have a bill, but they say they will) it will be H.R. 1.
And yet: Odds are that their aversion to compromise means that tax reform will die an unnecessary death in the 113th Congress.
Here’s the deal. Both parties like the idea of getting rid of various tax exclusions and, with the money saved, lowering rates. It’s (theoretically at least) good for everyone; people can make decisions based on the real economy and not on gaming the tax code, and at the same time simplification can save everyone time while only hurting the tax preparation industry.
Tax reform is always difficult; the benefits are spread widely, while the costs are concentrated, and often absorbed by well-organized interest groups — after all, that’s how obscure exclusions wind up in the tax code in the first place.
Really, however, there’s only two major obstacles to getting a deal done during the current Congress. One is that Democrats have been insisting on more revenues; the other is that Democrats fear that any reform is going to be regressive, since many current tax exemptions disproportionately benefit the wealthy.
The thing is that this leads to an perfectly available compromise: Tax reform should be revenue-neutral but should be at least as progressive as the current code. That gives both sides a win. And there’s even a logic to it: Tax reform is hard enough, and so the less that needs to be done, the better. So don’t use tax reform to get the revenues that Democrats want, but also avoid the flattening that many Republicans want.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/06/28/how-the-dysfunctional-house-republicans-will-spike-their-top-priority/
On this day in 2005, we lost Luther.
http://youtu.be/4t-bpP2sL_U
GOP wants ACA to be DOA with NFL
By Steve Benen
Mon Jul 1, 2013 11:00 AM EDT
With implementation of the Affordable Care Act proceeding apace, the Obama administration has already talked about how best to reach the public, letting Americans know about benefits available to eligible families. The point of public-relations campaign is obvious: not only will it benefit families who could use the help, but the more people participate, the more effective the law.
Republican leaders are well aware of this, and have begun pushing back aggressively, last week urging the commissioners of the National Football League and other major sports leagues not to help the U.S. government get the word out in any way.
Given what we’ve seen in recent years, the letters to the sports leagues certainly don’t come as a surprise. Indeed, they’re not happening in a vacuum, either — Trivis Waldron noted on Friday that some conservative activists are threatening to turn their backs on the NFL if professional football partners with the U.S. government on this. The Weekly Standard, for example, said it would be “yet another reminder that football is best watched on Saturdays.”
There’s also the not-so-subtle irony of Mitch McConnell whining incessantly for several weeks about a “culture of intimidation,” while he quietly presses the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA, and NASCAR not to cooperate with federal officials — because he says so.
But let’s also not overlook the policy significance of this.
The reason the Senate minority leadership sent these letters is because they desperately hope to sabotage the post-reform health care system. As McConnell and Cornyn see it, if sports leagues help the government get the word out about, and Americans take advantage of the benefits they’re entitled to, then the Affordable Care Act will succeed.
And success for “Obamacare” isn’t something GOP officials are prepared to tolerate, so they’re using their public offices to pressure the private sector to help undermine the law’s efficacy.
——————————————————————————–
As Jonathan Bernstein explained the other day, “It’s possible that the ACA will collapse. But if it does, it’s unlikely it will be the result of inherent problems with the legislation. If Obamacare fails, it’s going to be because the Republican Party’s all-out war on it — a war that doesn’t seem to have any concern at all for health-care consumers or the economy — succeeds. Whether that’s a good thing for health care? Well, that doesn’t seem to be part of the equation.”
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/01/19233798-gop-wants-aca-to-be-doa-with-nfl?lite
First gif of the day
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4sv0zPfL51rx9eb6o1_500.gif
gn >
He don’t want none of Putin. We called it when the rumors started that he was going to Russia: out of the frying pan, into the fire.
Snowden’s finding out his white privilege doesn’t play well in RUSSIA.
Kennymack1971 >
Funny how things changed after POTUS Kanye Shrugged Eddie and was backed up by Nancy Pelosi. Eddie is now the houseguest nobody wants lol.
@shortstack81
Shorter Putin:” We not calling Tyrone but he still needs to help you come get your shit.” #Snowden
SNAP!
CALL TYRONE
Anti_Intellect
“White supremacy is not only the root of colorism, but the poisonous sustenance that feeds its damaged blooms.” – @KWestSavali
#Boom
@Reuters: Putin says if Snowden wants to stay in Russia, he must “stop his work aimed at harming our American partners”
Leading House Republican noncommittal on voting-rights remedy
By Steve Benen
Mon Jul 1, 2013 9:42 AM EDT
The Supreme Court last week didn’t actually eliminate the protections of the Voting Rights Act; the high court majority simply tasked Congress with “fixing” it with new standards, which has the practical effect of eliminating the Voting Rights Act.
But wait, many argue, isn’t it at least possible lawmakers will act on this? After all, the VRA has enjoyed broad, bipartisan support for many years, so it’s hardly unrealistic to think Congress can come together on this, right?
It’s too early in the process to definitely rule out possible outcomes, but consider what we’ve seen in recent days.
On Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmakers appear very eager to find a legislative remedy to secure the protections of the Voting Rights Act. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) is already moving forward with hearings, set to begin shortly after the Fourth of July recess. What’s more, on Friday, leading House Dems met in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) office to “brainstorm” ways to restore the law.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) has also said he’ll hold hearings, but doesn’t sound especially optimistic.
And at the state level, Republican policymakers, suddenly freed from the burdens of worrying about discrimination, are moving with remarkable speed to approve new voting restrictions that would have been too racist to be permissible up until six days ago.
The GOP incentive to leave the Voting Rights Act in tatters is likely to stand in the way of a congressional “fix.”
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/01/19233059-leading-house-republican-noncommittal-on-voting-rights-remedy?lite
Ohio’s Kasich approves sweeping restrictions on reproductive rights
By Steve Benen
Mon Jul 1, 2013 8:00 AM EDT
With Ohio’s state budget awaiting Gov. John Kasich’s (R) signature over the weekend, many in the state hoped the Republican governor would have the courage to eliminate sweeping new restrictions on reproductive rights, added to the budget with minimal debate, before he signed it into law.
That did not happen.
Gov. John Kasich last night vetoed language attempting to block him from moving forward with Medicaid expansion, but did not touch any of the anti-abortion language before signing the new two-year, $62 billion state budget.
The budget takes effect today, the first day of the new fiscal year.
The above video shows Kasich completing the budget process last night — surrounded, incidentally, by middle-aged white men — and was published online by Ohio Capital Blog.
As Rachel explained on Friday night’s show, everything about these new measures in the Buckeye State is quite jarring. For one thing, this was a budget bill, not legislation intended to address women’s health and/or abortion. For another, these provisions were added as amendments to the budget at the last minute, without debate, and without hearings in which lawmakers could hear, or even consider, the effects on those who’ll suffer as a result of the new policies.
And the policies themselves are nothing short of breathtaking in their scope:
——————————————————————————–
* Rape crisis centers will operate under a state-imposed gag order — rape-crisis counselors will face new restrictions when telling impregnated rape victims that they can legally terminate their pregnancy.
* The budget effectively defunds Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.
* There’s a provision to require women seeking legal abortions to undergo a state-mandated, medically-unnecessary ultrasound — even if women don’t want one, and if their doctor doesn’t recommend one. Ohio Republicans proudly declared they want to put themselves between patients and their physicians, prescribing specific procedures for no medical reason.
* Women will also be required to pay for state-mandated, medically-unnecessary ultrasounds they do not want and their doctors do not think they need.
* Physicians will be legally required to deliver a Republican-written speech to women seeking legal abortions. Whether the doctor believes what’s in the script, or even wants to say those words to his or her patient, has been deemed irrelevant.
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/01/19231745-ohios-kasich-approves-sweeping-restrictions-on-reproductive-rights?lite
Nerdy Wonka @NerdyWonka50s
POTUS on Kristin Welker’s dumb Q if he’s spying on EU leaders: “If I want to know what David Cameron’s thinking, I’ll call David Cameron.”
SMACK!
https://twitter.com/karenkasler/status/351488311887552513/photo/1
Hey kids, it’s a white privilege checklist!
_ 1. I can arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.
_ 2. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.
_ 3. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.
_ 4. When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.
_ 5. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.
_ 6. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the
music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the food I
grew up with, into a hairdresser’s shop and find someone who can deal
with my hair.
_ 7. Whether I use checks, credit cards, or cash, I can
count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial
responsibility.
_ 8. I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing, or body odor will be taken as a reflection on my race.
_ 9. I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.
_ 10. I can take a job or enroll in a college with an
affirmative action policy without having my co-workers or peers assume I
got it because of my race.
_ 11. I can be late to a meeting without having the lateness reflect on my race.
_ 12. I can choose public accommodation with out fearing that people of my race cannot get in or will be mistreated.
_ 13. I am never asked to speak for all of the people of my racial group.
_ 14. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk with the “person in charge” I will be facing a person of my race.
_ 15. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits
my tax return, I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my
race.
_ 16. I can easily by posters, postcards, picture books,
greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children’s magazines featuring people
of my race.
_ 17. I can choose blemish cover or bandages in “flesh” color and have them more or less match my skin.
_ 18. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.
_ 19. I can walk into a classroom and know I will not be the only member of my race.
_ 20. I can enroll in a class at college and be sure that the majority of my professors will be of my race.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/12/13/928575/-Hey-kids-it-s-a-white-privilege-checklist
‘More discrimination doesn’t make straight people’s lives any better’
By Steve Benen
Mon Jul 1, 2013 8:40 AM EDT
Over the weekend, sponsors of California’s anti-gay Proposition 8 made a last-ditch legal effort to stop same-sex couples from getting legally married in the state, which went nowhere — Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy turned down the appeal without comment.
And right around the same time, former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), now head of the Heritage Foundation, was on “Meet the Press,” arguing that discrimination against gay Americans hoping to marry is “better for children,” adding, “[I]t’s not about the desires of adults, it’s really about the best environment for children.”
Rachel’s response seemed noteworthy. For those who can’t watch clips online
http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/01/19232290-more-discrimination-doesnt-make-straight-peoples-lives-any-better?lite
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
Horrible tragedy this morning
19 firefighters killed in Arizona blaze; ‘Our entire crew was lost’
(CNN) — The 19 firefighters were part of an elite squad who confronted wildfires up close, setting up barriers to stop their destructive spread.
But the inferno blazing across central Arizona proved too much.
The team was killed Sunday while fighting the Yarnell Hill fire, northwest of Phoenix — the deadliest wildland blaze for firefighters in more than 35 years.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/01/us/arizona-firefighter-deaths/index.html
Joy Reid!
@TheReidReport
It’s also the start of a three-day two-a-day for me: guest hosting at Noon and 4pm on @msnbc M-W! @nowwithalex @BashirLive #alotgoingon
Go Ms. Joy!
Deen’s distinctions: ‘N—–s’ vs. ‘professional black men’
By Jonathan Capehart, Published: July 1, 2013 at 7:00 am
Something got lost in all the hullabaloo about Paula Deen and her desire to have a good ol’ Southern plantation wedding for her brother. Everyone focused on whether she dropped the N-word to described the black men and women who might work the event. But what Deen actually said in a deposition in the $1.2 million discrimination suit against her was far worse.
Deen acknowledged having said the N-word before. During a robbery, she told Matt Lauer last week. What Deen denied during that deposition was saying, “Well, what I would really like is a bunch of little n—–s to wear long-sleeve white shirts, black shorts and black bow ties, you know in the Shirley Temple days, they used to tap dance around.” She did admit to talking about the way the “middle-aged black men” were dressed at a restaurant she and her husband had visited that inspired her dream of Dixie nuptials. And then came this exchange during the deposition.
Q. Is there any possibility, in your mind, that you slipped and used the word “n—-r”?
A. No, because that’s not what these men were. They were professional black men doing a fabulous job.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/07/01/deens-distinctions-n-s-vs-professional-black-men/
Luvvie reviewed the BET Awards
* Was the BET Awards sponsored by Wilson’s Leather? Why was EVERYONE in hot ass cow hide? Isn’t LA HOT AS HELL DEGREES right now? Chile…
* Why am I petty and refusing to acknowledge Kendrick Lamar as a rapper because his mama named him that for him to be an R&B singer? If you wanna rap, you change your stage name to Yung Kendrick the Don or LIL KEN KEN. Or Kendreezy the Goon.
* Why did Tamela Mann take us all to CHU’CH so effortless? I couldn’t e’em tweet during her performance because I was rocking #bagginfoaf like an IKEA table as she SAING the house down. Chile… I love me some Cora.
* Why was Bow Wow in all white? Looking like a chaperone, if Heaven had a kindergarten. He’s adorabo.
http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2013/07/2013-bet-awards.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Luvvie+%28Awesomely+Luvvie%29
______________FLATLINES___________
Ohio Gov. John Kasich signs new abortion restrictions into law
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: July 1, 2013 at 8:09 amE-mail the writer
submit to reddit
Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) signed stringent abortion restrictions into law as part of his state’s budget Sunday night, just days after Democratic Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis thrilled abortion rights groups nationwide with her successful filibuster against proposed anti-abortion regulations in her home state.
The provisions in Ohio will make it more difficult for family planning groups to receive funding for preventive care; require ultrasounds for anyone seeking an abortion; and limit abortion providers’ ability to get transfer agreements with public hospitals.
Democrats immediately seized on Kasich’s action as a sign that Republicans are out of touch with voters. Elisabeth Smith, spokeswoman for the Democratic Governors Association, sent out an e-mail late Sunday titled, “This is why Mitt Romney lost in 2012.”
“Governor John Kasich, surrounded by a smiling group of Republican male legislators, just signed a bill in Ohio that will defund Planned Parenthood and force women seeking abortions to get medically unnecessary ultrasounds,” Smith wrote in the e-mail. “These positions are controversial, unpopular, and well out of the mainstream in any state, let alone Ohio.”
Kasich did not take questions from reporters after signing the budget legislation.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/07/01/ohio-gov-john-kasich-signs-new-abortion-restrictions-into-law/?wprss=rss_election-2012
Looks like another good series this week for 3CHICS!
Good Morning, Everyone :)
Beautiful,SG2! Absolutely beautiful.
Good Morning, Everyone! :-)
Morning! We’re going to visit Africa today! Whoo Hoo!
You’re rockin’ the post, SG2. I’m dancing and singing as I type. Looking forward to Africa Week!
Good morning Ametia!
TYSM, IC2! Hope you enjoy the week.
Thank you SG2! My family followed our heritage to the Ivory Coast – Ghana Africa. I just sent the family tree booklet to my sons. This is beautiful and I’m sending your video to them too, thanks for sharing.
The singer’s voice is ever so lovely! I love her!
oh yes!
i’m leaving now for the afternoon i’ll be reading notifications to keep up! signal not great at drs offices, arrgh darn digitial cookies!
catch ya later babi girl!
Have a good day, IC2. Hope to see you back when you can.